Researchers at Ingram Micro Cloud are highlighting three big trends in their second annual industry research and analysis report, the 2021 State of the Channel. They focus on three trends.
First, a requirement to “power and protect the work-from-home experience”. End customers will require strategies and technologies that keep their employees happy and productive, while also safeguarding a security perimeter redefined by remote work.
The second is for partners to “evolve beyond the role of the IT guy”. The modern service provider will become a channel-first experience builder, a specialized strategic partner and an ecosystem driver.
Finally, the top three cloud providers are increasing their stakes in the channel, making providers more critical, and also “require MSPs to participate in partner certification programs offered by big cloud players.”
The report cites several stats of note.
- First, a claim that the top 20% of MSPs will command 80% of the market revenue gains during and after the pandemic.
- 42.8 percent of the American workforce is now fully remote
- 90 percent of B2B decision-makers predict that the remote model will persist going forward
Ready for a bit of confusing news as related to that first trend? Google on Thursday pushed back indefinitely their reopening of offices… and Twitter is reopening its San Francisco and New York offices today. The key difference? The Google position is about workers in the office as an expectation, and Twitter is about facilities, as returning to the office is simply an option. Proof of vaccination is required to enter a Twitter office.
I slipped that uncertainty in to link the current state of play with the trend. The reality on the ground doesn’t indicate that the future is a rush back to the office. Twitter’s approach of giving control to employees, while offering facilities for those that want it, just seems directionally smart.
Ingram’s research shouldn’t be groundbreaking for longtime listeners – cloud, disperse work, and moving beyond just IT. Familiar trends.