COMMENT
Knowledge is power Data is crucial to the running of many businesses today, but that means it must be kept safe and managed correctly if it is to deliver value. And resellers have a vital role in this.
For businesses today, data is king. Businesses are producing more data than ever before and in mind-boggling amounts too. Globally, north of 20 zettabytes worth of data are created in a year – a zettabyte is equal to a trillion gigabytes. That’s 22 numbers in a row. It is huge. Like, really huge. And it is only going to get bigger over the coming years as more business is conducted online, generating more data. But of course, with all this data flowing around the world, it means there are increasing numbers of criminals out there looking to steal it. Numerous surveys and studies have been published recently that have outlined the scale and scope of the problem of cybercriminality in this country and around the world. Not only that, but the types of threats are also changing too. For instance, ransomware attacks are on the rise and attackers are now demanding greater sums from businesses for it, according to a survey by Arctic Wolf.
patch or remedial measure. With the growing threats to security, it stands to reason that more measures are taken to safeguard a company’s data. But as well as that, the data needs to be managed effectively, and that is another growing area for the channel. Good data management can harness the data produced and use it to deliver insights that can deliver value to a business and help it to become more efficient and such like. Customer demands are changing – including the increasing influence of AI – and resellers have a vital role to play in terms of ensuring customers have the right data management solutions in place. Read more on p34. Elsewhere in the magazine, we have an in-depth interview with Ralf Jordan, Lenovo’s vice president channel EMEA. While he admits that the past couple of years have not been easy for the PC sector, this is set to change in 2024, which is good news for manufacturers and the channel alike. Find out the causes for his optimism on p14. We also cover Microsoft Surface’s recent expansion of channel access to allow all resellers in the UK to purchase the full Surface for Business portfolio of devices and accessories from authorised distributors, which means resellers are no longer required to become a Surface Authorised Partner to sell Surface devices and accessories to customers. Find out more about this, and how resellers can get involved, on p24. As ever, I hope you enjoy this issue. If there is something you would like to see us cover in the upcoming issues, please drop me an email at dan@newsinthechannel.com. I’m always on the lookout for content too – be it news, features or opinion pieces – so it would be great to hear from you.
Dan Parton
It is now the case that all businesses must consider the risk of a cyberattack, no matter their size, and prioritise cybersecurity. This is something resellers have to emphasise, including the need to keep it updated – a lot of attacks come through vulnerabilities in systems that have previously been disclosed but the business hasn’t implemented the right
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