Revolution Driving Evolution - The IT channel is changing

By Lee Prior

If history has taught us anything it’s that those that feel comfortable standing still, those that are not stretching themselves and seeking to advance to the next level are in fact already moving backwards. That has never been truer than right now for IT Resellers.

Technology is now so woven into the fabric of business that most companies would be unable to function without it, and yet the level of knowledge and understanding of this vital thread is remarkably low within the UK SMB sector, a sector that makes up almost 80% of the available market. There are literally tens of thousands of small to medium businesses, who’s very existence is reliant on technology that they don’t understand…instead they expect us, their IT guru’s and modern day alchemists to understand it on their behalf and advise them on how to best wield this powerful weapon.


Let’s take a closer look at a typical SMB company of 2010. Chances are they were between 5 and 50 employees, had relatively simple IT requirements on the face of things and maybe had a part-time tech head that made sure their modest infrastructure kept chugging away in a back room somewhere. They may do the occasional back-up and, when pushed, might even upgrade software from time-to-time but on the whole there was most likely a “If it ain’t broke then don’t fix it” mentality towards technology and as long as email and internet were working then all was right with the world…Oh how things have changed since then.

Even the smallest of SMB’s now has the expectation of Enterprise level IT resources to power their business and the Channel is expected to do far more than simply refresh tin and offer new software, with those not able to offers services alongside this function finding themselves loosing out to those that can. For those in the Channel that have been slow to recognise this change or have struggled to adapt to the shifting expectations life has been and will continue to be very tough.

This change has been, in a large part, driven by the emergence of the Cloud. The ability for companies to access the enterprise level technology they desire without the need for power-hungry, expensive and bulky IT infrastructure was and continues to be a compelling message, however concerns around security and network availability have seen may hold off adoption leading to birth of the Hybrid Cloud.

“Hybrid Cloud”…The IT industry loves it’s buzz words and acronyms and this is the latest, but don’t let that cause you to scoff. It’s a logical and very effective way of getting the best of both worlds…Keep all your mission critical applications on premise and access ancillary services via the Cloud. Sounds like a perfect scenario doesn’t it, but we come back to that nagging problem of knowledge, and that’s where the Channel can make a new niche for themselves by becoming an outsourced IT department, in essence evolving from a box shifter into a Managed Service Provider.

This evolution has now been made even easier with the launch of Easy Connect from Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

HPE ProLiant Easy Connect EC200a Server

Making IT Easy

The Easy Connect EC200a is essentially a Managed IT department in a unit no larger than a cereal box with the power requirements and carbon footprint to match.

Easy Connect will enable you to transform your business from Reseller to Service Provider and in so doing it will help to deepen your relationship with your customers and cement your position as their “go to” resource for all things IT.

Whether you are a Reseller with no current Managed Services offering, a new MSP struggling to scale or an established provider seeking to improve efficiency the EC200a is the right solution…It’s that simple.

The adoption of the Hybrid Cloud is moving ahead at a dizzying pace already, and is only likely to accelerate over the coming years as more and more SMB’s begin to realise it’s fantastic potential, so it’s time for the those of us in the Channel to evolve and adapt to meet this new requirement or to risk becoming extinct.

 

To find out more about the Easy Connect EC200a contact out Hewlett Packard Enterprise team on 01189 912 6000 or Click here