It sounds like I’m asking you to strap a jetpack to your back and blast off into the sky, doesn’t it? “The Future of Technology!” But we all know that IT is evolving rapidly right now, and the solutions we took for granted a few years ago are going to be obsolete in a few more – if they aren’t already.
And since the role of your MSP is to be the expert on this sort of thing, you’ve got to be ready to evolve right along with it.
Keith Marchiano over at One Source Imaging Solutions in Baltimore knows that today’s C-level executives are thinking about the future first and foremost, and he’s speaking their language, particularly to those running small and mid-sized businesses:
“Large corporations will have a CIO and IT teams that will be on the cutting edge and will be reporting on these changes back to the exec level, and they’re already starting to take advantage of a lot of new technology,” he said. “For a small business, it’s both harder and more important, because they might be, say, a 15-person doctor’s office or law firm, and they’re competing with the large medical institutions and larger law practices. To gain a competitive edge, they need to be aware of these changes, how they’ll affect their business, and have a technology business plan in place to help them grow their business and help them compete with the larger enterprises.”
To that end, Marchiano is participating in a thought leadership program with Smart CEO that will be put out via email as well as online and in their Smart CEO magazine. He’s been tasked to be the forward thinker with regards to IT technology for the business world, focusing on what’s coming down the pipe, and what business leaders and executives should be thinking about for their business and how technology can help them.
In particular, Marchiano has been focusing on a few key innovations in IT:
- Virtual communications and remote work environments – using the cloud and other mobile technologies to eliminate centralized office spaces.
- Cloud-based architecture to reduce overhead and eliminate old forms of clunky IT infrastructure.
- Utilizing smaller and more portable devices as main computing equipment, rather than a traditional PC.
- And others
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Why should you care? Because the solutions he’s talking about shape the conversations that you should be having with your clients.
“A managed service provider needs to be providing a level of consulting to their clients; otherwise, they’re going to be replaced,” said Marchiano. “The old IT companies that still provide just block hours or break-fix support — they’re not providing any type of advantage or value to help their client compete in the changing tech world.”
But to really help your clients take advantage of new technologies, you’ve got to know what their needs are. You can’t just toss them headfirst into the cloud without knowing what cloud solutions are right for them.
“A lot of MSPs out there are saying, ‘No, the cloud’s not right for you, it’s a waste of money and time,’ while others are saying, ‘Oh yeah, let’s throw you 100% in the cloud,’ and that might not be right for the business you’re talking to,” said Marchiano. “It might be a hybrid approach. You have to provide flexibility and scalability with the solutions you’re providing.”
You should be thinking ahead with your clients and making plans for their future. “If you don’t know what your clients will be doing in the next three years, you can’t make any real recommendations,” Marchiano said. “It’s malpractice if you ask me — giving them a prescription without diagnosing what’s really going on.”
So what’s the key to staying in touch with what’s to come?
“Train your staff, talk to your partners, and go to a couple vendor shows a year to stay in tune with what’s going on with the manufacturers and the providers themselves. Learn what products and services will be provided in the next 12 months and how those will affect your clients. Get ahead of the curve.”