11 reseller bosses on the tech they are backing to help clients return to work
From installing social distancing apps and non-touch print technology, to rightsizing licensing, resellers and MSPs are busy helping their clients as they attempt a safe office return. Bosses from Insight, XMA, Jigsaw24, Phoenix Software, SBL, DTP, Total Computers, European Electronique, ASL, Bamboo and Arkphire weigh with their top tips.
Name: Andy Wright
Company: XMA
Role: Commercial director
VAR 350 ranking: 10
Talking to your clients, roughly what percentage are currently returning - or looking to return - staff to the office/site?
It feels like less than 25 per cent are returning at any pace at the moment, and clearly all are being very careful to work with staff in terms of safety in the office environment and on the any worries, anxiety etc that a return to an office environment might cause. We are seeing a lot of customers accepting that the world will not return to full-building occupancy for a long time and hence are working on more flexible hours and rotators to allow staff to adapt.
What is the biggest challenge or opportunity for the channel in helping with transition?
We are continuing all our work around transformation of the digital workspace and seeing the demand accelerate. A big issue for a lot of customers is that they have built their IT based on a model where a high percentage of the workforce are in an office. That has changed, and they are finding gaps in all sorts of areas including processes and support, to security and beyond to the lack of flexibility their infrastructure has given them. All opportunities for the channel to support them.
What products and services do you expect to be in the hottest demand over the coming months as clients look to reconfigure their offices for social distancing, and are there any new technologies you expect to take off?
I am actually expecting demand to be driven behind the scenes in terms of infrastructure demand, rather than in the front of house. There are some specific and interesting areas for the office, but it's the Infrastructure where we are seeing the demand start to pick up.
Given the rise of remote working and socially distanced offices, how do you expect the role of resellers or MSPs change over the coming months?
I think the value of enablement of users, or training will sky rocket. Getting better value out of the tools and hence greater productivity is going to be key. It always has been, but we are all guilty of not learning to use what we have in front of us. Big part for us all to play in this as budgets start to tighten.
See next page for DTP's Howard Hall's answers
11 reseller bosses on the tech they are backing to help clients return to work
From installing social distancing apps and non-touch print technology, to rightsizing licensing, resellers and MSPs are busy helping their clients as they attempt a safe office return. Bosses from Insight, XMA, Jigsaw24, Phoenix Software, SBL, DTP, Total Computers, European Electronique, ASL, Bamboo and Arkphire weigh with their top tips.
Name: Howard Hall
Company: DTP
Role: Group managing director
VAR 350 ranking: 85
What products and services do you expect to be in the hottest demand over the coming months as clients look to reconfigure their offices, classrooms or campuses for social distancing, and are there any new technologies you expect to take off?
We have built a portfolio of solutions to assist clients adapt to working in the new norm and protecting their staff, students and clients, and their own reputations, whether that is an infra-red camera-based fever checking solution, or counting people numbers in spaces automatically to meet social distancing regulations. But to be honest it is early days for all of these, even though some clients are already returning in limited/controlled numbers, and others are planning to
So far - as with the supermarkets we experience for our weekly shop - a lot of low-tech solutions seem to have been applied i.e. bollards, tape, one-way routing, and people with mobiles counting people manually and as one person leaves another is manually admitted.
Hopefully we will see some of the low-cost app-based technology adopted that promotes social distancing, tells you when an area/desk/room was last cleaned, allows you to book the space. This technology can be easily adopted on a pay-as-you-use basis, so can be failed fast if it does not provide the benefits it promotes.
Some of the more expensive solutions do need some form of longer capex or term commitments, so we have a number of clients thinking about their approach at present, and expect these to crystallise over the coming weeks.
See next page for Bamboo's Lorrin White's answers
11 reseller bosses on the tech they are backing to help clients return to work
From installing social distancing apps and non-touch print technology, to rightsizing licensing, resellers and MSPs are busy helping their clients as they attempt a safe office return. Bosses from Insight, XMA, Jigsaw24, Phoenix Software, SBL, DTP, Total Computers, European Electronique, ASL, Bamboo and Arkphire weigh with their top tips.
