Tuesday Morning Impact – December 26

Tech Sector Gains 8,100 Jobs in November

The IT sector employment grew by an estimated 8,100 jobs last month, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics by CompTIA, a trade association based in suburban Chicago.

Meanwhile, IT occupations in other industries grew by an estimated 243,000 jobs in November, the largest monthly job gain since 2015.

“Some of the gains are likely due to offsetting the loss of 77,000 jobs from the previous month,” said Tim Herbert, senior vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA. “There is a degree of uncertainty and volatility in the monthly occupation-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; the trend line over time is the more important indicator.”

Two employment categories accounted for November’s employment growth within the IT sector. Computer and electronic products manufacturing added an estimated 3,800 jobs, including some 2,200 positions in the sub-category of computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing. Meanwhile, IT services and custom software development also added 3,800 jobs last month. The services and software category has been the primary jobs engine for the tech industry in 2017. For the year this category is up an estimated 115,700 jobs.

Two other categories recorded positive employment growth during the period. Data processing, hosting and related services employment increased by an estimated 2,000 jobs. Other information services, including search portals, added 1,800 positions.

As has been the case throughout the year, job losses in telecommunications countered employment growth in other categories. In November, telecommunications lost an estimated 3,300 positions. In total, more than 55,000 jobs have been lost as the sector continues to migrate away from legacy products and services.

Channel Impact^®
While the report is positive for the overall industry, the statistics for jobs postings were down, suggesting the possibility for some degree of softening as the year comes to a close.

Tech Data Launches Tech-as-a-Service Offering

Tech Data announced the launch of “Tech-as-a-Service,” (TaaS), a new offering that enables solution providers to bundle hardware, software, and services into a single monthly subscription. Services can be scaled-up or scaled-down throughout the course of the subscription term, based on the desires of the client as well as shifting business conditions.

“Through this new end-to-end model, our customers can enable their clients to grow in next-generation technologies without a large capital outlay, by allowing end customers to pay a monthly subscription,” said Linda Rendleman, vice president of product marketing at Tech Data. “Best of all, our channel partners are able to share cutting-edge technologies that their customers need to run their businesses—while leveraging Tech Data’s specialized services or delivering their own—all under one subscription.”

Partner benefits include up-front, in-full payments to reduce the number of cash days, an accelerated refresh cycle that includes automatic renewal with device upgrades, and the availability of specialized services.

The program is available immediately in the U.S. and is expected to launch during the first quarter of 2018 in Canada.

Channel Impact^®
Through this initiative, channel partners and end customers will have the ability to more easily increase worker productivity, reduce IT and procurement workload and cut costs by bundling hardware and services.

Cisco and Digicel Sign Agreement for Digital Transformation in Caribbean and Central America

Cisco and Digicel, a major telecommunication services provider in the Caribbean, have signed a Caribbean Countries Digitization Agreement outlining their objectives and strategic plans to accelerate digitization for 26 countries in the Caribbean and Central America.

Under the Frame Agreement, the two companies will develop a digitization vision for each country for both the immediate and the long term, defining areas for implementation and specific projects, such as Healthcare/Telemedicine, Smart Cities, and Connected Schools, as well as to develop an educational strategy. The goal is to create a pipeline of projects for the future, including infrastructure enhancement and island recovery.

“Digitization is a key driver for economic development in any country,” said Alison Gleeson, Cisco’s Senior Vice President of the Americas. “Through this partnership with Digicel, our goal is to grow GDP, create new jobs and invest in a sustainable innovation ecosystem across public and private sectors in the Caribbean and Central America,”

The initial list of targeted countries includes: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, French West Indies, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Panama, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Digicel operates in 32 markets throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and Asia Pacific, and has been a long-time authorized Cisco reseller.

Channel Impact^®
The initiative is based on the premise that as digitization accelerates, cutting edge infrastructure will increase a country’s GDP, reduce spending and create jobs.