The managed services and hosting industry is seeing an unprecedented level of change, with consolidation and birth of new businesses running at a very high level, even for the normally fast moving world of IT. New research by IT Europa shows that 2014 has seen many new brands fighting for a place in the market, as existing firms up their game and traditional IT firms look at new delivery models.
The managed services and hosting industry is seeing an unprecedented level of change, with consolidation and birth of new businesses running at a very high level, even for the normally fast moving world of IT. New research by IT Europa shows that 2014 has seen many new brands fighting for a place in the market, as existing firms up their game and traditional IT firms look at new delivery models.
Recent research by Gartner supports this view: "The market opportunity arising from broad technology changes is creating a digital business opportunity that is forcing a restructuring in strategy, talent, portfolio and organisation within services providers," said Susan Tan, research vice president at Gartner.*
The impact of these technology changes coupled with increasing demand for Managed Services is revolutionising the IT industry, its channels and supply models, as new players emerge to lead the market. As Gartner says, service providers must also come to terms with the fact that “in a digital world, their existing delivery models will not effectively address new demands”.
“We have reported on many changes as vendors adapt to this,” says John Garratt, editor of MSP Europa and Content Director of the Managed Services and Hosting Summit in London next month. While major hosting companies such as Google and Amazon continue to cut their prices, and those in the second tier such as Rackspace complain of “intense cloud infrastructure price competition,” others are looking at where they can carve off a slice of something sustainable. “We have seen many new software companies entering with tools to manage and integrate applications, and new mobile security announcements almost daily.”
Those attending the Managed Services & Hosting Summit 2014 will have the opportunity to learn more about the issues facing Managed Service Providers, other channels and their suppliers as they evolve new business models and relationships to address the customer challenges and opportunities of the 'post-product' era. A strong line-up of speakers is headed by Tiffani Bova, VP and Distinguished Analyst at Gartner Research, who will provide the opening keynote. Tiffani's presentation will examine how both technology changes (cloud, consumption and managed services) and new customer demands are forcing technology providers and the broader channel ecosystem to re-examine their sales models.
The sponsors supporting the event now include platinum sponsors: AVG, Datto, GFI Max, Kaseya, NaviSite; gold sponsors Asigra, Avnet, Claranet, CommVault, Dot Hill, Drop Box, GCI, Modern Office, Qlogic, Virtual Instruments, Webroot; silver sponsors AppRiver, Aurora Kendrick James, Autotask, eG Innovations, Huawei, Opengear, Riverbed, SolidFire, Techgate, Tintri and Zycko.
Newly added platinum sponsor NaviSite will address the emergence of new hybrid models for IT supply. The audience of service providers, hosting companies, telcos, mobile operators and web services companies, plus channels, will hear from Mark Hart – Channel & Strategic Alliance Director, NaviSite Europe on “How service providers and partners work together to create hybrid solutions that deliver customer value”.
NaviSite’s presentation will examine the key trends in the adoption of cloud computing, the challenges for service providers and channel partners in delivering hybrid cloud solutions as part of a managed service and how service providers and partners can work effectively together to deliver customer value. “With organisations adopting cloud services in a variety of ways, the challenge of 'pure' cloud services means they look to hybrid cloud and managed services to meet their needs,” Mark Hart says.
A key driver of the industry is the rise in enterprise use of mobile technology. Prakash Khot, Chief Technology Officer at another newly added platinum sponsor, Kaseya, will discuss the “democratisation of IT” as it continues alongside adoption of cloud-first and mobile-first strategies. Companies have varying needs around Enterprise Mobility Management, he says and these are based on company size, industry, IT policies, and the estimated business value of having a mobile-enabled workforce. It is important to understand the nuances and implications of Enterprise Mobility Management and how to make a profitable services offering from it.
IT Europa and Angel Business Communications will run the Managed Services & Hosting Summit 2014 on 25 September 2014 at the Pullman St Pancras Hotel, London.
The Managed Services & Hosting Summit 2014 will take place at The Pullman St Pancras Hotel, London, on 25 September 2014. Resellers and integrators wishing to attend the convention and vendors, distributors or service providers interested in sponsorship opportunities can find further information at: www.mshsummit.com
For further information contact:
Alan Norman
Tel: +44 (0) 1895 454 604
Email: alan.norman@iteuropa.com