In case you haven’t heard, VMware has overhauled its certification program this week, to encourage even more advanced virtualization solutions. That in itself is significant in the short. But I think this change also signals the first in a series of training and skills development initiatives that are intended to support the latest holy grail of the high-tech industry: the converged data center.

First, this week’s news. VMware has created a new designation called VMware Certified Advanced Professional, a level that recognizes how virtualization can be used to underpin infrastructure that will be critical for the development of IT-as-a-service platforms and for cloud computing models in general. In fact, Cisco has said that its Data Center Networking Infrastructure (DCNI) badge has been the fastest growing certification in the company’s history.

This level isn’t the most advanced level in the program: That would be the VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX), of which there are only 50 professionals worldwide. Rather, the new Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) certification is meant to be a stepping stone up to the VCDX elite. Here’s the requisite quote from Enis Konuk, who is the vice president of worldwide technical services for VMware:

“We expect the addition of VCAP certification will increase the skills of thousands of IT professionals, providing advanced knowledge to strategically implement and manage virtualization soluions to derive maximum value for their company or customers. The addition of VCAP to our program comes at a critical time as many companies need advanced skills to consider how to evolve their data centers to be more cost- and energy-efficient–all the while maximizing productivity.”

Just in case you needed even more explicit direction about what VMware is hoping to achieve, there are two specialties to choose from within the VCAP program: one for those with a role in data center administration and one for those focused on designing in a “multi-site, large enterprise environment.”

This seems to me to be one of the first steps toward skills development and certifications focused on covering the needs of a converged data center. Right now, even though the technologies that inform the data center are (in theory) coming together — servers, storage and network — these functions and roles are all handled very much separately. The skills for one aren’t necessarily transferrable to another.

I think it is very significant that if you want to become a VAR or data center integrator for the Virtual Computing Environment (VCE) Coalition, you need to go out and invest in separate certifications for all three of the participating technology vendors: Cisco, EMC and VMware. This despite the fact that the infrastructure being created by the coalition is supposed to be integrated more seamlessly than it otherwise would be if you cobbled together the separate pieces on your own. Hewlett-Packard has its own data center designation, of course, which dovetails with skills in its adaptive computing technologies.

What does all this mean? In my opinion, there will be a whole lot of turmoil in the world of certifications, as technicians who have been trained to be product experts need to start thinking in a bigger context. Think of all that training content that needs to be migrated and mapped and phased in and phased out.

My guess is that you’ll see more certifications along the line of management, design and architecture and that the product specialists will increasingly find themselves in team roles, as part of initiatives managed by others. How that will fly with engineers used to doing their own thing is anyone’s guess.

Want to read more channel news, as it happens? Follow my Twitter feed by visiting this link.

CompTIA, the well-known IT channel industry association, released some research a few weeks ago that points to a strong upswing in adoption of managed services and software as a service during 2010.

Their survey of more than 400 U.S.-based SMBs finds that close to 30 percent plan to start using software as a service (SaaS) in an attempt to reduce costs; that’s up from 22 percent one year ago. Moreover, about the same number expect to flip the switch on managed services in 2010. Here’s some insight from Tim Herbert, who is CompTIA’s vice president of research:

“Technology providers may be well advised to approach SMBs with either new IT solutions that represent low perceived risk or replacement solutions that positively impact productivity and efficiency. There’s also an opportunity to provide ongoing maintenance services to help SMBs better manage their IT systems under current business conditions.”

So what does this have to do with the cloud? In a word, everything.

In the rush to come up with a sexy term for every new IT movement, those that evangelize cloud computing are, quite simply, advocating the push to more efficient IT infrastructure. SaaS and managed services are, if you will, part of the cloud evolution and they are laying the groundwork for broader adoption of IT as a service.

According to research firm IDC, worldwide IT spending on cloud services will triple over the next two years to reach $42 billion worldwide by 2012.  More than 50 percent of the organizations that plan to embrace cloud infrastructure or application options are looking to cut costs, according to the IDC data.

