Monday Morning Impact – May 3

Gartner Forecasts Worldwide IT Spending to Reach $4 Trillion in 2021

Worldwide IT spending is projected to total $4.1 trillion in 2021, an increase of 8.4% from 2020, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc. The source of funds for new digital business initiatives will more frequently come from business departments outside IT and charged as a cost of revenue or cost of goods sold (COGS).

“IT no longer just supports corporate operations as it traditionally has, but is fully participating in business value delivery,” said John-David Lovelock, distinguished research vice president at Gartner. “Not only does this shift IT from a back-office role to the front of business, but it also changes the source of funding from an overhead expense that is maintained, monitored and sometimes cut, to the thing that drives revenue.”

All IT spending segments are forecast to have positive growth through 2022, but the highest growth is expected to come from devices (14%) and enterprise software (10.8%) as organizations shift their focus to providing a more comfortable, innovative and productive environment for their workforce.

“Last year, IT spending took the form of a ‘knee jerk’ reaction to enable a remote workforce in a matter of weeks. As hybrid work takes hold, CIOs will focus on spending that enables innovation, not just task completion,” added Lovelock.

From an industry perspective, banking and securities and insurance spending will likely resemble pre-pandemic levels as early as 2021, while retail and transportation won’t see the same recovery until closer to 2023.

Latin America is expected to recover in 2024, while Greater China has already surpassed 2019 IT spending levels. North America and Western Europe are both expected to recover in late 2021.

The most recent IT spending forecast research is available to Gartner clients in “Gartner Market Databook, 1Q21 Update.”

Channel Impact^®
While the data show across-the-board growth, it is interesting to note an industry shift in which IT takes a greater role in company strategic initiatives at the business level.

Otava Announces Enhanced Cloud Services Partner Program

Otava, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company focused on secure hybrid cloud solutions, has announced new enhancements to its partner program.

The updates include a new partner portal featuring deal registration and management, 150 co-brandable enablement tools, and dedicated marketing campaign assistance and trainers. The new benefits complement Otava’s existing white label and wholesale program which allows partners to utilize their company name instead of Otava’s and control pricing margin and 1st call operational support. Other key features include dedicated consultation and support and access to the vendor’s partner ecosystem.

“We are proud to roll out the latest advancements to our program because our unique approach makes it significantly easier for our partners to be successful,” said Brad Cheedle, CEO of Otava. “Additionally, we pride ourselves in providing hands-on consultative engagement with our experts every step of the way to ensure success in selling, training, and supporting cloud solutions, areas where other providers are notoriously absent. Ultimately this means higher margins, faster growth and better client relationships for our partners.”

As new partners join the program, a dedicated partner manager conducts the onboarding and creates a customized plan. Otava resources, including sales and solutions architects, serve as extensions of its partners’ teams to help drive success and make it easier to develop and close deals. The entire partner lifecycle is designed to create long-term service provider relationships that support the advancement of business objectives through the benefits of cloud services.

Channel Impact^®
The advancements are designed to make it easy for service providers to deliver and manage compliant and customizable cloud, data protection, security, and colocation solutions for their customers.

Avant Announces the New Trusted Advisor Academy

Avant Communications, a Chicago-based master agent, has rolled out a new education platform for its sub-agent community. The so-called, “Trusted Advisor Academy” is intended to help channel partners adjust to competing in a world of next-generation technologies by fostering the knowledge and skills necessary to agnostically evaluate a customer’s business needs, and to put forward by the specific solutions to meet those needs.

The new certification program is currently made up of four courses that are strategically designed for Trusted Advisors new to a technology or in need of a refresher.

“Many of our highest performing partners expressed an urgent need for agnostic technology and sales trainings to enable Trusted Advisors to confidently navigate the constantly changing market,” said Shane McNamara, Avant’s Executive Vice President of Engineering and Operations. “As a result, we gathered partner feedback and dedicated countless resources to creating a Trusted Advisor certification program for some of today’s hottest technologies. Housed in our brand-new Trusted Advisor Academy, the certification courses will empower our partners to help customers make the best next generation technology decisions for their business.”

The new certifications focus on UCaaS, CCaaS, Security and BaaS / DRaaS technologies. Each certification course begins with a brief history of the technology, an explanation of the “as a service” solution, comparison of deployment options, case studies and definitions for foundational terms. An emphasis is placed on business drivers, objections/rebuttals, and the structure of the pitch.

Once participants complete all required modules and quizzes, they earn a certification badge to showcase their knowledge and expertise.

The training tracks are accessible on the company’s “Pathfinder” partner enablement platform.

Channel Impact^®
Training and certification courses can strengthen the expertise and credibility of the channel partner.