PARTNERS ’ PERSPECTIVE
East , and Africa ( EMEA ), according to recent VMware research .
That being the case , I would like to point out that modernising data infrastructure should not be done on its own . I believe that organisations across MEA need to work with channel partners to ensure data centre transformation is done in line with Digital Transformation and digital skills development . Clearly , the biggest business benefit will come from combining four transformative technologies namely cloud , mobility , Internet of Things ( IoT ) and Artificial Intelligence ( AI ).
With some of these technologies already having had the most profound impact on the progression of the data centre market in the region , channel partners have to make the right decisions on which solutions best suit their clients ’ needs .
In this regard , it is important to point out that as a component technology , flash has become ubiquitous in the modern data centre and is a dominant vessel for storing data . Flash significantly reduces the floor space , power consumption and cooling requirements needed to deliver exceptional storage services with a no compromise
It is important to point out that as a component technology , flash has become ubiquitous in the modern data centre and is a dominant vessel for storing data .
approach . In addition , as a technology model , HCI and software-defined data centres have revolutionised how IT organisations build and scale data centres . All these trends follow customer and business advancements and evolutions . For channel partners , it ’ s worth noting that customers will have 1,000 times more data , but not 1,000 times more budget . The software defined model automates configurations and deployments of technology services , delivering greater business agility and a more flexible , programmable approach to managing data services . Converged or HCI also allows customers to modernise their data centre with simplified management , improved performance and elastic scalability .
Getting the business model right around data centres is quite a challenge for many
solution providers mainly because there is not a single product that can perform all data centre functions . For service providers and resellers , now is the right time to have a strategy in place , in terms of overcoming the challenges coming their way in this space .
One thing to always remember is that service providers should have specialised offerings that set them apart from the competition and a core business that will
help structure their data centre offerings . In addition , key factors like market complexity and possibilities presented by the cloud should be integrated into these specialised offerings that require a unified strategy and agreement with service providers and hyperscalers like AWS , Microsoft Azure , Google and Alibaba .
That said , software solutions that leverage the cloud and virtualisation are vital for the emerging IoT era , for scalable , cost-effective , and secure infrastructure that drive new digital business models . I believe that resellers that are taking heed in this regard will see if they are not already witnessing strong MEA interest in converged and hyper-converged platforms , which form the foundation for softwaredefined data centres . •
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS Issue 44 25