Businesses are interested in “the cloud” for three big reasons:

1. They can get new applications up and running more quickly (at least in theory).
2. They can let their IT staff worry about more strategic concerns, such as customer service applications instead of e-mail administration.
3. They can switch some IT expenses from capital expenditures into ongoing operational expenses, charged on a recurring basis.

Most of the time, when someone uses the term “cloud computing,” they are referring to the idea of using infrastructure hosted externally by a large service provider, such as Amazon.com or Savvis or Salesforce.com. But it’s important the cloud computing concept—and all virtualization skills and management services it requires—will also apply to internal data centers, where it will allow businesses more flexibility about applications and services they can deploy inside their firewall.

So, what does the push to the cloud mean for the high-tech channel?

1. The chances a midsize or larger enterprise will host ALL applications or infrastructure in the cloud are slim. E-mail and databases are the first things likely to shift in that direction. That means oodles of opportunity for VARs and IT solution providers with application integration skills. Knowledge of security, compliance and identity management will also be critical.
2. Larger service providers cannot touch every customer prospect, so they will seek technology experts who can represent and recommend the advantages of their particular infrastructures.
3. IT solution providers will need to adjust their operational models to accommodate a very different payment and revenue stream than in the past.
4. At a minimum, IT solution providers must be familiar with which cloud computing options are at their disposal, so they can discuss both pros and cons with their prospects.

We suggest all elements of the high-tech channel spend time putting some substance about what the cloud will mean for their business a year from now – and three years from now.

1. Perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis to unearth investment requirements and sales potential for a cloud practice
2. Understand whether you should build your own cloud infrastructure or recommend someone else’s
3. Define acceptable service levels and procedures for evaluating the technical and business merits of emerging cloud infrastructure options
4. Develop a unique service and solution proposition that builds upon your existing sales efforts and that recognizes potential areas of conflict
5. Engage all members of your channel in the cloud dialogue for feedback

Executives for Hewlett-Packard and Synnex were just added to the CompTIA board of directors for 2010. The two new individuals are:

Mike Parrotino, vice president of Personal Systems Group Sales and Management, Solution Providers Organization, Americas, for Hewlett-Packard

Bob Stegner, senior vice president of marketing, North America, for Synnex

The incumbent members include:

Mariano Dy-Liacco, director of client solutions for Insight Enterprises
Bob Godgart, founder and CEO of Autotask
Lester Keizer, CEO of Connecting Point Technology Center
Charles Lennon, president of TeamLogic IT
Kerry McDonough, director of Cisco Small Business Sales, Cisco Systems
Mike Menegay, CEO and president, Mobile Armor
John Noha, channel director, West, for McAfee
Dennis Obial, president and CEO, Government Acquisitions
Dan Shapero, senior vice president for Kaseya
Annette Taber, vice president of business development for Network Dynamics
Vijay Thadani, CEO, NIIT
Oli Thordarson, CEO, Alvaka Networks.

Looks like I have to break out the work wardrobe again. I’ve been asked to participate in two upcoming Webcasts, being run on MSPtv and hosted by both Vertical Systems Reseller and MSPtv’s “Around the Channel” program.

My first appearance is on Vertical Systems Reseller’s VSR Channel Live program, with their editor, Regina Ciardello. Regina and I chatted about healthcare IT trends for the new year, including what the electronic medical records movement could mean for IT solution providers. Be sure to register at the Channel Live link above, to see me either as it airs on Friday, Jan. 22, at 1 p.m. EASTERN or in the archived edition.

I was also thrilled to be asked to be a guest on “Around the Channel,” which is a program on MSPtv. I’ll be speaking on the topic of “Managing Virtualization,” which becomes an even more complex problem as organizations take on more virtual servers, storage and desktops. I’ll be chatting about why virtual server sprawl could be an even bigger challenge than physical server sprawl and what tools are at the IT solution provider’s disposal to make sense of the mess. The segment will air on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 12:30 p.m. EASTERN. Here’s a link for registering for my live appearance.

This year, I reported my predictions for IT services trends, rather than take a stab in the dark. Actually, I usually DO report most of my blogs. In any case, I contributed a story to Tech Target early this month, outlining 10 trends for 2010. This will also be the basis of a presentation that I’m giving early next month in Tampa for the service group within CompTIA.

