In the IT ecosystem, growth is earned by analyzing current trends, making strategic investments and becoming a trailblazer by jumping on those opportunities. Organizations that sit back with their blinders on to digital disruption are lagging behind their competition and missing out on the chance to capitalize on next-gen, high-growth specializations and relationships.
We asked several of our 2022 CRN Channel Chiefs about their top priorities, opportunities and challenges. As we look to assist our channel partners in generating their own success and making their own strategic investments, here are the top 5 tech trends TD SYNNEX to look for in the IT ecosystem:
1. Everything as a service (XaaS)
Everything-as-a-service, or XaaS, refers to products, platforms, tools and expertise that can be bundled, purchased and consumed in a flexible, “as a service” model. More common examples may include Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS), each of which offers its own advantages to delivering business outcomes for unique end user customer needs. The rise of this XaaS model has accelerated due to a rise in demand for flexibility, as organizations need to adapt to a rapidly-changing market.
CRN Channel Chief Jessica Yeck, VP, vendor solutions:
As our market continues to evolve to the everything as a service model (XaaS), there’s a big opportunity for TS SYNNEX to bring value to our vendors and partners to help them bring their offerings to market. We have a unique position in the value chain where we can bring together all the various components and strategic relationships to help with customer reach, enablement, solutions and services aggregation (financing, etc.). We can help reduce the noise and take out the complexity while allowing our vendors and partners to focus on a business model that puts more emphasis on services-led, reoccurring revenue models vs the traditional product sale.
2. Digital Transformation
It’s estimated that nearly five years of digital transformation happened in just the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations are relying on migrating their systems to a public or private cloud environment while managing the day-to-day security requirements of a fully-remote workforce. Digital meeting spaces and virtual events are no longer nice-to-haves; they’re critical to increasing production and collaboration at the enterprise level. As a result, digital transformation and the fundamental shift to a digital-led environment is how companies are thriving in 2022.
Stacy Nethercoat, SVP, Advanced Solutions:
I think about how COVID-19 accelerated digital transformation efforts by several years for corporations and yet the channel has been slow to respond with equal urgency. There is a dramatic shift underway to how organizations evaluate, plan, implement and consume technology. As a channel, we need to make dramatic shifts towards technology-as-a-service and mirror the needs of our customers. By moving in this direction, partners can open up new reoccurring revenue opportunities and establish a foundation for follow-on business.
3. Value-added Services
The traditional technology channel distribution model is outdated. Today, TD SYNNEX sits at the center of the IT ecosystem as a solutions aggregator and main proponent of solutions orchestration for all of our channel partners. This means that we are incorporating a services-led approach to adding value for our channel partners and their customers. This can include anything from product integration, lifecycle management, preconfigured ready-to-deploy offerings, enablement services, financing and more. While hardware and software will always be the bread-and-butter (corned beef and cabbage?) of the tech channel, using services to create customized solutions will continue to be a competitive differentiator.
Joe Pittillo, SVP, services:
The biggest challenge is staying in front of the rapid changes in today’s technology landscapes which creates opportunities. Our teams are continually developing and delivering channel-ready services to help augment our current partners’ capabilities. The rapid evolution of technology continuously keeps us on our toes.
4. Employee Retention and Engagement
Since the spring of 2021, more than 33 million Americans have left their job, many looking for better total compensation, safer working conditions and more flexibility. Tech organizations, especially, are faced with the challenge of recruiting and retaining top talent, particularly in a world where cybercrime is getting more sophisticated and the training and upskilling needed to combat threat actors is higher than ever. Technology is facing the biggest risk of fluctuating workforces and one of the top things companies can do is to identify the root cause(s) and adapt a retention strategy.
Francisco Criado, VP, cloud, data and IoT:
Challenge: With the “Great Resignation” this past year, one of our largest challenges is around employee retention and attraction. We continue to invest in Next Generation technologies and we’re looking to acquire top talent in the market.
One of the largest opportunities in 2022 is addressing the accelerated pace of digital transformation we’re seeing in the market. This transformation will enhance current business models and develop completely new business models. As these on-premise, digital and hybrid models evolve, the optimal Cloud strategy and Security posture will become even more important with the increased threat vectors that can be compromised by bad actors.
5. Unlocking Channel Potential
The web of many different partner types proves one thing: we have to all work together to make a difference in the world. Innovation cannot be achieved through one organization, so by enabling our channel partners to be equipped to have the solutions aggregation conversation, the potential is endless.
Steve Jow, EVP, US sales:
The biggest challenge and opportunity for me is one and the same. In 2021 TD and Synnex merged to create the world’s largest distributor. The company, and more so the people, really came together and I think that showed in our first combined results together. As we go into 2022, the landscape from a macro perspective (COVID-19, economic, supply chain, return-to-office, etc.) and from a technology perspective (evolution of cloud, security, AI, BI, etc.) continues.
The obvious challenge is continually bringing the two large organizations together and fully unlocking all the potential that resides by doing so, whether it’s by providing the right solutions and services, driving the best customer experience or helping partners reach the right segments of the market.
There is unlimited opportunity.
