TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The information and communications technology (ICT) channel pivoted to the cloud in 2020 and is poised to reap rewards as a result, new research from CONTEXT, the IT market intelligence company, reveals.
The finding is just one of several highlighted in the ChannelWatch Report 2020. In this latest edition, CONTEXT captures the behaviors, opinions and attitudes of ICT channel companies, which are responsible for the sale and integration of hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of goods and services annually. To compile the annual ChannelWatch report, CONTEXT polls partners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The ChannelWatch Report 2020, which surveyed more than 7,000 channel partners, reveals several important findings. The number of resellers that provide cloud technology solutions to their clients, for example, jumped sharply in 2020 compared to 2019. In particular, the percentage of ICT channel companies that implemented cloud back-up, disaster recovery and storage solutions in 2020 increased to 70% compared to 44% in 2019.
“The results found in our ChannelWatch 2020 report are proof of the acceleration toward digital and XaaS solutions among channel companies,” said Adam Simon, Global Managing Director at CONTEXT. “The big difference in the last two years is the number of resellers that sell more than three services than a few years ago.”
In addition to a greater embrace of cloud digital innovations, the ChannelWatch 2020 report also probed ICT channel companies on their perceptions and engagement with ICT products and services distributors. In 2020, the perceived quality of distributors, for example, increased in nearly every category measured by CONTEXT. This includes billing and other cloud services, field support, training and certification and lead generation.
“Each year, the results of the ChannelWatch report provide distribution companies invaluable information about reseller purchasing decisions and intentions, needs and challenges,” said Frank Vitagliano, CEO of the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC), a CONTEXT partner. “That channel companies increased their opinion of distributors during the pandemic is no surprise to the GTDC, which tracked how members fortified their supply chains, expanded their cloud capabilities and increased the marketing and financing support provided to channel companies last year.”
When asked about the support they need from distributors to be successful at selling and delivering technology as-a-service in 2021, 55% percent of study participants said “training and education” — more than any other category. Marketing was named by 40% of those surveyed, followed by financial support (35%) and sales assistance (34%).
Contact CONTEXT to learn more about the ChannelWatch report. These and other findings will be further showcased in the GTDC’s 2021 Tech Distribution Outlook report, which is scheduled to be released in January 2021.
About the GTDC
The Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) is the industry consortium representing the world’s leading tech distributors. GTDC members drive an estimated $150 billion in annual worldwide sales of products, services and solutions through diverse business channels. GTDC conferences support the development and expansion of strategic supply-chain partnerships that continually address the fast-changing marketplace needs of vendors, end customers and distributors. GTDC members include AB S.A, Almo Corporation, Arrow Electronics, CMS Distribution, Computer Gross Italia, D&H Distributing, ELKO, Exclusive Networks, Infinigate, Ingram Micro, Intcomex, Logicom, Siewert & Kau, SiS Technologies, SYNNEX, Tarsus, Tech Data, TESSCO Technologies, Inc., TIM AG and Westcon-Comstor.