Opinion

Opinion

Channel Business Management

• Don't fear the robots right now

  Visions of robots taking over might still be the stuff of science fiction with the channel finding a role to play helping customers use the AI and automation tools that are around now  Continue Reading

• I never said the channel is dying

  Don't shoot the messenger but turn the criticism on those who like to spout the message that the channel has no future  Continue Reading

• A touch of simplicity in a complex world

  Karen Falcone, principal director of European channel sales and programs, Sungard AS has some advice for those looking to chart a course through an increasingly connected world  Continue Reading

• There’s a massive disconnect in British business

  UK businesses think they’re great communicators - but that’s because they’re bad listeners argues Nick Booth  Continue Reading

• Barracuda taking positive steps in revenue hunt

  Barracuda is looking to double its revenue and has been recruiting partners to help, a move which has got the support of Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• The diversity shame in the industry

  The recent views from a former Google employee have highlighted the work that still needs to be done around diversity with Billy MacInnes scratching his head over why the problem is still such a big one in IT  Continue Reading

• Bridging the channel’s future-proofing skills gap

  Dan Milo, head of SME strategy and IT consultant, Targus, discusses why training shouldn’t just help channel partners sell, but give them a vision of the future  Continue Reading

• The channel are critical change agents for digitally transformation

  The channel’s role goes beyond providing tech and systems integration services. It has a responsibility to consult on ways businesses can save money via improved efficiency and collaboration, argues Simon Skellon, vice president, Mitel, UK  Continue Reading

• UKFast takes the right steps to help the next generation

  The move by UKFast to help its graduates pay off some of their student loans has got the thumbs up from Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• In praise of the power of partnerships

  Some of the most famous partnerships have changed the world, just look at Lennon and McCartney, and the same can be true in the tech world Billy MacInnes discovers  Continue Reading

• Why wouldn't you support apprenticeships?

  The decision to reduce funding for firms providing apprenticeships has got Billy MacInnes scratching his head over the strategy  Continue Reading

• Let's hope uncertain times leads to more IT spending

  The views of Claranet that the spending on digital transformation has increased as the economic and political landscape has become more uncertain has intrigued Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• Will it be a Brexit through the gift shop for your EU competitors?

  Some fanatics are passionate about failure for the UK IT industry. Nick Booth wonders if they will be disappointed.  Continue Reading

• Going direct will not provide the complete solution

  Buying directly from the vendor might sound like an attractive idea but it is unlikely to provide the end result customers are looking for, argues Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• Unpicking the claims behind the attention grabbing headline

  The claim that small firms without a web site were losing substantial amounts of money attracted the attentions of Billy MacInnes who wanted to work out just where the numbers had come from  Continue Reading

• Getting the degree was the easy bit

  Life for graduates is increasingly difficult and Billy MacInnes discovers that some are starting to wonder if it's not better to just get involved with the IT industry at the earliest opportunity  Continue Reading

• A surprising number of SMEs blamed a lack of finance for stalling growth

  Revelations that a lack of finance is holding back some SMEs surprised Billy MacInnes in terms of the volume of firms expressing problems  Continue Reading

• Dell EMC turns it up to 11

  Spinal Tap liked to push the speakers as far as they would go and Dell EMC looks like it might be trying to do the same, according to Billy MacInnes, with its partner programme  Continue Reading

• How many channel partners are too many?

  It is an almost unanswerable question but Billy MacInnes wonders just how many channel partners are too many  Continue Reading

• Patents = innovation? Maybe not

  Just because a company files lots of patents does not necessarily mean that innovation is alive and well argues Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• What IT leaders should be putting on their Christmas wish list

  Gary Bell, executive director - outsourcing, Civica shares his advice about just what technologies customers should be looking to invest in to make sure they start of 2017 with a bang  Continue Reading

• Business has to stand for something

  With so much happening in the political world at the moment it is hard for business leaders to keep silent on their views, notes Billy Macinnes  Continue Reading

• Channel people still play a vital role

  Hearing that channel firms are growing is welcome news for Billy MacInnes and he wonders just what is driving that success  Continue Reading

• Five tips for managing currency risk ahead of the US election

  With the US election only three weeks away, Alex Edwards, head of the corporate desk at UKForex, gives his five top tips for managing currency risk, whatever the outcome  Continue Reading

• Who can hold out against price rises?

