14. Education & Healthcare: The education & healthcare sectors are being revolutionised by hybrid working, but as these are “universal” service provisions, there are massive social implications on the way these services are delivered. Ensuring that everyone has fair & affordable access is now more important than ever. All these service clients need to have the line provision, equipment and be technically aware enough to access remote/hybrid services.
The deployment of a state-of-the-art seamless wireless connection is integral to the operation. We’ve heard about the option of Wi-Fi 6 and the associated benefits it brings to provide users with a flawless wireless connection. But have you heard about Wi-Fi 6E? Wi-Fi 6E is set to further enhance the user experience to make wireless speeds even faster, dramatically reducing lag, buffering and content loading time. With average broadband speeds of 51.48Mbps, the UK currently ranks 43rd in the worldwide broadband speed league. Faster connectivity is always welcome, as it is the speed of the interaction that enables more things to be achieved in the day. Kalam Meah, ISP Director, TP-Link UK
15. Cloud migration: 2022 will be ripe with opportunities for partners to continue aiding customers in their cloud migration journeys. 2021 has seen cloud services become a necessity, rather than a luxury, as the pandemic and the rise of remote working accelerated migration to the cloud. Organisations are reaping the benefits of the scale and simplicity of such solutions, but each has different requirements that channel partners must accommodate, as they all move at different paces. In order to maintain customers’ loyalty and strengthen competitive advantage, cloud service providers must have the ability to adapt their services to support each customer’s individual workload. Jamie Farrelly, EMEA VP, Channel & Alliances at Commvault
16. End-user driven innovation: End-users have always played a large role in the operation of the channel and I predict that this will only intensify. One of the biggest trends we’re seeing going into 2022 is that more and more services are now being driven and shaped by the end-user. The pandemic has caused a seismic change in what customers now expect from vendor services - whether this is consumer or business - and suppliers will have no choice but to adapt services and business models to suit the new demands. Terry Storrar, Managing Director UK at Leaseweb
48 | December/January 2022
17. Robust supply chain management: COVID-19 has highlighted just how much companies have relied on being able to source parts and goods from overseas. With planes grounded around the world, customers can’t get furniture or buy cars and are having to wait weeks and months for goods to arrive. This will inevitably mean more companies will focus on making their supply chains more resilient and adaptable to unpredictable events and changes globally.
They will start to use data much more to inform decisions around where to build their supply chains both today and into the future, so there is less opportunity for their supply chains to be disrupted. Agnes Schliebitz-Ponthus, Senior Vice President of Product, Fluent Commerce
18. Infosec will continue to dominate: The sector will continue to see a rise in infosec for the foreseeable future. We have a long way to go as a technology-driven society in terms of cybersecurity. Getting ourselves to the point where we aren’t at risk of a serious attack will be our focus for the next two to three years.
Steve Cochran, CTO, ConnectWise
19. Lower discounting, higher delivery: There won’t be the level of discounting of stock in 2022. Big sales days will remain huge but won’t outperform the rest by quite so much as regular daily online volumes have grown significantly with more people buying online. Few retailers have large supplies of stock. This means they don’t need to ‘offload’ it at the same discount levels as in prior years. This will be balanced out by a well-trained consumer who expects bargains. On the positive side, as flights resume and borders open, capacity will ramp up and deliveries will be quicker. Many consumers have switched to the certainty of Click & Collect, Curb-side pick up and BOPIS (Buy Online Pickup In Store) during the global pandemic and these will continue in 2022.
Jamie Cairns, SVP Channel & Alliances, Fluent Commerce
20. Economic long COVID: UK PLC is very much suffering right now from what I’ve come to call economic long COVID. There’s still lots of disruption across the economy as a result of the pandemic. Looking back at this year, it’s been hard - and continues to be difficult - for many businesses to trade in the way that they used to. And the after-effects of Brexit have compounded many of the problems, particularly in relation to labour supply. While it’s not always possible to deal with all these problems directly, businesses can take back control of some aspects. They can start using solutions that provide real-time information on resource location, supply chain logistics, and finances. They can begin 2022 with a resolution to use software to deliver cost of sale analysis, cash flow updates, and broader financial intelligence that improves efficiency. This is particularly important to keep in mind against the backdrop of rising energy prices and the knock-on effect this could have on supply chains. Hugh Scantlebury, Founder & CEO, Aqilla
www.pcr-online.biz
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