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Iain Shaw looks ahead to the coming year and examines why Windows 8, home networking and recurring revenue services should be top of solution providers’ hit lists.
I see 2013 being quite a year for Microsoft with the Windows 8 platform driving convergence across difference types of hardware from PC and notebooks through to tablets and phones. My personal view is that consumers will drive the early demand and that business users will follow on close behind.
Lync and Office 365 will present interesting opportunities for computer solution providers that embrace cloud services and we will see ever more convergence between the traditional telecoms and IT channels. The use of private devices such as tablets and smartphones within the working environment will also see demand for secure solutions.
The fact that Microsoft has merged its peripherals and hardware side under the Windows brand umbrella is very interesting but incredibly sensible. Computer solution providers should make sure that the peripherals and hardware they are recommending work seamlessly across all the great new Windows 8 applications. Surface is here and is a great device, however many vendors have come out with equally good Windows 8 tablets and many have great stories to tell through the channel.
Home networking I also feel is to set to grow rapidly this year, with the ever growing demand to connect different devices seamlessly. Linksys by Cisco and TP-Link have some great products and applications that computer solution providers can profit from over the coming year to help satisfy this demand.
Computer solution providers need to make 2013 the year that they all push into recurring revenue services by developing all the services that will allow them to build capital value in their businesses. Brigantia will be working very hard with the launch of a raft of recurring revenue wholesale services for our members to tuck into and to build their businesses.
Brigantia also intends to develop our relationships with Computer 2000 and CompTIA to make sure that our members have access to value added services, solid training and recognised accreditation while at the same time re-launching the Brigantia | Computer Experts brand through our 700-strong member network nationally.
My prediction for 2013 is that computer solution providers that embrace Windows 8, home networking and recurring revenue services while maintaining solid break fix and support services will be far healthier businesses by the end of the year than those that don’t! Brigantia will be rolling a series of one day seminars around the country over the first half to make sure we get this message out to as many people as possible.
Iain Shaw is the founder and a director of Brigantia, the UK and Ireland’s largest subscription membership community of independent computer solution providers. www.brigantia.com
