Techaisle Blog

They are here. Techaisle's annual SMB and Midmarket Top 10 IT Priorities, IT Challenges and Business Issues. This is the 5th year of Techaisle tracking at a WW level and is much sought after by IT vendors, channels and media. For 2017, Techaisle investigated 15 different technology areas, each with several sub-technology categories, 20 different IT challenges and 20 different business issues.

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When compared with 2016 the list for 2017 SMB and Midmarket Top 10 IT Priorities, IT Challenges and Business Issues reveals major changes – digitalization has become an IT priority and supporting digital marketing/workplace an IT challenge, improving workforce productivity as a business issue has catapulted to the top, enabling mobile workforce is among the top 3 IT challenges and Collaboration, Cloud, Mobility and Security are the IT priorities. Cloud orchestration has also appeared for the first time in the list of IT challenges as IT is finding it necessary to orchestrate across the entire enterprise to deliver business infrastructure via the cloud.

In 360 on US SMB & Midmarket Security solutions adoption trends report, Techaisle analyzes survey responses from over 1,100 US SMBs to provide the insight needed to build and execute on IT security marketing strategies for the small and midmarket customer segments. Survey shows that overall, spending on security products by small businesses as flat but spending by midmarket firms is on a strong upward trajectory. Most SMBs rely on core security practices and technologies to address cloud-specific threats, but many are underinvested in cloud security solutions. Data encryption and security for virtual environments are particularly primed for growth. Mobile device security, gateway messaging/web security, and (as noted above) virtualization security as high-growth opportunities for security-as-a-service providers.

Techaisle’s research investigated 17 different types of IT security solutions. Techaisle positions these as belonging to one of four categories-

1. Protection of data entering the corporate environment
2. Protection of data that is being used within the corporate environment
3. Protection of the mobile environment
4. Traffic inspection and management

Highlights of findings from the survey include:

For the last decade Techaisle has been providing a unique and an unparalleled perspective on SMBs & Channel partners – deeply-rooted in data and industry knowledge, thereby enabling IT suppliers shape their market strategy.

Techaisle is the only SMB & Channel partner focused research organization that is helping clients in:

• connecting-the-dots across technology areas and their relevance to end-customers
• identifying SMB routes-to-market
• understanding infrastructure solution trends in the face of growing cloud adoption
• showcasing IT suppliers’ thought leadership and promoting through email marketing
• establishing insights into competitive positioning

Each of the below – from Connecting the Dots to Competitive Positioning – has been a point of engagement with Techaisle - through Annual Subscription services, Advisory Services or Custom Primary Research.

Techaisle has not only been a leader in providing thought leadership but has also been a leader in identifying trends much ahead of others who really become fast-followers.

Clients leverage a respondent network of over 900,000 ITDMs and BDMs and 250,000 channel partners in over 20 countries for their custom primary research and marketing outreach requirements.

Through Techaisle’s industry leading research, the annual subscription services have been fulfilling need for clear insight into evolving solution areas needed by both established and emerging suppliers. Clients are able to access market research reports, newsletters, perspectives and white papers for use within the entire organization.

To learn more about Techaisle please visit:
Techaisle Subscription Services
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Candid conversation with Dell Cloud-Client Computing chief strategist

Jeff McNaught, Executive Director & Chief Strategy Officer, Dell Cloud Client-Computing and co-inventor of Wyse thin client had a candid conversation with Techaisle on his new product initiatives, focus on security, building solutions for small and medium businesses and renewed attention to channel partners. Jeff is deeply involved in software solutions which includes partner software - Citrix, Microsoft and VMware and is responsible for the cloud-client business which includes devices that Dell build’s exclusively for Citrix or VMware as well as new products and software security offerings. One of his major new initiatives includes simplifying and securing virtual workspaces better than anyone else.

Dell VDI converging on security, cost, complexity and channels

Based on extensive primary research with SMBs and the channel partners, Techaisle forecasts the US SMB VDI market to be US$13 billion in 2020 as VDI penetration increases to 34 percent from the current 26 percent and an increase in number of seats from users who have already deployed VDI. Most of the midmarket firms that have invested in VDI are still experimenting with the technology, and most small businesses are still several years away from even this level of preliminary adoption.

The allure of VDI is clear – but the technology itself and the path to realizing its benefits is still mysterious to many small and midmarket businesses. Techaisle research shows that there is a need for VDI vendors to embark on a messaging exercise that includes - real-world examples of successful deployment of VDI, ease of VDI implementation with the least pain for SMBs & simplification of understanding VDI technology by removing fear and complexity.

Over the last two years Dell has been trying to build a momentum to remove the mystery and reduce deployment complexity. Along the way it has had more successes than missteps and it seems that Dell has reached a stage where it reasonably understands the needs of the end-customers and how to work with channel partners to win business and deploy solutions. Dell has architected multiple VDI solution delivery models for SMBs of all sizes and levels of technology adoption.