Anyway, here are the things that I believe will be top of mind, based on my reporting in late November and December 2009:

1. Businesses will finally be ready to spend on client technology because they can’t delay some of their upgrades any longer. This will be great for desktop virtualization and thin clients, which inspire debates about the value of desktops and notebooks.
2. Disaster recovery will actually start to building a following among smaller businesses, because server virtualization sets the stage for solutions that aren’t tied to any particular hardware.
3. Windows 7 will get solution providers in the door.
4. Businesses will continue to invest in videoconferencing.
5. Security and compliance concerns will motivate document management technology sales.
6. Cloud computing won’t drive a lot of sales, but it will drive a lot of sales dialogues.
7. Identity management will finally get some legitimate attention (because cloud computing makes it much more palatable and logical).
8. WiMax and other broadband wireless options for connectivity will become viable, if expensive, options.
9. The green IT mantra will be revived, not reviled.
10. Server virtualization will get even more mainstream.

What’s your biggest prediction for 2010? Talk to me — but only if you’re prepared to have me write about what you say. Kidding… Seriously, let’s talk. Ping me at heather@heatherclancy. And be sure to add me to your Twitter feed. I’m @HeathClancy.

BLOG UPDATED 7:44 P.M. EST (DEC. 18) TO REFLECT REQUESTED CLARIFICATIONS BY MICROSOFT

Just spoke with Julie Bennani, general manager of the Microsoft Partner Network, for the company’s Worldwide Partner Group about changes the developer is making to its customer satisfaction research process and how it relates to attaining a Gold partner designation.

For starters, customer satisfaction surveys are now a mandatory part of becoming a Microsoft Gold partner.

The changes are part of the company’s evolution of the current program into the Microsoft Partner Network.

Surveys can be sent under a number of different auspices. For example, they could be sent out jointly (identified as a project being conducted by Microsoft AND Specific Partner) or they could be sent out just branded with the Specific Partner’s name. A third-party research company will monitor which businesses and organizations are being surveyed on behalf of partners, so that they don’t get survey-weary.

Another change is that surveys are more random in the past. There is no “minimum” level of satisfaction that is required in terms of customer satisfaction ONLY that the partner complete 10 surveys for EACH area where they hold to receive a Microsoft Gold designation. So, they need 10 surveys for Security, 10 surveys for Unified Communications and so on. A particular business could be surveyed about more than one different area.

Bennani says the idea behind keeping the surveys more random is that the partner and Microsoft will receive a truer reading of customer satisfaction across a given partner’s customer base. When a partner is responsible for meeting a certain customer satisfaction level, they might be tempted to game the results a little bit by providing the research firm with a list of their “best” customers. Now, the only real requirement is that the customers are ACTIVE: That they have worked with the Microsoft partner in the 12 months prior to a given survey date.

Partners that submit to this process will receive their scores, specific comments and an analysis of how they perform against similar partners. They can also add their own custom questions. What’s more, if they are really ambitious, partners can actually run surveys on a quarterly basis to keep better tabs on how they are doing.

On the face of it, I like the idea of making customer satisfaction process part of how high a tier a partner can attain in a vendor’s channel program. Although I personally think more attention should be paid to how a partner actually does, I guess that will sort of take care of itself. I mean, how willing would YOU be to fill out a survey if someone had done a really bad job. Maybe there become degrees of Gold-ness, with Gold partners holding a higher customer satisfaction score entitled to more field benefits or more attention from partner account managers.

I also like the fact that satisfaction is being more ingrained into the partner consciousness AND that the survey process forces ongoing activity. Satisfaction is more likely to reflect a long-term relationship, rather than a one-off tactical success story.

Now that customer satisfaction surveys as a partner measurement tool have been in place for roughly seven or eight years now across the channel (not just at Microsoft), I’m betting we’ll see some more adjustments in the year to come from other vendors.

Quietly, perhaps TOO quietly, Taiwanese hardware maker Acer claimed the No. 2 position in the worldwide PC market this week — at least for the third quarter and at least according to research firm iSuppli. Actually, there was earlier news to this effect in October, but this is another validation.

