Technology Reseller - v17 2019

technolog y reseller.co.uk NEWS : TRENDS 05 Indirect sales crucial for SaaS companies Software-as-a-service companies that embrace both a direct and an indirect sales channel will outpace those that focus only on direct sales, claims strategy firm AchieveUnite in a new ebook. The 555: Why a Channel is Critical to Your SaaS Company , sponsored by Partner Relationship Management (PRM) specialist Impartner, outlines five reasons why a SaaS channel is a go-to-market must, five reasons why it’s different, and five things companies must do to stay ahead of the competition. AchieveUnite CEO Theresa Caragol said: “SaaS businesses are here to stay and growing rapidly and, according to Gartner, expecting to top $73 billion in revenue this year. Companies need look no further than their own tech stack. SaaS applications are prolific. From top applications like Box and Slack to up-and-coming tools like AppCues and Proov, the common denominator is growth. Most SaaS companies are reaching for growth rates of 40% or higher, but they can’t go it alone. Aggressive SaaS companies need partners to be seen as future-proofed service providers.” She added: “Partners amplify growth, attract buyers, fill product gaps, drive increased value and validate your solution. However, a SaaS channel is different, and the eBook is 100% focused on explaining how to design an optimum SaaS market revenue strategy.” www.impartner.com Digital badging program for CompTIA certification holders Technology industry association CompTIA has launched a digital badging program for CompTIA-certified IT professionals. Developed in partnership with Credly, the programme enables CompTIA-certified professionals to use their badge and its associated skill tags to search for jobs by job title, location, employer and salary range. If someone finds a job that interests them, they can apply for the position with just a few clicks. CompTIA CIO Randy Gross said: “By providing a secure, digital representation of CompTIA certifications, our certified IT professionals can more easily manage, share and verify their credentials within their networks, across their social platforms and on resumés. For employers, digital badging makes it easy to find and verify people with the specific skills they are looking for.” www.comptia.org Top 10 Cities for Techies Analysis by jobs site Monster .co.uk shows that outside London, Birmingham is the best city in the UK to develop a career in digital. Its ratings are based on a number of factors, including average rent, average salary, number of digital jobs and digital growth. Find out more at Monster’s new Digital Cities Hub, where visitors can find and apply for jobs outside London. www.monster.co.uk/digital-cities. 1. Birmingham 2. Milton Keynes 3. Manchester 4. Leeds 5. Bristol 6. Brighton 7. Edinburgh 8. Belfast 9. Newcastle 10. Cardiff Wearables show The Wearable Technology Show returns to the Business Design Centre, London on March 12-13. Featuring an exhibition and seven-track seminar programme, it is the place to find out about the latest innovations in wearables, AR/VR, AI, digital health, smart textiles and more. www.wearabletechnologyshow.net One year to upgrade With one year until Microsoft ends support for its 10 year-old operating system, Windows 7, enterprise content delivery firm Kollective has released a report warning of the risks and costs of not upgrading to Windows 10. According to The Death of Windows 7 , 43% of businesses are still running the platform, with 16% still running Windows Vista and XP, support for which ended three years ago. Kollective warns that those that remain on Windows 7 past January 14, 2020 will either have to pay Microsoft significant sums for extended support – potentially more than $1.4 million a year for enterprises with 10,000 or more terminals – or leave their systems open to cyber attack. https://kollective.com Insider... Driving up to a speaking event in the Higher Peaks a couple of weeks back, I was reminded of the power of focus. Let me set the scene. It was early in the morning, around half past six, and freezing cold. Leaving the comfort of well lit, well gritted roads, the route became increasingly narrow and winding. As the unfamiliar road ascended, a thick, freezing fog came out of nowhere, a pea-souper. Visibility reduced dramatically to around 5 to 10 metres. Suddenly, driving become a real challenge; you simply couldn’t see what was ahead of you and putting headlights on high beam only made matters worse. I slowed right down and switched off the radio. A high degree of concentration was needed and my senses were already working overtime. It was time to reduce distractions and put my entire focus into the moment, which I’m pleased to say ended successfully with my safe arrival at the destination. Driving to the office later that morning, I reflected on the experience. One of the things it clearly shows is that when you really need to put your attention to something, the benefits of reducing background noise, brain noise and demands for attention are immense. As individuals and businesses, we are having to deal with multiple structural changes – political, economic, societal, technological and environmental – and navigating our way through them requires focus. Focus can take time, energy and, if necessary, a change of location to reduce clutter. It’s no coincidence that the most successful businesses and people I’ve met have been able to stay focused on their goals and objectives by reducing noise and slowing down. A saying I’ve always liked is ‘Many are going nowhere, fast’. So let my drive into the Peak District be a reminder to stay focused on the things that will deliver your outcomes, with the right economy of effort. See you out there. Phil Jones MBE , Managing Director, Brother UK @philjones40 1 TECHNICALDECK WHITE PAPER THECLOCK ISTICKING The launchof this research reportmarksexactlyone yearuntil the ‘death’ofWindows 7.On the 14thof January 2020,Microsoftwillofficiallyend support for itsnine-year-oldoperating systemand stopproviding vital security updatesandpatches to the thousandsoforganizationsaround theglobe still running theoutdatedOS. WhileMicrosofthasannounced that itwillofferanextended supportpackage for the largestorganizations, this supportwill comeataprice.Learnwhat it could cost yourorganizationwithourDeathofWindows 7Calculator. Back in2014,whenMicrosoftended support forWindowsXP, the costof support foranorganizationwith 10,000+Windowsmachines levelledoutat justunder$2,000,000a year.By failing toupgrade their systems in time,enterpriseswillenduppayingmillions inorder to remainonanoutdated–and increasingly ineffective– IT infrastructure. Whilemanybusinessesarebetterprepared for theendofWindows 7 than theywere for theendofWindows XP, themove to thenewWindows 10operating systemdoes comewith itsown setof challenges. Oneof the key concerns forbusinesses is the introductionof ‘asa service’updates.WindowsasaServicewill mean that ITmanagersmustupdate theiroperating systems farmore regularly, rather thanwaiting foramass migrationonceevery few years.Thismeansmore testing,more rollouts,andultimately,moreopportunities for systems to falloutofdate,openingenterprisesup tomassiveexposure. So justwhat canenterprisesdo toprepare themselves for this threat?And justhow farare they through their transitions toWindows 10?Theseare thequestions that this report setsout toanswer.By surveyingover260 USandUKenterprise ITprofessionals,TheDeathofWindows 7providesa comprehensiveon-the-ground view of the current stateofWindowsmigrationand softwaredelivery. How today’senterprisesarepreparing for tomorrow’s securitydisaster 365Days until TheDeathofWindows7