Best Of Breed Conference 2018

CRN is live in Philadelphia for the Best of Breed Conference.

Get all of CRN's coverage of the event here and follow along on Twitter at #BOB18.

October 9th

HPE CEO Antonio Neri On Data Management, Teaming With VMware And Why Competitors Are Going To Hit A Hardware Wall
“You're going to see going forward a tremendous shift in the way we think about data management. And by the way the service piece of this is huge,” said Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Antonio Neri told attendees at The Channel Company’s 2018 Best of Breed Conference.

HPE CEO Antonio Neri: Dell Doesn't Have ‘An Edge’ Strategy
‘The difference between us and Dell is very simple: We have an edge to cloud strategy. They don’t have an edge,’ says HPE CEO Antonio Neri.

'Change Or Be Changed:' Zones Nfrastructure CEO Dan Pickett's Lessons For Forward-Thinking Solution Providers
‘If we don't continue to change and be an adaptive company, then we're not going to be able to change proactively on our terms—we'll be forced to changed reactively because of our competitors or market forces,’ says Zones Nfrastructure CEO Dan Pickett.

Cadent COO: Blockchain Is A 'Long-Term Growth Play'
Cadent’s Stephanie Mitchko-Beale implored solution providers at CRN’s 2018 Best of Breed Conference to get behind blockchain, saying that it’s a “long-term growth play” that can improve transparency in business.

With Digital Transformation In Full Swing, NetApp Transforms Itself Into A Data Management Provider
Digital transformation has NetApp transforming its own business while positioning partners for success in the years to come, says Jeff McCullough, vice president of Americas partner sales.

WATCH: CB Tech CEO Discusses Move From VAR to Systems Integrator
At CRN’s Best of Breed 2018, CB Technologies CEO Kelly Ireland shared how solution providers can successfully transform their companies in the digital age.

VMware's Six-Step Partner Acceleration Strategy To Drive New Deals
VMware channel leader Frank Rauch says partners will see increased customer win rates when they work with the company more closely around its framework of find, align, move, close, deploy and expand.

The BoB CEO Interview: Aruba's Keerti Melkote On Digital Transformation, Innovation Overseas And The Big Partner Opportunity At The Edge
Aruba Co-Founder Keerti Melkote took the stage at The Channel Company's 2018 Best Of Breed (BoB) Conference to talk about digital transformation, his own journey to the United States, his experience as a disrupter and where the next big opportunity lies for the channel.

With New Customer Focus, Improved Programs, 'Lenovo Is Getting It Right'
Lenovo is making big bets with the channel, overhauling its programs, realigning partner resources and refocusing on its customers, Executive Director and Channel Chief Rob Cato said at the 2018 Best of Breed Conference in Philadelphia.

WATCH: Talk of Security, Cloud And The Economy Rock Best of Breed 2018
Keynotes by VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger and Chief Economist at Moody’s Analytics Mark Zandi steal the spotlight on the first day of the 2018 Best of Breed Conference.

Aruba Leader Keerti Melkote: Building Security From The Inside 'Still An Untapped Opportunity'
Melkote, who founded wireless networking pioneer Aruba Networks in 2002, says the company's focus on securing the network from the inside gives it the opportunity to disrupt a market that remains committed to combating threats on the perimeter.

October 8th

Dell EMC's 'Golden Partner Opportunity': Enterprise Preferred Program
"This is a golden partner opportunity to work with us, get involved with the sales team, help us get into these accounts and have investment protection," said Gregg Ambulos, leader of Dell EMC's North American Channel Sales.

Mark Zandi: Economy Is Booming, But Trade, Interest Rates Pose Risk
America’s macroeconomic boom has been accompanied by increased business spending on IT, Zandi said, with year-over-year nominal spending on IT hardware and IT software increasing by 8 percent.

Hewlett Packard Inc. Readying Solutions For Field Workers In Construction, Insurance
With tax cuts spurring IT spending and fueling sales, solution providers say 2018 is shaping up to be a very good year.

VMware CEO Gelsinger On Disrupting The Security Industry, Pushing Subscriptions And Cracking The Code On The AWS Partnership
"Your customers are looking for more, and just giving them another warm blanket, expecting that's going to stop bullets doesn't do it," said VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger at the 2018 Best of Breed conference. "We've got to get more sophisticated capabilities."

VMware's Pat Gelsinger: 'I Want To Disrupt Everything About The Security Market'
"I think security [vendors have] failed our customers in the past," said VMWare CEO Pat Gelsinger during his keynote at 2018 Best of Breed Conference on Monday.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell: Tech Industry Must Help Create Jobs For Displaced Workers
‘The tech sector of our economy can think up solutions to almost everything,’ said Rendell at the 2018 Best of Breed Conference. ‘Can technology develop a job that somebody without a college education can do?’

Odds-On Favorites: CRN's 2018 Triple Crown Award Winners
CRN assembles a number of lists and rankings throughout the year, including the Solution Provider 500, the Fast Growth 150 and the Tech Elite 250. CRN recognizes the 46 solution providers that earned a spot on all three lists this year with the annual Triple Crown honors.

Boom Times: Why 2018 Is Shaping Up To Be A Very Good Year
With tax cuts spurring IT spending and fueling sales, solution providers say 2018 is shaping up to be a very good year.

Economist Mark Zandi On Why Tax Cuts Are Not A 'Game-Changer,' Rising Deficits, And Why He Is Not A 'Fan' Of President Trump’s Economic Policies
Dr. Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics, a leading provider of economic research, says the Trump tax cuts have not had a large impact on IT spending.