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Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD WAN): The Next Big Opportunity
SD-WAN services represent a significant new sales and revenue opportunity for partners.
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Recent articles by Craig Schlagbaum, Guest Blogger
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Building a Channel Legacy: Some Things Never Change
But as technology evolves and networks move to a software-centric model, IT vendors and channel partners will change their approach to services to remain relevant for the foreseeable future.
The Future Is Now
The very fabric of our industry is changing every day. And, ready or not, the future is now.
A Rock in Uncertain Times
The Communications Service Provider industry is in the midst of massive consolidation, creating instability and a fair amount of fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) among partners about what is going to come next. Mergers and acquisitions are nothing new to our industry; certainly, most of the big players in the market today are a result of consolidation over time.
The Channel’s SD-WAN Opportunity
As the IT channel prepares for massive change, solution providers should pay special attention to one of the most significant drivers of that transformation: SD-WAN.
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Is the Channel Ready for What Is to Come?
The IT channel is poised for monumental change, and a lot of the existing players, whether they are traditional IT partners or others, need to prepare for what’s to come.
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Don’t Forget the Bandwidth when Planning Cloud, IoT Projects
It’s no secret businesses are becoming more and more cloud-dependent as they move workloads away from the network core to a cloud infrastructure. The reasons for this are well understood: The cloud delivers scalability and elasticity more cost-effectively than you can get by expanding your in-house network.
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‘Influencer’ Relationships Take on Relevance as Technology Evolves
We continue to say there are two things left in life in this new technology world: data connectivity networks, plus applications and the cloud infrastructure they ride on. As the worlds of connectivity and IT continue to collide, solution providers on both the network and cloud sides will see more opportunities to partner and merge with each other, as well as with other types of partners.
Finding the Right Cloud Fit
Most businesses currently use the cloud for one or more of their IT functions, but as they look to add cloud services, many need help determining which approach is best: private, public or hybrid. Businesses will turn to their IT solutions providers for answers, so you need to be prepared to guide them through the process of determining which approach best fits their needs.
Back to the Future: The Cubs, the Channel and, of Course, Millennials
It’s an exciting time–and it’s not too difficult to predict that the excitement will continue. Business is expanding; mergers and acquisitions are creating enormous change, and; millennials are getting into the channel, bringing with them new thinking and inspiring crucial shifts in technology.
A Channel Nostradamus?
My sense was that as the world of physical hardware and “shrink-wrapped” software converged into one, where things would be sold “as a service,” I’d surely be able lead in this new frontier before all other new settlers headed for the gold rush. Or at least I would look like a genius if I were to get in front of it. Or, like the famous Nostradamus did in the early 1500s, I would see the future and live it!
Opening the Flood Gates
More and more partners are moving business toward service providers. The move is happening for the services we sell today and for new IT services in the cloud, both of which drive recurring revenue.
