Nearly 8 in 10 channel firms are feeling good about the business year ahead. Yes, almost 80%. Let’s just sit with that sentiment for a moment, shall we?
There’s still a pandemic. Supply chain issues have not been resolved. And the trials and tribulations of the last two years have taken a toll. Yet here we are, seeing a slow return to optimism revealed in the thoughts, minds, and actions of tech industry practitioners. While still sporting a healthy dose of caution, today’s business owners, sales reps, marketing professionals, technical engineers, and IT workers are seeing light at the end of the tunnel as they enter the new business year. It’s refreshing and relieving to witness.
Looking ahead to 2022, firms that manage to thrive will be hiring again, making investments in skills training, expanding their market reach to new customers and verticals, partnering with competitors, and embracing emerging tech. For many, that means getting out of their comfort zone and resuming strategic decision-making versus tactical dam-plugging. Many say they are ready to do so. After nearly two years of stasis and economic uncertainty, signs now point to investment, increased budgets, and the pursuit of technical and business innovation that pairs well with the direction the industry is heading.
Let’s consider growth and budget expectations, and some other wrinkles. CompTIA’s IT Industry Outlook 2022 findings point out the following:
Revenue positivity. In 2020, 62% of firms said COVID-19 had had a net-negative effect on their business vs. 48% that said so in 2021. This is a significant improvement, obviously. What’s more, nearly 6 in 10 (58%) of channel companies expect revenue growth in 2022 to either eclipse what they saw in 2020 and 2021, or, even better, erase losses from those two years and return to growth levels seen in pre-pandemic 2019.
Growth factors. When it comes to driving positive revenue growth in 2022, channel firms are all about landing new customers and exploring new business models/technologies. While 2021 understandably placed the focus on maintaining existing business, the outlook for this year is more aggressive. It’s back to sales hunting behavior, if you will. And one of the top targets for the channel will be the legion of SaaS applications players in the market. Building relationships with that ecosystem will require investments to transition from more traditional channel recruitment, sales, compensation, and management models to the elements that resonate with the cloud-first crowd.
Continue reading: https://connect.comptia.org/blog/comptia-s-it-industry-outlook-2022-a-return-to-strategy
There’s still a pandemic. Supply chain issues have not been resolved. And the trials and tribulations of the last two years have taken a toll. Yet here we are, seeing a slow return to optimism revealed in the thoughts, minds, and actions of tech industry practitioners. While still sporting a healthy dose of caution, today’s business owners, sales reps, marketing professionals, technical engineers, and IT workers are seeing light at the end of the tunnel as they enter the new business year. It’s refreshing and relieving to witness.
Looking ahead to 2022, firms that manage to thrive will be hiring again, making investments in skills training, expanding their market reach to new customers and verticals, partnering with competitors, and embracing emerging tech. For many, that means getting out of their comfort zone and resuming strategic decision-making versus tactical dam-plugging. Many say they are ready to do so. After nearly two years of stasis and economic uncertainty, signs now point to investment, increased budgets, and the pursuit of technical and business innovation that pairs well with the direction the industry is heading.
Let’s consider growth and budget expectations, and some other wrinkles. CompTIA’s IT Industry Outlook 2022 findings point out the following:
Revenue positivity. In 2020, 62% of firms said COVID-19 had had a net-negative effect on their business vs. 48% that said so in 2021. This is a significant improvement, obviously. What’s more, nearly 6 in 10 (58%) of channel companies expect revenue growth in 2022 to either eclipse what they saw in 2020 and 2021, or, even better, erase losses from those two years and return to growth levels seen in pre-pandemic 2019.
Growth factors. When it comes to driving positive revenue growth in 2022, channel firms are all about landing new customers and exploring new business models/technologies. While 2021 understandably placed the focus on maintaining existing business, the outlook for this year is more aggressive. It’s back to sales hunting behavior, if you will. And one of the top targets for the channel will be the legion of SaaS applications players in the market. Building relationships with that ecosystem will require investments to transition from more traditional channel recruitment, sales, compensation, and management models to the elements that resonate with the cloud-first crowd.
Continue reading: https://connect.comptia.org/blog/comptia-s-it-industry-outlook-2022-a-return-to-strategy
