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Tech Data
Guiding Businesses Through The Business of Digitalisation
As the number of applications in the market has grown, so has the number of companies trying to grab a share of it. This has created its own problems. Right now, the IT market has become a complex landscape populated by point products that are not necessarily designed to work in unison with one another.
Whilst many of the technologies we use on a day-to-day basis have become more intuitive and easier to use for the end user, the job of managing multi-vendor application stacks has become exponentially more complex for IT teams.
Technological complexity aside, multi-vendor environments bring with them numerous vendor relationships and contracts that need managing. Due diligence has to be carried out on any new products being considered to solve future challenges.
Businesses and their IT staff, which can range from a fully-fledged team in an enterprise business to the poor founder team of an SMB, are equally grappling with a number of macro technology trends. Making these one-off decisions will inform daily operability. Decisions need to be made on adopting new technologies like IoT (internet of things) and analytics, but more fundamental issues such as choosing data storage architectures, the toss-up between on-premise or hybrid cloud, and cyber security will always take priority.
As businesses navigate changing industry landscapes, simply choosing the services that are best suited to a specific organisation’s needs quickly becomes a task for multiple people, which can benefit from a range of skills and expertise. Unfortunately, most company budgets rarely accommodate such activities from non-revenue roles.
It is equally unlikely for business decision-makers to feel comfortable in missing disruptive technologies that promise to give their business the edge.
As businesses try to keep up with digitalisation, they are now faced with managing complex, multi-vendor IT environments. Undertaking such a task is costly, time intensive, and requires highly skilled people
Thus, businesses are left with the task of striking the balance between failing to embrace benefits from becoming a technology-led business and turning the business into a dedicated technology business itself.
This is where the channel can play a role in helping businesses navigate the change and disruption they are going through. The channel can be leveraged in five main areas to capitalise on specific expertise without having to burden the in-house team.
The art of knowing what is possible
It is incumbent on businesses to work with a channel partner, which truly understands what is possible. This is in terms of technological possibilities and understanding how to use flexible financing models that are appropriate to the company’s budget.
General skills shortage
Usually, IT skills are in a short supply and the channel can alleviate this by offering services, professional consultancy, training, and education. In areas such as IoT, the channel gives businesses access to an incredible eco-system and expertise, which would ordinarily be inaccessible to them.
Making the right choices
The IT landscape is overwhelmed with different technologies and ways of solving the same problem. Working with partners, which harness vertical market expertise alongside deep technology understanding will help inform judicious decisions with multifaceted benefits. Consulting the channel expedite the process to secure a sound investment that will deliver an ROI, enable interoperable solutions, and future proof your business’ systems.
Security peace of mind
Digitalisation has created much larger attack surfaces than ever before, which grow even bigger as the number of devices and systems on your network do. The channel can provide specialist support to help businesses develop a strong security posture, allowing more innovations to be safely introduced.
Ongoing management and support
IT estates need to be managed and supported through their lifecycle, and failure to do so can cause catastrophic outcomes. This can divert the attention of IT staff away from solving the vital business challenges that create growth opportunities. The right partner should be well positioned to take on this task, which is managing everything from firmware upgrades to licence renewals.
As businesses try to keep up with digitalisation, they are now faced with managing complex, multi-vendor IT environments. Undertaking such a task is costly, time intensive, and requires highly skilled people. The channel serves as a tool for those businesses looking for a cost-effective solution to this problem and that enables IT staff to focus on creating business value, not solving the IT problems. With the growth of the technology industry, a new system has emerged for businesses to navigate the multiple vendors and multiple solutions they need to succeed in a digitally transformed world.
