Tech Talk: A Wealth of IoT Ideas Create Opportunity for Channel Partners

It’s difficult to look anywhere these days without seeing an advertisement for the next great smart device. From popular wearables like the Apple Watch to the ubiquity of smartphones, these days it seems like all of our devices are as smart (or in some cases, smarter) than the average person.

But the buck doesn’t stop there. The popularity of connected devices has created a market surge in products bearing the “smart” moniker, including everything from home lighting to wallets, which can only be opened via a biometric scanner tethered to the user’s smartphone. Even smart luggage is beginning to pop up on the market, giving users such abilities as how to see the fastest route through a given airport in real time.

That’s a whole lot of smart tech. Which begs the question, is all of this necessary? Do I really need a smart toaster to tell me when my bagel is done, or a rolling travel bag connected to the Internet? Regardless of what you think of the new wave of technologically improved products, one thing is for certain: someone needs to manage, service and add value to all of these IoT-enabled solutions.

That’s where you, the channel partners, come into play. While you might not agree with the need for such devices, IoT is becoming such a pervasive part of the enterprise world that experienced VARs are going to be critical in helping customers navigate the world of smart home and office devices. As more and more solutions begin to permeate the enterprise, organizations will need to turn to trusted advisors to help them pick out the right solutions for their needs and to service those solutions when they inevitably break down. Even more importantly, MSPs will be able to utilize a recurring revenue model to keep customers’ devices up to date and to protect them with the latest cybersecurity solutions.

Take, for example, something as simple as a smart cooling system in a company’s data center or server room. If that cooling system is connected to the Internet in some fashion, it will definitely need to be protected from hackers who could remotely adjust the inside temperature and overheat storage racks. Even devices as simple as smart locks will need to be managed in some fashion, giving cybersecurity providers a new means of collecting recurring revenue.

Of course, a wealth of smart devices also means there will be a wealth of data that needs to be sorted, cataloged and analyzed – another great opportunity for VARs and MSPs to step up to the plate and offer their services to overwhelmed enterprise customers. These organizations will undoubtedly want to see trends in the data gathered by their devices as well as how that data can be used to improve their business, both of which are perfect ways for channel partners to implement new means of garnering recurring revenue.

So remember, the more smart devices there are, the more opportunities there will be for channel partners to offer their unique services to enterprise customers. You could say that the smartest things about these devices are just how many ways they afford VARs and MSPs to create new revenue streams.

What’s new and exciting in the world of channel IT? Tune in each week as The VAR Guy’s Michael Cusanelli chases down the industry’s mosts innovative companies, cutting-edge tech and creative thinkers.