The economy has affected the industry tremendously over the past few years, just now getting back to the revenue numbers it generated in 2008. Despite the downturn, the prospects look extremely bright for the IT channel as computer technologies play an even greater role in our business and personal lives. As Thibodeaux points out,” …the channel will need thousands of people and hundreds of professionals who understand how technology works, how businesses operate and how to bring it all together for customers.”
The ever-shifting regulatory environment continues to affect SMB organizations disproportionally, though the CompTIA CEO acknowledged that the situation looks to improve with events such as last week’s signing of the JOBS Act. That legislation is intended to rectify some previous injustices by reducing some of the regulations that affect small business growth. “With billions of dollars in play, the stakes are high and the incentives to push regulations in a self-serving direction are strong,” adds Thibodeaux.
What are some of the other channel trends to watch for in 2012?
- Mobility will continue to grow and MDM and BYOD will drive many solution provider opportunities for years to come (including application development).
- Social media will play a larger part in business: Pinterest, Google+ and many others continue to thrive and channel businesses should be leveraging it for promotion, to gauge customer satisfaction and to keep in touch with the needs of their clientele.
- Cloud solutions will continue to thrive, from mobile solutions to hybrid offerings, and the channel will play an ever increasing role in its adoption and support.
Thibodeaux also took time during the AMM kickoff to acknowledge past and present CompTIA Community volunteer leaders, and to introduce two new groups this year: the UK Community and Advancing Women in IT (AWIT).