  Moves announced by Microsoft to increase prices are perhaps inevitable concludes Billy MacInnes as he casts his eye over the post Brexit landscape  Continue Reading

• Let's have a meeting in the echo chamber

  There is a real danger, according to some research that has come to the attention of Billy MacInnes, that meetings are failing in their purpose  Continue Reading

• Winning gold in the technology race

  It has been a glorious summer for Olympians and Gary Bell, executive director - outsourcing at Civica draws some inspiration for IT users  Continue Reading

• SMEs taking ownership of big IT contracts

  IT Legal expert Louise Handley of Leeds-based law firm 3volution says IT SME contractors shouldn’t be afraid to scrutinise the small print when chasing deals with big clients  Continue Reading

• Access, not ownership: financing software in the channel

  Ownership does not have to be the be all and end all according to Tristan Watkins, CEO, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions UK  Continue Reading

• The Brexit phoney war

  Ten weeks after Brexit and the world has not yet ended. Billy MacInnes casts his eye over the figures proclaiming it is all slightly better business as usual  Continue Reading

• How to build a winning sales culture

  Mark Banfield, Autotask's senior VP International, provides five proven strategies that will help you strengthen sales culture in your organisation  Continue Reading

• Going for gold takes serious effort

  Gold medal winners put in years of preparation and the same is true of those leading the way in the channel  Continue Reading

• Living with skill shortages

  The world is suffering from IT skill shortages but that might just be something we all have to get used to concludes Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• 8 tips for creating a successful sales methodology for IT services

  Mark Banfield, senior vice president, International, Autotask, shares some advice about how to create a successful sales methodology  Continue Reading

• Distribution deserves some credit for its positive moves

  With Tech Data and Ingram Micro both increasing credit for SME focused partners Billy Macinnes applauds them for their positive steps  Continue Reading

• No longer business as usual

  There might be some happy to pretend that after Brexit it is business as usual but it is far from that according to Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• The expensive LinkedIn dream

  Microsoft might have big dreams of what life will be like after it completes the takeover of LinkedIn and Billy MacInnes wonders what they are  Continue Reading

• The Hubspot story can be an inspiration to us all

  Could you write a book about the IT industry as good as Disrupted? In your dreams, Steven King!  Continue Reading

• Channel matchmaker: Consider Neo

  In his ongoing mission to identify vendors that could benefit from working with the channel, Nick Booth has another firm to bring under the spotlight  Continue Reading

• Channel matchmaker: Look over the otherside of the Channel

  In his regular series highlighting potential partnership opportunities for resellers Nick Booth highlights some French options  Continue Reading

• Scottish tech start ups looking for channel support

  In his latest update of firms that are looking for channel supporters Nick Booth finds a couple of contenders North of the border  Continue Reading

• You want systems for Retail? Well here is the detail

  Nick Booth is back with another piece revealing partnering opportunities for resellers tempted by some foreign entrants to the UK  Continue Reading

• The money makers need to talk more about data and security

  There could come a time when data and security strategies start to matter as much to investors as the latest update on the P&L finds Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• Speed and digital transformation might not be the best mix

  Few would argue against the need for more customers to embrace digital transformation but Billy MacInnes warns against rushing that process  Continue Reading

• Channel matchmaker: Two to take a look at

  The firms looking for channel partners continue to keep coming with Nick Booth highlighting a couple of potential opportunities  Continue Reading

• Is it Information Technology or Income Tax?

  IT used to stand for one thing when it was associated with tech firms. But as Billy MacInnes argues it now has a different meaning for many  Continue Reading

• So that's what Android is doing for Google

  Billy MacInnes pores over recent details of the contribution that the Android OS is making to Google  Continue Reading

• Is the golden age of disruptive technology coming to an end?

