The IT Channel in 2017: What to Expect

Just like Abbott and Costello, peanut butter and jelly, and meat and potatoes, the New Year and predictions about it seemingly cannot be separated. One list of predictions about 2017 is what to expect in technology. We have a new President taking office. We have changes in the EU. We have wild and broad innovations in technology. It seems that everyone with a pulpit and a pen are ready to advise us on what we can expect.

Legislative Impacts

TechTarget suggests that we should expect to see changes in the upcoming year. Whether those changes will end up being for better or for worse, tax policies will certainly change. Trade policies will change. These things will each have a big impact on business. If nothing else, there should be some upswing just because these SMBs are taking a positive view of the immediate future. A positive business environment has rarely hurt the economy.

Among other things, if there is a reduction in taxes and in regulatory requirements, then nearly all businesses should benefit. Trump is also expected to be protectionist, which means there will be less outsourcing offshore jobs if he is able to have his way. These policy changes could have big impact on how businesses get to conduct how they do things.

Many of those in business who believe Trump will be able to successfully complete the legislative process necessary to make his policy wish list come true say the only issue he should have is the time it will take to make it all happen. Things rarely happen quickly in government, no matter who is President and no matter what they are trying to accomplish.

Internet of Things

According to ITBOB, the Internet of Things will not only grow during 2017, but it will likely change and become more industrial in its focus. If this prediction is true, then it can change how industries and organizations function in the future. When the IoT does become more industrialized, some experts so productivity will increase rapidly and dramatically because supplies will be ordered faster, plans for transportation of goods will happen faster, and the human element will not be part of the issue.

The Cloud

For at least the last half dozen years or so, no prediction for the New Year, no summary of the previous year could be complete without some mention of the cloud. Not too long ago businesses were reluctant about the kind of data they were willing to store on the cloud. Now, almost all data from just about any kind of business can be found on the cloud. That will not change in 2017.

What will change is customers are not just going to one cloud service provider to store their data. They going to at least two cloud providers. One expert on TechTarget said that just like one person may want to buy different things from half a dozen stores, now businesses are using several different cloud providers to keep data. 

There are also companies, for example, Hybrid Cloud Assessment, that take the data an IT customer gives them and will help find where the data will be best kept. Hybrid Cloud Assessment will have a representative who will interview potential cloud data storage providers to ensure that they can safely keep the kind of data the client needs to keep. The client interviews the company so they can determine how they will have access to their data and other important information that will not only make their management efforts easy, but will make things convenient for their customers.

Hybrid Cloud Assessment also helps determine how much downtime a client may have to deal with at a particular company. This provides yet more service and more safety for users of the cloud. One person interviewed said that this new cloud data is used to ensure their clients have a good experience. With cloud companies seemingly everywhere, these “go-betweens” help ensure the experience is good. They ensure the cloud storage company can offer appropriate security, that it can store the right data correctly, and that all works correctly for customers.

Security

Cybersecurity companies are not going anywhere. The reason why is obvious to most. Bad guy computer hackers are not going anywhere either. These guys and gals can get into almost any system in the world, and they can do so from any spot on the map. Even the FBI has said that it is probably makes more sense to pay the bad guys that put ransomware in your system rather than fight them.

Cybercrime “bad guys” made $600 billion last year. That is more than any other crime on earth. As long as there is money to be made, these people will keep trying to exploit the innocent in order to get what they want. It is important for IT channel vendors to do all they can to keep them at bay.