Monday Morning Impact – May 31

Gartner: An Economic Boom on the Way?

More CEOs anticipate an economic boom (60%) than stagnation (40%) in 2021 and 2022, according to a recent survey of CEOs and senior executives by Gartner, Inc. Most respondents (35%) anticipate returning to or exceeding 2019 revenue levels as early as this year.

“CEOs’ top priorities for 2021 show confidence,” said Mark Raskino, distinguished research vice president at Gartner. “Over half report growth as their primary focus and see opportunity on the other side of the crisis, followed by technology change and corporate action.

“This year, all leaders will be working hard to decode what the post-pandemic world looks like and redeveloping mid- to long-range business strategy accordingly. In most cases, that will uncover a round of new structural changes to capability, location, products and business models.”

When it comes to specific technologies, CEOs see artificial intelligence (AI) as the most industry-impactful technology. Over 30% of respondents said that quantum computing will be highly relevant to their long-range business plans but are still not quite sure how.

Blockchain, 5G, AI and quantum computing are at the forefront of an emerging economic race between the U.S. and China, with one-third of CEOs believing that evolving trade disputes between the two nations over these technologies are a significant concern for their businesses.

Over 80% of CEOs expect enduring societal behavior change arising from the pandemic, such as a permanent shift to hybrid work. Shifts in customer behavior are expected as well. The biggest concern among CEOs is that customer demand will be constrained, particularly in industries such as travel, and that consumers and chief financial officers (CFOs) alike will hold back on related expenditures.

The annual Gartner 2021 CEO Survey was conducted between July 2020 to December 2020 among 465 actively employed CEOs and other senior business executives in North America, EMEA and APAC across different industries, revenue and company sizes. Gartner clients can read more in the report “2021 Gartner CEO Survey: The Year of Rebuilding.”

Channel Impact^®
While the pandemic has brought about substantial change to our ways of doing business, opportunities appear to be strong, according to most CEOs.

Verizon Business and RingCentral Announce Alliance for Enterprise Solutions

Verizon Business has announced a new strategic partnership with RingCentral to bring cloud-based enterprise communication solutions with integrated team messaging, video meetings, and a cloud phone system to enterprise businesses.

Verizon Business and RingCentral plan to develop a new co-branded service combining Verizon’s network solutions with RingCentral’s UCaaS platform.

“The ‘work from anywhere’ model will continue to be a major factor for businesses, and we’ve seen the importance of cloud communications growing stronger for enterprises in the past year,” said Tami Erwin, CEO at Verizon Business. “Through this partnership, we’re leveraging our best-in-class network with RingCentral’s expertise in cloud collaboration to deliver game-changing cloud-based solutions that meet the needs of enterprises today and future proof how they operate moving forward.”

The RingCentral with Verizon offer will be a key component of the Verizon Business network-as-a-service strategy, which includes 5G, mobile edge computing, SD WAN, and security.

Channel Impact^®
Delivery of this digital transformation solution seems especially well suited to address the communications needs of distributed workforces, while at the same time providing synergies for both companies.

ConnectWise Launches New Partner Program for Solution Providers and MSPs

ConnectWise, a provider of business automation software for technology solution providers (TSPs), has announced the launch of its new partner program intended to help partners grow their cybersecurity practice. The program is based on access to exclusive offerings, resources and support to help them improve profitability and scale of managed cybersecurity solutions.

The program is designed to meet three key objectives: to help TSPs build a more strategic, trusted relationship with their clients, to provide a world-class experience for partners and their clients, and to help partners introduce new value-added services to their clients while accelerating partner business growth.

“Back in 2018, we told our partners that cybersecurity was the next frontier, the next big revenue opportunity,” said ConnectWise CEO Jason Magee. “Partners told us they would value more proactive sales support on their journey to build leading cybersecurity practices, which is why our first priority with our new partner program is in this area.”

Benefits include access to a partner development manager, no-cost internal use licenses, market development funds, co-op marketing funds, and a free marketing concierge. As partners advance through each of four levels, they receive increased access to benefits.

“Cybersecurity will represent about 50% of a TSPs revenue by 2022—but it can be challenging for TSPs to know where to start to get things off the ground, or continue their efforts,” said Clint Maddox, CRO, ConnectWise. “We’re introducing the Partner Program now because we realize most of our partners want to launch a new practice or do more to scale their existing offerings and we have the technical aptitude and resources to help them do that effectively.”

Channel Impact^®
Cybersecurity is an area of opportunity for solution providers who want to attract new clients and improve retention and satisfaction among their existing ones. This program is intended to help partners build winning cybersecurity practices to address critical client needs while accelerating their own success and profitability.