VIEWPOINT
COMMENT
The SME has always been the economic engine
DAVE CRUSE, CEO, CONJUNGO
As no doubt our readers are aware, the political landscape has changed. This will have an impact upon the UK and to some extent the global economy. The UK has, by and large, been at the forefront of technological developments for a long time and the adoption of new technology has always been substantial. Indeed, the UK has always been an early adopter of new ICT products and services. Now, Britain does need a cohesive, structured strategy for the provision of superfast broadband and this must encompass not only the urban areas but the also rural.
The SME has always been the economic engine of the UK, as indeed it is for most developed economies, and good communications is vital. Providing the right infrastructure to be able to support this is critical, as well as the ability to pay for it. That, however, is the question: Will it be the public purse or via private investment? I suspect the latter, or perhaps not at all.
The reality is that the new Government has a major task on its hands and has much to do in order to resolve the UK deficit issue and provide a solid platform for growth. As a result, this project will probably be low on the list of priorities. But whatever flavour of politics you prefer, let’s hope that the new Government supports and encourages private entities and start-ups, similar to the US, where the entrepreneurial spirit is supported, admired and ultimately encouraged.
Here’s an interesting fact: If California was an in dependant nation in its own right, it would be the World’s second largest economy. One very good reason for that is Silicon Valley, so perhaps we should take a lead from this example. The SME drives the economy and ICT provides the infrastructure and leverage to facilitate this on a global basis.
I believe that investment in the UK’s infrastructure will reap big rewards, as any investment should do. However, the burning question will be how any investment will be funded, but that’s another debate.
www.comms-dealer.com
NETWORK
update:
The coming three years will present many challenges for businesses, but also many opportunities for partners, according to Andy Hollingworth, Opal’s Director of Wholesale, who urges partners to embrace the future and be at the forefront of a technology shift.
P
artners are used to hearing what technologies they should be adopting, what’s going to be the next big revenue driver for their business, and what the next golden bullet in the market is going to be. We’re all aware that the minutes model is in decline and of the need to embrace convergence. But for many, this remains a nebulous issue that is sometimes easier, or convenient to ignore, especially when minutes remain profitable for many. But here’s a thought that might alarm you: In the next three years the pace of technological change will move faster than it has in the last 10 years. That’s scary, especially if the core of your business is still based in minutes and traditional TDM telephony.
The kind of applications and technologies end-user businesses adopted pre-2010 were all about individual delivery of individual services. Partners focused their sell on services like Internet access, line rental, outbound calls, and data networks, with mature technologies in play, with multiple suppliers, little differentiation in offerings and lots of pressure on price.
n
However, shift to post-2010 and we’re suddenly looking at a very different picture with a rapid adoption of inbound applications, value-adds, data centres, VoIP, mobile and unified comms all coming into play. Today, priorities have changed, with application proliferation built onto networks to suit an end-user’s business goals, service convergence and network connectivity, all of which allow businesses to work more efficiently, and remain competitive.
The Comms National Awards yet? Visit
cnawards.com
Have you entered
Connectivity Category
36 COMMS DEALER JUNE 2010
www.comms-dealer.com
sponsors the
Andy Hollingworth
And it’s this shift that is so important because in the next three years IT directors will be making decisions that will impact on every level of an organisation, saving potentially millions in capex and changing the fundamental way the business operates, which in turn becomes an important issue for the CEO. Partners need to recognise this change to stay ahead of the game.
Three years is not a long time, especially when it comes to the channel, and the rapid technological change is set to pose a massive challenge to end-user business. But for those prepared partners, it’s an opportunity to be that ‘sounding board’ for your customers, and the chance to help IT directors ask the right kind of questions, with the starting point being ‘how do I future proof my telecoms’. And as well as this, it’s important to help customers make the right decisions when it comes to adopting this brave new world of technology.
What’s fundamental to this new unified approach is its delivery. Hosted services rely on the strength of the network they’re running on, meaning that confidence in its speed and resilience are key. You don’t want to be in the position where network limitations start closing doors that impact on, and compromise your customer’s businesses because this in turn will cost you business. It’s therefore key to partner with a strong network provider.
n
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64