With 2023 now behind us, we bid farewell to the successes, challenges, changes, and growth of the last year, and prepare for what lies ahead. As Vice President of Cisco Strategy and Go-Market at TD SYNNEX, Dan Forbes is armed with a wealth of insight on the trends and innovations having the biggest impact on partners. In this interview with EDGE360, Forbes not only offers a glimpse into the technological advancements on the horizon but also provides advice for distribution partners to navigate the challenges and seize emerging opportunities in the ever-changing technology landscape. From the burgeoning influence of artificial intelligence to the evolving landscape of cybersecurity, this 2024 IT trends preview explores the anticipated shifts expected to shape the industry’s trajectory. As we embark on this new year, Forbes shed light on the increasing role of partners in enhancing customer experiences and adapting to the dynamic expectations of IT.
EDGE360 Editors: As we kick off the new year, what emerging trends do you foresee in the IT and networking industry in 2024, especially in the context of Cisco products and solutions?
Dan Forbes: Artificial intelligence is certainly garnering a lot of attention and dialogue lately across just about every segment. It has been present in a number of ways in Cisco products and solutions for some time—the WEBEX platform is probably the one the comes to mind quickly. We are going to see the impact of AI in the infrastructure and security in structural organization and policy optimization in short order, but it’s going to evolve. I think we are still in the early stages here, so there’s a lot of growth opportunity.
EDGE360 Editors: Can you highlight any anticipated innovations or advancements in Cisco’s technology portfolio for 2024, and how do you think these will resonate with distribution partners?
Forbes: Cybersecurity is a big area of opportunity for Cisco, with some significant announcements this year in XDR, Cloud security, and a pretty big acquisition that is expected to close in 2024. We are excited about the opportunity because it has created the need for TD SYNNEX to up-level our Cisco Security Center of Excellence (COE) to meet the demand. We’ve deployed tools, resources, and education platforms that take the guesswork out of where to start and how to accelerate the journey to success with Cisco Security.
EDGE360 Editors: What challenges do you foresee for distribution partners in the coming year, and how can they best position themselves to overcome these challenges?
Forbes: My crystal ball is not any clearer than others out there, but I do expect to see some of the usual culprits continue to challenge our partners, including hiring and retaining the right staff, having access to capital to fuel growth, and keeping pace with the rate of change in the industry today. My best advice is something I’ve advocated for years: “Let’s have the conversation.” When we open the catalog of services provided by TD SYNNEX, I am always met with surprise at how deep our bench goes in offers our partners can consume in support of their business efforts. Sometimes I think we get overlooked or underestimated.
EDGE360 Editors: What opportunities do you think will emerge for distribution partners in the evolving technology landscape, particularly with Cisco products?
Forbes: We believe that there is a tremendous opportunity for partners to develop their “Brownfield” sales and support model with Cisco. It’s a different motion than the PPDIOO methodology long used in the Hardware space. Opening up new service revenue streams focused on product lifecycle has real opportunity, and those who get there first will definitely have a distinct advantage. We have a fantastic partner consultancy in this area within our Cisco business.
EDGE360 Editors: In terms of partnerships and alliances, are there specific trends or shifts you expect to see within the industry that could impact distribution channels?
Forbes: I think we are all very interested in what happens with the Amazon, Google, and Microsoft marketplaces. There is so much potential here for channel evolution, and we’ll just have to wait and see.
EDGE360 Editors: How do you think customer expectations will evolve in 2024, and what role can distribution partners play in enhancing the overall customer experience with Cisco products?
Forbes: There were some well publicized security events in 2023. Threat actors don’t have to be high level hackers to get access to the tools they need to bring an enterprise to its knees. Because of this, I think enterprises are going to putting a lot of pressure on their technology providers to ensure their company name doesn’t make headlines in 2024 as a cyber-victim. In our Cyber Range, we have this mind-set that a live security event shouldn’t be the first time our partners’ teams experience one. We’re helping our partners, and their end users understand the nature of attacks, plan their response, and rehearse real time. It is an incredibly important role, and one we hope to play more of in 2024.
Learn more about the EDGE programs and how they can benefit partners in 2024 here.
