Bringing Zero Touch to the partner channel with Microsoft Modern Management

The traditional workforce has been redefined, forcing businesses to digitally equip teams with robust, agile, and secure solutions, while emphasising the need to modernise technology infrastructure and IT management.

A recent Gartner survey revealed 90 percent of HR surveyed leaders plan to lead remote workforces in the post-COVID world, with 65 percent embracing long-term flexibility.

In line with this, Microsoft and Dicker Data have joined forces to bring partners and the broader ITC market Dicker Data Modern Management Services. The offering consolidates and enhances cloud-based management solutions and security features partners require to buy, configure, and deploy devices to customers utilising Zero Touch principles and a Modern Management approach.

“We’ve seen a digital renaissance unfold over the last 10 months. As businesses become technologically savvy, sophisticated IT requirements are becoming more specific. Modern Management leverages Microsoft solutions to empower our partners with faster, cost-efficient, and user-centric, cloud-based management and security solutions. This enables partners to better service customers, tap into new business opportunities and enhance productivity with instant and secure deployment on any device, anywhere,” Tim O’Neill, Modern Work & Security Practice Lead, Dicker Data explains.

Evolving demands in 2021

COVID-19 accelerated digital and cloud-based adoption, redefining the traditional workplace with 91 percent of organisations implementing or planning to implement a “digital-first” business strategy. Deloitte revealed 59 percent of digital business investments will be allocated to new technologies.

Additionally, IDC predicted by 2022, 75 percent of organisations will use mobile solutions to better support remote and hybrid models, improve security and optimise productivity. As we navigate the next phase of the pandemic, businesses are in the rebuilding phase, requiring IT leaders to embrace new solutions to offer innovative, fast, and forward-thinking solutions.

As the Microsoft Modern Work and Security Technical Specialist at Dicker Data I believe that IT professionals are in a position where adopting Modern Management is business critical. With security, agility, and business continuity high on the agenda, complex IT environments and infrastructure deployed at the beginning of the pandemic as quick responses, are now outdated and need to be significantly simplified.

With Dicker Data’s Modern Management offering, IT professionals access intelligent tools that combine cloud-based management and security features, to replace legacy systems, meet evolving demands and enable secure network access, from anywhere. Additionally, build your own device (BYOD) and access to Microsoft software enables partners to customise offerings, add ongoing value, meet compliance and security requirements, and enhance overall performance and productivity for their customers.

Consolidation and customisation

A recent study on IT Consolidation by McKinsey & Company found businesses who undertake consolidation initiatives to streamline IT assets can boost effectiveness and cut IT costs by 20 percent.

As the world is changing and people work differently, IT leaders need to embrace new tools to simplify IT management and identify opportunities that better service customers. Embracing zero–touch deployment with Windows Autopilot, modern cloud capabilities, and Dicker Data’s end-to-end services, partners can further consolidate IT processes with capacity to order and deliver fully customised and preconfigured devices, ready for instant use upon arrival. With little to no involvement from the customer and delivery in just a matter of days, devices are customised to the end-user’s workplace environment and includes bult-in programs, applications, and security.

With Microsoft Surface, the device management process is further streamlined with built-in features like Microsoft Cloud licencing and Microsoft 365 security capabilities offering Hybrid Cloud, Security, Application Platform, and Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI). As sustainability, resilience, and security remain front of mind, these elements bridge on-premises environments with Azure and provide additional layers of security, data compliance and governance for customers all while modernising IT applications, infrastructure and management for partners.

Experiences and speed are the new competitor advantage

According to Deloitte, customer expectations are increasing with 67 percent of IT decisions influenced on creating experiences that meet business objectives.

IT leaders must evolve and leverage strategic partnerships to better meet and exceed customer experiences, build sophisticated solutions, and simplify IT management for the modern workplace.

Dicker Data’s Partner-to-Partner (P2P) program is modernising traditional IT practices, bridging the IT skills gap, reimagining business models, and enhancing how services are packaged and delivered to customers. According to IDC, 30 percent of high-demand roles for emerging technologies will remain unfilled through 2022 due to the industry’s growing skills gap.

“The significant skills shortage in the market means we needed to come up with a solution that bridges the gap and addresses the bandwidth challenges partners are faced with. Leveraging the tools and capabilities of the Modern Management solution and forming strategic partnerships from our P2P trusted network, partners can tap into new business opportunities while delivering and exceeding customer expectations,” Tim O'Neill, continues.

With P2P IT professionals can focus on their strengths, while leveraging collaborator capabilities to offer packaged end-to-end solutions, with rapid implementation and increased ROI, turning partners into long-term IT advisors.

I believe that by doing 100 percent of the heavy lifting on behalf of our partners, we are transforming traditional IT management and replacing cost, time and complexity with security, agility, and enhanced end user experiences.

Leveraging the extensive Dicker Data Modern Management service toolkit, integrated Microsoft capabilities and the P2P program, partners are equipped with market leading resources that provide upselling and business opportunities at scale, reduce costs, and deliver more value to customers.