Name: Lorrin White
Company: Bamboo Technology
Role: Managing director
VAR 350 ranking: 275
Talking to your clients, roughly what percentage are currently returning - or looking to return - staff to the office/site?
Our recent survey tells us the following: 75 per cent of businesses are adopting a more flexible approach, seeking a blend of home and office working, 16 per cent of businesses are returning to the office and operating as they did previously, two per cent are going to predominantly home working with a small commercial space, and seven per cent of businesses are looking to cut the cost of their commercial premise entirely.
What is the biggest challenge or opportunity for the channel in helping with this transition?
The biggest opportunity we have is that we can change the face of the industry for good. As leaders and resellers of technology we have the ability to shape a future that changes the outcomes and fortunes of many. If and when it is ready we can help industry to transition, diversify or transform at speed. If we choose to prioritise purpose over profit we can be the ambassadors for economic change.
What products and services do you expect to be in the hottest demand over the coming months as clients look to reconfigure their offices for social distancing, and are there any new technologies you expect to take off?
In April we undertook a horizon scanning exercise and have been working on our 18 month forwards portfolio. We have already launched our Connect. ProTECHt. Go product pack that focuses on risk mitigating technology and we continue to secure and develop technologies that support a remote approach to working practices.
Given the rise of remote working and socially distanced offices, how do you expect the role of resellers or MSPs change over the coming months?
We will be expected to be the educators for change. Whether a business is seeking digital transformation, operational restructure or financial rationalisation their IT and communications infrastructure will be key. I believe that we will become the trusted partner.
See next page for ASL's Nigel Allen's answers
11 reseller bosses on the tech they are backing to help clients return to work
From installing social distancing apps and non-touch print technology, to rightsizing licensing, resellers and MSPs are busy helping their clients as they attempt a safe office return. Bosses from Insight, XMA, Jigsaw24, Phoenix Software, SBL, DTP, Total Computers, European Electronique, ASL, Bamboo and Arkphire weigh with their top tips.
Name: Nigel Allen
Company: ASL Group
Role: Marketing director
VAR 350 rank: 184
Talking to your clients, roughly what percentage are currently returning - or looking to return - staff to the office/site?
There are two ways to look at this. One is how many of our clients are preparing to return to work and the second is to what extent? Using our business levels as an indicator at the heart of lockdown our sector was running at between 20 -30 per cent of the previous normal revenue (on a click basis) and is now into the 40s. I think the end of the initial furlough period will see a bigger shift in this transition.
What products and services do you expect to be in the hottest demand over the coming months as clients look to reconfigure their offices for social distancing, and are there any new technologies you expect to take off?
It is dealing with the new hybrid office, and this is where manged service suppliers such as ASL can add their value. We are getting many requests to assist in the movement of print devices into a more open plan area where users can see if it is ‘safe' to use the machine and keep their distance as well as requests to install non touch technology and making more use of their smart phones to release documents and identify themselves to gain access. The last few months have also highlighted the perils of not having the right collaboration tools in place combined with the need to have the correct unified communications platforms that allow flexibility of working no matter where everyone is. It is also essential that companies understand the need to increase their use of digital documents and document management to ensure that everyone can access anything they need whilst maintaining security is not compromised.
Given the rise of remote working and socially distanced offices, how do you expect the role of resellers or MSPs change over the coming months?
I believe that working closely with trusted suppliers will be essential in the short term. When the recession really grabs hold of the new normal, we may all face a situation where there will be a strong push to make decisions on an initial cost basis but by consulting with customers and identifying cost savings from efficiencies and more effective working practices will help minimise this.
See next page for Phoenix Software's Sam Mudd's answers
11 reseller bosses on the tech they are backing to help clients return to work
From installing social distancing apps and non-touch print technology, to rightsizing licensing, resellers and MSPs are busy helping their clients as they attempt a safe office return. Bosses from Insight, XMA, Jigsaw24, Phoenix Software, SBL, DTP, Total Computers, European Electronique, ASL, Bamboo and Arkphire weigh with their top tips.
Name: Sam Mudd
Company: Phoenix Software
Role: Managing director
VAR 350 ranking: 25
Talking to your clients, roughly what percentage are currently returning - or looking to return - staff to the office/site?
