Moving and Storage Business News

The News Review:

- Why buy storage from a reseller?
- The $10 Million Paper Doll
- Affiliated Computer Services Selects Mimosa NearPoint to Manage…
- RedHerring.com — The Business of Technology
- Tech company expanding office space, services.

Why buy storage from a reseller?
ARNnet – Jun 28, 2006
The rationale for using VARs is that the larger vendors quite understandably tend to focus on larger opportunities, and as a result can’t service the smaller sales prospects properly. The practical result of this for the customer is that local resellers often can provide better pricing – and almost always can offer better service – to smaller companies than the vendors can. How can a VAR offer better pricing than a sales rep who works directly for the company that builds the product? Resellers have long-term relationships with their vendors, both hardware and software, and know that by achieving certain sales targets they get added margin to play with. But pricing is probably the best part of what they have to offer… As a result, in cases where a single small voice would typically not attract much attention with a large vendor – or at least would not get as much attention as the larger companies would receive – a VAR is in just about every sense a large customer of the vendors, and has the potential to be a very squeaky wheel indeed. A VAR would thus be a much more effective advocate for 200 customers than the 200 customer could ever be if they were speaking individually. Additionally, because so much of the real cost of storage is associated with the long-term operational expenses associated with maintenance and management, having good connectivity to a vendor so you can swap in more effective technologies as they become available may save lots of money in the long run. It’s a good bet that all VARs aren’t necessarily good VARs. But a good VAR can often deliver very good value that would be impossible for smaller companies to get on their own. Related Stories +.

The $10 Million Paper Doll
Forbes – Jun 28, 2006
Few, if any, spend money on the site, which so far has primarily depended on banner ads. On Wednesday, Stardoll will begin letting users design “MeDolls,” which amount to virtual versions of themselves. The free site will also attempt to start generating revenue by charging users a few bucks for extra storage space and early access to the newest celebrity dolls; users can also spend money on accessories from the site’s store to outfit their digital doppelgängers. Ben Holmes, principal at London-based Index Ventures, which plowed $4 million into Stardoll in February, says he expects the site to partner with retailers and fashion and media brands to sell virtual items to users. “The site doesn’t have to be sold for billions before it generates significant returns for us, and for Sequoia,” he says. “We wouldn’t be spending our time on it if we thought it was a very small opportunity. “A few years ago, Stardoll might have been dismissed as yet another Web site with a nice set of features and a dubious revenue model… So far this year, investors have put $255 million into social networking sites alone, according to Dow Jones’ VentureOne. Nor is Stardoll the only player in what seems like a very niche market for virtual model companies. These companies make software for creating cartoonish self-portraits, known as avatars, that they expect users to brandish either within a self-contained social network site, such as Stardoll, or export to complement another company’s site. Avatar-based startups Meez, Gaia, and IMVU have all received funding in the last year. EBay’s (nasdaq:.

Affiliated Computer Services Selects Mimosa NearPoint to Manage…
Free with registration – Business Wire – AccessMyLibrary.com – Jun 28, 2006
(NYSE:ACS), a premier provider of diversified business process outsourcing and information technology outsourcing solutions, has selected Mimosa NearPoint(TM) to replace its existing email archiving and eDiscovery solution for enterprise users. ACS turned to Mimosa based on NearPoint’s next generation architecture to support management of email as a record of business. At ACS, a Global Fortune 500 company of over 55,000 employees supporting client operations reaching nearly 100 countries, managing email information is critical to meet legal requirements for enforcement of company policies.

RedHerring.com — The Business of Technology
Red Herring – Jun 28, 2006
He pointed to the example of Pierre Lamond, a longtime partner at Sequoia Capital. Investing after the Bubble BurstGreg McAdoo, who joined Sequoia more recently as partner, also talked about the kinds of companies he looks for at the firm. Among his investments are Flipt, a mobile phone company targeted at 14- to 24-year-olds, and Isilon Systems, which makes clustered attached storage systems. He tries to be careful about his firm?s investments after the dot-com crash. ?After the bubble burst, there were a few singed fingers,? he said. ?We?ve got a more discerning eye now.

Tech company expanding office space, services.
Free with registration – Daily Oklahoman – AccessMyLibrary.com – Jun 28, 2006
(28-JUN-06) Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK). 28–EDMOND — Edmond-based Asset Disposition Group Inc. is moving into larger office space and hiring six additional employees to expand its product and service base… is moving into larger office space and hiring six additional employees to expand its product and service base. Asset Disposition’s founder Steve Walden said the company buys surplus used computer equipment from businesses, then refurbishes and resells it. “A lot of times companies have sensitive data on the their storage devices, whether that be software, hardware or servers, and we also will remove that information and.