Wondering which IT channel trade publications small business VARs and MSPs should be reading? Here are 17 worthy contenders, organized alphabetically:
Business Solutions Magazine – tends to specialize in more high-end niches than other publications, such as access control, point of sale, RFID, and video surveillance
Channel Insider – although a relatively recent spinoff, this publication is owned by Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings, an extremely well-known IT media powerhouse that’s been around for literally decades
Channel Partners Magazine – primarily covers communications
Channel Pro – unlike other broader IT channel trade publications, this IT channel trade publication is all about small business-focused and medium-sized business-focused technology providers
CIO Insight – not just for the IT channel, but on the list because so many small business VARs, MSPs, and IT consultants act as their clients’ outsourced Virtual CIOs
CDN/Computer Dealer News – although a Canadian IT channel trade publication, can be a useful resource for U.S.-based small business VARs and MSPs that want to follow what’s going on in the second largest North American IT market
CRN Magazine – the gold standard in IT channel trade publications, so much so that international versions of CRN can be found around the world in nations such as the UK, India, and Australia
Editor's Note: On June 16, 2015, approximately 28 months after publication, we received a request for clarification.
Jessica Meek, U.S. editor of Channelnomics and representing CRN UK, has asked that we point out that CRN published in the U.S. (currently by The Channel Company) has no affiliation whatsoever with CRN UK or CRN Australia.
Dealerscope – primarily for those in consumer technology retailing
MSPmentor – sister publication of The VAR Guy and Talkin’Cloud that aspires to be “the ultimate guide to managed services” with that as a declared service mark
Redmond Channel Partner – with the name of Microsoft’s headquarters city right in its title, no big surprise: this IT channel trade publication is 100% focused on Microsoft-centric partners
SearchITChannel – similar to how Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings has Channel Insider, IT media giant TechTarget also has an IT channel-specific online trade publication
Smallbiztechnology – again, like CIO Insight, this publication appeals to more than just small business VARs and MSPs, but is still highly recommended to smallbiz-focused channel companies
SMB Nation – similar in segmentation to Channel Pro, this publisher and conference producer is all-in with SMB (small- and medium-sized business) VARs and MSPs
Talkin’Cloud – recognizing the growing importance of cloud computing, this is a sister publication of MSPmentor and The VAR Guy
The Partner Channel Magazine – an easy-to-overlook highly-niched IT channel trade publication, but it’s required reading if you sell and support Microsoft Dynamics
The VAR Guy – owned by Nine Lives Media, now part of Penton Media, this is the sister publication of MSPmentor and Talkin’Cloud
VSR/Vertical Systems Reseller – most IT channel trade pubs are horizontal in nature, while this one has successfully niched with those small business VARs and MSPs that focused on vertical markets
Editor's Note: Based on a request for clarification, #7 (CRN Magazine) was appended on June 18, 2015.
Which of these IT channel trade publications are your favorites? Did we overlook any other worthy contenders? Please share your thoughts in the Comments section below.