The storage appliance vendor says the number of registered partners in its worldwide channel network surged in 2011. Drawing new partners in is a combination of product features and channel programs that made sales easier and more profitable. It shows that technology and channel programs cannot stand independently.

In an obscure note to partners, Symantec warned of an unauthorized, unidentified third-party proffering market development funds its behalf. The cautionary note should get all solution providers thinking about the business services hoisted upon them.

Cost savings and efficiency are qualities commonly attributed to cloud computing. 6Fusion’s new UC6 Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) federation platform demonstrates these benefits are near-impossible without the ability to meter cloud utilization and performance.

Hard drive price spikes are beginning to recede as supply chains start returning to normal following last fall’s devastating floods in Thailand. While availability is getting easier, supply and price stabilization will still take time.

Persistent talk about channel consolidation is fueled by the stream of merger and acquisition announcements among managed service providers. One buyer’s strategy is to look for “distressed” companies. That word has negative connotations; the reality isn’t all that bad.

Smartsheets, a cloud-based spreadsheet vendor, and IBM with its new Docs word processor are challenging Microsoft in office productivity software. There’s more to these challenges than meets the eye, and the volume of competitive launches to MS Office is signaling a potential sea change in the market.

Several months after a soft launch to connect solution providers with Microsoft Dynamics-savvy marketing vendors to bolster new business opportunities, the Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Services Bureau is up and running.

Apple raked in more than $46.33 billion in the last quarter on surging iPhone and iPad sales. It made more profit than Google made money and has more in the bank than the U.S. government. The lesson can’t be missed: Success isn’t Apple’s technology, but rather what its technology does.

Avnet’s new SolutionsPath Engagement Services is a business planning and execution program designed to augment solution providers’ capabilities and resources in developing, selling and supporting cloud and data center services.

Level Platforms, the company best known for providing the remote control tools that enable managed services, is evolving to provide network operations center and comprehensive help desk services. The move will enhance its software offerings, as well as place it in direct competition with some managed services allies.