Microsoft Hates VARs
Or, if they don't hate them, they might as well because they're acting as if they hate them.
Here's the latest insult: The DSP (System Builder version, also called "OEM") Office 2007 products are license only, no media. So installing it is difficult. A bona-fide system builder can use the OPK to install Office as part of the production-line process for building computers. Indeed, Microsoft wants System Builders to do this. Then end-users will get a trial version of Office 2007 on every system and, hopefully, get hooked and buy the license after using Office for a month or two and foolishly getting themselves painted into a corner where they have to pay for the license in order to continue working with the documents they created with it.
The problem is that the System Builder spends extra the time installing Office on every system but there is no certainty that the
System Builder will get the sale when the end-user goes out to buy the license. Microsoft is selling the same OEM licenses through every avenue imaginable, including the Internet. So the end user can buy the license cheaper from Newegg or someone like that on the Internet.
Why cheaper? Because Newegg doesn't have to go to the trouble of installing and supporting anything. They sell it at very low profit because they know they have no responsibility after the sale. And Newegg doesn't go to the trouble of installing Office on every computer. Newegg doesn't build computers. Newegg doesn't build anything.
So, why is Microsoft allowing Newegg et al. to sell the OEM System Builder products? This seems to be an excellent question. Newegg is obviously not a System Builder, so why do they have access to the System Builder products? Microsoft makes true System Builders sign an agreement in which they promise to provide technical support and other services. Why not Newegg? I've asked Microsoft but I've never gotten an answer. Newegg and other, similar e-tailers are essentially retailers and as such they should only be given access to Microsoft's Retail product line. In fact, they have both product lines, retail and OEM. When they sell the OEM product, are they contractually obligated to provide tech-support, as I am? Apparently not. Everybody knows Newegg provides no support. Yet they still are allowed to sell the OEM product. Effectively, they are sellling it to end users with no support. Where will those end-users get support from? Not from Microsoft, because it's an OEM product not Retail. Not from Newegg. There's nobody to provide support, which should be a potential legal problem for Microsoft because these products carry an "implied warranty" yet Microsoft is not honoring that implied warranty because they allow Newegg et al. to sell it without requiring them to support it.
Now, back to the System Builder who puts Office 2007 on a system for his client. If something happens to that system while the client is using it, like a bad virus or something that requires that the operating system be re-loaded by the end-user, he needs the CD to reinstall it. Problem is, there's no CD. Remember, the Office 2007 product is now license only, no media. Microsoft tells you you can download an image from their site and burn your own copy. But you can't download it until April. You can order a CD directly from Microsoft and they'll mail it to, in 30 days. If you need something today, you're screwed. We keep pointing this out to Microsoft and all they'll say is, they'll get back to us. (Update: As of early June there is still no CD or DVD to reload Office 2007 in the field.)
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Entry-Level Servers
Quad-Core -- 4 for the price of 1
The newest generation of motherboards and quad-core processors lets VARs offer spectacular bang-for-the-buck. Supermicro has new, under-$200 server motherboards for the quad-core Xeon 32xx series. They include RAID5 for Windows and can be put into desktop or rackmount (1U, 2U, 4U) cases. Dash's newest 1U case has provision
for up to 5 HDDs, so Terabyte RAID is feasible and economical. With these new, lower prices on CPUs and motherboards, and the high performance of the new Core2Quad processors, you owe it to yourself and your client to explore these new offerings. Call your salesrep now!
UPSs !!!
A win-win opportunity for you and your client. Many of Dash's VARs have discovered they can easily make good money by checking and replacing the batteries in their clients' UPSs. Dash supplies the same brand batteries that APC uses. Many clients don't bother to check their UPS batteries and don't find out that they need replacing until it is too late. Dash can also supply good, used APC UPSs, up to 6KVA, at a fraction of the price of new ones!
IP Cameras:
Dash now sells a broad range of IP cameras including Axis and Toshiba. Free software is available for up to 16 cameras, enterprize-class software is available for up to 1000 cameras. For under $200 you can add an entry level system with a couple of cameras to your client's existing network.
Power-over-Ethernet, POE, makes deployment a snap. If your client already has a video surveillance system, it's probably grossly outdated. If they don't already have one, they'll probably want one when they find out you can provide it at a price far below what they were expecting. When you call your salesrep for more details, ask about remote monitoring by the police department.
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Heat and Lifespan
The newest CPUs and chipsets are still running hot, despite significant improvements. This makes power-supplies and other components work much harder than they
had to in the P-III era. Combine this with high-speed drives and a poorly-designed chassis and you have the recipe for severely shortened
lifespan and unreliability. Just because it works today doesn't mean it will be reliable next year. Will you still have your same clients next year?
Dash's commitment to cooling and longevity is one reason it designed its own line of server chassis. Some of the biggest names in the in the industry are suffering
from overheating problems. Don't be fooled by a big name.
The biggest cause of premature ageing due to heat in P-IV motherboards is electrolytic capacitors. This can cause lock-ups and reboots in motherboards that are
only a year or two old.
Now Dash offers workstation motherboards with OS-Con capacitors
instead of the typical aluminum electrolytic caps. OS-Con caps can't leak or dry out because they don't use a liquid electrolyte. Instead OS-Con caps use an organic
semiconductor crystal that is a solid....it can't dry out. It makes OS-Con caps work better and last longer. Much longer. This has never been offered to the VAR channel
before. If you learned your lesson about sleeve-bearings vs. ball-bearings in fans, you'll also want to learn about OS-Con capacitors.
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Terabyte SATA
Seagate announced in Early June that it has begun shipping its Barracuda 7200-10 1TB (1000GB) SATA-2 drives. This means Dash can supply a small NAS with 3TB of data, or a 1U server with 3TB of data in a RAID-5 configuration.
Seagate uses perpendicular recording to put 1TB on only 4 platters. Hitachi has been shipping its 1TB drives for a few months and a Maxtor 1TB drive was recently added to the channel. Prices for the 750GB drives have declined dramatically. Call for a quote!
AMD Dual-Core
64-bit Servers
In mid-February there was a HUGE price cut on Dual-core Opterons! Dash can provide servers
in our own "1u2u.net" rackmount chassis, or as workstations in desktop cases.
Dash now supplies single and dual Opteron servers. Supermicro makes a single socket motherboard for the dual-core Opteron that makes a great entry-level server. Also Supermicro has motherboards using the nVidia 2200 and 2050
chipsets that are great for graphics workstation applications.
The recent Opteron price-cuts have make this a story really compelling. Call for more info! Remember:
DELL DOESN'T SELL THESE!
What is SATA NCQ?
Great Capacitor Scam
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