Getting more out of storage
The need for storage is endless. But only those with real expertise will make much money from selling it.
Most resellers are aware of the opportunities for sales of storage and are selling solutions. But many are still focused on hardware and software and are bringing very little to the party in terms of expertise.
This means they are missing out on bottom-line profit, repeat business and project-related work.
The great thing about storage and information is that they must continue to grow.
A journalist once asked if I thought the storage boom was over. I replied: "Only when mankind is extinct and stops creating information."
The downside of the storage boom is that as SAN and NAS solutions have become accepted they have attracted the attention of the box-shifters.
This is a real problem. Customers expect lower prices and the open nature of storage building blocks makes commoditisation an increasing possibility.
This can be exacerbated by manufacturers desperate to get big deals.
But storage is a world of constant change and innovation.
The storage market has broadened beyond the demand created by exponential capacity growth. Now, organisations are focusing on the centralised management of entire storage domains.
Also, this year we have seen the ratification of the iSCSI standard and with it the possibility of another revolutionary turn of the storage wheel of fortune.
Slowly but surely new technologies find their way into common use and begin to address key business and technology issues.
And there is a never-ending supply of business and technology issues that demand resolution.
But to get back to the channel, where does all this leave the opportunity to make a profit?
The real profit will be made by consultancy and professional services.
The boxes may be cheaper, faster and bigger - but designing, supporting and growing storage environments will only become more complex.
Is your organisation ready to address your clients' storage requirements?
Are you going for the tin or the services? We know where each road leads and what is to be found at the end of it.
Ian Lockhart is head of professional services at Ideal Enterprise