EXPERT OPINION
Matthieu Brignone , Area Vice President EMEA Partners , Pure Storage
With the constant stream of new technology released , as-a-Service options allow both MSPs and customers to try new tech and ‘ fail fast ’ – enabling them to find the solution that fits their needs without breaking the bank . Plus , as an added bonus , they won ’ t need to worry about the burdens of financial forecasting – offering relative flexibility in their investment .
Containers
In 2021 , customers need the ability to move their workloads freely and containers hold the benefit of encapsulating software into virtual self-contained units . But the complexity of cloud-native technologies such as Kubernetes is driving more organisations towards consuming managed services delivered via the cloud versus deploying these technologies on their own .
Forward-looking businesses are moving to containers which in a couple of years will be a widely adopted and mainstream standard for data storage . Many larger customers are further along their Digital Transformations and are now ready for multi-cloud , meaning MSPs that can deploy Kubernetes across multiple clouds will see increasing demand for that expertise as they look to tee up customers to realise the value from their data .
This year will be a year of assessing how workloads are managed ; they need to be in the right place for their designated application and this will continue to be a key area that customers look for in their data assets .
Taking on hyperscalers with differentiation
Hyperscale public cloud providers have created a new dynamic in the cloud market , offering businesses unlimited capacity , seamless updates and large geographic scope . Analysis has shown that hyperscalers dropped US $ 99 billion in capital expenditure in the first three quarters of 2020 , setting a quarterly record in the third quarter alone .
It ’ s no wonder they raise a consistent concern . But rather than competing with hyperscalers , MSPs that want to get ahead are already starting to work with them . In this scenario , MSPs must act as the metaphorical glue that brings all of these new technologies together for their customers . Only by doing this will they be seen as a true partner , having the best interest of their customers at the forefront .
And where they can ’ t work together , MSPs need to be recognising their key attributes that differentiate them from hyperscalers . Take the ongoing challenge that COVID has presented and how many customers haven ’ t been able to directly get to their data centres in the frequency they would normally have liked . For MSPs , having someone do that on the customer ’ s behalf on a monthly basis has become an incredibly strong selling point .
It ’ s clear that many of the pain points of 2020 will stick around for much of 2021 . The business landscape has irreversibly changed in many ways . With this in mind , MSPs need to recognise that the hurdles that have been put in place for businesses represent a clear opportunity to help knock them down . By providing innovative bespoke solutions for customers , using the forward-looking tech and services above , MSPs can play a crucial role in providing the roadmap for continued business growth and success . ◊
WHERE THEY CAN ’ T WORK TOGETHER , MSPS NEED TO BE RECOGNISING THEIR KEY ATTRIBUTES THAT DIFFERENTIATE THEM FROM HYPERSCALERS .
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