Emerging technology trends are causing disruption in all areas of IT, including channel firms. Vendors, resellers and managed service providers (MSPs) are adjusting their offerings to provide the products and services that are in demand as businesses adjust the way they procure and use technology. For MSPs, four of the top issues impacting their business are mobility, Big Data, security and communications.
In CompTIA’s Director of Technology Analysis and Market Research Seth Robinson’s presentation during the Managed Services community meeting at ChannelCon, he noted that CompTIA research found that 49 percent of MSPs say it’s challenging to engage with customers when it comes to mobility issues because the customers lack a well-defined strategy. More than half of MSPs are offering device integration and management, strategic consulting, optimization and application services for mobility.
Roughly two out of every three MSPs either offer security as a service or managed security, with another 20 to 25 percent planning to offer security services. Email, web and network security top the list of their security offerings.
When it comes to Big Data, channel firms are slowly getting up to speed. About one-third offer robust Big Data services, with another third offering some partial Big Data services. They are active in investigating vendor partners, training their technical and sales staff and looking for local partners to help augment their Big Data services.
CompTIA research saw that the top five channel communications offerings include email, instant messaging, VoIP, videoconferencing and core telecom services. IT channel companies partnering with telecom companies are gaining new telecom revenue, customers, training and business deals.
Robinson gave attendees three key takeaways to consider as they look to expand their businesses:
Integration of new technologies is a major challenge for end-users. Be their solution for figuring out how to take advantage of new technology, not just make it work.
Specialization can be a differentiating factor for MSPs. It’s not about specializing in a technology or vendor necessarily, but specializing in a market such as healthcare, financial services, etc.
Education across the whole client organization is becoming more critical. How can you help educate your client’s entire staff on how to best use technology?
