Another year has kicked off, and 2022 follows a year full of lessons learned and adaptation. At the end of 2021, we heard from Dan Forbes, Vice President, Sales at TD SYNNEX, about how 2021 was the “year of the backlog” and why that stoked marked interest in cloud-supported solutions among customers. Complementing that sentiment, Forbes shared with us why he thinks that 2022 will be the year of “future modeling” and how players in the IT channel will play a key role in businesses future-proofing their workforces.
“The past few years have given companies the opportunity to realize not only the potential of their own businesses but also the potential of their workforces,” remarked Forbes. “Now, they are strategizing on how best to utilize both of those elements to plan for what’s next in their business.”
With a more distributed workforce than ever, untethered from the confines of a traditional work environment, there is a newfound ability to collaborate cross-functionally around the world. For this reason, Forbes notices that companies are thinking more critically about how their businesses might operate in the next five or even 10 years. Specifically, many are considering how to support a hybrid or remote workforce most effectively.
With more dedicated efforts around future modeling and more foresight being applied to business format, Forbes knows that distribution partners like SYNNEX Comstor have a responsibility to guide their partners through what is uncharted (or at least minimally charted) territory for many. “With our variety of tools, programs, and superior customer support, I think that partners are going to really lean on a partner like SYNNEX Comstor as they refresh the vision for their companies.”
In the same way that many companies are thinking about how to model their businesses for the future, Cisco continues to adapt its offerings with shifting partner and end-user expectations in mind, according to Forbes. With robust offerings in the areas like collaboration, cybersecurity, and enterprise networking, Cisco has illustrated as recently as Cisco Partner Summit what opportunities lie on the horizon for its partner community. These adaptations are particularly crucial as the IT channel moves toward a software-based sales approach.
“For years now, Cisco has been applying all of its hardware expertise into an increasingly software-driven world,” said Forbes. “And as a result, Cisco is changing the narrative around networking. Cisco is developing a new partner network that is more centered around the software sale, more driven around a customer experience, and more focused on ensuring that the end-user of the technology is really harnessing everything that those technologies are capable of.”
The new year is always a time for looking forward, and Forbes anticipates business leaders will be more cognizant than ever about their future workforce model during 2022. The SYNNEX Comstor team is ready to help Cisco partners and their customers realize those plans.
