Carolyn April Posts

Spirited discussion about the channel’s future

Cloud has changed how we look at the channel—but how has the channel responded?

Do you know what managed services means? How does it differ from conventional, enterprise-focused outsourcing? How can MSPs and internal IT departments co-exist and complement one another?

Business transformation is — or should be —an ongoing journey. Tweaking, tinkering and constant review are part of the process, but many channel firms fail to recognize this. They start with a transformative activity, but fail to follow the plan to its full evolution. Learn to keep pace in today’s market with insight from CompTIA researcher Carolyn April.

A whopping 70 percent of channel firms participating in CompTIA’s new UK State of the Channel said they’re taking transformational steps in their organizations, change driven by the rising popularity of cloud computing and customer demand for new delivery systems and services models. But change, of course, comes with challenges.

The education market is a good target for today’s channel, according to CompTIA’s study, “The Changing Classroom: Perspectives from Students and Educators on the Role of Technology.” As educators realize the benefits to student performance, achievement mandates and overall efficiency, IT will continue to increase in importance—and spending.

Cloud adoption has jumped 90 percent since 2010, according to CompTIA’s 5th Annual Trends in Cloud Computing, and resellers, solution providers, MSPs and other channel types are reporting a sunny outlook related to cloud revenue. But that doesn’t mean channel firms aren’t experiencing growing pains.

It’s no longer enough to simply build a better mousetrap — to succeed you’ve got to build out the entire business, according to CompTIA’s 4th Annual State of the Channel report. Read how managed services and cloud business models are impacting sales and marketing efforts, plus the nontechnology challenges the channel is facing.

What value does your company add? It’s a perennial business question, one that channel firms face each and every day in interactions with customers, vendors and other partners. In this era of cloud computing and ongoing business model upheaval, everyone is looking for a way to stand out, especially to the customer. If you can’t answer the fundamental question – Why do we matter? – your business is at a disadvantage. The managed services model is one example of a channel b ...

Channel firms deciding on a cloud play need to answer a few critical questions: Can I make money doing this? What type of cloud business works best for me? And who are my customers? This basic discussion of the economics of cloud computing has been front-and-center in the channel for the better part of the last three to five years, complicated by the wide variety of cloud business model options and potential revenue structures to explore, as well as differing customer needs. And yet, as found in ...