01732 759725 36 PREDICTIONS ...continued and business – and suppliers will have no choice but to adapt services and business models to suit these new demands. In the data industry, business customers want flexibility and transparency, so providers need to look at how they optimise controlled infrastructure environments where customers can selfserve through automated applications. Self-service, getting things done in your own timescale with immediate results, is fast becoming an integral part of the overall customer experience and, more than ever, has become a key differentiator when choosing a technology, service provider or channel partner. The pandemic has accelerated the pace of change in this area, for customers and businesses alike, and this trend will gather momentum in 2022. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 60% of organisations will be using infrastructure automation tools. Data backup and DR Stacy Hayes, Managing Director, Assured Data Protection OEMs embrace MSP route to market In 2022, we’ll start seeing more OEMs build out their managed service provider (MSP) networks to drive revenues, with many reopening MSP lines of business they had previously neglected. It’s a proven model that complements direct sales and helps organisations to drive new revenues and extend their reach. OEMs and larger vendors are now recognising the value MSPs have to offer. The demand for cloud technologies and managed services are on the increase and vendors are looking at ways to meet demand and lower the overall cost of a sale. Having a viable MSP option removes the need to invest in new sales teams. Instead, they can look at transforming their solutions into SaaS offerings to open new market opportunities with segments – and regions – they probably wouldn't have considered targeting before. The MSP model makes particular sense from a data backup and DR perspective of hiring mainframe access, it might seem like a case of ‘everything old is new again’, but however you look at it, this will be an opportunity for resellers. Now is the time for channel businesses to examine sales models and work out how to provide more subscription selling. And, for those products and services that vendors don’t offer with cloud-like pricing, think about what sort of financing packages can be offered to turn existing solutions into something more attractive for customers. Going green could keep resellers out of the red COVID may have pushed environmental issues down the agenda for the last couple of years, but with most countries needing to hit ‘net zero’ by 2050, governments are passing down pressure to reduce emissions onto businesses. While price and service will almost certainly remain king in 2022, resellers that can demonstrate the environmental benefits of the solutions they offer, and the environmental credentials of their own businesses, are likely to see advantages, especially in more commoditised markets. Simplify projects to overcome customer skills shortages A global skills shortage, coupled with an acceleration in digital transformation, means that more systems than ever are being managed by fewer specialists. This is leading to a backlog of projects in many companies – Veritas research suggests the average business will need another two years to fully secure the technologies they deployed during the pandemic. If businesses are to sign up to new projects on top of this, resellers will need to convince them that they are simple enough to deploy and can deliver sufficient benefits to make it worthwhile. Simplifying solutions and carrying as much of the implementation burden as possible will be key to getting new sales off the ground in 2022. Automation and self-service Terry Storrar, Managing Director, Leaseweb UK Customer experience continues to be a key differentiator One of the biggest trends we’re seeing going into 2022 is that more and more services are being driven and shaped by the end-user. The pandemic has caused a seismic change in what customers expect from vendor services – consumer because nearly all businesses are looking to achieve cyber resilience. This is driven mainly by the prevalence of data breaches and ransomware attacks, but also because it’s getting much harder for businesses to insure themselves against the possibility of being attacked. With cyber insurance premiums rising and many insurers even refusing to offer policies, businesses are looking to vendors and MSPs as trusted third parties that can guarantee their data protection and security. We’re seeing a huge shift in business priorities with SaaS companies and their partners emerging as a viable alternative to traditional insurance. Cloud service providers are already diverging into this space and we’re going to see vendors capitalise on this opportunity by nurturing their MSP partnerships to expand their networks and serve more customers. This MSP resurgence will provide a boost to vendors and OEMs looking to drive sales and resellers looking to grow their portfolios. Time to call in the professionals At the same time, the changing nature, sophistication and intensity of cyber attacks are causing a significant change in the mentality of IT Managers. Accelerated by remote work and cloud migration, cybercriminals are targeting critical data, crippling IT infrastructure and holding businesses hostage. With stakes higher than ever, security and data protection operations teams face significant challenges that often can’t be handled inhouse, so next year will see an increase in the outsourcing of DR and security to MSPs. IT Managers are looking for a more diverse set of solutions that will protect themselves and outsource the risk and liability that they are now exposed to due to the lack of insurance available to them. It used to be cheaper to build your own backup, DR and security infrastructure and manage it yourself because insurance premiums were cheaper than the product or service. Now, the outsourced service is half the new insurance bill and IT teams are seeing a more secure and efficient set up with MSPs where their staff can focus on more mission-critical initiatives or strategic projects to improve the business. Andrew Eva, Technical Director, Assured Data Protection Hyperscalers market their own brand of data protection Until recently, businesses always assumed the cloud would provide the safeguards and reassurance they needed when it Stacy Hayes Terry Storrar Andrew Eva
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