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Everyone wants to know what the next best big thing in technology is going to be, especially in the channel. This is why Gartner gets paid the big bucks. The big brains at the analyst firm are always scouring the IT landscape for trends they can quantify and consolidate into digestible packages on which IT vendors, solution providers and end users can base decisions.

Each December, Gartner publishes its annual IT forecast for the next year and beyond. While some people (myself included) take issue with the veracity of Gartner’s reports, this annual list is uncannily accurate.

This year’s forecast isn’t so much about 2012 as it is the near-term horizon: what will happen between now and 2016. From Gartner’s perspective, there’s change a-plenty coming down the pike, and most of it is good news for the channel.

>> IT Outsourcing Services
Gartner Says: By 2015, low-cost cloud services will cannibalize up to 15 percent of IT outsourcing revenue.
Implications: Big business professional outsourcing service providers (Unisys, HP Services, IBM Global Services) will be undercut by low-cost cloud providers who can offer the same productivity at a lower price and near equal quality.
Channelnomics’ Take: This isn’t bad news at all. While relatively few in the channel compete at the BPO level, the general trend reflects the continued adoption and coming reliance on cloud computing. This will translate up and down the IT marketplace, opening more opportunities for those who can deliver and support public and hybrid cloud services.

>> Email and Endpoints
Gartner Says: By 2016, at least 50 percent of enterprise users will rely on tablets and smartphones for email access instead of a desktop.
Implications: The mobility trend continues to shift the way business users consume applications and information. No surprise that email is at the forefront of this change as it is the most commonly used application.
Channelnomics’ Take: It’s too easy to say email services will continue as a mainstay of the channel business. More interesting is the increasing opportunities in mobility. Solution providers will be called on to sell, support and manage mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. It’s already happening, but the pervasiveness of these devices over the next few years will only amplify this demand.

>> UP NEXT: Cloud Computing, Security and IT Budgets

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