Companies in the business of technology and information technology (IT) professionals are optimistic that the new-year will bring a return to growth and new strategic innovations, according to a new report published by CompTIA.
10 Trends to Watch in 2021
The Workplace Can No Longer Be Easily Defined – The definition of a workplace has changed, and likely for good. The swift move from traditional office-based work to full-time at-home work has exposed upsides and downsides that companies will need to balance in the year ahead.
Changes in Business Travel Drive Innovation – Just as many workers discovered they could be as effective at their day-to-day jobs seated at home, many also found that business travel might not be as essential either—at least not in its past form and frequency.
The Impact of Regulation Goes Beyond New Laws – “Techlash” has faded as a buzzword, but the sentiment is still real. Across the political spectrum, consumers and clients continue to have concerns about the market power of tech giants and the way data is handled.
Technology Budgets Experience Stealth Growth – Technology opportunities are moving beyond hardware installations and software licensing into a wide array of possibilities as businesses integrate technology into their long-term goals. Robust spending may not be obvious when it is allocated across IT department and business unit budgets.
Proactive Cybersecurity Takes a Big Step Forward – Momentum toward a proactive approach to cybersecurity is building. Penetration testing has become a distinct role within cybersecurity team structures. Organizations are starting to realize that either internal resources or outside partners are needed to identify and correct weak spots.
Channel Cybersecurity Has a Ways to Go – Expect channel firms to double down on cybersecurity to win deals and instill confidence in increasingly nervous customers. Ignoring this critical discipline puts a channel firm at a distinct disadvantage in the race to land and cement new customers for the future.
Consulting: Today’s Channel Opportunity – More channel firms will have a reckoning that reselling products and services in a cloud marketplace era is fading, but they have volumes of opportunity to transform or expand as business consulting experts.
Chip Supply Chain Woes Provide Wake-up Call – Channel firms, particularly the hardware-focused, may begin to consider holding whether wiser to keep inventory, parts and components close to home, regardless of whether customer orders have been placed yet, in the event of component or other backlogs overseas.
Software Development Gets More Granular – Software applications continue to grow in number and complexity as businesses leverage technology to connect their workforce, reach new customers and improve productivity.
Foundational Data Management Drives an Analytics Revolution – Business will be done differently thanks to data analytics. Companies with a strong data foundation will lead the way. That can only occur once they understand data basics – the data they have; how it is collected, stored and secured; and what goals they hope to attain through its use.