We are exclusively public-sector focused and it would appear that there are very few authorities returning to their offices in the near future, and they will continue to remotely work from home. There is a reluctance until an effective treatment or vaccine is available. Of course frontline services such as the NHS have had to keep operational, and I know for example some IT teams have had to keep a skeleton presence onsite to receive goods (new laptops and devices) and maintain all the IT systems. Not all of them are running remote capability yet.
What is the biggest challenge or opportunity for the channel in helping with this transition?
It is agility, and speed to response in my opinion. The amount of feedback we have had from customers, that they were so grateful for our attendance and responsiveness in time of need. Deep partnerships have been developed or extended as a consequence.
What products and services do you expect to be in the hottest demand over the coming months as clients look to reconfigure their offices for social distancing, and are there any new technologies you expect to take off?
Virtual desktop, security solutions and managed services to supplement in-house team capability
Given the rise of remote working and socially distanced offices, how do you expect the role of resellers or MSPs change over the coming months?
We have connected digitally and more intensely than previously, and suspect that will prevail into the future.
See next page for SBL's Joel Berwitz's answers
11 reseller bosses on the tech they are backing to help clients return to work
From installing social distancing apps and non-touch print technology, to rightsizing licensing, resellers and MSPs are busy helping their clients as they attempt a safe office return. Bosses from Insight, XMA, Jigsaw24, Phoenix Software, SBL, DTP, Total Computers, European Electronique, ASL, Bamboo and Arkphire weigh with their top tips.
Name: Joel Berwitz
Company: SBL
Role: Digital solutions director
VAR 350 ranking: 27
Talking to your clients, roughly what percentage are currently returning - or looking to return - staff to the office/site?
Most customers are confirming their plans around a return to the office in the next few weeks. Almost all of them plan to return at some point but under much changed circumstances. Working from anywhere seems to be the new trend, with flexibility for employees and less reliance upon location and set working hours where possible.
What is the biggest challenge or opportunity for the channel in helping with this transition?
Whilst the channel has stepped up to enable organisations to shift to fully remote working, the next phase will be to enable the same capabilities in a socially distanced workplace. Offices will now need to cater for a rise in meetings where a group may be around the table with another group or set of individuals working elsewhere. That's nothing new, but the lack of ability for people to have an off-the-cuff conversation or chat by the coffee machine means collaborative tools and conferencing facilities will be even more widely used. We've had a rethink on our office design for these reasons, and I assume many organisations are doing the same, with an emphasis on the ability for people to easily mix the physical and digital world using the right technologies.
What products and services do you expect to be in the hottest demand over the coming months as clients look to reconfigure their offices for social distancing, and are there any new technologies you expect to take off?
Aside from the continuing investment in tools to help employees collaborate effectively, security hardening and ensuring a robust network, organisations will now spend time ensuring that any interim solutions which have been adopted in a short period of time are disbanded and replaced with technology which can facilitate a smooth transition back to the office. In terms of new solutions, there is a requirement now for most organisations to look into various forms of screening technologies and employee monitoring to ensure that they continue to adhere to the government guidelines.
Given the rise of remote working and socially distanced offices, how do you expect the role of resellers or MSPs change over the coming months?
It's clear that we're set for a prolonged period where social interaction will be limited. The channel needs to adapt to this by setting a new standard around customer engagement and experience. Those resellers and MSP's set to thrive will be the ones who find a way to navigate a new way of interacting with customers and partners, ensuring through innovation that they can deliver the same, if not more value through digital platforms, ecommerce and modern ways of collaboration.
See next page for Total Computers' Aidan Groom's answers
11 reseller bosses on the tech they are backing to help clients return to work
From installing social distancing apps and non-touch print technology, to rightsizing licensing, resellers and MSPs are busy helping their clients as they attempt a safe office return. Bosses from Insight, XMA, Jigsaw24, Phoenix Software, SBL, DTP, Total Computers, European Electronique, ASL, Bamboo and Arkphire weigh with their top tips.
Name: Aidan Groom
Company: Total Computers
Role: Managing director
VAR 350 ranking: 57
Talking to your clients, roughly what percentage are currently returning - or looking to return - staff to the office/site?
