“As resellers and systems integrators are evaluating Linux to
determine if it is a viable platform for their customers, many
resellers are asking themselves, “How do I make money selling a
free or low-cost operating system?”
“We asked our VARs to see how they do it. Across the board, we
learned that those who survive the ever-changing channel landscape
today are those who deploy solutions. Just reselling a box of
software to a company–or selling hardware with no value-add–can
be a recipe for ruin. Decreasing hardware and boxed-software
margins, coupled with the emergence of direct manufacturers and
cut-throat prices at Internet sites, have cause resellers to
refocus their business model. Linux is poised to become an
important part of that focus for VARs who embrace it…”
“Simply selling Linux on a CD to a customer and walking away
represents the model of the past (reselling boxed software).
Instead, successful resellers are bundling the Linux operating
system into solutions…”