5 Things They Are Watching: Observations After CompTIA Breakaway – Day 1

5 Things They Are Watching: Observations After CompTIA Breakaway – Day 1

Day one of the CompTIA Breakaway 2010 is in the bag. Participation is interesting and talking with CompTIA staff, it seems there was some 1300 registered attendees this year. The classes had mixed reviews, but the networking and business opportunities seem to be living up to all the hype. However, there are some clear trends the more IT-centric industry is hot on. Here are five:

1. Healthcare-centric IT services: Healthcare is clearly on the agenda, but more to the point it is probably the singular focus of many of the IT VARs and MSPs at the conference. Everyone knows healthcare is a huge industry, and is driving a lot of IT programs. I even saw that Synnex is offering a complete healthcare package – yes, as a subscription model!
2. Outsourcing is hot: I spent some quality time with a director at OnForce, a well known on-demand, on-site services marketplace for service-focused staffing which brings buyers and providers together. I’ll be spending a bit more time with OnForce, but suffice it to say their read (and our’s) is that we can be cautiously optimistic about continued economic recovery.
3. Small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) need solid partners: From keynote to classroom, the focus is on how to deliver to the SMB market. The term “partner” was thrown around quite a bit, but looking past that will show the continued movement of “old-school IT-types” having to become the trusted advisor to their customer should not be overlooked. Hmmm, sounds like something I may have said a time or two.
4. Network management – for real: Management and monitoring services probably have the largest exhibitor presence. As good as they are, the few name brand toolsets you have come to know and love only play a small part in the greater managed services landscape. Explode this out to a model like SpiceWorks, which advertises over 1 million IT pros subscribed, you start to have a broader picture of what scale you need to look at – and a scary pricing model too (free).
5. By the way, tell me about this MPS-thing: I talked to many managed service providers (MSPs), which count themselves different than value added resellers (VARs). The common question was, “What’s this whole managed print services thing, anyway?” Get ready folks, but the earth shattering news is that IT resellers and providers think of printing as an “Oh, by the way…” offering. My take is they don’t realize the profit available, but they do get something very important: Their customers are asking them for MPS offerings and they know it is just one more way to stay entrenched with that relationship.

In a nutshell, this event is rather interesting. I’ll be reporting back on day two tomorrow. That said, there is an interesting movement within the larger IT landscape to which you may or not be paying attention. My recommendation, outside of calling me (864.916.9536) is to find a solid IT provider in your area and buy them a cup of coffee.

Ken Stewart’s website, ChangeForge, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology in an information-centric world. As a senior consultant with the Photizo Group, he comes from and works directly with channel providers in the managed services space.

Get the latest industry news, and follow ChangeForge on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. You might also be interested in reading more from Ken in his weekly column on MPS Insights every Tuesday.

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