It's difficult to put a percentage on it as it varies so much by sector and vertical. Perhaps what would be of greater interest to you is the volume of customers we're talking to about adopting permanent home-working strategies. As an example, one of these customers has circa 15,000 UK office based employees and is now looking to send back only 3,500 of those to an office environment. I'm hearing many stories of a similar nature: organisations now seriously reviewing their model (fixed property overheads in particular) and weighing up those potential cost savings versus moving a greater percentage of employees to a fixed home working model.
What is the biggest challenge or opportunity for the channel in helping with this transition?
Clearly we're already seeing winners and losers out there (whether that be reseller, distie or vendor). I've always been a believer that change can create opportunity, but what's key is being able to identify the opportunity and to be agile enough to capitalise upon it. From a Total perspective I see a number of opportunities. These would include (but not limited to) devices, security, app & cloud migration, remote monitoring solutions and short-medium term outsourced services.
Given the rise of remote working and socially distanced offices, how do you expect the role of resellers or MSPs change over the coming months?
Clearly as has always been the case the channel will evolve. From my point of view it's more important than ever before that we are working closely with our customers, having a deep understanding of their pain points, challenges, goals and short/medium/longer term objectives.
See next page for Jigsaw24's Tim Bodin's answers
11 reseller bosses on the tech they are backing to help clients return to work
From installing social distancing apps and non-touch print technology, to rightsizing licensing, resellers and MSPs are busy helping their clients as they attempt a safe office return. Bosses from Insight, XMA, Jigsaw24, Phoenix Software, SBL, DTP, Total Computers, European Electronique, ASL, Bamboo and Arkphire weigh with their top tips.
Name: Tim Bodill
Company: Jigsaw24
Role: Sales director
VAR 350 ranking: 30
Talking to your clients, roughly what percentage are currently returning - or looking to return - staff to the office/site?
Many of our customers have already reopened their sites to some extent, and I would say that pretty much all of them are planning a full staff return at some point in the not-so-distant future. There is a sense of realism that it might be gradual, and a lot of people are expecting a hybrid setup with some employees back in the office while others continue to work from home, but I doubt that any of our customers are expecting an end to office life just yet.
What is the biggest challenge or opportunity for the channel in helping with this transition?
There are plenty of opportunities to help customers with the transition back to offices, not least because there was a bit of panic buying back in March from some companies that had not fully planned for remote working previously. As workplaces return, they will need to fix any teething problems they've experienced, or upgrade their technology for a better long-term fit with their regular business operation.
What products and services do you expect to be in the hottest demand over the coming months as clients look to reconfigure their offices for social distancing, and are there any new technologies you expect to take off?
I think we all hope social distancing will be consigned for the history books eventually, but adopting flexible working practices is helping customers stay productive at the moment. I am expecting a big increase in demand for our mobile solutions that allow people to work together seamlessly whether they are sat next to each other or in another continent - and especially for Apple devices, which are more popular than ever.
Given the rise of remote working and socially distanced offices, how do you expect the role of resellers or MSPs change over the coming months?
Every reseller will have to keep adapting as restrictions change and the advice on workplace safety evolves. It's up to us all as individuals to find our own optimum way of working in the months ahead, and I'm sure everyone will get more adept at using video chat tools to do business differently - even if I personally miss the face-to-face conversations with our customers that help me really get to know them and their organisations.
See next page for Arkphire Services' Edel Creely's answers
11 reseller bosses on the tech they are backing to help clients return to work
From installing social distancing apps and non-touch print technology, to rightsizing licensing, resellers and MSPs are busy helping their clients as they attempt a safe office return. Bosses from Insight, XMA, Jigsaw24, Phoenix Software, SBL, DTP, Total Computers, European Electronique, ASL, Bamboo and Arkphire weigh with their top tips.
Name: Edel Creely
Company: Arkphire Services
Role: Managing director
Talking to your clients, roughly what percentage are currently returning - or looking to return - staff to the office/site?
Where organisations have the facility for their people to comfortably, securely and productively work from home, there is no pressure to return people back to the office. As the gradual reopening of the economy is happening and services critical to working from ‘the office' are in place to allow people to return such as safe transport and childcare, the majority are looking at blended options until such time as staff can safely return to work or a vaccine is in place. All companies are working on strategies to return staff safely to work and taking a sensible, measured approach, allowing those who cannot work from home or don't enjoy working from home to return to work in the first phase etc.