There is one fundamental factor for Acer’s rise, which bears close attention as the economy attempts to pick itself up out of this wretched recession: its success with netbooks.

Even if you have absolutely no interest in buying a netbook for yourself, this form factor is really interesting for two reasons:

1. They allow people who never before could have had their OWN notebook or PC to have access to computing power. Just last night, I was over at a friend’s house. They already own two PCs and are thinking about a netbook for under the Christmas tree so that all three of their kids can be working/playing at once. When I think about the possibilities for education, I get really choked up. And this is just the U.S. market: imagine where these things are having an impact globally.
2. Netbooks and thin clients in general are starting to get the attention of IT solution providers who have long been out of the client hardware business. I had lunch with a serious server VAR in New Jersey just before Thanksgiving. He now views thin clients as a very logical extension to his existing integration business, whereas just a year ago, this wouldn’t have really been a consideration.

I’ve been hearing about managed print services since before I left my post at CRN back in the middle of 2007, but I think the next 12 months will bring a breakthrough for this sector of the IT infrastructure.

Since I like to look ahead of me rather than behind me (the view is better), I thought I would update this blog from now until the end of the year with observations about things that are likely to dominate dialogues during the next 12 months. I have no particular order for these random bursts of opinion, other than the fact that it may have risen to the top of my notes and (therefore) my writing list.

First up is managed print services (MPS), not to be confused with managed service providers (MSPs).

I know many journalists like to make fun of the printer market, because for the longest time it was so decidely unsexy. But this is one of those topics that will seduce everyone next year.

The fact is, printers are sort of like the last mile in your IT infrastructure. IT departments and managers have been focused on driving costs out of their data centers or their desktop maintenance line items. But printers have kind of escaped this same scrutiny, partly because the procurement of them has been so decentralized in the past. Admit it, it’s a status symbol to have your OWN printer snugged away in your office.

Actually, not anymore.

What with the corporate sustainability movement and widespread corporate cost-cutting, printer contracts and all the related workflow applications associated with them — think archiving, collaboration applications, enterprise content management — these is an area RIPE for services.

If you’re in the printer business, you already know this of course. But if you are not, maybe it’s time to start considering how your own product might fit into the managed print mix. Or, whether or not there’s a managed service opportunity that could be built around your technology.

Here’s more information on managed print services strategy from an article I posted on TechTarget’s ChannelMarker blog.

It being almost Halloween, Hewlett-Packard partners are weighing the latest changes to the PartnerONE program (which is updated pretty much on an annual basis). They’re really not so scary, that is unless you’re an HP partner that sells best-of-breed products that compete with some of HP’s individual product offerings.

That’s because with its latest changes, HP is continuing to emphasis the concept that Elite designations should be granted not on the basis of a partner’s ability to sell products, but on the basis of their ability to sell solutions. Not that this is a bad thing, mind you, it just forces a change not only in the partner’s mindset but also in the way that channel account managers support said partner. Unfortunately, the latter still doesn’t always happen, because internally, vendors still tend to reward their field personnel based on product quotas. Understandable, but flawed.

Just a couple of examples. In order to be called a “Virtualization Elite” partner, you need to support BladeSystem Server and Storage products AND Virtualization AND (now) products from Lefthand Networks. Eventually, ProCurve networkings skills will be required to be “Data Center Elite.” (A clear attempt to unseat Cisco’s dominance.)

HP’s program has always been one of the forerunners in the high-tech industry. The fact that its partners are being rewarded more for their support of an architecture rather than a particular product is something that other vendors should study closely. But one area where I think that every vendor continues to miss the boat is in understanding the component of a given solution — business consulting insight, implement and support services, applications, bandwidth, etc. — that won’t necessarily generate tangible product margin for them directly. The more your team can encourage partners to continue evolving their own unique part of the solution — their point of differentiation from every other partner on the planet — the better the chances that they will drag more of your product along the way.

Think about it.

For a complete run-down on the changes to PartnerONE, here’s TechTarget’s analysis.