2017 will be the year when digital transformation is likely to take root, and one of the areas in which we expect traction is the workplace. With digitization transforming the way people and workplace interact with each other, the one factor that will determine how well it happens is the organisation’s ability to integrate Cloud with their workflow to offer accessibility in a secure manner. And with the nature of solutions and the pace at which they are being adopted, 2017 is poised to be a watershed year.
The pace of technological innovation is faster today than ever before. So, the face of information technology is changing fast with the proliferation of internet across geographies and rise of mobility in enterprises.
Domestically, the IT landscape has moved forward in leaps and bounds, fuelled by the Government backed digitization. Initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ are enabling the enterprise world to grow at a globally unparalleled speed, at the same time catalysing the consumer and end user. A surge in Start Ups across domains, proliferation of smartphones, rise of the cloud and the oncoming age of IoT are set to redefine how technology influences businesses.
As newer technologies take the center stage, partners will need to develop proper knowledge and skills to stay relevant. Organisations cannot just deliver one time training and hope that the partners are well versed with their technologies and ready to move their services in the market. It is important for organizations to put proper training and certifications in place and incentivize and recognize partner performance and success. Let’s take a look at what the Industry believes is in store for the technological world in 2017.
Big data & Analytics
Big data and analytics has enabled organizations to make more meaningful, data-backed decisions and experience tangible results. By providing a comprehensive view of market conditions, customer needs and preferences, and potential project risks, big data can eliminate reliance on “gut feel” decision-making. Leveraging big data, organizations can continue to better understand emerging opportunities and align products or services with changing customer needs.
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“The current data explosion will continue and affect organizations beyond traditional businesses. Moving forward, big data will become an integral part of almost every industry.”
Daniel Ng
Senior Director APAC
Cloudera
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“With data so valuable to success, it has become the new currency of the digital age and has the potential to reshape every facet of the enterprise from business models to technology and user expectations.”
Anil Valluri
President
NetApp India & SAARC
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The current data explosion will continue and affect organizations beyond traditional businesses. Moving forward, big data will become an integral part of almost every industry. It is certainly going to be easier for smaller firms to tap on big data and achieve bigger results.
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“Organizations don’t just want control of their data for compliance but want it to perform analytics, which will trigger interesting discussions between businesses and their cloud providers.”
Ettienne Reinecke
chief technology officer
Dimension Data
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Public sector organizations will have to manage more and more data. This is especially so in a smart city environment where citizens and governments are more connected, and where data powers everything from the public transport system to the water and waste management system.”
Big Data as a new wave of Growth in Tier 2 & 3 Cities
While several markets and cities in the region (including Tier 2 and 3 Cities in India) have been slower in adopting big data technologies, they are definitely catching up as more organizations (traditional and non-traditional), regardless of size, are realizing how big data can benefit businesses, people, nations, and regions.
As fast as big data is continuing to get bigger, big data technologies have also continued to evolve. Applications that are essential to managing data are only going to become more accessible, affordable, and user-friendly. It is certainly going to be easier for businesses to tap on big data and achieve bigger results.
However, we do feel that the lack of trained data professionals is currently one of the biggest big data challenges in Asia Pacific markets, including India. Keeping this in mind, we are in the process of launching the Cloudera Big Analytics Skills Enablement (BASE) Initiative here in India. Designed to strategically fill the skilled data professionals gap that the industry is currently facing, BASE pulls industry players and academic institutions together to equip more people with necessary skills in the areas of big data and analytics. The initiative also encompasses elements whereby trained data professionals will be matched to opportunities across sectors where their skills are required.
Partners expectations from Big Data in 2017?
A few insights here:
1. Motivation is key
Channel partners need the right training and incentives to be motivated to sell their products, and this will continue to be a focus area for 2017. Increasingly, companies will develop strong on-boarding plans early in the relationship to set a positive tone from the beginning. Incentivizing training and sales with the right rewards will also become more common.
2.Increased visibility
Companies will focus more on evaluating every aspect of the channel partner network to ensure its health and determine any weaknesses within the partnerships. Just like with everything else, data analytics will be used to evaluate the success of marketing, sales, and training performance. Comparing training data with sales data can show why a partner isn’t meeting sales expectations, and channel partners need to be prepared for this level of transparency.
3.Managing growth
Managing channel partner networks across the globe can be a difficult and expensive task for organizations. Businesses will focus on staying on top of channel partner growth, lead generation and registration, training, and many other aspects of the relationship.
Cloud Computing
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Anil Valluri
President NetApp
India & SAARC
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More organizations have been deploying cloud technologies to support their data requirements. The ready availability of cloud-based services provides easy access to the infrastructure needed to support innovation because it has dramatically lowered barriers to entry: with a credit card and an AWS account, new projects can be set up in a day and operate on a pay-as-you-go basis. An example of this is Cloud Sync Service, which was built by six engineers in six months with no capex infrastructure. New usage-based consumption models, based on Platform as a Service combined with new scale, compliance and data protection offerings, are making cloud infrastructure more essential for businesses of all sizes.
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“Speaking of the Cloud, we know that today, most of the organizations produce a huge amount of data which can be staggering. With lot of digital/electronic data/info, organization will need cloud storage, making it popular and trending in the future.”
Punit Thakkar
CEO & Director
Shivaami
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There is a large amount of data generation in enterprises – most of which is very sensitive. In order to retain control over their data, enterprises are now shifting towards hybrid clouds, which enables them to access data on-premise and on public cloud infrastructures. This also helps them overcome many security concerns.
More organizations have been deploying cloud technologies to support their data requirements. The ready availability of cloud-based services provides easy access to the infrastructure needed to support innovation because it has dramatically lowered barriers to entry: with a credit card and an AWS account, new projects can be set up in a day and operate on a pay-as-you-go basis. An example of this is Cloud Sync Service, which was built by six engineers in six months with no capex infrastructure. New usage-based consumption models, based on Platform as a Service combined with new scale, compliance and data protection offerings, are making cloud infrastructure more essential for businesses of all sizes.
