Dell's service plans make VARS jumpy

SOME OF DELL'S business partners are getting a bit edgy about the tinman's cunning plans to expand its professional and managed services business.

Dell used to ignore the channel and that meant thriving businesses have grown up supporting Dell gear. However more recently Dell has been developing relationships with some suppliers as a way of making a bit of extra cash.

Now some of Dell's resellers are wondering if Dell it could end up stealing lucrative services business from them.

Dell has bought Everdream, Silverback and Equal Logic, and it's made alliances with VMware and other software publishers. Theoretically it is opening services opportunities that previously were unavailable to both it and, in theory, its channel partners.

But according to Channel Insider, Dell's ambitions will inevitably cut into its VAR's systems deployment and configuration cash cows.

In fact, some of Dell's solution providers apparently are wishing it would ignore services again so they can finish putting their kids through college and buy another yacht. µ