What products and services do you expect to be in the hottest demand over the coming months as clients look to reconfigure their offices for social distancing, and are there any new technologies you expect to take off?
Enablement of seamless workforce productivity and the ability to give the employee access to company applications while working anywhere has become an increased imperative. The ease of setup of devices and for many companies the flexible supply, configuration and management of those devices whether at home or in the office is a set of services which are increasingly in demand. Scaling of technology and ensuring its effective performance also comes under the spotlight with network optimisation and user experience being at the centre. We see visibility into performance and usage becoming more critical so that informed judgements can be made as to where the appropriate IT investments should be made. We see that managed services providers who can partner with their customers in a strategic role using technology to provide insights and analytics will become central supports to the effective operation of IT departments.
Given the rise of remote working and socially distanced offices, how do you expect the role of resellers or MSPs change over the coming months?
MSPs need to be the enabler of the new way of working for their customers. The ability to deliver an effective supply chain for their customers, be agile and responsive to changing workplace needs, offer secure, scalable solutions that support the business and drive the analytics and insights which will help their clients have performant IT environments is key.
See next page for Insight's Emma de Sousa's answers
11 reseller bosses on the tech they are backing to help clients return to work
From installing social distancing apps and non-touch print technology, to rightsizing licensing, resellers and MSPs are busy helping their clients as they attempt a safe office return. Bosses from Insight, XMA, Jigsaw24, Phoenix Software, SBL, DTP, Total Computers, European Electronique, ASL, Bamboo and Arkphire weigh with their top tips.
Name: Emma de Sousa
Company: Insight
Role: EMEA president
VAR 350 ranking: 8
What is the biggest challenge or opportunity for the channel in helping with this transition?
The challenge and the opportunity are the same: the sheer scale of the task of helping almost every business adapt to this new normal. When businesses re-open, they won't simply go back to the way they were. There will still be employees who remain working remotely, others who either have to or want to work on-site, and others who want to do a combination of the two. As businesses adapt to this they'll need to look at how employees use technology to communicate and collaborate efficiently and securely, while also looking at cost optimisation strategies.
The channel has a huge opportunity to help businesses in all of these areas, ultimately helping them to become more resilient. For instance, we are already seeing customers look for help in speeding up digital transformation and cloud migration projects. There is also an opportunity to help businesses right-size their licensing for the new normal, while also looking at taking costs out of business processes using automation. Likewise, building a connected workforce and strengthening security will help clients succeed in these new circumstances.
What products and services do you expect to be in the hottest demand over the coming months as clients look to reconfigure their offices/classrooms etc for social distancing, and are there any new technologies you expect to take off?
The hottest technologies will be those that support the new normal of increased remote working. For example, augmented reality headsets like HoloLens mean employees can communicate and collaborate on detailed projects without meeting. I see this as a game-changer in the public sector, specifically healthcare, with doctors able to train and diagnose remotely. The smart platforms that enable these technologies are also going to be in demand.
Similarly, cloud and collaboration tools will still be in high demand as the new normal for businesses will mean increased remote working - as any significant change in working habits means new security vulnerabilities, we'll see an increased demand around security tools and services - both in mapping the current landscape and threats, then addressing these through the use of simulation, assessment and verification tools.
Given the rise of remote working and socially distanced offices/classrooms etc, how do you expect the role of resellers or MSPs change over the coming months?
We are likely to see a more service-led approach from the channel. As organisations attempt to address the complexity of managing remote and on-site employees, and drive down costs in the business, we'll see increasing demand for services that help organisations adapt. Businesses will need advice on how to optimise the business so resellers and MSPs will take a much more consultative role - not only providing technology, but educating customers on how best to use it. For instance, IT support is likely to become increasingly complex for many organisations as they balance remote and on-site employees, and the question of how easily IT support teams can access technology and individuals. Channel partners that can offer support services to their customers will be providing a vital service. Similarly, customers will want to know that they are making the right decisions in order to optimise their business. As such, providing consultancy and advice throughout the process will be much more important.
