SLIDE SHOWS

Ubuntu's latest release outflanks Microsoft Windows Vista on several fronts, including performance and price, according to a Test Center side-by-side analysis of both desktop operating systems.

2008 was a wild year for networking, but what will 2009 look like?

ChannelWeb's Top 25 Execs of 2008 know that reading is fundamental. Here are their picks for books to feed your brain.

TOP 25 EXECUTIVES
Tech Titans That Rocked Your World
These executives had the greatest impact - for better or worse - on solution providers this year.

TECH INNOVATORS
Smashing Limits
A new generation of innovators si giving VARs powerful new tools.

STATE OF TECHNOLOGY: STORAGE
Storage Steps It Up
Now is a good time to invest in the storage business.

ANNUAL REPORT CARD
Partners Choose The Top Vendors
This year's ARC offers tremendous insight on vendor partners.

STATE OF TECHNOLOGY: SECURITY
Security Stays Strong
Despite the struggling economy, security remains a profitable business for the IT industry.

FAST GROWTH 100
Speed Demons
A sluggish economy didn't slow down these engines of growth. In fact, it might have fed them.

EMERGING VENDORS
Emerging Vendors: Creating A Ruckus
Upstart vendors make names for themselves in the channel.

STATE OF TECHNOLOGY: NETWORKING
Great Leap Forward
Solution providers expect revenue growth in VoIP, unified messaging and IP videoconferencing.

VARBUSINESS 500
The Largest Solution Providers In North America
These elite solution providers cleared more than $377.66 billion worldwide gross in 2007.

CHANNEL CHAMPIONS
Earning Top Marks From Solution Providers
Mark Hurd's channel push propels Hewlett-Packard to the top in this year's survey results.

ANNUAL GUIDE TO CUSTOM SYSTEMS
Best Sellers In The Custom Systems Market
Reliability is a key factor for both solution providers as well as their customers.

CHANNEL BEST SELLERS
Market-Share Might
CRN's 2008 Best-Sellers Survey is studded with the glitterati of the IT world.

2008 PARTNER PROGRAMS GUIDE
The Top Vendor Programs
We profile the top hardware and software vendor programs.

2008 CHANNEL CHIEFS
What Makes A Good Channel Chief?
CRN's annual rundown of the channel's most critical vendors definitely has a few surprises.

ALTERNATIVE VENDORS
Attack Of The Alternatives
Look who's scoring a knockout with one-two punch of innovation and improved customer ROI.

STATE OF TECHNOLOGY: PERIPHERALS
Building Solutions
How to make big money in displays, printers, power protection, projectors and backup.

STATE OF THE MARKET 2008
Driving Growth
Solution providers stay out in front of decades-long increase in channel sales.

PRODUCTS OF THE YEAR
Top 10 Channel Products
New product launches came fast and furious throughout 2007. Here were the most significant.

TOP 25
Most Innovative Executives of 2007
These leaders have changed the way we do business.

TECH INNOVATORS
Top Vendors, Pioneering Products
Our Tech Innovator Awards spotlighted the best new technology across 15 product categories.

SALARY SURVEY
Channel Pay Day
Want to know how your compensation compares with your peers? Try our salary calculator.

ANNUAL REPORT CARD
VARs: Vendors Better At Products Than Partnering
Registered partners generally gave their vendors the best scores in the area of product innovation. But partnership and support scores fell well below the floor for satisfaction.

SOURCING STUDY
The Price Is Still Right
Distributors spend a lot of time marketing their different service and finance offerings, but the biggest reason solution providers select a sourcing supplier is still price and availability, according to this year's CMP Channel Sourcing Study.

BUSINESS GROWTH SURVEY
How To Grow Your Business
For VARs bent on hypergrowth, there's a well-defined road map to unlock success. That's what CMP Channel Group research shows in its 2007 Business Growth survey.

STATE OF TECHNOLOGY: SOFTWARE
How To Succeed In Business Software
A new breed of VAR is breaking down old barriers and seeing a world of profit in business apps.

2007 FAST GROWTH 100
The Hottest Solution Providers
This year's Fast Growth 100 companies come in all shapes and sizes. What they share is a passion for growing their businesses.

STATE OF THE STATES
Our Annual Guide To State Government Technology Spending and Trends
The key drivers of state IT spending: consolidation and integration, with special attention paid to security, privacy issues and cost.

2007 HALL OF FAME
Drive to Achieve: Traveling Different Roads To Success
Anne Mulcahy, Roy Vallee, and Gil Shwed join our list of the industry's elite.

2007 VARBUSINESS 500
The Big VARBusiness 500 Picture
Across the board, the IT channel's biggest revenue-generators -- which collectively represent $344 billion -- continue to raise the bar. And this year we have a new #1.

CHANNEL CHAMPIONS
VARs Rate The Vendors
CRN's annual channel satisfaction study asked VARs to rate vendors' financial impact, along with their products, partner programs and support.

TOP 100 GOVERNMENT INTEGRATORS
100 Points Of Success
GovernmentVAR's definitive ranking of the biggest federal, state, local and education solution providers and integrators demonstrates that the government channel is paved with greenbacks.

STATE OF TECHNOLOGY: STORAGE
Zzzzz: Storage VARs Asleep At The Services Switch
Storage VARs that add services to their businesses pave an avenue for growth and recurring revenue.

PROFITABILITY SURVEY
How Do You Measure Up?
Attaining best-in-class status requires discipline, investment and consistent behavior.

PARTNER PROGRAMS GUIDE
The Channel's Best Partner Programs
Cream of the crop. Par excellence. No matter how you phrase it, the 5-star channel programs boast the most comprehensive offerings for their particular markets and technology sets. Also, get to know the industry's leading channel chiefs, plus 25 up-and-comers.

CHANNEL BEST-SELLERS
The 20 Most Lucrative Product Areas
Which products and vendors offer solution providers the most steady sales streams? CRN teamed up with The NPD Group to find out.

ALTERNATIVES SURVEY
The Top 100 Alternative Vendors
Everyone can name IT's market leaders. Alternative vendors? They're everyone else, with innovative technologies and channel programs that often pay higher dividends and promise better sales opportunities.

STATE OF TECHNOLOGY: SECURITY
Integration And Interoperability At Issue
Despite plenty of promise, solution providers say lack of standards and poor interoperability are hindering their security businesses.

CRN MSP VENDORS AND PIONEERS
MSPs To Vendors: It's ROI Time
Last year's irrational exuberance has run its course. Now, MSPs want real results like improved partner support and simplified products. Are vendors getting the message?