Tech Trends in IT Services Emphasized in Tampa Meeting

After a round of personal introductions, attendees at the two-day IT Services and Support Executive Forum meeting in Tampa started out with an interactive discussion by Heather Clancy on “Refining Your IT Services Strategy: 10 Trends and Technologies.” The renowned technology author and former editor of Computer Reseller News (CRN) has written articles for Entrepreneur magazine, Fortune Small Business, and the New York Times, and collaborates with numerous companies on channel services strategy. Her abundant knowledge of the industry was quite evident as she took questions and addressed issues relevant to the audience.

This keynote presentation is a great example of why executives attend the meetings, to receive credible information on the state of the industry and understand how their business issues/opportunities compare to others. For example, Clancy highlighted modest services growth projections in the US, with greater potential in the international arena. For companies with multiple geographic locations, the data she presents (from multiple resources) allows attendees to assess their own results.

Clancy pointed out how companies can benefit from promoting “Green IT” properly, to the right clients and with the right amount of attention. Many companies are funneling a disproportionate amount of resources into the area, with less-than-expected results, but those that gauge the opportunity in their markets are profiting. It’s worth taking some time to research the technology and see how it fits with into your services portfolio.

Virtualization, backup and recovery services, videoconferencing, social media and wireless broadband are all on the list of “hot” technologies and services. Each requires a robust network, so specialists in those areas should pay attention to the infrastructure opportunities as each grows in workplace popularity. I won’t go into a deep dive on each of the topics covered in the presentation out of respect of Clancy’s research, but be aware the information is available to members of CompTIA and this community.

Stay tuned for this afternoon and tomorrow!

– Brian Sherman, CompTIA Roving Reporter