How do you keep pace with technology while meeting customer needs and keeping costs down? Simon Thompson explains how working with vendors to predict future skills gaps means we can help our partners stay ‘skills ready’ and drive customer success – without breaking the bank.
One of the biggest challenges to keeping on top of new technologies and customer expectations in today’s IT channel is the pace of change. Today’s vendors release updates and portfolio additions so quickly that it is near impossible for reseller partners and service providers to keep pace. But keeping skills and resources up to speed and relevant is essential to current and future success.
Looking ahead, the partners that will survive and thrive are those that best adapt by increasing knowledge and capabilities. Dedicated expertise and headcount is necessary for delivery of complex projects of any magnitude.
Close the skills gaps
However, the rising cost of attracting and employing skilled engineering resource has led some partners to pay engineers over $120 an hour – they are SD-WAN specialists but are being used for low-level, low-profit tasks. These shortages and gaps are especially acute when workforces may have been furloughed or made redundant during COVID.
That’s where Westcon-Comstor can help. We collaborate closely with vendors to predict and identify the future skills needed to support their new solutions and updates. We continuously maintain and update certifications, and retrain our engineering teams accordingly.
An example is Cisco’s recent launch of Webex hybrid-working products and platform capabilities and enhancements that deliver richer, more inclusive collaboration experiences. Comstor are the Webex experts, and we have the expertise and resources in place to help partners make the most of this great opportunity.
Augment in-house skills
When you don’t have current skills or capabilities in-house, don’t worry; we can deploy the new technologies for you. And if you need the skills, we’re here to train and upskill your team. Increasing skills and tech adoption within your business gives you the certification, knowledge and confidence to sell, supply, deploy and monitor the latest technologies – driving customer success and satisfaction.
We can configure your equipment before shipping with the right firmware and software to minimise DOA and the need for on-site engineers, so your specialists can focus on more skilled or profitable tasks. This streamlined supply chain management keeps you agile and responsive. It also saves money.
And when you have gaps in your capabilities, we offer flexible engineering consultancy and headcount for multi-vendor and multi-technology deployments across the entire project lifecycle. You get the specialist skills you need without making expensive, up-front investment.
