Q & A
EDITOR ’ S
HOW CAN CHANNEL PARTNERS RETAIN THE RIGHT TALENT AND BRIDGE THE IT SKILLS GAP ?
Building skills and staying current with the latest is an ongoing process . Nurturing talent and empowering employees to actively develop throughout their tenure motivates and helps them to perform at their optimum levels . This , in turn , benefits the company directly . Businesses that implement an effective , efficient and business-focused strategy significantly outperform their peers . This is something very symbolic to strategic partners . They bring a future-focused workforce perspective , flexibly and rapidly developing workforce skills and capabilities to match emerging opportunities . Vendors and distributors would act as pure enablers in this regard and are part of the chain . Vendors provide the tools and constantly innovating at that and distributors work on the logistics for efficient training delivery and this is today an important factor for any
The tech talent shortage has resellers in the channel scrambling to ensure that staff brush up on the latest skills and technologies that facilitate business agility . Industry pundits share tips on how channel partner organisations can retain the right talent and bridge the IT skills gap ?
PRASHANT MENON , CHANNEL MANAGER – UAE , CHECK POINT SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES
vendor in the market with its offering for sustained revenue growth .
Training and certifications have been a key driver for most businesses . It has become an important strategy to stay relevant . We at Check Point Software take this very seriously and would recommend our channel partners to also make use of some of the global initiatives that we have in place . Check Point Software is helping to address the global cyber-skills shortage through a range of free education initiatives that help to train the next generation of cyber-warriors via leading educational establishments worldwide .
We live in the new normal . The pandemic had a significant impact on the global economy . In MEA , extensive lockdowns have led to changing consumer attitudes and a shift to online channels for meetings and learning . During lockdown , customers and partners across the GCC , focused on reaching
Businesses that implement an effective , efficient and businessfocused strategy significantly outperform their peers .
out through online channels . The priority for reseller businesses in the next normal must be to manage the immediate impacts of the crisis on customer demand . Depending on their position , that may mean ramping up digital solutions , e-learning to keep abreast with the latest technology trends , leveraging third-party platforms , and using social media to continue conversations with their partners and customers .
That said , “ business as usual ” is a thing of the past . COVID-19 bought in a lot of changes to the workplace environment . But as resellers settle into the reality that the current state of things might be the new normal , they need to change their focus from ad-hoc arrangements to a fresh approach to your organisational strategy . For any business that relies on direct sales to drive revenue , it ’ s time to systematically update your sales organisation for the world we are living in now .
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS Issue 49 51