ON THE HORIZON Turning Points Then And Now :
How The Decade Of 2010 Transformed Tech Selling , And Why The Decade Of 2020 Could Top It By T . C . Doyle
Here ’ s a head-scratcher : A decade ago , the most pressing issue facing chief information officers ( CIOs ) at big tech buyers companies was the “ cloud imperative ,” according to InformationWeek , a top business resource for corporate IT executives . By contrast , according to CompTIA , the world ’ s largest ICT trade association , just 1 in 10 IT channel companies at the time reported any involvement with selling or using cloud solutions .
Put bluntly , the nation ’ s providers of technology products and services were out of step with what customers prioritized most in 2010 . No wonder a third of them have since disappeared from the landscape , according to market researchers like Jay McBain , principal analyst of channels , partnerships , and alliances at Forrester Research .
But what about those that remain ? That ’ s a different and altogether better story .
Today ’ s ICT solution providers — think MSPs , VARs , systems integrators , consultants , and more — are not following customers into new technology worlds and market adjacencies but leading them . They have learned invaluable lessons over the last decade in key areas , including technology adoption , best practices , and customer experiences . In many instances , today ’ s ICT technology providers serve as their customers ’ entire IT departments , responsible for everything , including employee onboarding , technology adoption , network administration , organizational defense , and , increasingly , business outcomes .
“ It ’ s the golden age of the trusted IT advisor ,” says Drew Lydecker , co-founder of Avant Communications , one of the channel ’ s fastest-growing technology enablement companies .
For perspective on why , let ’ s look back at the decade that was and ahead to the one that will be . For the sake of simplicity , we will zero in on three areas that changed business most : technology , economics , and culture .
Let ’ s start with that thing InformationWeek called the “ cloud imperative .”
Technology 2010 : The Cloud Imperative
When Starbucks introduced its Frappuccino-blended beverage drinks in 2010 , customers lost their minds . They lost their minds again that same year when CEO Howard Schultz announced Starbucks would soon provide free Wi-Fi internet connectivity in its stores . The idea cemented something most working professionals now take for granted : ubiquitous connectivity .
In addition to ubiquitous connectivity , other tech conventions began to take root a decade ago . Take mobility , for example . By 2010 , smartphones were in the hands of 430 million consumers and business professionals alike . By the middle of the decade , they were in the pockets and purses of more than 2 billion people , or roughly 1 / 3 of the world ’ s population at the time .
Cloud computing began to take off as well , replacing client-server computing . By 2016 , revenue generated from public cloud computing was forecast to top $ 200 billion . At the time , the amount was roughly as much money as the annual revenues of IBM , HP , and Microsoft combined .
Cloud helped launch a number of other revolutionary changes . Take software as a service ( SaaS ). SaaS not only democratized technology by giving small companies access to technologies previously available to large enterprises only , but it also ushered in an era of self-service procurement for line-of-business professionals .
Along with virtualization and social media , cloud technology , mobility , and SaaS completely transformed business computing . By the end of the decade , it simply did not matter where your data , applications , and computing power were located , so long as they were readily available , verifiably secured , and legally compliant .
Economics 2010 : Remotely Better By A Mile
By 2010 , the “ old ” way of doing business in the ICT channel , which revolved around the resale of products , was in decline . Product margins ? SPIFs ? Rebates ? They just weren ’ t propelling growth .
Those who clung to old financial realities found themselves struggling , according to Robin Robins , founder and CEO of the Technology Marketing Toolkit and publisher of MSP Success Magazine .
Since 2010 , most technology providers have transitioned their revenue from product reselling and break / fix support to managed services and business consulting . It ’ s not been easy for many . To adjust , companies overhauled their sales teams , compensation models , and alliances . This included new finance partners . While accepting money from private equity seemed like an implausible idea 10 years ago , scores have done so since .
In addition to embracing new business models , smart tech providers have adopted more professional management tools to run their businesses . The embrace of IT management and monitoring technology , in particular , gave rise to the small , nimble , and trusted technology advisor . Armed with remote management and monitoring ( RMM ) technology and professional services automation ( PSA )