It’s not just the biggest event of the year for techies. Next month, more than 150,000 people are expected to converge on Las Vegas for CES 2017 (Consumer Electronic Show) and the audience continues to diversify. This year’s attendee will surely include IT services providers, CIOs, tech professionals and a multitude of business-executives looking to gain an edge with innovation. They’ll go to see the latest and greatest inventions, advances and applications with, as the name implies, a consumer focus.
And each year the crowds and the hype seem to rise a level or two. CES has become a must attend event for almost every segment of the media, from the news shows like Today Show and CNN to the Hollywood press. The long list of celebrities attended to drive traffic to certain vendor booths or to increase awareness of new products, including Shaquille O’Neal, Mark Cuban, Ryan Seacrest and Penn Jillette. The buzz around CES is electrifying.
With all the flash and excitement, what some fail to see is how this event and the technology on display are changing the role of the IT service provider. The vast majority of products being promoted are connected to a network or computer. And quite a few will end up in a business environment.
That doesn’t mean providers will have to integrate or support every consumer device or application that someone brings into the workplace (even if it is the CEO). Some may, such as the latest smartphone or tablet technologies executives want to deploy, or a home automation solution that their team would like to test out in the conference room. In a perfect world, they’ll talk to their provider before making a purchase and discuss the implementation process or, if there are real concerns, talk about better or safer alternatives that achieve the same goals.
Consumerization of IT: The Channel Opportunity
In many cases, those discussions will never happen. Someone will simply deploy a consumer technology on their own and never mention it. No tech support, no heads up, and in many cases, no security measures taken. It’s the new reality for solution providers. Whether the worker (or executive) fails to understand the risks or simply doesn’t care, many simply install whatever application they want on their computer. They may see nothing wrong with bringing their new e-reader or other web-enabled device to work and connecting it to the company network. Unless there’s a device/internet policy in place, the typical workplace can be the “wild west” when it comes to internet security.
This situation occurs more than most solution providers care to admit. The “off the record stories” shared by channel professionals border on the unbelievable — yet they make sense when you understand the IT limitations of those making the bad decisions. Some end users just expect everything to work today. When the technology is advertised as “plug and play” or simple to install, it doesn’t usually include a disclaimer for work-site applications.
The good news? The consumerization of IT is actually an opening for IT services firms. The vast majority of SMBs (and many larger organizations) need help locking down their networks, developing employee internet policies and monitoring it all. Are you offering network and security assessments? Can your team identify those not following protocols?
Those services often lead to new sales opportunities for channel firms. Consider the issues with unauthorized, consumer-targeted file sharing programs, which have become a major concern for many businesses. Some employees simply log on and use these sites to ensure they don’t lose sensitive documents and images, never thinking of the security implications (think hacker or ransomware). If their employer doesn’t have its own secure version of these applications, it’s an opportunity for the provider to step up and offer one.
If a device has an IP address or the site hasn’t been properly audited by an IT professional, it’s a potential vulnerability. This should be explained in the employee internet policy. It sets the expectations and provides details of what is (and what isn’t) allowed to be downloaded or accessed using company computers and mobility devices. Policies should also cover what can (and what cannot) be connected to their business internet, as well as visitor log ins. These are the things many small businesses need help with — and many will look to their IT service provider for that expertise. It’s a perfect opportunity to lend a hand and improve profitability (even if you have to partner with others to do it).
Providers can play a major role in the consumerization of IT. They can implement and support the technologies that make sense, and recommend alternatives when they don’t, and ensure systems are in place to prevent access to rogue devices and limit “shadow IT” situations. Some may offer network monitoring and auditing, and implement security measures and policies to keep employees compliant with the policies. Solution and profit opportunities for channel firms in the consumer IT space are there if you look for them. The question is, are you interested and prepared to help?
Brian Sherman is Chief Content Officer at GetChanneled, a channel business development and marketing firm. He served previously as chief editor at Business Solutions magazine and senior director of industry alliances with Autotask. Contact Brian at Bsherman@getchanneled.com
