9 channel stalwarts reveal their 2021 predictions
We asked a number of channel veterans to sum up what they believe this year has in store for the tech sector
Neil Murphy, group CEO, Bytes
What, in your opinion, will impact the channel the most this year?
There is so much uncertainty around that it's hard to predict how Brexit and Covid-19 will play out. I think businesses, in general, are hunkering down and waiting for these storms to blow over whilst keeping the lights on and the hamsters in the wheel.(A few metaphors never did any harm!)
I think channel partners have more opportunity to deliver cybersecurity services to customers who need expert advice in navigating the modern threat landscape.
What will be the driving force behind this trend?
I think the driving force behind it comes down to businesses who have needed to rapidly adopt public cloud and remote working solutions. In many cases, their risk has increased through more sophisticated and targeted attacks at a time where there is a larger perimeter to protect.
How will this play out in the channel?
I think the channel can expect greater emphasis from customers on supply chain vulnerability and their ability to provide the security expertise that accompanies any technology deployment as well as the increasing penchant for offering as-a-service models. We'll be judged as partners even more on the outcome and how we respond to the inevitability of compromised IT.
How do you anticipate it affecting Bytes' business?
I think we have a unique blend of top-tier public cloud optimisation and security capability that puts us in a position to help organisations adapt with the latest technology, mitigate risk and put threat intelligence into action. We expect customers to search for that skilled leadership and the magnified attention to detail that we bring as a specialist. At the same time, we will continue to invest in the resources to help customers make smarter buying decisions when there is a great deal of choice and complexity to digital transformation projects.
Click through to find out what Alex Tatham believes will be this year's hot trend...
9 channel stalwarts reveal their 2021 predictions
We asked a number of channel veterans to sum up what they believe this year has in store for the tech sector
Alex Tatham, MD, Westcoast
What trend will impact the channel the most this year?
The biggest impact on the channel, in my opinion, will be the various impacts of COVID.
How does that impact the channel?
The first half of the year will see huge demand for devices continuing in education, NHS, public sector, retail/e-tail. The second half of the year (assuming the vaccination programme is successful) will change into a "project switch on" with companies investing in infrastructure as staff return to offices and delayed projects come back on stream.
All told, the channel will once again show its worth by being close to the end-users and distribution will ensure products are stored locally to ensure Brexit does not interfere with this exciting growth.
How do you anticipate it will affect Westcoast's business?
Westcoast is anticipating another strong double-digit growth year.
Click through to see what CTS' Chris Bunch reckons will be the talking point of 2021...
9 channel stalwarts reveal their 2021 predictions
We asked a number of channel veterans to sum up what they believe this year has in store for the tech sector
Chris Bunch, COO, Cloud Technology Solutions (CTS)
Perhaps predictably, I have to say the continuing pandemic is most likely to have the biggest impact.
What is the driving force behind this?
This is the most significant "macro" event in the world at the moment. It continues to drive different ways of working - some positive, and some less so.
How do you predict it will impact the channel?
I think (hope!?) it becomes a 'year of two halves'. By the summer, it feels like a large chunk of the UK population will be vaccinated, at least those at most risk, and a degree of normality will have returned to how we interact with each other both personally and professionally.
In the near term, the channel community will need to continue to find new and innovative ways to sell and to go to market, as fatigue around video calls sets in - they need to work on how to stand out. Certain vertical sectors are going to struggle as some form of lockdown drags on for longer than anticipated, which will, unfortunately, impact a number of businesses and their suppliers negatively.
I should be clear that it's not all doom and gloom. The aggressive push to remote working, digital channels, etc, has been a real boon for many in the IT space providing solutions that facilitate this, or reduce future IT risk or help people to understand their businesses better. And there are many sectors, such as logistics, that have boomed - and will continue to do so - and have required supporting services as they grow.
How will it affect your business?
The IT world - and CTS as part of that - has mostly adapted effectively to the pandemic situation, but it still impacts how we sell, recruit and have fun.
We've hired a lot in recent months, and will continue to do so - an increasing percentage of our company will have never met each other in person, which isn't ideal from a social and collaboration perspective, and there are many new clients we've not yet seen in person either. Whilst we're all used to making the best use of Google Meet (and Workspace more broadly) and can work together remotely, it still removes that human element of fun to a degree.
Distology's Hayley Roberts gives her view on the dominant trends she's expecting this year...
