What are the next big things for the channel? The trends to look out for

2022 looks set to be very exciting with lots of opportunities ahead of the digital switchover by 2025. Businesses of all sizes must prepare for the 2025 PSTN/ISDN switch-off. This marks the biggest upgrade in national infrastructure for well over three decades and is an incredible opportunity for the channel to support the transformation to digital connectivity and IP-based solutions.

The needs of customers are continually evolving. And their requirement for support means we need to find new ways of doing things more efficiently - which means none of us can stand still. We need to continually look at the future landscape and identify the trends and emerging technology that point us in the right direction.

Here, we’ll delve into three trends that will continue to influence customer technology requirements.

1. Catering for evolving workplace models

The events of the last two years and the need to adopt rapidly changing work location guidance have affected working habits. According to Omdia, one third of workers are permanently based in the office, 23% are hot-desking, 21% are home-based and 23% are working in a hybrid setup. With those numbers continuously changing, partners need to ensure their portfolios cater to the new ‘mobile worker’. With connectivity, voice, mobility, security, and UC at the heart of this, they can support customers whose workforces have and are evolving.

2. Readdressing customer value

Customer value may have once simply been linked to the bottom line – but that’s now changing. Recent research found that 70% of enterprises are reconsidering their technology partners. This is due to new priorities brought about by the pandemic. There is an acceleration of digital transformation within organisations and the legacy PSTN and ISDN switch-off is approaching. This gives partners a huge opportunity to provide a helping hand that can support customers along their journey. Diversifying solution offerings, being more flexible, and boosting skills in new areas are great ways to increase customer value. In other words, increasing what’s on offer rather than simply lowering the price.

3. Hybrid connectivity networks

These will become more common within business infrastructure as they look to support a distributed workforce and business-critical digital operations. The increased use of mobile connectivity is being driven by the uptake of 5G and the significant benefits it can unlock. It complements fixed-line connections and provides flexible solutions for temporary sites. And it adds resilience to businesses through redundant connectivity. Partners that have the portfolio to cater to hybrid environments can promise customers greater business continuity.

How our portfolio has evolved

We’ve seen these significant shifts and predicted they will continue well into the future. That’s why we’re here to support our partners as best as possible and have launched our first-ever Big Winter Sale. From now until 31 March 2022, we have great offers on our key products including ethernet, high-speed broadband, and digital cloud phone lines. We’re here to help you reduce costs, attract more customers, and give your business a boost.

Find out more about the Big Winter Sale.