Your customers and prospects are under a lot of strain these days. According to detailed findings from Telarus’ recently released “2024 - ’25 Tech Trends Report,” technology decision makers increasingly are driven by an imperative to balance both rapid innovation and cost management (see pages 38-45). All the while, C- suite confidence in their IT departments’ abilities to deliver basic services is waning, suggests a global study from IBM. Less than half (47 percent) of C- level technology executives surveyed think their IT organization is effective in basic services compared to 69 percent surveyed in 2013. Today, only 36 percent of surveyed CEOs and 50 percent of surveyed CFOs believe IT is effective at basic services, down from 64 percent and 60 percent, respectively since 2013. This all seems to suggest a screaming need for expert technology advisors and knowledgeable third-party partners. But make no mistake, the opportunity is not just about providing knowledge and expertise when it comes to emerging services such as AI, cybersecurity, cloud, next-gen networking or any other solution or technology. Even when the level of understanding of a particular technology or solution is adequate, IT decision makers also need help dealing with increased procurement complexities, shows the Telarus study. Slightly more than half of IT leaders admit that technology reviews are taking more time, while about four in 10 agreed that IT is struggling with the sheer number of new IT system acquisitions and admit that it’s becoming harder to determine which vendors to bet on in emerging service areas. More than a third said it is increasingly difficult to maintain talent that can properly oversee acquisitions in emerging tech. “The IT procurement process is only becoming more complex and time-intensive as decision makers juggle supplier identification and management, navigating vendor contracts and keeping pace with rapid advancements all while managing budget constraints and talent shortages,” said Telarus executives. With that in mind, this issue highlights many companies and solutions that specifically address the procurement headaches facing today’s IT departments. Starken Technologies, for instance (see page 62), is one of the first, if not only, LAN infrastructure project management companies with a formal channel program and deep personal experience in the voice and data channel. Starken offers a type of one-stop shop where channel partners can add a myriad of LAN infrastructure elements to a connectivity deal that are all procured, delivered, managed, installed and billed and then make a commission on that LAN equipment. Global MSP SmartCIC, meanwhile (page 36), introduced a comprehensive “through-the-line” model that simplifies and accelerates service delivery while providing greater visibility and control over each aspect of enterprise connectivity. The new platform provides access to international wholesale services, access technologies, local networking, shipping and logistics as well as onsite field services, all from a single pane of glass. On page 69, partners can learn about a deal between Telinta and VoIP Supply whereby ITSPs can more easily provision and deploy any number of VoIP endpoints that are offered by VoIP Supply. When an ITSP purchases IP phones, VoIP Supply can configure each device to automatically connect with Telinta’s cloud-based softswitch platform. This enables the phones to automatically download a complete provisioning profile from Telinta’s platform, without the need for installer visits or manual configuration. Similarly, neutral host networks (pages 19-22) dramatically reduce the complexities around provisioning, deploying and managing private wireless network infrastructure, while NHC (page 48) continues its messaging around “accessorizing your access sales” with ancillary services such as wireless back-up, cybersecurity and network monitoring in order for partners to increase the ARPU per location and manage more for their customers. The common denominator of all these instances, as executives at Telarus pointed out, is that technology advisors have a distinct opportunity to differentiate their businesses by becoming a “hero for today’s procurement woes.” Procurement Heroes LETTER Martin Vilaboy Editor-in-Chief martin@bekabusinessmedia.com Brady Hicks Contributing Editor brady@bekabusinessmedia.com Gerald Baldino Contributing Editor gerald@bekabusinessmedia.com Percy Zamora Art Director percy@bekabusinessmedia.com Jen Vilaboy Ad Production Director jen@bekabusinessmedia.com Berge Kaprelian Group Publisher berge@bekabusinessmedia.com (480) 503-0770 Beka Business Media Berge Kaprelian President and CEO Corporate Headquarters 10115 E Bell Road, Suite 107 - #517 Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 Voice: 480.503.0770 Email: berge@bekabusinessmedia.com © 2024 Beka Business Media, All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in any form or medium without express written permission of Beka Business Media is prohibited. ChannelVision and the ChannelVision logo are trademarks of Beka Business Media 6 CHANNELVISION | SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2024
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