The channel will be expected to help customers do more with less this year as budgetary constraints force users to tighten their belts.
It became clear in the last few months of 2022 that market conditions were getting tougher, and as figures in the channel muse over the prospects for the short term, there is a sense that those in a position to help customers adapt to changing circumstances will be in demand.
“In an environment that feels not too dissimilar to musical chairs – budgets reducing, less dollars to go around, but more mouths to feed – channel partners need to come up with something different to catch their customers’ attention,” said Shane Buckley, CEO of Gigamon.
“Business as usual simply doesn’t make sense anymore. Ultimately, the channel needs to prioritise solutions that allow end users to do more with less – improve security and performance while spending less money month on month. This is where customers will see the most value and where the channel can focus their efforts for the greatest success.”
His colleague, Mark Coates, vice-president EMEA at Gigamon, echoed those views with a sense that the pressure was on the channel to deliver complete – technical and economic – solutions to users.
“End users are looking to channel partners to come to them with silver bullet technologies. These partners need to understand their customer’s agenda and help them find a combination of solutions that provide excellent value, optimise their current infrastructure and reduce total cost of ownership. This is no easy feat, but it is possible with the right ecosystem and support,” he said.
“Business as usual simply doesn’t make sense anymore. The channel needs to prioritise solutions that allow end users to do more with less”
Shane Buckley, Gigamon
Vendors are also talking about doing “more with less”, something Konica Minolta has identified as a major trend for the year ahead. The firm is advising partners to exploit artificial intelligence (AI) tools and automation to help improve processes and meet the requirement of doing more with less.
“As UK businesses and organisations of every type look to ‘do more with less’, the digital workplace will become even more important in 2023 and beyond. Pressures to increase sustainability, while reducing costs and supporting hybrid working and engendering workplace flexibility, will mean greater pressures on the IT provision and increased use of automation,” said Mark Ash, chief revenue officer at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK).
Ben Scowen, UKI cloud practice leader at Kyndryl, is also expecting the more with less mantra to be oft used in 2023, and believes technology can support that demand.
“One thing I’m sure we will hear from the business world this year, amid a biting recession and prevailing financial uncertainty, is a refrain that we need to ‘do more with less’. While the question of how to do this, and whether it is even wise, will vary significantly for different business functions, I believe that doing more with less is an idea that offers a real opportunity for cloud professionals who take it to heart,” he said.
“A platform strategy, unified hybrid cloud experience and shift from developer-centric innovation to business-led innovation using low code, will all contribute to doing more with less,” he added.
