Carolyn April Posts

The ongoing convergence of IT and telecom technologies, as well as the decision-making preferences of the customer, continue to drive more partnerships between traditional IT channel firms and the telecom agent channel. Both communities are looking to provide customers with an end-to-end solution encompassing both telecom and IT and have found that joining forces and blending skill-sets can be an efficient way to achieve this aim. That’s the conclusion of many respondents to CompTIA and Ch ...

CompTIA’s UK Community can be described in a word: momentum. This nascent community group is characterized by fast growth, having increased six-fold in the number of participants in just the last year. Gathered this week as an adjunct to CompTIA’s annual EMEA Member and Partner Conference in London, the community’s commitment to fostering business growth and collaboration is evident in the robust conversations, spirited speakers and a refreshing dearth of droning devices.Against this animated ba ...

No doubt there exist many channel opportunities related to the cloud model, among them new sales and customer engagement scenarios as well as the chance to build recurring revenue streams. This is all good business. But the fast-moving shift to cloud is also profoundly disruptive and challenging. Ready or not, many of today’s solution providers find themselves re-evaluating how they conduct basic business operations, regardless of whether they are planning an all-cloud transition (for now, a rar ...

Ask any solution provider to describe the amount of information collateral their vendor partners send their way and quite often the first response you’ll get is a groan.Think about it: Daily (or more) email newsletter blasts, social media feeds, frequent partner portal updates with strategic information on product roadmaps, pricing, sales promotions and technical updates. That’s not to mention the collateral on discounts, rebates and MDF that changes regularly, along with the constant flow of in ...

Are your vendor partners communicating effectively with you? That’s just one of the questions behind CompTIA’s second annual State of Channel Partner Programs study, a research project that examines the relationship between channel firms, the IT vendors they work with and the partner programs they participate in. Fielded in March, the online survey sought the perspective of 400 IT channel companies -- running the gamut from hardware resellers to MSPs to consultants. The results reveal a number o ...

Interesting times we have in the IT industry. New business models, new economic realities and new customer buying patterns warrant a pretty serious look at business transformation, especially in the channel. There’s simply no denying that the way IT goods and services are sold, delivered and managed is undergoing a foundational shift from product transactions to solutions- and services-oriented selling. What isn’t so certain is the roadmap for change. Nobody – not IT vendors, solution providers ...

For many in the IT channel, managed services ushered in the Holy Grail of recurring revenue. The model also helped fulfill growing demand from cash-strapped customers to shift cap-ex IT spending to a more predictable operational expense. CompTIA’s recent study, Trends in Managed Services, finds managed services growth among both end-users (adopting) and channel companies (selling) is expected to continue apace in the next two years. Additionally, planned investments in these services by both con ...

Despite much hand wringing over the impact of cloud in the channel, many companies are beginning to gain a clearer – and more relief-tinged – picture of what the model means to the industry at large and their own business roadmaps.Clearly for the channel, the devil is in the details. Companies today are determining the role they will play in the cloud evolution and how they will implement steps needed to make the transition and overcome obstacles. This holds true whether they are planning a mino ...

Just about any parent will tell you that co-existence with personal technology is a daily reality. Whether it’s a smart phone, laptop, tablet or gaming console, technology has become a staple in our homes and in the lives of our children.Schools are no different. Today’s kids are learning in ways that simply didn’t exist in any widespread manner a decade ago. Interactive whiteboards, classroom management software, wireless networks and audio augmentation are changing the way teachers teach and s ...

Today’s business world is all about connections – those essential relationships that help drive growth and profitability among successful companies. Consider the underpinnings of the technology market, with its tight ties between manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and ultimately customers. Those partnerships are a must to success.One of the most critical relationships in our industry is that between vendors and IT channel partners. Perhaps nothing is more emblematic of that relationship than ...