FUTURE TECHNOLOGY
Channel Outlook 2022
It ’ s been a difficult 2021 for channel partners helping build businesses back better , with some of their biggest challenges being finding the workers , skills and budget to deal with the workload . Suffice to say , the prediction business has been a hard one over the last 24 months . Unpredictability and uncertainty have ruled , leaving most resellers on unsure standing . With business confidence steadily improving , industry pundits look at the encouraging signs that point upward and onward as we head into 2022 and highlight some key trends that will shape the year ahead and channel partners should look out for .
Prashant Menon , Channel Manager – UAE , Check Point Software Technologies Middle East
With business confidence steadily improving , channel stakeholders are hoping the outlook for 2022 will bring hope and more opportunities for resellers and everyone involved in the IT solution provider space .
Prashant Menon , Channel Manager – UAE , Check Point Software Technologies Middle East , said the COVID-19 pandemic has restructured the entire working culture . Menon said although Digital Transformation has been happening for years , the pandemic accelerated it as organisations had to restructure their network and security fabrics overnight , resulting in security gaps and new opportunities for criminals . “ When it comes to the channel industry , the skills which were available with partners earlier are bygone and less effective with the changing technology needs of the customers ,” he said . “ From that particular perspective there ’ s a shortage of skill sets which will be a key factor which will influence the way for the IT channel industry in the year ahead .”
He said as businesses are coming to pre-pandemic levels , the channel should expect customers to set budgets for key strategic initiatives and restart those which were kept on hold . “ From that outlook , channel partners should step up their game in terms of offerings that they are providing to customers and catering to their changing needs . Throughout the pandemic we could see that the technologies used by the customers were irrelevant corresponding to the Digital Transformation and remote work that became the new normal .”
Menon noted that following the rush to remote working , there was minimal face to face interaction with customers while cyberattacks increased continuously . “ Consequently , we are seeing the need to consider cybersecurity as the top priority in view of the fact that with the changing events , the technology being used by organisations is also changing
while the cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated . Cybersecurity certainly needs to be at the top priority for the CIOs and this is something important that channel partners should look at in 2022 ,” he said .
Over the last two years , remote working and security concerns dominated the
Channel partners should step up their game in terms of offerings that they are providing to customers and catering to their changing needs .
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