Ram 64: March
VoIP: Reach Out and Sell Someone
From Skype to SMB PBX systems, voice-over-IP is on a stellar launch into mainstream popularity. Where are the opportunities for VARs and system builders? Who are the key players who can best help resellers find success in this lucrative space?

Addressing Audio: There's Still Value Out There—Even though add-in sound cards have all but vanished, there's still value in audio, whether it's recording equipment, speakers, or one of the few enthusiast boards still out there.

External Backup—Don't be caught without a solid plan for backup! It all starts with the right hardware, whether you're using a direct-attached disk, tape drive, or networked repository.

Ram 65: April
SMB Checklist
All the good things a healthy business body needs: servers, desktops, ergonomics, multifunction printers, LAN storage, and much more. These are things every office should have, and all dovetail together smartly, but many integrators simply overlook constructing effective solution infratructures. Our SMB checklist can help.

Backup Software—the quest for solid backup strategies continues with a follow-up on backup software. Pick the right package and set your customer on a worry-free course.

Next-Gen Graphics Architectures—Just when you were getting comfortable with DirectX 9, Shader Model 3, and a handful of compatible apps, the most powerful graphics vendors introduce newer technologies designed for Vista and beyond.

Ram 66: May
Santa Rosa and the New Whitebook Generation
Intel's new Centrino generation arrives, outfitted with the latest in CPU, chipset, and network connectivity technologies. But mobility isn't just about Centrino. We'll explore how the latest Centrino platform integrates into the overall whitebook market and see where the hottest, reseller-friendly plays are in the portable market.

Extras That Add Value—What's a multimedia machine without a remote control? Bundle the right peripherals with your system sales, enabling a better user experience and earning higher margins.

Cooling it Off—Cases, power supplies, processors, and graphics cards all need to be cooled. Add value to your builds with higher-end fans, better heatsinks, and more efficient configurations.

Ram 67: June
The New World According to AMD and
Intel's Counterstrike
From 4x4 to the first results of AMD's melding with ATI, this summer reveals a wholly new AMD landscape than what we saw a year ago. We'll delve into the technologies and see what Intel is doing to counterpunch and keep ahead.

Small Form Factor Favoritism—At one time, the small form factor craze seemed uncontrollable. Are tiny whiteboxes still a winning proposition?

The Low-Down on Viiv—Intel updated Viiv with the 1.5 spec a while back. It's time to revisit the Viiv initiative a year later.

Ram 68: July
Storage Revisited (JBODs, the rise of SAS, and
LAN-based opps)
It's a multi-terabyte world, after all, but spacious hard drives are only the beginning. The increasing sense of SAS, rising external JBOD popularity, evolving LAN-based storage, and much more (including the persisting role of tape) can yield serious margins across virtually all market segments.

802.11n is For Real—You've grown accustomed to balancing the high-speed 802.11g standard against the business-class 802.11a standard and even deploy access points with both. Now it's time to look at moving to 802.11n.

Motherboard Roundup—10,000 feet up, they all look the same, but when you really zoom in, there are good reasons for each $10 jump in a motherboard's price tag. Learn to pinpoint the pertinent add-ons and values.

Ram 69: August
Top 10 Services You Must Be Selling
Selling services isn't just an option anymore; it's the key to survival. The smartest resellers target hardware solutions that lend themselves to post-sale services and recurring revenue streams. We poll the channel for some of the best opportunities in this vein.

Adding Enthusiast Appeal—There's a sizable market for enthusiast hardware—the stuff that gets tweaked and modded. Of course, you don't want a basket full of returns, so sell enthusiasts the hardware that'll stand up to abuse.

Security Packages in a Vista World—Microsoft has its own plans to control what goes on with Vista-powered workstations. So who do you trust to protect your customers?

Ram 70: September
Monitors
Beyond pixels and diagonal measurements, there's a lot going on in the display market. Who has and hasn't embraced the multimedia future with HDCP support? How are manageability features helping add new value? Ditto that for LAN jacks. And are there still niches where CRTs make sense? We'll start with the tech behind today's displays and then get to the nitty-gritty: how to make money with flat glass.

The 64-bit Shimmy—Multi-Threading is in, Vista is out, so 64-bit should be swinging. We're taking a look at the latest 64-bit apps and demonstrating what they do better.

Making the Most of Memory—There's a difference between premium gaming modules and value-oriented kit. We're talking the latest memory technologies, trends, and hashing out reasons to buy the best.

Ram 71: October
Audio
Sound cards are only the beginning in this exploration of the value in today's audio technology. What is the state of on-board, integrated audio for desktops? How are speaker vendors finding new ways to add value when so many of the present offerings sound, well, amazing? Voice and podcasting are increasingly important trends, too, so we'll dig into the mic and headset market. There are more ways to make money in audio than you might think.

Small Business Server, Vista Style—Now that the software technologies underlying Microsoft's next-generation SBS are available, it's time to take a look at the successor to SBS 2003.

Easy Administration—We're building a toolkit for every reseller and consultant to help simplify maintenance and administration, both remotely and on-site. Come see what we're including.

Ram 72: November
Video Evolved
Remember when dual-GPU SLI and CrossFire were big news...and only for desktops? The market for graphics has changed radically in the last year across desktop, server, and mobile segments. We'll make sure resellers are up to speed on the key technologies and targeting the hottest opportunities heading into the holidays.

To Serve and Protect—Although you probably aren't looking to get into security, help your customers help themselves by deploying the physical security hardware to keep an eye out on their businesses.

Power Supplies: Separate the Wheat from the Chaff—There's a lot of wiggle room in the power supply industry, meaning resellers really have to trust their favored vendors. So how do you pick a winner?

Ram 73: December
Hardware: Where Are We Going?
The only constant is change. This year has been a wild ride, but as we step back to examine the present, let's also take a look at where resellers should be focusing for 2008. We'll talk with key vendors from across the hardware landscape and help readers strategize for success in the coming year. Are the things that matter now going to matter next year?

High-End Disk Controllers—Buying the right storage hardware means understanding interfaces, RAID configurations, and technologies.

Printer Technology Evolves—Let's talk about the latest in printer technology, resolutions, all-in-one integration, and opportunities to excel in an inherently replacement market.