9 channel stalwarts reveal their 2021 predictions
We asked a number of channel veterans to sum up what they believe this year has in store for the tech sector
Hayley Roberts, CEO, Distology
What trend will impact the channel the most this year?
Security runs so quickly and the threats are so constant that we're always looking for the next big thing that fights everything. I think sometimes we perhaps look a little bit too far ahead of time as to where the problems might lie and clearly we're not looking where the issues are today, which is what we've seen with large companies being penetrated. I think that we need to perhaps do a little bit more navel gazing this year and ask ourselves if we're okay today in order to have a strong foundation to grow for the future.
Like anything complacency is going to be our biggest vulnerability; I don't think for one minute that those large organisations that have been hacked are complacent, but I do think that they get ahead of themselves on the commercial side, ‘look at us, we're doing well, we're growing and generating lots of revenue' without actually looking at the problems that they're solving and whether those are in line with what the real problems are out there at the moment.
Sometimes those things don't meet; the ego of a large, growing, successful business can sometimes outweigh the core good of what they're doing as a product set. I think sometimes that humility needs to reign.
How does that impact the channel?
I think there's going to be a different look and feel to the types of products that we work with. There are still some fantastic products out there and the ones that are easier to deploy and understand are going to be the ones that take off quicker. Those that make it easier for the channel to buy into are going to be the ones that hit the spot in terms of the problems they're solving.
I think the channel just needs to be a little bit more selective about who they're promoting in the marketplace. There's an element of more due diligence to do on the commercial side as much as the technology side and that's certainly what we do at Distology. We don't look at just the technology and whether it fixes the problem, we also look at our belief in a company's vision, their mission and the problems they're solving for the future.
How do you anticipate this affecting Distology's business?
We are much better placed now to be more selective with the vendors and to do better due diligence. I think it'll affect us positively because we've got a good solid platform of vendors who work well with us and who we've seen success with.
From a channel perspective, we've got an opportunity now to show our true value because some vendors try and tackle the marketplace on their own too much or they see the channel as a necessary evil rather than it being something that could really benefit them.
The channel is about relationships; if you make a mistake and you've got a good relationship and can explain yourself to partners, you can overcome it. Whereas if you're on your own, you tend to be vilified and I think that that might happen if more breaches occur at the large vendor level.
Follow through to find out what Bridgeway Security's Jason Holloway expects to be the hot topic in the channel...
9 channel stalwarts reveal their 2021 predictions
We asked a number of channel veterans to sum up what they believe this year has in store for the tech sector
Jason Holloway, MD, Bridgeway Security Solutions
What trend will impact the channel the most this year?
Where I see 2021 perhaps catching some people out is that we're not going to see a return to the old ways - or not complete return anyways. We're going to see a hybrid, where more organisations are embracing virtual first and will be moving to working from home as the new normal for many of their staff.
This is going to have a global impact, not only in terms of office space rentals but also all the supply chain organisations that typically feed and look after all the workers in these different locations around the globe. Having pretty much everyone working from home more often is going to have a profound effect on our society, our economy and also the type of business that we do as a channel going forwards. The focus then will be very much on enabling that and allowing the cost-cutting exercises that will naturally follow from there, for example, reduction of office space and office space requirements.
How will the hybrid working model affect the channel?
I think for those who have skills and specialisms in VPNs, in setting up cloud services, setting up collaboration solutions and so on, we'll all benefit from this.
We have seen a tremendous rise in video conferencing, for example, Microsoft Teams has exploded in terms of the number of organisations and users in a very short period of time, as a result of that remote working element coming into play.
I expect that 2021 will see people continuing to use these tools and actually coming to depend on them, not as tactical stopgaps but as strategic solutions for their internal productivity. As they become more dependent on this for external productivity gains as well. So in other words, linking these with other organisations and changing workflows and processes to adapt to that new way of working. Organisations in the channel that can support accelerate that process will do well.
How do you anticipate it will affect Bridgeway's operations?
Fingers crossed, positively! I think if 2020 has taught us anything it is that it is very hard to predict the future. It just takes a small innocuous change on the other side of the world to gradually bring about humongous change to the world - to the economy, to the population, to medicine, science, health care.
