The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented disruption to the lives of millions of people across the globe, however, it also cemented the power and role of technology in our lives. Whether we look at workplaces, schools, communities or everyday social interactions, all of them were upended in 2020, and all of them have used technology to bridge the gap and re-establish some form of normal. Businesses who were not digitally ready were exposed, and the pace of digital transformation in our economy has never been more rapid than what we saw in 2020.
As we move into 2021 and beyond, the digital transformation agendas of Australian businesses will continue to accelerate.
The new hybrid working environment is driving the need for smart collaboration platforms that bridge the physical and virtual user experience. Connectivity and bandwidth are top of mind for governments, businesses, schools, communities and individuals as they embrace an always-on, connect-from-anywhere approach using technologies such as 5G.
"In 2020 we saw budgets aligned to mobilising the workforce with end points & software deployments taking priority. In 2021, we will see a natural shift towards infrastructure as resellers look to advance their customers mobile workforce,” Vickie Madeline.
Jason Hall, said,” In 2021 we expect to see an incremental and ongoing upgrade of the technology that was initially deployed to set up the home office. For many companies their people will be fighting for bandwidth alongside Netflix and Fortnite there will be a separation of the home office network from the home network, which will need to be managed and secured as if it was the corporate network. Hybrid office workers will be expecting the same level of service and competence that they receive in corporate locations. This will drive the adoption of 5G technologies."
Jason added, 2021 will see an increase in automation and hands-off delivery of services to customers, with less time spent by partner engineers on customer premises and more time spent leveraging centralised staging centres. Partners who embrace this model will be positioned to meet the needs of the transforming workforce.
Luke Trinh & Tony Trinh, shared, “The trend our resellers can now capitalise on is the requirement for businesses to provide the physical technology and software licensing to enable every meeting to be both physical and virtual. Many companies haven’t equipped their conference rooms with the right technology, if at all, so now is the time to start those conversations. Competition in the digital collaboration market has lowered the barriers to entry and has made what was once an enterprise level technology easily accessible for almost every company.”
Security will be a key area of focus for every business in 2021. The rapid shift to remote working that occurred as lockdowns swept across the country resulted in many businesses focusing on keeping their lights on whilst their security posture, both internal and external to their organisation, fell lower down the priority list. 2021 will be the year these businesses refocus on security, invest in the required technologies and ensure their corporate environments are protected against a rapidly evolving global cyberthreat landscape.
Pennie Stevens, said, “Cyber Security will be paramount as attacks and threats become more advanced with AI and ML infiltrating businesses without their knowledge. Partners will need to proactivity consider attacks and invest in ‘Compliance Culture’ that is holistic and not just reactive.” A steady convergence of purchasing modules from our partners will continue to manifest as the channel realises the power of both MSP and CSP platforms. These mechanisms allow for faster ROI and bring depth to your arsenal as and when you need it.
Sarah Loiterton, added, “Customers are re-evaluating their MPSs - who their MSP is, what solutions they are delivering, costs involved and more. Customers are looking to their providers to leverage the Cloud for more value, cost efficiency, and modernisation of operations.” Sarah also highlighted the accelerating pace of consolidation in the channel. Partners who aren’t adapting may find the consolidation of partners will impact their business model and downstream their customer base. We will see an increase in MSPs with more resources, skills and national presence competing against the smaller, niche MSPs who have limited capability.
Marty Simunic, highlighted, “Increasingly we are seeing customers adopt a hybrid cloud strategy to address shifting challenges around security, compliance, accessibility and cost. As a result, we are increasingly supporting our partners with flexible capacity as-a-service plans.”
Ben Johnson, said, “Thousands of partners are sitting on a goldmine of customer data that they’re either not using, or worse, aren’t aware of. As the digital transformation of many Australian businesses continues to accelerate and the IT partner ecosystem solidifies its position as a strategic pillar in the success of their end-user’s business’, the ability to mine data, extract useful insights and predict the needs of their end-users are the characteristics that will set the most successful reseller partners apart in 2021.”
2021 presents an unparalleled opportunity for the entire technology sector, and in particular Dicker Data, as we continue in our role supporting the Australian and New Zealand technology channel ecosystem and being the catalyst for the adoption of these new, cutting edge technologies.
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Dicker Data (ASX: DDR) is an Australian owned and operated, ASX listed hardware distributor with over 46 years experience. Our dedicated sales and presales teams are comprised of experienced product specialists who are focused on using their in-depth knowledge to help customers tailor solutions to suit their client’s needs.
Phone: 1800 688 586
Email: sales@dickerdata.com.au