What makes a great channel program?

One thing that I have come to be an expert on is technology manufacturer channel programs. I have seen to many not to be considered an expert. I have worked with large, medium, and small ones... I have worked with hardware, software, and services ones... and even ones outside the tech industry.

What do you think makes a great one? profit margins, tech support, marketing programs, client protection, partnering mentality, or even some SE funding. I would like to hear your thoughts before I tell you mine....

Also, what companies do you feel meet that definition?

Stelar....

Welcome 2008

I am not sure if everyone would agree... but I expect 2008 to be an exciting year... of course, a little crazy with the elections, housing crunch, and threat of recession. But, being the optimist that I am and one that makes money being in the technology industry, I expect changes in technology to spur strong growth, especially in the Virtualization (Server, Desktop, and Storage) market.

I have said this all along... CIO has 4 choices with Virtualization... one - he completed a virtualization project already; two - he is about to start one; three - he is in the middle of one; or four - he is looking for a job. For the first time, companies like VMware, Citrix, and Microsoft have developed virtual server applications for the industry; so you can expect competition will breed excitement. With storage costs coming down and innovation happening so fast, keep your eyes on NetApp, Lefthand, and a slew of other enterprise storage players.

What else will be big in 2008? Only time will tell.