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Top SearchITChannel.com stories for June 2010

Barbara Darrow, Senior News Director
Oracle Corp.'s digestion of Sun Microsystems and its hardware channel continued to intrigue and perplex SearchITChannel.com readers in June. VARs were also interested to read about the Apple iPad's invasion of corporate IT and about how cash-strapped state and local governments are turning to SaaS and cloud computing.

Here are the five hottest SearchITChannel.com news stories for June 2010.

1. Oracle holds back Sun hardware rebates

News surfaced in June that

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Oracle was holding back rebates on Sun hardware sales from February and the Sun channel was getting antsy. That news exacerbated worries that Oracle would disintermediate the Sun hardware channel in its push to sell integrated hardware-software appliances -- in essence iPods for the data center -- directly to customers.

2. iPads force their way into corporate IT

The Apple iPad is the quintessential consumer electronics product, built to bring video, audio and other "fun stuff" to users. But that isn't stopping business execs from bringing their new iPads into the office. That means VARs supporting these businesses must ensure that the iPad works well with IT.

3. Oracle VM Machine promised

Oracle President Charles Phillips signaled that the company's Exadata integrated hardware-software strategy isn't a one-off thing. The company, now with Sun Microsystems aboard, will launch an Oracle VM Machine that ties together server, storage and switching along with Oracle VM and other middleware.

4. Cloud, SaaS on the horizon for state and local governments

The budget crunch affecting state and local governments is forcing some government offices to look long and hard at cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) as a way to cut capital expenditures. That is good news for VARs that offer on-demand solutions for messaging/collaboration, CRM and other applications.

5. Microsoft partners balk at MPN requirements

As Microsoft transitions to its new Microsoft Partner Network programs, many partners are not thrilled to see their annual fees rise to $4,000 for the top-tier Advanced designation, compared to the old $1,500 price tag for Gold certification. While those fees don't cover training and education costs, the thing that really irked many partners was what they said is Microsoft's increased emphasis on customer satisfaction surveys, or CSATs.

Check out the top SearchITChannel.com news stories for May 2010


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