FUTURE TECHNOLOGY
with access to solutions , configurators , and training , as well as lead and demand generation activities ,” Yehia said .
Given the disruption to business over the last three years , channel partners are being urged to prioritise what they want to focus on in 2023 .
Simran Bagga , Vice President , Omnix Engineering and Foundation Technologies said cybersecurity , cloud infrastructure , Big Data , analytics and automation to name a few . “ We are in an ever-evolving dynamic technology world . Customer requirements will always be the guiding force to define priorities for channel partners ,” Bagga said .
According to Bagga , 2022 was a seeding year for innovative technologies like AI , Machine Learning and 5G . This year we will surely be a year of increasing adoption , harvesting , and nurturing these assets delivering positive outcomes , enhanced user experience and customer success .
Meg Brennan , Vice President , Global Channels , Riverbed , said with the appetite for cloud adoption having scaled exponentially in recent years , hyper-scalers have grown by leaps and bounds . “ Today , their marketplaces have become the preferred procurement model for customers . Channel partners that discount the
Betsy Doughty , Corporate VP of Marketing , Spectra Logic significance of this trend are simply setting themselves up for failure .
“ Instead of being intimidated by the shift , partners that are pioneering the very nature and role of the channel are beginning to build their own service offerings on these cloud marketplaces . They are combining cloud solutions from multiple vendors and packaging their value-add services around these to create compelling offerings that can be easily consumed by end customers ,” Brennan said .
Betsy Doughty , Corporate VP of Marketing , Spectra Logic , said channel partners are taking major steps forward as trusted advisors as they become more
familiar with issues relevant to end users , such as tackling ransomware and offering ways to mitigate attacks . “ We ’ ve seen success when the channel leads with stories of ransomware survival . Customers genuinely seem interested in attending events with this as a primary topic and a promise to discuss strategies to help them prepare and prevent attacks ,” Doughty noted . “ 2023 will see the continued rise of in-person events taking place , both industry events and VAR-originated events , which increases demand on funding for sponsorships and branded giveaway swag .”
Laurent Gentil , Channel Director EMEA , WALLIX , said cyberthreats remain a huge concern in the channel : earlier this year , Five Eyes intelligence warned of increased attacks targeting MSPs . Gentil said the advanced cyberattack that happened in August 2022 had a devastating impact on the UK ’ s NHS , and precious client data was extracted by the infamous Lockbit 3.0 group .
“ The possible financial and reputational consequences of a breach are too serious to ignore , and channel partners can best reduce these consequences by establishing a close tie with cybersecurity experts ,” Gentil said .
Mario Veljovic , General Manager , VAD Technologies , an AlJammaz Technologies company , said at a recent IDC Alliance Conference in the UAE 57 % of the attendees joined the event “ to build alliances with new players with niche or emerging technology solutions ”. Veljovic said it ’ s clear that partners are hungry for easy to deploy and simple to manage solutions that will get the job done and that will help their clients to find faster return of investment ( ROI ) driven by strong focus on lowering their total cost of ownership ( TCO ). “ Having said this , partners shouldn ’ t focus too much on technology , rather than on their consultancy capabilities . It ’ s about making sure their clients can fully utilise the technology they invested in . in my experience clients not being fully trained is the main reason behind failed Digital Transformation projects ,” he said . •
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