Remember the old fallacy that men never use or even carry roadmaps? That misconception may have held more meaning in the past, when printed charts and written directions were the only option for travelers. Modern technologies such as GPS and other direction applications have all but invalidated that sentiment, as both genders ditch the Rand McNally paper version for its virtual equivalent.
That doesn’t mean roadmaps are completely out of style. While the paper versions that help drivers find their way are quickly fading away, others are becoming key tools for the business community. Several CompTIA communities have played an instrumental role in creating a variety of technology and vertical market-specific roadmaps over the past two years. These tools were designed with solution providers in mind, including the most relevant and latest industry research and business intelligence available to help IT firms succeed in a particular field.
These guides are especially useful for those building a new practice business plan, with a comprehensive list of opportunities, threats and other factors that must be addressed before investing in a new technology offering or market expertise. The information is carefully developed and thoroughly vetted by all members of the sponsoring community, prioritized and edited under the direction of solution providers with an expertise in that specific discipline.
CompTIA roadmaps offer high-level details of what IT companies can expect over next two to three years, divided into three distinct categories:
- Emerging: Technologies in the adoption phase or industry trends that are gaining traction.
- Current: Those that have achieved a prominent foothold in the channel.
- Fading: Technologies and trends that have either become commoditized or are declining in importance.
VARs and MSPs have used these channel-specific roadmaps – available in PDF format – as teaching tools for their new employees or just to familiarize current team members with a particular technology or market. Vendors and distributors may also find them especially helpful when educating business partners and investors. Each document addresses a variety of issues that may concern current or potential stakeholders and the information they contain may help bolster new investments.
Mapping the Opportunities in Mobility
To help channel organizations take advantage of the increasing demand for mobile technologies, members of CompTIA stepped up to develop their own roadmap. The Mobility Community created a workgroup to develop the framework for the document and worked with the association’s research team to build something all IT firms can use to grow their business. The Mobility Industry Roadmap covers technologies and services, partnerships, customer expectations, security and regulatory concerns, channel implications and infrastructure issues.
With the growth of BYOD and MDM, this information is a great starting point for solution providers ready to start their own mobility practice or looking to extend their network and application services. The time is right, with Gartner predicting that soon approximately 50 percent of businesses will require employees to use their own mobile devices for work-related activities. Since few companies have the professional IT resources in-house to build or support a mobility platform, they’ll be looking for outsource partners with the ability to do it for them.
While carriers are aggressively pursuing new business customers, solution providers have the upper hand when it comes to the SMB market segment. As detailed in the Mobility Industry Roadmap, VARs and MSPs are uniquely positioned to offer more comprehensive IT system support than most direct-sale companies. With organization-specific consultation and the skills to diagnose a wide variety of client issues, a properly prepared solution provider can help customers realize all their mobility objectives – without breaking the budget. The roadmap isn’t meant to provide all the answers, but it will help channel companies chart the right course to mobility success.
Brian Sherman is founder of Tech Success Communications, specializing in editorial content and consulting for the IT channel. His previous roles include chief editor at Business Solutions magazine and senior director of industry alliances with Autotask. Contact Brian at Bsherman@techsuccesscommunications.com.
