By K.S. Parag, Managing Director, FVC
A wave of digital transformation (DX) is currently taking place in the Middle East. According to IDC, worldwide spending on DX technologies will pass the $1 trillion mark this year. In a recent report published by the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) and conducted by PwC, it was highlighted that DX will generate $16.9 billion in extra revenue each year for companies in the Middle East from 2017 to 2021, as well as a further $17.3 billion in annual cost savings and efficiency gains.
The increasing e-government and smart city initiatives by regional governments and the growing internet penetration and social media usage is fueling the growth of digital transformation adoption in the region. In addition, rapid adoption of digital services in BFSI sector and enterprise mobility are all going to be the major growth drivers of the MENA digital transformation market.
In addition, IT markets in the Middle East are expected to enter a period of transformative growth, buoyed by a relentless shift toward digital transformation and the more rapid adoption of Third Platform technologies. Going forward, technologies and solutions such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, robotics, and blockchain will have parts to play in transformation across industries, particularly in Smart City and public sector initiatives.
So, in terms of DX, what sort of possibilities does the market hold for the channel? What actually does digital disruption mean for the channel? How easy is it for solution providers to embrace the digital transformation we all keep harping on about?
Well, when it comes to opportunities pertaining to DX, there are five factors that are shaping up the market for the channel. These include increased adoption of cloud solutions, managed services efficiencies, orchestration and integration demands, increasingly complex datacenter technologies, and the need to sell and deliver business outcomes.
The biggest challenge for channel partners is adapting themselves to benefit from the DX wave. Adapting also means that channel partners pivot from an industry that has been primarily focused on selling boxes, to one with an entirely new business model and way of working. Companies today look at channel partners to provide them with a level of expertise and support, which previously didn’t exist, to guide them through their DX journey.
Since not everyone in the channel posses the talent, skillset, and resources required to support DX, key channel players and vendors need to step in to help the channel community with bridging this gap. And this is where FVC’s expertise comes into play. While our channel community is highly diverse, all share some common challenges – such as the shortage of resources, money, and time.
So, we strive very hard to make it as easy as possible for our partners to sell solutions rather than just equipment. FVC is always at the forefront of the support initiatives – whether it is generating customer leads, assessing the IT requirements, and so on, we are with our partners in every step of the way.
Our advice to the channel is simple – they should work towards understanding customer pinpoints in the DX journey and help and address those pinpoints through working collaboratively within a channel ecosystem. Channel partners who identify those enablers and vendors who will work collaboratively and support their journey, will find that the sky is the limit.