We have gone through so much in a pretty short period of time that it just makes predictions at this stage seem so impossible to make. We hope and expect that in 2021, we'll start to see a recovery of so many different aspects of our previous normality, but the reality is that it's going to be a very different normal to whatever was there before. Some of the implications of this will take years to discover and recognise.
Click through to find out what QUANTIQ's Stuart Fenton sees in the crystal ball...
9 channel stalwarts reveal their 2021 predictions
We asked a number of channel veterans to sum up what they believe this year has in store for the tech sector
Stuart Fenton, CEO, QUANTIQ
What, in your opinion, will impact the channel the most this year?
COVID caused a massive acceleration in cloud and digital transformation. 2021 will be focused on delivering much of that new demand from remote working technologies to replacing legacy systems and moving to cloud-based SAAS systems.
The workplace will differ as home working, or hybrid home-office working, becomes the norm. Workplace (home and office) technology will continue to evolve. I don't think we will all work from home forever, but the workplace simply changes for more collaborative activities.
The demand for better mobile tech will increase - driving the adoption of higher-end equipment that can travel - such as Dell XPS13's, HP Spectre's/Elites instead of cheaper heavier alternatives. In general, I think the demand for tech re-accelerates as workplaces evolve.
What will be the driving force behind this trend?
COVID created an enormous acceleration in IT strategy for organisations. It also came at a time when great technology was available. Teams, Zoom, Slack were there and while they all need to evolve, they have impressed everyone. As such, faster adoption of these and other cloud technologies is inevitable.
How will this play out in the channel?
The channel is mostly ready to support the acceleration and adoption of technologies. However, a focus on security services is likely to increase since all these new ways of working will expose security issues.
How will it affect QUANTIQ's business?
As horrific as COVID has been to the world, it has accelerated our business growth since we primarily work remotely and deliver SaaS-based solutions for organisations to run on. Our business grew well over 30 per cent during 2020 and is likely to accelerate faster into 2021. Furthermore, this will allow us to open new capabilities, attack new industry segments and new markets.
In 2020, we opened a Hyderabad location for engineering and we anticipate this will double in size this year. Our UK business will grow by a third and we anticipate our nascent US business will rapidly expand.
Read on to see what QBS Software's Dave Stevinson expects to be trending in 2021...
9 channel stalwarts reveal their 2021 predictions
We asked a number of channel veterans to sum up what they believe this year has in store for the tech sector
Dave Stevinson, group CEO, QBS Software
What, in your opinion, will shape the channel the most in 2021?
Like always there is no one big thing, but I would say the ‘new normal' - many thousands of enterprises will be returning back to the office in Q3 of 2021 and that office may well be very different from the one we left in Q1 of 2020.
Workplaces are being reimagined and will be reshaped; naturally, the technology strategy will need to be in sync.
What is the driving force behind this?
Many users will have enjoyed and benefitted from the work from home experience, yet it is almost unanimous that people work best when they work together.
Smart enterprises will need to enable the hybrid approach and this will need new technology solutions. Also, many WFH implementations were rushed and were far from best practice, so it is critical to get the 'new normal' working experience right for the users and the business. Solutions which are fundamentally different to simply moving the office setup to home will be needed for the next stage.
How do you predict it will impact the channel?
There will be consulting opportunities to work with enterprises to help them shape their technology strategy so that their stack enables enterprise-wide collaboration across any environment with the associated security and management.
Emerging software publishers will grow in importance and enterprises will rely on their trusted reseller to deliver an ever-widening range of software. The importance of the MSP will grow too.
How will it affect your business?
We are a software distributor focusing on emerging software publishers - we are expecting increased demand across our range. We are scaling our business to cope with the increase in demand and enable some of the projects that we have already been engaged on.
At QBS we have invested in our Software Asset Management business to enable large enterprises to get complete visibility on their software inventory, usage and costs - through their reseller of choice.
XMA'S sales director Andy Wright shares his predictions on the next page...
9 channel stalwarts reveal their 2021 predictions
We asked a number of channel veterans to sum up what they believe this year has in store for the tech sector
Andy Wright, commercial director, XMA
What, in your opinion, will impact the channel the most in 2021?
Unfortunately, I think COVID will continue to drive our thoughts, working patterns, customers' needs and the economic environment that we are going to operate in. It feels like, if everything went our way with vaccinations we might be getting some normality (whatever we consider that to be) back in Q2 and into Q3. COVID is going to shape us for many months and years after that.
