Comdex Rises Like a Virtual Phoenix Over Channel-Lands

The good people of the Channel-Lands are growing tired of the calendar packed with vendor and industry channel events. The last thing many VARs want to do is climb on another plane to go to Las Vegas or Orlando for another confab. And that’s partly why Comdex returned this week as a virtual trade show. It’s one of the many big things happening in the Channel-Lands this week.

Comdex Returns Virtually; RetroDex Debuts Live

Back from the dead, virtually, this week was Comdex. Everything Channel revived the famed event of yore as a virtual trade show. Rather than trucking thousands of techies to the Las Vegas strip, our friends at Everything Channel gave participants the full Comdex product and information experience from the comfort of their office desks and notebook computers.

Comdex went dark in 2004 after declining attendance and increase cost did in the show. UBM, the parent company of Everything Channel, acquired the Comdex assets in 2006. Everything Channel, under the apt direction of custom content chief Robert “The Channel Man” DeMarzo, has been planning the Comdex rebirth of months.

Official attendance numbers for the two day virtual gathering are unavailable, but the buzz is thousands flocked to their browsers for the series of sessions and exhibits. And why wouldn’t they? The agenda was packed with heavy hitters. Symantec CEO Enrique Salem delivered a keynote on the convergence of personal and professional lives in computing. Juniper CEO Kevin Johnson spoke on how next-generation networks are driving new channel opportunities. And Intel CEO Paul Otellini and channel chief Steve Dallman delivered a rousing presentation on next-generation computing opportunities.

CompTIA was well represented at Virtual Comdex. Jill Kerr, the association’s vice president of industry development, moderated a panel of channel thought leaders on overcoming obstacles in the growing health care IT market.

Now some people may say a virtual Comdex lacks all the glitter and trappings of the Vegas strip. They would be right. The new Comdex provides information a plenty, but no chotchkies, t-shirts and, of course, late night parties with open bars. The folks at the Channel Strategy Group (CSG) recognized this omission and launched RetroDex, a live and local event staged alongside the virtual Comdex. Techies in Seattle and San Jose were treated to two hours of food, libations and short presentations. I spoke at the Seattle event and, all biases aside, it was a good complement to the virtual Comdex event.

Microsoft Launches Lync; Future is Unified Communciations

This week, Microsoft declared the age of PBX is over with the launch of Lync – the successor to Microsoft Office Communications Server. At a star-studded event in New York City, Microsoft demonstrated how Lync provides businesses with fully integrated VoIP, instant messaging and comprehensive conferencing (Web, audio and video). Microsoft chairman Bill Gates even made a surprise video appearance via Lync.

"I think the importance of unified communications is far stronger today than it was when we started this path," Gates told the audience.

Microsoft isn’t the only vendor making big bets in video and unified communications. Avaya is powering up marketing of its Flare and Aura integrated communications and productivity platform. Juniper Networks this week bought Blackwave to extend its assets in video delivery. Apple finally approved Google Voice for use on its iPhones. And Cisco continues to push telepresence, video and unified communications at all levels – enterprise to consumer.

Already, the channel is looking at integration opportunities associated with Microsoft Lync. As The VAR Guy noted, “No one’s expecting Microsoft to crush the PBX market the instant Lync Server 2010 becomes available on December 1, 2010. But those who attended the Lync launch event said VARs will profit from value assessments and deployment management services.”

Google Street View’s Unexpectedly Benefits Apps

Google continues to wrestle with the political fallout from its unintended capturing of personal data through its Street View vehicles. Several European governments are investigating possible privacy violations, and U.S. regulators are asking questions whether Google acted improperly in its photographing streets and private homes. CNN, ‘though, is reporting that Google Apps may be an unexpected beneficiary of this scandal.

Until recently, Gmail – a major component of the Google Apps suite – was the only public Web email system to use SSL encryption by default. Consequently, home users and businesses using Gmail were immune to the data collection by the Google streets sweepers. Microsoft’s Hotmail service added SSL protections last summer; Yahoo – the other major public email provider – uses HTTPS by default.

Several channel media outlets have made note of the continued growth of Google channel for reselling and customizing Google Apps for business. Channel Insider this week ran a piece on whether now was the right time for solution providers to get their customers to make the switch to Apps. CNN speculates that SSL may be the differentiator that gets more people to adopt Google Apps.

Economic Pressures Result in Channel Shrinkage

Now, no one in the channel wish ill will toward peers and competitors. While everyone likes to win business and earn profits, few people would admit to wanting to see other solution providers go out of business. However, several analysts and bloggers have been chatting about the inability of some solution providers to make the transition to new business models will cause as much as 15 percent of the channel to evaporate over the next several years.

Channel extinction is hardly a new concept, and 15 percent is actually a conservative number. I mused on Darwinism in the channel in my blog, Channelnomics. There’s no dispute that a number of solution providers will fail or be acquired. But what will replace them? That’s the real question.

Well, that’s all the week’s news from Channel-Lands where all the technology works, all the deals are profitable and all of the companies are above average. If you want to follow me on Facebook or Twitter, feel free to connect. Share your suggestions and news with me at [email protected].