Companies that built the various IT industry segments could always rely on knowing their competition would look and act more or less like them, but that’s no longer true....
Reading is the means to lifelong learning. Here are a dozen thought-provoking books that channel leaders and business executives should read this summer....
Cloud services require applications to deliver value. Independent software vendors (ISVs) are leveraging cloud providers as a primary channel to market. Vendors and ISVs need strategies for capitalizing on cloud marketplaces....
Management often challenges channel chiefs to prove the ROI of the channel in a straightforward formula – how many dollars will return to us for every dollar spent? – but channel ROI isn’t that simple...
Transformational trends are driving vendors to rethink their channel programs, but channel chiefs struggle with finding the right starting point. The answer: Start at the end and work backward....
Vendors often complain that fulfillment partners get paid too much for doing too little. They’re missing the point of fulfillment and overlooking the value these partners deliver. ...
Once vendors stop playing catch-up and solution providers approach managed services strategically, not opportunistically, the full potential of the recurring revenue model can be realized....
The channel has a love-hate relationship with the long tail, mostly because of misconceptions about the composition and dynamics of low-performing partners. Here are 7 common misconceptions or overlooked facts about the channel’s long tail. ...
Many vendors are looking to rate their partners based on points earned in their programs. This kind of gamification and transparency is long overdue in the channel and could provide the added incentive to spur greater partner investment....
Automated digital sales – selling through marketplaces like Amazon, for example – will soon become a major source of indirect revenue for technology vendors. Now is the time for vendors to start preparing for this inevitable shift in selling....