The Randy and Andy parties are must-attend events at Microsoft’ Worldwide Partner Conference and Convergence. But now, formerly loyal Collins Computing, by Steve Collins -but whose most visible representative is president Randy Forkner. the Randy of the party name - has become an Acumatica VAR. The company, whose ERP line was previously limited to Dynamics AX and GP, has been selling Acumatica under the radar and has already become a Gold-level reseller for the cloud company. This will get some people’s attention.

Microsoft has probably taken the lead in having the unhappiest VARs. That’s because Sage resellers are more resigned to fate.  But with the decision to drop many of the certification requirements to carry Dynamics GP, NAV and SL, Microsoft illustrated problems faced by companies like Microsoft, Sage and Infor. All were built from aggregating unrelated products. All face the need to deal with aging technology and move to the cloud. Infor is different in that it has to pay off $5.3 billion in debt. But all have squeezed the channel to get more income.

Clifton "Johnny" Laurent has lost the game of executive musical chairs as Sage adjusted leadership for Sage HRMS and the group handling Timeslips and DacEasy. Laurent, VP and GM of Sage HRMS, joined Sage in January 2006 and had worked in the Employer Solutions organization since June 2009. His duties are being transferred to Henry Benamram who heads Small Business Solutions effective September 8. Benamram, who has spent 22 years at Sage, started in France and then transferred to North America in 2012. He initially had responsibility of for Sage One, the company’s cloud product of the future, as part of a Sage One North America Group.

Australian software vendor, MYOB has invested in Acumatica. Acumatica CEO Jon Roskill said today that MYOB, which is owned by Bain Capital, has made a “significant investment” and has taken a seat on the board. MYOB is also testing a cloud-based product, MYOB Advanced, which it built on the Acumatica platform. “We see a huge opportunity, said Gary Katzeff, national manager of MYOB’s Australian Enterprise Division. The announcement was made today at Acumatica’s Partner Summit in the Denver suburbs. It's an important move. In the cloud race, being able to show a solid financial base is important in raising a company's profile with everyone--the resellers, the ISVs, the customers and prospects.