See next page for European Electronique's Yolanta Gill's answers
11 reseller bosses on the tech they are backing to help clients return to work
From installing social distancing apps and non-touch print technology, to rightsizing licensing, resellers and MSPs are busy helping their clients as they attempt a safe office return. Bosses from Insight, XMA, Jigsaw24, Phoenix Software, SBL, DTP, Total Computers, European Electronique, ASL, Bamboo and Arkphire weigh with their top tips.
Name: Yolanta Gill
Company: European Electronique
Role: CEO
VAR 350 ranking: 80
Talking to your clients, roughly what percentage are currently returning - or looking to return - staff to the office/site?
The vast majority of our customers, between 80 and and 90 per cent are working from home. Some customers are anticipating that remote working will remain in place and in fact some have indicated that this will be the new norm. We have all now got used to using Teams and Zoom and in most cases the work can be done equally well remotely and this trend will continue in the future, long term we will see a paradigm shift. This week however has seen a few more returning to the office, this would also apply to us where we are slowly having people return on a rota system in order to adhere to the social distancing guidelines. Everyone has to re-think their office layouts with regard to spacing desks and restricting gathering in common areas.
In some cases presence on site is necessary and this has been an issue during the lockdown. This question of childcare still poses a challenge and until the schools return in numbers this will have an effect on working parents.
What is the biggest challenge or opportunity for the channel in helping with the transition?
As history teaches us "never let a good crisis go to waste" (Winston Churchill) and as much as the Coronavirus has brought us many challenges it has also presented us with many opportunities. Working from home required secure remote access and the demand for new, reliable devices was huge. Collaboration, including Office365, Teams, Zoom; support services; cloud solutions; managed firewalls are just a few of the opportunities we are seeing. Cyber security is considered a priority for a number of customers, especially universities and some of the larger infrastructure tenders are still progressing, we have seen a few sizeable wins for cyber security and firewalls.
The list of challenges is growing daily and it is difficult to assess the long-term impact. The immediate challenge was the inability to contact customers as they were either furloughed or in the process of adjusting to the new situation setting up remote working. Being unable to access premises for onsite implementation was problematic for a lengthy period of time. Many organisations are reducing the number of offices, and this is creating different challenges with regards to support services. Managed Service providers are now having to modify their approach to customer support to include a home user element. Availability of mobile and broadband business services for the homeworker is crucial and this could also present a challenge. Whilst all organisations have had business continuity and disaster recovery plans, these are rarely invoked for this type of issue and for this length of time. This means that many core-business processes have had to change. Long term with the economic slowdown and the uncertainty of the future no doubt budgets will be affected and many organisations will be reluctant to make large investments, opting instead to rely in their current infrastructure.
What products and services do you expect to be in the hottest demand over the coming months as clients look to reconfigure their offices for social distancing, and are there any new technologies you expect to take off?
Remote working is becoming the new norm, therefore the temporary measures initially put in place to facilitate this needs to be become more permanent. There will no doubt be a greater emphasis on collaborative tools - Microsoft Office365, OneDrive, Teams, SharePoint; Google; LogMeln; Zoom etc. Cloud first, mobile first solutions that aren't restricted by location or device will be more frequently deployed. With remote working we have seen an unprecedented demand for support for homeworkers. To facilitate this change of work pattern some investment needs to be made to back-end infrastructure and more emphasis will be put on hybrid cloud to ensure smooth and secure access to organisation's recourses.
As an aside to all this we have seen an increase in demand for social distancing stickers, signs, electric hand sanitisers and protective sleeves for key boards and monitors.
Given the rise of remote working and socially distanced offices (or classrooms!), how do you expect the role of resellers or MSPs change over the coming months?
Many organisations will be looking for advice and consultancy as to how to facilitate the new way of working. Cloud solutions and services which enable a mobile approach without location limitations will be more widely used. With that support services and cyber security products will be in great demand.
In addition, customers will be looking to MSPs to advise them on the management of remote workers:
- How do you monitor time and attendance - there are many products on the market which can be used to achieve this
- How do you keep staff motivated and monitor productivity? - this can be done through collaborative tools, introducing incentives and rotating staff through the offices
- Training - users working from home won't be able to rely on traditional support from technical teams, training and support therefore needs to be tailored to the new working environment.