A report from CompTIA found that the channel is finding success when working more closely with individual teams in organisations rather than sticking to the IT department as their key entry point.
Apparently tech businesses can help companies expand their engagement with customers when they approach and build relationships with non-IT executives because it’s helping them find innovative ways to build profitability.
Working directly with accounting, HR, marketing, and operations departments means the channel can identify the company’s true needs and understand the business better rather than using a single communication point in the IT department.
CompTIA said that the cloud was providing more opportunities for the channel, enabling some managed service providers to transform into independent software vendors with innovations of their own to share with customers. This is boosting profitability as they adapt to changing market conditions.
Customer spending is increasing too, as customers realise that immediate ROI isn’t necessarily a priority anymore. Businesses are happy to invest if their tech solutions will offer longer-term benefits, rather than immediate financial returns, the report said.
CompTIA warned that there is currently a rush to introduce new products and services to market which means that some solutions haven’t been thoroughly tested and the quality is suffering.
The range of solutions available is causing confusion for vendors too, with mixed go-to-market strategies that don’t have a clear line to sale. This is also impacting the channel as margins vary so much, it’s unclear which products should be a priority.
