Wearable tech among flops of 2015, say channel execs
Industry bigwigs share their thoughts on the how 2015 will be remembered and their biggest tech let downs of the last 12 months
Alicia Shepherd, head of retail, CMS Computers
How will 2015 be remembered?
Big surplus stock dragging down ASPs and a bloodbath in PC pricing - share is vanity, profit is sanity.
What was the biggest technology let down of 2015?
Wearable tech. There are very few contenders in the market but I expect 2016 to fix this - roll on the Intel and Tag Heuer collaboration!
And the surprise hit?
Windows 10 - but it was a free upgrade. However, after the flop of Windows 8 it needed to win consumer/business confidence.
Alexa Greaves, managing director, AAG Systems
How will 2015 be remembered?
The rise of the solution provider and the slow stagnation of the tin shifters. From vendor to distributor to reseller, we are all realigning our value to our customers. Giving them true ROI from the IT solutions we provide based on tangible business outcomes.
What was the biggest technology let down of 2015?
The Apple Watch flop (controversial, I know). Let's hope 2016 has a more interesting approach to wearable technology that isn't just a commodity.
And the surprise hit?
Fujitsu's new focus around niche resellers. Enterprise solutions aren't about the big boys any more.
Gavin Lyons, partner, MXC Capital
What was the biggest technology let down of 2015?
There wasn't one particular letdown in my mind but I have been disappointed with the recent talk that we are now in a 2.0 tech bubble which could burst at any point.
That has materialised because of the focus on unicorn companies (those with a value of $1bn-plus). I recently read that there are 145 unicorn companies with a combined value of $506bn - that's more than the annual GDP of Austria, Colombia or South Africa. As everyone will know, the challenge with these companies is that the majority are yet to make a profit or are not making much profit at all.
That is leading to discussions about whether their valuation outstrips their ability to deliver returns for investors, but more importantly whether we are now in a 2.0 tech bubble that is about to burst. On a personal level, I don't like it when the industry is viewed in that way - it's a bit like the recession in the sense that the more you talk about it, the more people start to believe it.
How about the surprise hit?
The success of the Microsoft Surface line.
Lawrence Jones, CEO of UKFast
How will 2015 be remembered?
I think it will be remembered as the year of the headline hack. TalkTalk, Ashley Madison and the US Office of Personnel Management are some that spring to mind. I think it's becoming bigger and bigger news as more people start to realise that their data is being stored by dozens of companies.
What was the biggest technology let down of 2015?
VR - the expensive replacement for the ‘hugely popular' 3DTV.
How about the surprise hit?
I'm loving the new iPhone 6, as boring as that sounds, I can't think of a better tech development this year.
Alex Tatham, managing director of Westcoast
How will 2015 be remembered?
The year that iPhone made it to the mainstream channel for the first time and Samsung taking their major Retail business direct, rendering the acquisitions of previous mobile phone distributors look rather expensive! Perhaps it can also be remembered for the largest company split in history as HPE and HP Inc formed in an extremely well organised and executed operation.
What was the biggest technology let down of 2015?
My wife's 8 week photography course. The best bit of advice she got was to leave the setting on Automatic. I would merely have advised her not to point the camera at me!
How about the surprise hit?
It is no surprise that the Microsoft CSP programme has finally galvanised the channel to drive resellers to sell Microsoft cloud services. The momentum behind putting Exchange in a Microsoft datacentre is now unstoppable. It will radically change Microsoft resellers; introduce monthly billing schemes to end-users and cause havoc when Select and EA are moved to this model allowing every reseller to compete with LARs. They have been wanting this for as long as I can remember - now's their chance!
Nathan Johnston, head of sales, Memset
What was the biggest technology let down of 2015?
The major security breaches this year such as TalkTalk's have demonstrated that stronger security controls and an understanding of them is needed at the forefront of the infrastructure solutions being sold by the channel. Companies should be looking at specialist partners outside their own walls to bring to the table the necessary security controls and technologies to keep the general public's data safe.
How about the surprise hit?
The rise of Docker and adoption of container technology. The open-source Linux container technology has been embraced by such vendors as AWS, Google, Red Hat and IBM this year. We share Docker's vision for a containerised future, and they have done a great job making containerised tech accessible to anyone.
Jay McBain, CEO, ChannelEyes
How will 2015 be remembered?
The changing channel demographic - fewer companies fit the traditional reseller or solution provider label, as many have transformed (or been born into) a recurring revenue business model around managed services, cloud, S aaS integrations, line of business and vertical specialists.
What was the biggest technology let down of 2015?
The biggest let-down was the Internet of Things (IoT). The Apple Watch had huge buzz coming into the year and people were thinking it was going to be the trigger to the long-awaited IoT revolution in the channel.
How about the surprise hit?
Big data. Vendors in every industry and all lines of business are now building new software stacks that utilise predictive analytics, machine learning and data science to drive revenue, lower costs, and deliver new business opportunities. The channel (at least the transformed channel) is playing (and profiting) heavily in this area.