Print.IT Reseller - issue 59

VOX POP PRINT IT RESELLER.UK 45 Sharp has been encouraging its channel partners to put the MFP at the heart of a range of integrated solutions that support collaborative working. “Collaboration will continue to be a key trend for businesses in 2019, so there will be an acceleration in the uptake of products such as interactive whiteboards, digital signage and video conferencing throughout the print channel. “However, it is also important to remember that the print industry is built around a specific business model, one that relies on a hardware installed base, multi-year business contracts and consumables. Because of this, we will see more manufacturers exploring new areas of innovation that work for the way the print channel is structured. 4 A more IT centric approach “Underpinning these developments will be a shift toward a more IT centric mind- set and approach. Customers increasingly want to buy products from IT capable vendors; this is a trend that businesses will have to respond to in 2019 in order to stay competitive. “We are doing this through the continued expansion of our IT managed services and have also been looking outside of existing business streams for new opportunities, for example Sharp has just completed its acquisition of Toshiba’s personal-computer business. “This new mind-set will drive more OEMs to move from the office equipment channel to the IT channel, in order to provide the products and services that businesses expect in today's digital era.” www.sharp.eu Phil Jones, Managing Director, Brother UK “2018 has witnessed more high profile high street and channel names disappear, leaving a vacuum for others to fill whilst continuing their own transformation. In the IT space, consolidation continues and we may see international M&A activity ramp up. “Margin pressures continue as many areas of the IT industry commoditise. The runway is becoming very short for some independent resellers who haven’t protected their customer base under contract or transitioned to a more service(s) based business model. “We’ll continue to see a decline in the traditional transactional reseller population whist ‘born in the cloud’* resellers emerge as the new contenders for customer wallet spend. These businesses are already enjoying revenues under contract in excess of 50 per cent of total sales, which makes them very resilient. “Public sector organisations are on a sustainability drive with more and more emphasis being placed on suppliers’ environmental credentials and greater weighting being given in tender scoring. The ability to demonstrate capability using standards such as ISO are moving on tenders from preferred to mandatory requirements which will see many channel players rushing for accreditation. “The RACE (Reliability, Availability, Convenience, Expectation) for customers buying online continues with rapidly changing expectations for immediacy. One hour deliveries in major conurbations for high volume items are becoming the norm. Short demand logistics capability, delivery windows and real-time stock information will be key for those wanting to stay relevant online. “Security remains high on the agenda across the board, in particular, cyber security and protection of intellectual property. Resultantly, as the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow, all smart devices will continue to come under the spotlight as hackers continue to look for the weakest link in a network “With the continuing talking up of the role robots will play in our lives, RPA (robot process automation) is emerging as the key technology for businesses to adopt first, contributing to productivity. It’s an easy win to take a repeatable process and digitally automate it. The capability of machine learning (AI) is growing in specialist sectors like healthcare or for specialist requirements like customer support. “The UK IT industry has an ageing workforce and a need for a new generation of skilled workers to come through. More apprenticeship and graduate schemes are needed to fill the gap with young talent also keen to join the right employer. Employer brand is key to unlocking this, with parents being a key part of the research and selection process. “And finally, there is Brexit. Will this be the millennium bug 2.0? A lot of scare with little consequence or a genuine shift in the economic fortunes of the country? Time will tell. In the short-term, supply chain predictability in Q2/Q3 will be critical and in the event of a ‘no deal’ the ability to get goods coming into the country quickly will be key to supply chain integrity.” *Born in the cloud – Credit Context. www.brother.co.uk o Consolidation continues: Channel, hardware providers (not just devices but finishing equipment for example) and software providers; o Acquisitions and strategic partnerships: to add skills, capabilities and customer base; o Office page volumes continue to decline: through digitisation, THE ANALYSTS’ PERSPECTIVE IDC Analysts Sharon McNee and Jacqui Hendriks share the main areas (not ranked in any order) where they see continued movement in 2019. Jacqui Hendriks Phil Jones continued...