According to a survey conducted by OneAffiniti, a marketing services firm targeting value-added resellers (VARs), IT security and cloud migration were some of the biggest trends of the year for solution providers. Each year, we like to look back and see what content was the most popular with our readers and it’s not surprising that these trends also hit home with our readers on EDGE360. Continue reading below to find out what the top stories of the year were.
5 Best Practices for Building a Cloud Resellers Team
Cloud spending is expected to reach $216 billion in 2020, up from $111 billion in 2016, according to a Gartner study.1 As more resellers capitalize on this lucrative opportunity, a strong sales strategy is needed to maintain a sustainable cloud business. This is easier said than done, of course, especially for the many resellers who built their businesses on the traditional product/transactional model, which is very different from recurring-revenue cloud models. Earlier this year on EDGE360, Matt Karst, Comstor Senior Director — Cloud, shared best practices on for planning, hiring, training, and compensating your cloud sales team.
Westcon-Comstor CONNECT 2017 Brings Together Partners to Capitalize on Latest Trends
This year, Westcon-Comstor’s CONNECT kicked off in Scottsdale, AZ, where Westcon-Comstor, Cisco, and partners gathered to discuss emerging technologies, service delivery models, and partnership. Themed Partnership in Motion, CONNECT provided numerous networking opportunities for attendees and a chance for reseller partners to learn more about how they can sustain the edge they need to remain competitive in the cloud, networking, and unified communications markets. Read the full story here.
Ransomware Attack: How Much is Your Organization Prepared to Pay?
This year, the global ransomware attack, WannaCry, hit hard with evidence pointing to North Korea as the culprit. As organizations scrambled to recover since the first indication of WannaCry hit systems in February, it turned out that many were simply not prepared. The EDGE360 team sat down with Bryant G. Tow, Managing Partner of Cyber Risk Solutions LLC, to discuss the price organizations pay when ransomware emerges. Read the full story here.
Cisco Cyber Security Report: Unauthorized Employee Apps Create Cyber Risk for Organizations
Employees introduced 27% of third-party cloud applications in today’s enterprises, unbeknownst to IT security, according to the 10th annual Cisco Cyber Security Report. Bryant G. Tow, Managing Partner of CyberRisk Solutions, shared that these applications can be anything from a mortgage calculator to a file-sharing application such as Dropbox. The problem? If a breach occurs because an employee introduces an application, the responsibility falls on the company, not the employee. Read the full story here.
