As I described in a previous blog that referenced a recent ESG research study, demands for IT delivery have become exponentially more complex. What further challenges the traditional IT delivery model is the concept of IT being responsible to also drive the provision of intelligent data management. This concept is rapidly becoming pervasive, as is the idea that intelligent data management should be delivered and supported by multi cloud ecosystems and as-a-service consumption models. And while innovating with data as-a-service relies on storage, the fact is what is needed by end user customers is existentially broader than just STaaS. Implementing cyber recovery/resiliency and delivering solutions that traverse on-premise, hosted, and even SaaS models are what is being demanded for today’s enterprise.
The opportunity for partners to provide data as-a-service, inclusive of data storage and data protection (backup services and cyber recovery), continues to grow at a rapid-fire pace. Better yet, according to ESG research, this need is clearly important and, as such, is top of mind for almost all enterprise IT decision makers today. But don’t take my word for it, as the research results speak for themselves. Specifically:
· To support data management delivery, ESG research found that IT leaders anticipate operating an increasing number of data centers.
· 34% of respondents to a recent survey said they will operate between 6 to 10 data centers 5 years from now;
· 29% of respondents said that they will operate more than 10 by that time, a significant jump from the 8 centers they report operating today; and
· Infrastructure modernization has been shown to be a top 5 priority for 43% and the top overall IT priority for 22% of respondents.
In order to drive modernization, IT leaders are changing how they buy and consume data center technology. They increasingly want to employ a pay-per-use model to deploy more assets sooner, free up their own personnel to work on other tasks and accelerate the new capabilities that new infrastructure can now deliver.
These factors are driving change that favors forward-looking partners, as the majority of organizations prefer to use some combination of managed services from a third party, hardware OEMS, or a Hyperscaler/CSP provider. ESG found that IT decision makers have a plan to move to this model in the short term, and they will look to third-party partners to deliver solutions to accelerate the rate of transformation.
Dell APEX facilitates this shift in management to the partner and Dell, which frees up customer time for data innovation. A good place for partners to get started in this regard is with APEX Data Storage Services.
As important as the actual technology is in this equation, the real value that Dell and its partners bring to the table goes beyond the technology. Affecting organizational and operational change for end user customers as they navigate their modernization path is as important as the underlying infrastructure itself.
Many of the partners Dell has spoken with tell them that in order to successfully guide their customers, they must become skilled in leading organizational/cultural change - this is in addition to becoming trusted advisors in aaS technologies. In this regard, Dell Technologies has committed to providing comprehensive training and enablement for partners to help them successfully market and sell APEX offerings. These enablement programs were purpose-built to prepare Dell partners to strengthen their own organizations and operations, and through these programs, their revenues and profitability as well.
About the ESG Research
The ESG research cited here explores four themes that are being shaped by the marketplace changes in IT consumption and management. This blog examines the third theme, ‘Innovating with Data’. We will cover the fourth theme in a future blog to further examine the factors and data behind these trends, how they are connected to the other themes, and the impact on end users and the partners that support them.
Read the full ESG report and discover how you can help customers innovate with data with Dell APEX Data Storage Services.
ESG, a division of TechTarget, is an IT analyst, research, validation, and strategy firm that provides market intelligence and actionable insight to the global IT community.
