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01732 759725 28 OPINION the need for advanced networking solutions that are able to provide a foundation today for the needs of customers in the next few years. A prime example of this will be the need to offer an end-to-end solution for the hybrid cloud instead of point products focused on cloud security or networking. One validated framework by which this can be achieved is the secure access service edge (SASE). Although it was defined only in 2019, the technological megatrend of convergence between networking and security and purely cloud-delivered edge solutions has been around since the late 2000s. There is explosive growth being predicted here, with the Del’Oro group predicting a CAGR of 116% for SASE until 2024 6 . Partners that take the lead here will be able to offer a step-by-step solution for SASE, starting with VPN replacement and SD-WAN, moving to micro segmentation and Zero Trust and then lastly pure cloud- delivered security solutions to the edge devices and users. Big opportunities Businesses will no doubt continue to face uncertainty, but the channel has a huge opportunity to support its customers as they transition to a hybrid way of working, whether that is through the integration of security, networking or communication platforms or being able to deliver customer business outcomes via an end-to-end hybrid cloud technology stack. While this will require reorganisation and potential realignment of resources within the channel, there are step-by- step frameworks, such as SASE, that can provide clear guidance as to how to achieve this. Technology has never been more fundamental to the plans of CEOs and organisations, and the ability to provide and operate that technology, coupled with the technology megatrends of the next few years, creates one of the largest opportunities for the channel in decades. 3 Advanced Networking will be a requirement During the pandemic, companies had to reassess their technical and budgetary priorities to cater for the almost overnight surge in remote working, with budgets that were allocated for networking infrastructure upgrade projects being reallocated towards pure connectivity and end points. These decisions had to be taken at very short notice and difficult compromises had to be made. Now that the outlook is more certain, budgets are being reallocated towards infrastructure, connectivity and security as a whole, instead of in a siloed manner. The rapid adoption of public and private clouds by end-customers requires the network infrastructure to be equivalently flexible and agile, especially when taking into account the competitive requirements of secure DevOps (SecDevOps) teams. Retailers, for example, will want to reboot for a post-pandemic world and provide a consistent customer experience across multiple channels, whether these are social media-driven, physical in store or via e-commerce. All of this will have to be done with minimal or in some cases no increases to the networking team opex. One of the key methods to accomplish this is to bring together AI-driven network automation and operations (AIOps) systems with the existing retail end-customer teams to unlock efficiencies by reducing the repetitive and time-consuming manual tasks required to operate the infrastructure. Overall, 33% of UK CEOs surveyed by PwC 1 are looking to drive productivity through automation and technology investments. From a channel perspective, leveraging AIOps tools is a fantastic way to continue the dialogue with customers that have recently implemented networking infrastructure projects. The channel must be one step ahead of vendors with this trend and anticipate Channel trends The latest insights from IT market intelligence company CONTEXT Half of European resellers gear up for major cloud investment in next 12 months Nearly half (49%) of European resellers are preparing for a significant cloud push in the coming year, to meet rising customer demand for digital transformation to support hybrid working. According to CONTEXT’s latest ChannelWatch survey, 73% of resellers are seeing customers accelerate their rate of digital transformation due to the pandemic. More than half (51%) say the cloud is driving this surge due to its scalability, remote management, integrated security and remote delivery of services. Around half of the 6,500 resellers CONTEXT spoke to for its report are already selling cloud products and services. The majority (53%) are selling 1-3 offerings, with 29.5% selling 4-10 and 17% selling 10 or more services. There is a 50-50 split between those who provision their cloud offerings manually and those who automate provisioning. CONTEXT suggests that the former are more likely to be taking advantage of opportunistic sales from ‘hero’ products like Microsoft 365 that offer no cross-selling opportunities and only razor-thin margins, whereas those using automated provisioning enabled by distributor marketplaces have a far more scalable workflow that typically supports 5 or more products aimed at industry verticals. Separate data reveals that most resellers rely opportunistically on inbound sales (53%), rather than cross-selling (38%) or driving digital (29%) and traditional (16%) outbound marketing. CONTEXT Cloud Specialist Chris Vallenduuk said: “We know that around 50% of resellers acknowledge that the cloud is a vital area to invest in. But now it’s time for them to expand their portfolios and move to more active marketing techniques and integration of products. After all, this is where the real profits lie and where most distributors are very well positioned to deliver excellent value for the channel.” www.contextworld.com ...continued 1. https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/ceo-agenda/ceosurvey/2021/report.html#improved -outlook 2. https://www.idc.com/research/viewtoc.jsp?containerId=US46246920 3. G artner, Forecast: Public Cloud Services, Worldwide, 2019-2025, 2Q21 Update, August 2021 www.gartner.com 4. https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/consulting/future-work 5. https://www2.deloitte.com/ch/en/pages/risk/articles/impact-covid-cybersecurity.html 6. https://www.delloro.com/news/sase-market-to-grow-at-116-percent-compound-annual-growth- rate-over-next-five-years/ Businesses will no doubt continue to face uncertainty, but the channel has a huge opportunity to support its customers as they transition to a hybrid way of working