Print.IT Reseller - issue 84

TECHNOLOGY LIVE 2021 ...continued to implement new technology in their businesses. With only one in two planning to address the skills gap in their organisation over the next 12 months, businesses are still going to have to rely on MSPs for that expertise. Add in the big infrastructure changes that are taking place, like the roll-outs of full fibre connectivity and 5G – two technologies that will underpin the UK’s ongoing digital transformation – and even the Openreach analogue and ISDN switch-off, which will force customers with an analogue or ISDN service to move to Voice over IP and SIP services by 2025, and it is not surprising that confidence levels and optimism in the ICT sector remain high. In its latest Channel Confidence Index 2021 , global channel services provider Agilitas IT Solutions gave channel decision-makers an overall confidence score of 7.4 out of a possible 10. This is only slightly lower than the 7.6 recorded in the first Channel Confidence Index in November 2019. Channel Challenges That said, no one expects things to be easy. After all, the ICT channel faces difficulties of its own, such as the impact of hybrid working on sales of traditional products e.g. office print; growing demand for services; the need to broaden your offering as end user organisations seek to reduce the number of suppliers they deal with; skills shortages; the constant security threat to MSP and solution providers’ own operations; compliance requirements; and sustainability. These challenges all need to be addressed. Across the spectrum Technology Live won’t answer all your questions but it is a good place to start. By bringing together vendors from across the IT spectrum, the exhibition and seminar programme provide an ideal forum for resellers and MSPs to explore the different ways in which they can expand their offering, whether through the addition of managed print services, hosted voice, full fibre connectivity, cyber security solutions or anything else. Best of all, you will be able to discuss your needs face- to-face not just with vendors but also with contacts/ competitors/partners facing the same challenges and opportunities as you. Read on to find out about some of the exhibitors you will be able to meet at Technology Live or, for more information, visit www.technologylive.co.uk . Exhibitor SnapShots Technology Live unites vendors from across the IT spectrum with ambitious channel partners eager to diversify their offerings. For managed print service providers, hosted telephony represents a lucrative opportunity ahead of the 2025 ISDN switch-off. Here, we provide snapshots of three exhibitors active in the field. To find out about other exhibitors and other technology areas, please visit www.technologylive.co.uk. What will MyPhones be showing at Technology Live? MyPhones will be showing the following: n MS Teams Integration n Insights Reporting Suite n Bespoke Hosted Telephony n Hardware as a Service n How to create your own bundles to differentiate What opportunities does the MyPhones product portfolio offer resellers? We give resellers the benefit of creating their own bundles, which in turn allows them to stand out in a congested market. As we are predominantly a SaaS provider, resellers can choose their own SIP providers and what hardware to deploy. This allows them to make greater margin as they see the benefit of SIP aggregation and can make whatever margin they want on the hardware. That said, after hearing from some resellers that they wanted us to create an easier route to market, we have created a suite of Hardware as a Service (HaaS) products that allows resellers to choose their hardware and pay for it over a 36-month period. This was created to free up resellers’ cashflow whilst allowing them access to a wide choice of hardware options. The last part of the puzzle was offering lifetime licences. This came at a good time as it allowed resellers to realise the full margin/cashflow at the front end instead of taking it over-term. It allowed us to penetrate new markets, such as Print and Copy, where they were looking to bolster their revenue streams. What you have missed about physical events over the last 18 months and why they are important to MyPhones and the channel? The thing we have missed the most is human interaction with our customers and potential new customers. MyPhones have a very longstanding group of partners and being able to exhibit, invite them along and see them face-to-face is very exciting. BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE LONDON : 28 SEPTEMBER 2021 MYPHONES Cut ting edge hosted communications Exhibitors include: MYPHONES Cut ting edge hosted communications Paul Gibbs, Sales Director