The doors of the channel have spun with considerable rapidity in recent months.

ARN's Matthew Sainsbury is in Washington, courtesy of Microsoft, for the company's World Partner Conference 2010. His reports plus those for IDG's American staff and slideshows are all part of this ARN special coverage of the conference.

Expanding channel touch through new partnerships and geographic reach was a key theme for several software vendors over the past week.

Sales professionals can earn twice as much working for vendors or integrators than they do within distribution, according to early results compiled through the ARN Salary Calculator.

ASX-listed software vendor, TechnologyOne (ASX:TNE), has acquired Brisbane-based ISV, OutcomeManager.