The VAR Guy: New Owner, Same Attitude, Big Opportunities

thevarguy celebrates

Penton Media is the largest privately held, independent B2B publisher in the United States. Led by CEO Sharon Rowlands, Penton reaches 6 million professionals every month with critical business information. And the Penton websites generated 276 million page views last year. Terms like “scalability”  and “reach” — within highly targeted audiences, of course — come to The VAR Guy’s mind.

Nine Lives Media is now a business unit of Penton Media, reporting into Penton’s Technology Group — which includes powerful brands like the Windows IT Pro community and Paul Thurrott’s Windows SuperSite. The Nine Lives Media team and its leading IT Channel communities — The VAR Guy, MSPmentor and Talkin’ Cloud — report into Peg Miller, Penton’s Technology Group Market Leader.

So how does The VAR Guy feel about the deal? Let’s put it this way: Our anonymous blogger has a wide smile on his face today. After launching in 2008, The VAR Guy quickly emerged as the IT Channel’s top blog. Our resident blogger’s unique voice and quick-hit perspectives have attracted more than 15,000 reader comments.

Now, The VAR Guy and his sister sites gain a powerful B2B parent in Penton Media. In a prepared statement, Penton’s Miller said:

The VAR Guy’s existing leadership — Nine Lives President Amy Katz and Executive VP/Editorial Director Joe Panettieri — remain in place, as do The VAR Guy’s sales and editorial teams. You’ll continue to read unique insights from folks like Charlene O’Hanlon, David Courbanou, Christopher Tozzi and more.

Hmmm… Now that you know the news, you can understand why The VAR Guy’s latte tastes a little sweeter this morning.