  Nick Booth casts an eye over some of the claims that are made by marketing types and wonders if things will change with technology supporting consensual data collection  Continue Reading

• Trust is so crucial to the CIO relationship

  A lot of CIOs still use gut instinct but also rely on the advice of their channel partner, which Billy MacInnes believes is good news  Continue Reading

• Reducing staff turnover in IT and telecommunications

  Kim Lewin, VP sales and operations EMEA, WorkForce Software, provides some advice for keeping staff happy  Continue Reading

• Acer still has a way to go

  Acer's CEO has talked of the firm getting back to the top of the PC market but as Billy MacInnes goes through the latest results it is clear work still needs to be done  Continue Reading

• Does spending $67bn guarantee success?

  Dell might have made history with its offer for EMC but as Billy MacInnes ponders over the deal it is far from clear that means it will be a success  Continue Reading

• Dell resellers get to say 'I told you so'

  Those resellers that embraced Dell when it returned to the channel almost eight years ago have even more reasons to think they made a wise decision  Continue Reading

• If generation z wants change they better start voting for it

  Generation z has expressed high expectations about what they want from the workplace but Billy MacInnes argues that those ambitions should inspire more action  Continue Reading

• Can you speak business?

  Simon Cuthbert, sales and marketing director of mobile data security company ExactTrak, advises resellers to sell on business issues  Continue Reading

• Syscap boss pedalling to Paris

  Syscap managing director Philip White is donning the Lycra and cycling 230 miles from London to Paris later this week to raise money for Help for Heroes  Continue Reading

• Settling the anti-poaching quarrel

  It has taken more than three years but finally arguments about poaching staff between Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe have been settled  Continue Reading

• Learning innovation – driving revenue growth in the IT world

  Staff are already working as hard as possible so how can they be supported to work smarter? Ian Helps is a director of Consalia, and looks at the benefits of innovative thinking  Continue Reading

• The right mixture of sun and breeze

  Having just got back from Italy Billy MacInnes muses on how the channel is a bit like perfect summer weather  Continue Reading

• Wearables – fad or function?

  Dr Peter Chadha, CEO of DrPete Technology Experts, argues that wearable technology is here to stay  Continue Reading

• Data that comes after a promise of responsibility

  Some of the firms that harvest user data and exploit it can give the recruitment industry a bad name but Nick Booth thinks he has found an exception that could change things  Continue Reading

• Press 5 if you want to speak to a human

  With the spotlight on customer service Billy MacInnes bemoans the delays that customers can face navigating through automated phone systems  Continue Reading

• The mis-alignment between customers and service providers

  Recent findings from LogicNow revealed that many customers were not on the same page as their service providers and Billy MacInnes has some thoughts on why  Continue Reading

• Managers need to get home working

  There are several theories why home working has not yet taken off more widely but Billy MacInnes thinks some of the answer might be to do with the management  Continue Reading

• Happy to talk to a website

  The days when customers were keen to talk to people are being replaced by users clicking through websites  Continue Reading

• Vendors waste millions on the NetNots of the channel

  The problem with IT is it’s a people business – with rewards for those who are good at networking and notworking  Continue Reading

• Time to take the Survey Monkey

  Nick Booth got the chance to talk to the new managing director at Survey Monkey and presented him with an interview format he would be all too familiar with  Continue Reading

• Planning for growth: The importance of a birds-eye view in service delivery

  How can IT services ensure they are ready for what lies ahead? Jim Shulkin, VP of marketing at Changepoint, has some answers  Continue Reading

• The danger of rising prices

  HP's CEO admitted that as a result of exchange rates it will have to adjust prices but what if its competitors decide against it is a question on the mind of Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• Minding your own business

  When channel relationships change Billy MacInnes wonders if sometimes there is an urge from those distributors involved just to concentrate on their own activities  Continue Reading

• The problem with meetings

  Beware filling staff diaries with meetings as very few will thank you for it says Nick Booth  Continue Reading

• Apple's billions and the questions it raises over tax

  Apple's recent financial results once again put the issue of corporation tax back in the spotlight and provoked some thoughts from Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• ICT matters but don't forget the three R's

  Billy MacInnes is not too happy about the idea that somehow ICT now ranks above other subjects, including English and Maths  Continue Reading

• Does your marketing machine need lubrication?

