Brian Sherman Posts

With two weeks left in the 2011 sales season, most solution providers have their plans in place for the first quarter of the New Year—if not for the next twelve months. Since it’s difficult to make a hard close to December business with the holidays, many are already shifting their focus to 2012—and looking for ways to improve their organization.This time of year business is typically a little slower, allowing the management team to reflect on past success and challenges before moving into the n ...

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of diving deep into the history of the computer industry while researching previous inductees of the IT Industry Hall of Fame. This research is part of the process CompTIA is undertaking to pay proper tribute to those who created and made significant contributions to computer science and the IT channel.  The deeper I dug into the stories, the more amazed I was by adversity and challenges faced by many of these individuals and organizations. Despite ...

Among the top “buzz” words in the IT community are “cloud” and “SMB,” which is seen as no coincidence by those in the IT channel. These two terms are closely tied and both highlight key areas of opportunity for solution providers. Time has demonstrated how cloud benefits extend to businesses of every size, in every industry, but the model has been especially beneficial to small and mid-sized companies.SMB organizations often find themselves battling much larger competitors, businesses that typic ...

CompTIA member Lester Keizer is CEO of Xilocore, a Las Vegas-based business continuity and disaster recovery services company that works exclusively with the channel partner community.  A long-time advocate of CompTIA, he has contributed to a number of the association’s initiatives and groups over the years and serves as a member of  the current Board of Directors.Prior to leading the Xilocore team, Keizer was CEO of Ron Cook’s Connecting Point and oversaw the company’s transformation from a pro ...

Most people have an innate need to connect with others, to enjoy the company of like individuals or those with similar interests. Whether that involves being part of a neighborhood kickball team or joining an elite country club, each assembly provides a certain level of gratification for it members. The value of each group we belong to can vary significantly, but each has to provide some positive effect to keep its constituents coming back.Personal relationships are important for individual grow ...

This is the time of year when most companies are working full speed on their 2012 business plans, from setting sales and marketing objectives to estimating the upcoming operational and capital investment needs. December is also the holiday season for many, but the work never stops for solution providers and others in the IT industry. In addition to building budgets and plans for the New Year, the push is on to meet and exceed annual revenue goals before the end of the month. That’s on top of the ...

Thanksgiving serves as a great reminder of all the things we should be grateful for in our personal and professional lives, and it’s especially true in the IT field. Some of the world’s greatest minds contribute their knowledge and energy to our industry, creating the products and services that solution providers can combine with their own ingenuity to support a variety of business clients.The IT channel is a collaborative community, requiring a number of people, processes and passion to accompl ...

Managed services and the cloud are a reality that every solution provider has to deal with, whether offering them as part of their portfolio or competing against them in their markets. There is no way around it; the IT channel business model has shifted. This revelation isn’t news to solution providers, but several recent industry announcements serve to reinforce its premise, including the new cloud approach from CA. As noted in Channel Insider, the company built on physical software is making a ...

On this Veterans’ Day, we pause to remember the sacrifices and courage exhibited by the men and women who defended our country and continue to protect our freedom. The call to duty requires not only bravery, but commitment and moral obligation to their fellow soldiers and sailors. With that in mind, business ethics seemed more than appropriate for today’s topic—especially with this week’s headlines.Few things are as electrifying to the media and populace as charges of inappropriate conduct in th ...

We’ve come a long way since the early days of the channel, before the “value” was emphasized in VAR and when hardware was still a primary component of any sale. Just ten years ago, margin was one of the most important topics in any discussion with some resellers “shopping” partner programs for the best deals. The channel has undergone a significant transition over the past few years, requiring solution providers, vendors and distributors to put a new focus on the business education and training ...