The learning curve for some of the latest technologies and delivery models can be much higher than previous IT developments. As most solution providers know, today’s innovations may require substantially more education in the systems and the applications. They often spend more time researching the business case for new technologies with their clients and vetting a host of new vendors bringing these offerings to the channel.
Even after more than a decade of industry acceptance, the managed services field is still undergoing major change in its education process. Simply put, the channel needs to continue taking the innovation conversations deeper to build more relevant best practices. Whether the focus is on VoIP applications and wireless devices or big data and the Internet of Things (IoT), solution providers need to improve their knowledge and experience in virtually every area to remain competitive today.
Those who attended the latest CompTIA Canadian IT Business Community meeting got a solid dose of that education in innovation. With a strong list of experienced professionals leading the way, the audience received not only valuable channel-targeted information, but a wealth of specific ideas they could implement in their own businesses.
Not Your Father’s Big Data Solutions
Some innovation seems custom-fit to the IT channel while the solution provider opportunities for other technological advances appear a bit murky. While big data fits is often lumped in the latter category, its business case for SMB gets clearer every day, according to IBM’s Paul Zikopoulos. The vice president of technical sales for big data and competitive databases emphasized that many small organizations are beginning to realize the same thing their enterprise counterparts already understand: the information they gather and store has real value. “If you’re not investing in data, you’re not going to be competitive. Many businesses employ ‘shadow IT’ people to work around their technical teams, running analytics and making changes based on what they see.”
Zikopoulos pointed out the types of information collected by social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, from location and family details to purchasing and travel preferences. Unless completely disconnected from the internet and not holding or wearing something with a MAC address, you are likely transmitting data to someone (or something).
“The wearables market is about to explode, mostly due to the data collection opportunities it presents. For example, when discharged from a hospital, a patient may wear a shirt that collects medical data and feeds it to back to the medical team. When you unlock your car, it can send that data to the manufacturer. If the failure point were 300 opens, it could send an alert at that point, order parts and schedule the repair automatically.”
What does that mean to solution providers focused on smaller businesses and organizations? Zikopoulos is well-versed on the opportunities available in SMB. For example, a local college client could benefit from big data analytics, helping them forecast application numbers and track student success and failure metrics to tweak their recruitment needs and processes. Their retailer customers could use better prediction models for revenue and to gauge store traffic patterns based on shoppers’ smart phone information.
“Data only has to be as good as the task at hand. You can filter information and deliver just what your clients need.” The value of big data depends on good information governance from the start; something solution providers can surely turn into a viable business practice.
Cloud and IOT Continue the Innovation Trends
The current and future channel topics covered at the Canadian IT Business Community meeting were quite comprehensive, as was the research presented by David Senf, VP Infrastructure Solutions at IDC. For example, the organization’s latest survey shows that 44 percent of CEOs want IT to move towards a zero capital budget. That could mean a much greater opportunity for those selling cloud and managed services. As a matter of fact, the Canadian cloud services market is expected to double in the next three years, from $1.9 billion in 2014 to 3.9 billion by 2018.
Along with the revenue potential from those web-enabled and delivered technologies, Senf pointed to a growing business opportunity for those with IoT (Internet of Things) expertise. IDC predicts a 33 percent CAGR in the number of connected devices over the next few years, escalating from 28 million in 2013 to more than 114 million by 2018.
Who is more capable of helping SMB organizations leverage all that technology than solutions providers? Cisco Canada’s Bob Martin emphasized that point in his presentation at a later point in the meeting, pointing out that 95 percent of businesses are planning to deploy some sort of IOT technology within the next three years. With a total global $19 trillion investment at stake, there’s sure to be opportunity for professionals with the skills to design, implement and support these innovative systems.
Those are just a few of the many speakers and highlights from the meeting. Interested in joining the next channel-shaping discussion? Check out the upcoming Canadian IT Business Community events and find out more about CompTIA’s other collaborative member-lead peer groups here.
Brian Sherman is founder of Tech Success Communications, specializing in editorial content and consulting for the IT channel. His previous roles include chief editor at Business Solutions magazine and senior director of industry alliances with Autotask. Contact Brian at [email protected].