  Nick Booth wonders if M2M mobile marketing could drive the channel 2 drink?  Continue Reading

• Time for a different approach to Honours

  Billy MacInnes probably scuppers his own chances of a knighthood as he calls for a fresh approach to rewarding good deeds  Continue Reading

• BBC was wrong to single out Apple in Panorama investigation

  The Panorama special accused Apple of not doing enough to look after workers in the supply chain. Sean McGrath argues that the investigation was flawed  Continue Reading

• How to Influence the Influencers

  One of the key components of the marketing mix is to get onto the radar of the leading industry analysts – a task that is not always easy  Continue Reading

• Living within the means despite the credit on offer

  More firms are viewing the economy as improving but not that many are leaping to take on more debt  Continue Reading

• Mind the gap and find the right skills

  Billy MacInnes looks back over some recent market coverage and exposes skills gaps at different ends of the market  Continue Reading

• Value your relationships and you’ll go far

  Christian Putz, Violin Memory vice president, EMEA channel sales, shares his views on just what makes a decent channel relationship  Continue Reading

• Myth conceptions about IT

  There are many myths and legendary figures in IT and as Nick Booth finds some are still around trying to pull their own sword out of the stone  Continue Reading

• When ten miles is just too far

  We are all being encouraged to work flexibly but as Billy MacInnes discovers a short move proved simply too much for Reddit's CEO  Continue Reading

• The rise of the millennial heralds a golden age of IT

  Todd Thibodeaux, CEO at CompTIA argues that, far from representing a threat, the rise of ‘Generation Y’ offers a golden opportunity for the channel to put IT at the heart of the HR function  Continue Reading

• Could MozFest 2014 help create a more open web in the future?

  The Internet has created a big revolution, creating a world that favours big data, big government and big corporations, but there’s still scope for the channel to sweat the small stuff.  Continue Reading

• It's time to split

  Billy Macinnes wonders just what it must feel like for those staff at HP and Symantec facing a future working for a split business  Continue Reading

• Miliband might want more IT apprenticeships but will he get them?

  The Labour Party leader Ed Miliband has called for more apprenticeships, particularly in the IT sector, but Billy MacInnes is doubtful changes will happen quickly  Continue Reading

• The channel needs the right blend of youth and experience

  Nick Booth believes that the emphasis on coding is a welcome move that could solve a looming skills crisis  Continue Reading

• SMBs and the channel – one size doesn’t fit all

  Neil Bramley, Northern Europe business unit director, B2B at Toshiba, believes that channel can make a strong play in the SME market as trusted advisors  Continue Reading

• Listing the ingredients for a decent channel event

  Vendors, distributors and resellers all like to get the message across at events. But not all seminars and roadshows go well and Simon Quicke has some thoughts on why  Continue Reading

• Time to take a different financial approach

  The way that SMEs look for finance is changing and Billy MacInnes believes that the channel will need to react  Continue Reading

• Choosing the right vendors to accelerate a changing business

  Getting hands on the budget is becoming an increasingly complex task and requires having a portfolio of varied vendor solutions argues Eric Jorgensen, VP sales EMEA, Virtual Instruments  Continue Reading

• How to deliver a decent partner programme

  There are several key mistakes that can undermine any partner programme and make life miserable for resellers and vendors  Continue Reading

• Can you really motivate the channel with boot camps?

  Stand by your beds! There’s a rash of military style training courses for the channel. But Nick Booth wonders if they work?  Continue Reading

• The flexible meaning of BYOD

  BYOD means many things to many people and that just might be the key to its success argues Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• Garth Brooks highlights the limits of technology

  The ticketing mess left after country music legend Garth Brooks cancelled his concerts is one that Billy MacInnes thinks would even fox the smartest IT  Continue Reading

• Hardware support needs fixing up

  Providers of technology maintenance and support services need to deliver more streamlined and connected services if they are to survive, writes Glyn Doddin  Continue Reading

• Going commando on the sales pitch

  Billy MacInnes wonders just what makes a decent channel sales pitch  Continue Reading

• Time to avoid gut instinct

  Making decisions just on your git instinct might not be the right way to seal channel partnerships finds Nick Booth  Continue Reading

• The costs of failing to provide training

  Overlooking training can have some pretty major implications as Billy MacInnes discovers  Continue Reading

• The backlash over Snowden could hurt US firms

  Those countries looking for an excuse to boost their own tech activities and criticise the US might use Snowden for those ends finds Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading