Cause For Optimism
That said, your life as a solution provider will not be a bed of roses in 2004, and it will still take plenty of hard work to woo customers and seal deals. Here are 10 things you can expect CRN's editorial team to cover closely in 2004 as we provide guidance about where your hard work may pay off:
The management mess: Although high-tech vendors would welcome a massive upgrade cycle, the IT world will continue to live with an increasingly complicated infrastructure mix. Now more than ever, tasks such as keeping track of assets and managing security patches are on your customers' minds.
Spam, spam, spam, spam: I can't help thinking of that Monty Python sketch, but antispam is a serious business.
Managed services: Remote network management, backup and routine security updates are increasingly compelling in this post-9/11 world, and many companies finally have a little extra money to be proactive rather than reactive.
Offshore outsourcing: If you aren't studying how development in India could cut your costs, you may find yourself at a price disadvantage. One caveat: If you're working for the federal government, offshore talent is a no-no.
The digital home office (DHO, anyone?): Cable modems plus wireless routers equals an integration and security mess.
Enterprise rebirth: OK, so maybe the phoenix isn't out of the ashes yet, but there are cracks in the egg.
Information life cycle: If you don't use it, you may as well lose it. Your customers have oodles of data that is going to waste.
Open source: Let's face it, there is something appealing about bucking authority, which is why even the biggest enterprises are adopting Linux and mySQL in their back offices.
Wireless: Cut that umbilical cord and get to work on where the work really lives,outside your office.
And last, but not least, liability: Keeping customers compliant with HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley is one thing, but I also believe IT policies will come under as much scrutiny as accounting and other corporate functions.
Where are you devoting your energy? HEATHER CLANCY, Editor at CRN, welcomes your letters at [email protected].