What is the driving force behind this
The driving force is that the impact on us as a country - and without being too dramatic the planet - is just so big that life is unlikely to ever be the same again. It's going to shake up everything that we are used to.
How do you predict it will impact the channel?
I think some of the positives we have seen, in terms of an uptick in some areas of the IT market, will continue and will develop further. However, you have to think that at some point the economic reality will bite and we will find businesses fighting for survival.
How will it affect your business?
We have achieved a lot of good things over the past three years and oddly 2020 allowed us to continue with a lot of the enhancements and refinements we had been planning and get them executed. This has allowed us to see the benefits of a massive amount of work and effort by every member of the XMA team and means we enter 2021 feeling very optimistic.
Clearly, if my view of the continuing impact of COVID is right, we are not immune from any heads winds and 2021 could be the hardest one yet. But I feel like we have the teams and plans in place to battle through whatever gets thrown at us.
Former England rugby star and N2S boss Andy Gomarsall shares his views on 2021's hot button issues...
9 channel stalwarts reveal their 2021 predictions
We asked a number of channel veterans to sum up what they believe this year has in store for the tech sector
Andy Gomarsall, director, N2S
What will shape the channel the most in 2021?
null
The circular IT economy will come to the fore: sustainability is on the list of top 10 issues for CIOs as part of their IT strategy. As well as that, the carbon credentials of manufacturers on new technology and disposal outcomes on the return journey will influence purchasing, and operational IT asset management will evolve as IT operational costs come under scrutiny.
Clients will want to prioritise reuse over resale, and resale over recycle such that an audited trail is created to ensure no IT goes to landfill (across Europe, 47.5 per cent of unwanted IT hardware is not properly documented or disposed of despite Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations).
An auditable chain of custody for the return journey for IT hardware to ensure ethical disposal and eliminate data breaches will increase in importance, as clients come to terms with the need to understand what assets are where, given increasingly flexible working practises under COVID-19.
What will be the driving force behind this?
The most significant is the UKGov Carbon Zero by 2050 commitment, COP 26 chair and ambition to be a world leader and innovator in sustainability. The UK produces 24.9kg of e-waste per person, nearly 10kg more than the EU average, and while previous governments have implemented EU directives on WEEE into British law, the UK is consistently missing its recycling targets.
Firms will also want to attract new colleagues and clients and retain existing ones. Corporate sustainability credentials are of importance to recruiting target employees and clients and keep existing ones engaged.
Supporting green strategies from the likes of Microsoft, Dell and HP will provide further impetus from IT manufacturers. As well as these, oftware licence cost optimisation and asset lifecycle optimisation will seek to drive IT costs down further and Covid-19 challenges and home working practises will also be driving factors.
How do you predict it will impact the channel?
The channel will need to demonstrate their credentials for a circular IT economy and their own net zero carbon targets. The channel has to lead by example; when selling new technology channel firms will need to demonstrate that they have a portfolio of services for the sustainable take-back of old technology - as is demonstrated under the scope 3 emissions - audit and share their downstream supply chain. Clients will look to integrators to help them extend the life of assets and justify the sale of new technology, with sustainability taking greater significance in the business case.
Audited workflow when handling assets will increasingly be required as-a-service to provide evidence of outcomes for IT assets and data-bearing devices to minimise risk from data breaches and conform to environmental regulations. Security departments will need to update their data sanitisation strategy to incorporate a more sustainable hierarchy of outcomes for unwanted IT assets.
How will it affect your business?
Many have told us that we've suddenly become relevant in the channel! Having provided a full suite of sustainability services around IT hardware assets for 20 years, we feel we are well-positioned to both serve and drive the increase in focus for sustainability in IT for our clients.
For example, we provide meaningful environmental impact reporting for IT assets aligned to the UN Sustainability Development Goals and to client sustainability metrics and have been zero to landfill since 2015. We alsoe provide increased opportunity to conduct asset audits to support client ITAM requirements and maintain current asset databases.
As well as that, our innovation in bio-leaching (in collaboration with Coventry University and InnovateUK) will be a game-changer as printed circuit boards (which have the largest CO2e footprint in IT hardware) processing moves from the traditional thermal and acid processing to more environmentally friendly bacterial processing. From a UK perspective, we will be seeking to reduce the exporting of this material and the detrimental environmental impacts this has.