Round Table

Awareness of IT’s environment impact, as well as the enablement role it plays in improving society’s carbon footprint, are now dominant considerations for Australian IT providers and their customers. ARN recently brought together a panel of industry experts to discuss how far we’ve come in the quest for sustainable IT. This roundtable was sponsored by Symantec.

The UC market is full of a range of vendors promoting tools that allow organisations to communicate and collaborate more effectively. But according to roundtable attendees, third-party offerings have to integrate successfully if UC is really going to take-off with customers.

The unified communications concept has been floating around for several years now, but what does it mean today, and where are customers in terms of adoption? ARN recently brought together several industry experts to discuss collaboration and communication, the impact on infrastructure and local opportunities.

The cornerstone of a successful UC implementation is having up-to-date user information. DiData’s Brian Walshe said integrators often took for granted that identity information within a customer’s organisation was accurate and managed properly.

ARN pulled together a panel of industry representatives to discuss how to position security solutions successfully to 5-499 seat organisations in today’s economic climate. This roundtable was held in conjunction with Symantec.

One of the tougher questions posed during the roundtable was the future of the traditional systems integrator in software-as-a-service world.

The benefits that an on-demand, subscription-based software model offers in terms of recurring revenue are clear. But transitioning across does represent a complete rethink of traditional quarterly targets and compensation for sales staff.

Roundtable: Attendees

Software-as-a-service is coming to the fore as organisations look to rein in their IT costs and gain better software efficiencies. ARN recently hosted a roundtable with a group of industry representatives to talk about the pros and cons of an on-demand world.

One trend many of our Selling Solution roundtable attendees were witnessing was stronger bonds between vendor and reseller. Traditionally, in tough times, vendors have reverted to a direct sales model in order to hold onto customers. But many believe this attitude is finally dead and buried. Avaya’s Andy Hurt said the company was tweaking its partner qualification processes and engaging a broader base of resellers to ensure market share long-term.

While selling solutions is not about pushing one vendor’s range of products, having a well-recognised brand to backup your offering is an important part of the equation, Avnet’s Gavin Lawless said.

How to sell solutions to customers has always triggered debate, but most believe identifying the business pain points is the first step in discovering what a customer’s IT requirements really area. IBM’s Joe Arcuri broke down customer buying behaviour into three areas: Growing top-line revenue, reducing bottom-line costs, and reducing risk.

Nadia Cameron, ARN (NC): What are some of the key steps in making a solutions sale?

It seems every one and his dog is getting into the managed services game. And with good reason. For customers look to move more spending out of the CapEx column and into OpEx, a managed services model presents a cost-effective and highly visible way to manage IT systems.

ARN recently pulled together a range of industry representatives to talk how to make a strategic solutions sale.

Managed services providers (MSPs) attending ARN’s recent roundtable claimed a proactive approach around delivering technology could be a business enabler for end users. It also allowed the service provider to move up and talk to higher levels of management, which brought about a better understanding of the business requirements and demands.

SMBs have always been thought of as the sweet spot for managed services providers, but many are also experiencing strong take-up in the mid-tier through to enterprise space.

While managed services providers at our roundtable have strong branding and value-based offerings, customers are often confused about what managed services entails, or who to trust. So how do you ensure prospective customers can tell a true and adequate managed services offering, from a rebadge break/fix service?

It may be the silver lining in an otherwise stormy economy, but that doesn’t mean the managed services game is not without its challenges. TREVOR CLARKE reports.

Managing IT systems and staff is a massive trial for any business, but when you’re experiencing growth through expansion and acquisition it’s even more challenging. Taking a managed services approach allowed one organisation get a grip on its infrastructure, as MATTHEW SAINSBURY found out.