Making the most of the digital home

Technology is now a part of the consumer markets and SME sector

Convergence is another of those words that is becoming so ubiquitous in technology circles that it is hard to know what areas are not converging.

Technology is now a lot less black and white. What used to be ‘this does this, and that does that’, has now become much more grey: ‘this does this, and this, and can also be adapted to do this too’.

One place this is happening more often is between the consumer markets and the SME sector. Getting in at the SME level is often a door-opener to also serve the increasingly technology-savvy consumer. Internet-ready PCs are no longer just the domain of the home office, as consumers drive up demand for computing systems to be linked into the hi-fi, phone line, and TV.

But, according to a new report revealed last week, consumers aren’t buying as fast as we might like to think. The study, from Accenture, found that the cost and complexity of the latest gadgets are two factors that are holding potential consumers back from buying.

But interestingly, this is exactly where smart channel players can seriously cash in. The study, which interviewed 2,600 people, found that in the UK, 60 per cent of consumers would prefer a single supplier for all devices, applications, connectivity and services. They would want this provider to supply maintenance and support, as well as training. Being freed from the complexity of installation was seen as much more important than cost.

But for channel players to take advantage of this, the report stated that manufacturers and suppliers must work much closer together.

Manufacturing giants such as Intel and Hewlett-Packard, who have attempted to take a lead in the digital home market, already have the technology through their own R&D, acquisitions or strategic partnerships. However, while having the technology is a necessity, it becomes pointless if an established and support route to market is not in place.