Ever ask your clients how many public cloud services they use? Odds are the number is higher than even the most senior tech guy knows.
In fact, the appeal of low-cost, easy-to-use, feature-rich public cloud services is so universal that by 2020, cloud will claim two-thirds of all IT infrastructure, software, services, and technology spending . By then, cloud-related communication will account for more than 80% of total data center traffic .
In my last post, I pointed out the sorts of pressures today’s competitive needs place on your customers’ network services — hassles related to application workloads, network performance, security, compliance, and more.
At first glance, these may seem like patchwork problems to be addressed with patchwork solutions. But they may also signal deeper issues that, with a closer look, bring you face to face with the (often legacy) limitations of your customer’s data network.
As cloud and managed services play a larger and larger role in your customers’ IT operations, the state of their network services, which underpin these more visible cloud and managed services, is likely to become an issue — if it hasn’t already.
After all, your customers’ networks must accommodate new business-essential demands like secure application delivery, mobile user access, and end user authentication. These demands on networks often designed for earlier eras with earlier technologies can trigger problems related to network performance, application workloads, security and compliance, monitoring and management, and, as always, cost.
And when that happens, your customers will be calling you seeking a right-now-hurry-up fix.
In the industry of business technology, your customer relationships are crucial to your success. But to “land and expand” often means integrating capabilities or solutions that your organization may not cater to.
So what do you do when you’ve won a customer project that stretches beyond your current comfort zone, and you’re not sure you’ll be able to deliver?
Head to the Quest Partner Playbook – your go-to resource for those moments when you don’t want to leave a customer hanging, but still need a game plan for options and next steps.
When it comes to technology, you and I both know that it’s best to let the experts take the lead. Your customers, well-intentioned though they may be, may disagree—and not to their benefit. Do you have a “Do-it-Yourself” client?.
With thousands of different brands that are not always compatible, millions of different configurations, and innumerable ways a network can be compromised, your customers’ technology should not be a DIY job.
Have you noticed how customers are talking more about risk these days? Not surprising, given the spectacular nature of recent hacks and immobilizing disasters. Yet, all forms of risk that threaten your customers’ environments and reputation are only part of a much larger problem which you can help resolve. Begin by strategizing with your customers using these key tips:
