Monday Morning Impact – May 10
Study Shows Emphasis on Training and New Career Paths
A recent survey of HR professionals finds 67% report placing more emphasis on reskilling and upskilling efforts, according to CompTIA, a technology trade association based in suburban Chicago.
The association’s “Workforce and Learning Trends 2021” report also shows that the need is even more pressing for large organizations, with 79% pursuing initiatives to address skills gaps and a tightening labor market for tech talent. Year-to-date U.S. employers posted nearly one million job ads seeking to hire a range of IT infrastructure, software, cybersecurity, data and emerging tech positions.
Seventy-four percent of HR professionals report concern over workplace digital divides. In response, nearly 40% report offering new or expanded broadband and technology stipends to work-from-home (WFH) staff. The majority of HR professionals expect pandemic induced WFH arrangements to remain in place to some degree on a permanent basis.
Beyond the critical day-to-day role of enabling remote work and virtual business models, technology continues to touch every facet of the workforce in new ways. Approximately one in three HR professionals expect artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled technologies to begin having a significant impact in human resource management. Another 46% expect AI and related smart data and automating technologies to have a moderate impact. The top areas where HR professionals are actively using or exploring AI-enabled tools include competency assessments and hiring process management (71%), employee self-service (ESS) tools (71%) and career pathway modeling (68%).
“Despite some misperceptions and misgivings, AI-enabled technologies and data-driven tools will increasingly play a role in learning and career development,” said Tim Herbert, executive vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA. “The quest to move beyond mundane one-size-fits-all approaches with greater personalization and flexibility has the potential to further cultivate a continuous learning mindset for both workers and employers.”
A strong majority of HR professionals (three in four) report support for relaxing or eliminating the four-year degree requirement for job candidates. For many positions, the four-year degree prerequisite and other forms of “over-spec’ing” create artificial barriers to expanding the labor pipeline. Forty-four percent of HR professionals acknowledge organizational resistance to change as a source of friction in changing practices around four-year degree requirements, while another 42% acknowledge the “safer choice” mindset.
With most HR professionals expecting to be in hiring mode over the next 12 months, especially for technology roles (62%) and sales, marketing or customer service roles (55%), the need to consider alternative learning and career pathways is apparent. A net 83% of HR professionals indicate the will consider candidates for IT support and helpdesk positions without a four-year degree, with similar levels of consideration for related positions in data and databases (80%), software or web development (75%) and cybersecurity (73%).
The study aggregates data and expertise from a number of sources, including a survey of 400 U.S. human resources and workforce learning professionals conducted during Q1 2021.
Channel Impact®
Many of the thought processes around effective workplace support were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of the study underscore the need for changes to the overall approach to doing business.
Check Point Software Updates Channel Strategy
Check Point Software Technologies has announced four new initiatives in its global partner program aimed at accelerating partner revenues and profitability. Under the revised plan partners registering deals with new customers will receive an additional 25% margin. Sales of new technologies, such as Check Point CloudGuard and Check Point Harmony attract an extra discount of 15%, to help partners address customers’ needs to secure their cloud deployments and remote workforces.
Engineers at partner organizations can achieve certification in delivering services based around Check Point solutions, enabling partners to develop closer long-term relationships with customers, achieve higher-value sales, and differentiate themselves.
The program now features scalable, pre-approved campaigns that allow partners to customize existing marketing content to target the segments they want to reach. These pre-packaged campaigns streamline and accelerate partners’ marketing campaigns to generate leads and drive customer engagement.
“These new initiatives will help all of our partners – from innovative start-ups to industry giants – to identify, nurture and secure new sales opportunities with both new and existing customers to improve revenue predictability,” said Frank Rauch, Head of Worldwide Channels at Check Point. “It also gives them added rewards to boost their profitability. Check Point remains committed to its 100% business channel model.”
Check Point’s Partner Growth Program was first introduced in January 2020.
Channel Impact®
The enhancements are designed to give extra rewards for new customer wins and new technology sales. The professional services program, lead-generation campaigns and support tools were also expanded.
Trend Micro Updates Channel Program to Advance Cloud Security and Services
Trend Micro, a Dallas-based cybersecurity company, has announced a major refresh of its partner program to provide more cloud services resources and rewards.
“Our new program increases partner profits, provides platforms and tools for partners to build their cloud services, and adds new, streamlined procurement options to help partners meet customers’ needs and build long-term relationships,” said Louise McEvoy, Vice President of U.S. Channels for Trend Micro. “We’ve listened to our partners and evolved our program to advance their cloud security practice and service offerings to help our joint customers operate efficiently in this ever-changing time.”
The new program offers service-oriented pre-sales support, co-selling tools, and free access to Trend Micro’s cloud security posture management solution, Cloud One – Conformity, that can accelerate and automate well-architected security assessments.
Increased deal registration discounts to protect margins for partners who register opportunities.
Trend Micro’s cloud-first program and new enablement platforms are intended to enable partners to build their cloud service bundles and grow their businesses more profitably on the AWS Marketplace. Partners are entitled to full use of the new white-label cybersecurity assessment services, cloud risk assessment tool, and can enroll in the Trend Micro professional service partner program.
Trend Micro has 7,000 employees across 65 countries.
Channel Impact®
The objective of the revamped program is around simplicity and profitability.
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