Distributor marketplaces can aid transition to services Westcon-Comstor has produced a new report highlighting the role distributor marketplaces can play in helping channel partners make the transition to services and subscriptions. Based on a survey of almost 300 channel partners in the UK and Australia, Navigating the shift: The role of distributor marketplaces in Partner Success reveals that while almost all respondents are moving to recurring revenue models, 78% believe they have ‘more to do’ to make the shift to services and subscriptions. Among the challenges they face is the need to manage a complex multivendor portfolio (cited by 52%), which is where a significant majority (60%) believe distributor marketplaces offering a single platform to buy hardware and software can make a difference. Half (49%) of partners surveyed by Westcon-Comstor already use distributor marketplaces, citing self-serve stock availability (49%), online ordering (49%) and pricing (42%) as the biggest benefits. Westcon-Comstor believes there is scope for distributor marketplaces to offer a richer set of services and capabilities than is being provided today, with respondents also looking for better access to customer data (cited by 55%), market data (39%) and customer success training (46%). Mark Loparow, Director of Business Growth at Truis, said: “A distributor marketplace that can truly help us manage the complex multi-vendor environment we operate in would be highly beneficial, not only for managing our complicated technology purchases but for helping us deliver long-term business growth. Plus, our teams have different needs so breadth in capabilities is important. Simplified sales processes, self-serve capabilities plus the data insights and information we need to achieve customer success, now that would be a game changer.” https://westcon-comstor.foleon. com/channel-research-report-2023/ navigating-the-shift/ ······ Technical debt putting brakes on digital transformation warns SoftwareOne Four out of five C-suite and IT decisionmakers in the UK and USA say they are having to make their budgets stretch further than ever, as they pursue digital transformation initiatives despite rising technical debt. SoftwareOne’s new study, CIO Pulse: 2023 budgets & priorities, shows that although 93% of C-suite and IT decisionmakers in the UK and USA expect their IT budgets to rise in 2023, they have a growing requirement to tackle the technical debt burden. Almost three quarters (72%) of CIOs say they are behind in their digital transformation because of technical debt, at a time when 92% are expected to deliver digital transformation initiatives that act as revenue generators. Causes of technical debt include multiple on-premises IT legacy systems, cited as a top three challenge by 51% of CIOs; rushed cloud migrations during the pandemic, cited by 38%, with 31% failing to optimise their workloads before commencing the migration process; and miscalculation of cloud budgets when provisioning (38%), resulting in overspend. Commenting on the findings, Craig Thomson, Senior Vice President of Cloud and Application Services at SoftwareOne, said: “Businesses are dealing with an uncertain economic environment, which makes planning big IT transformations (continued on page 6, column 1) NEWS 01732 759725 04 NEWS OQC to democratise quantum computing UK-based quantum-computing-asa-service company Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) is collaborating with Equinix on a project to make its nextgeneration quantum computer available to businesses worldwide later this year. The quantum computer will be integrated into Equinix’s Japanese data centre and leverage the company’s on-demand interconnection solution, Equinix Fabric, to enable organisations to access it on an ‘as a service’ basis as if it were on their own premises. This effectively democratises access to quantum computing, giving businesses the opportunity to experiment with the ground-breaking technology. OQC CEO Dr. Ilana Wisby said: “The world has been waiting for quantum computing to mature to the point where it can change our lives. Installing quantum computing in Equinix’s worldclass TY11 data centre brings us a step closer to this reality.” She added: “Quantum computing represents a major shift in terms of technology and process. Unlike traditional classical computers, quantum computers can crunch vast amounts of data at incredible speeds. We are excited to work with Equinix to help businesses around the world to build their quantum skillset and capabilities. The future is here, and we are setting the pace for the era of quantum computing.” Last year, OQC secured £38m of funding in the largest Series A round for a UK quantum computing start-up. www.oxfordquantumcircuits.com Richard Ford continued... Consolidate to cut costs Over 30% of businesses believe that 30% of their budget is being allocated to tools and solutions that are not being used to their full potential, according to a Twitter poll by Integrity360. Almost 30% believe they have 31-40 tools and solutions within their tech stack that could be removed due to overlapping and unused features. Richard Ford, CTO of Integrity360, said: “These results are concerning, especially at a time of economic downturn when cyber security budgets are tight and risks are heightened. Yet budget is being spent on unnecessary and unused solutions. Consolidation of platforms and convergence of technologies can be a useful way to optimise spending in addition to improving overall security posture.” www.integrity360.com
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