The EDGE360 editorial team has been spending the month talking with industry experts on what IT trends to expect in 2019. From intent-based networking to cybersecurity and localization, we’ve turned to Cisco experts to get their take on trends that VARs should be prepared for in 2019.
Within the past few years, Cisco has transformed to be digitally-driven and data focused with its customers in mind. Although technology enables success, it isn’t the key factor for VARs. Our experts say talent is key, and knowing how to lead that talent into the digitally-driven future is what determines a company’s success. By implementing these four leadership strategies, VARs can strive towards digital success in 2019.
Thinking differently, focusing on the long view, working where you are, and investing in your people are the steps to success outlined in this blog. Using the capabilities of your team to your benefit, striving toward long-term goals, offering employees a flexible work environment, and developing a connection with employees build the foundation needed to create a successful practice.
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Going Big with IoT in 2019
Andrew Sintes, Global Senior Director of Cisco’s World Partner Organization, says that 2019 is the year that Cisco Partners can “go big” with IoT and “capture the advantage of ‘early movers’ in this fast-growing market.”
Sintes highlights three reasons why 2019 is the year for IoT: The $4B opportunity in new IoT sales, the customer’s need to impact business outcomes by connecting “things” into the core network, and new Cisco-provided IoT trainings to help VARs get started in building their IoT practices.
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Cybersecurity is constantly evolving. Modern networks are increasingly sophisticated thanks to a mobile workforce and the cloud, which increases points of vulnerability. The security threats we are facing today are large and sophisticated, penetrating networks for weeks or even years at a time. To combat these threats, organizations must enact security practices that detect and attack threats before they cause harm.
Active threat detection enables Network Analysis and Visibility (NAV) to be a fluid process. This offers insights into what devices and people and doing on your network. With routers, firewalls, and switches, you have telemetry data to gain a better understanding of your network and the threats it faces.
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6 Tips for Localization Success
Creating a localized user experience isn’t easy, it takes months and sometimes years of planning. To streamline the localization process, Cisco offers these six tips to VARs. Defining success and realizing that localization is foundational work, are the first steps. Knowing the end-game and figuring out the steps to get there are key. Recognizing your stakeholders and obtaining their buy-in will help the localization process immensely.
Meeting with stakeholders and partners to hear their ideas and concerns is not only important, it’s smart business. Lastly, know the difference between machine translation and location, and keep track of your progress. Localization is more than translating web properties, it’s adapting content for local consumption. VARs can take the right step into the localization process by following these steps and tracking their progress along the way.
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Large companies and startups can work together to create a thriving partnership. Any relationship takes work and requires compromise, balance, and finding each other’s strengths and weaknesses. How can we ensure that these partnerships prosper? This Cisco blog offers tips on creating a lasting relationship, including: Sharing cash flow resources, talent, tackling fear and apprehension, and creating a better engagement model.
Startups may fear that a large enterprise is aiming to steal their intellectual property, but this will only hinder a relationship. Building a comfortable environment is key – and so is engagement. Engaging with the customers and prospects of each company not only showcases the partnership, but offers networking opportunities for those on both sides.
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