ARN ARN From dreaming SEPTEMBER 2016 SEPTEMBER 2016 about the future 8 NO. VOL. 21 to creating it. Let the transformation begin. We are Dell Technologies, a collective force committed to driving human progress. With our unique expertise and unprecedented capabilities, we’re poised and ready to transform your business and ultimately the lives of your customers. So bring us your biggest technology challenges, and don’t hold back. After all, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible is what keeps us all moving forward. DellTechnologies.com CHANNEL | BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY | COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTORS HANK BARNES MARK JONES KHALID KARK NIGEL MENDONCA MOHEB MOSES DAVID NICOL WAYNE PHILLIPS JAEN SNYMAN ASHISH VADUJKAR ROB VAN ES CHARLIE WOOD INTERVIEWS DARREN ADAMS MITCH COLTON MICHAEL DEMERY Customer- GUY FORDY CHRIS GREATREX centricity JAMES HOWELL CHRIS GREATREX GEORGE KAZANGI Creating a C-level checklist ALLAN KING NITIN KUCHARA JONATHAN LADD JANE LIVESEY ACCENTURE NASSER SEDGHI MAXIMISES MULTI-SPEED IT JAMIE WARNER THE POWER OF PEOPLE DATACOM SEPTEMBER 2016 2016 | Vol.Vol.l 21 No.No. 8 $250 CONTENTS 1 16 422 10 26 September REGULARS ANALYSIS 22 Creating a customer checklist Keeping the customer close remains pivotal 2 Editorial 20 VMworld 2016: Key channel to ongoing channel progression, Artis Group, 50 Secret Reseller considerations managing director, Chris Greatrex, demonstrates 42 Channel Coaching In front of thousands of partners and customers, how to JAMES HENDERSON. 60 Products VMware outlined its future direction. HAFIZAH 62 Community OSMAN was on the ground in Las Vegas to assess 26 Core vs. Context its impact on the channel. Customer buying patterns have altered the definition of mission-critical for the channel - COLUMNS 30 EDGE 2016 Avnet Australia and New Zealand vice president In drawing on discussions from two headline and general manager, Darren Adams, explains the 8 Understanding customer keynotes, six plenary sessions, 12 accompanying impact to JAMES HENDERSON. perspectives breakouts and countless engagements during Gartner analyst, Hank Barnes, addresses the four days of conferencing, here’s what the channel’s distorted sense of customer reality. channel learned at EDGE 2016. FEATURES 14 Top 5 CIO priorities 38 ARN Hall of Fame Lunch As the boundaries of the CIO playing field blur, INTERVIEWS ARN hosted its annual Hall of Fame lunch in Deloitte analyst, Khalid Kark, outlines the Sydney, honouring the leading players within leading business priorities of 2016. 4 Maximising Multi-Speed IT the ICT industry. In the pursuit of innovation, Accenture technology 48 The Hot List lead, Jane Livesey, outlines how businesses can 44 How can partners transform Each month this column looks at partners on the gear up for growth in a multi-dimensional world. the technology conversation upward move - these are the companies to watch. through financing? 10 The Power of People As new technologies flood the market, and 52 Partner round-up - Regional NSW Once the customer and now the integrator, competition increases in parallel, the need for LEON SPENCER chats to partners in regional Datacom Group CEO, Jonathan Ladd, explains the innovation heightens. IBM Global Financing and NSW about what they do and how they do it – the power of people. partners debated the issue during an exclusive good and the bad. ARN roundtable. 16 Carving out a customer-centric 54 Rediscovering your cloud strategy 56 Changing mobility play leadership buzz As cloud adoption changes the focus of channel HAFIZAH OSMAN trawls the depths of the enterprise Mark Jones believes leadership buzz involves partners, Allan King outlines how to build a mobility market to find the opportunities that matter removing yourself out of the picture and getting blueprint for the modern-day customer. and where MSPs should position themselves to the source of inspiration from your team. maximise short- and long-term future plays. arnnet.com.au | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 2 EDITORIAL Putting the customer at the core n looking down the supply chain I of the channel, from the vendor, down to the distributor and through to the partner, something was amiss. As the heart of strategy and the focus of vision, putting the customer at the core is mission-critical to ongoing partner profitability. Consequently, in this issue, we profile partners who have rebuilt entire businesses based around what a CIO wants. Outlined by our cover story this month, which features Artis Group managing director, Chris Greatrex, partners are recognising the benefits where we have to go to achieve the ready-made box.” of aligning with core customer right outcomes on behalf of them,” Representing a significant shift in priorities to drive future growth. he said. how partners engage with the end- As a leading Sydney-based user, this issue arrows into the heart applications provider, Artis Group Core Vs. Context of the customer conversation through categorises customer success When embarking on such a customer- in-depth analysis from Deloitte and through its ability to satisfy three centric strategy, Avnet Australia and Gartner. overriding CIO concerns – credibility, New Zealand vice president and credentials and coverage. general manager, Darren Adams, EDGE 2016 “We started out in a small office believes as a consequence, resellers Fresh from completing our Australia in Sydney with one development must move to outsourcing the and New Zealand destination channel contract and realised that we needed contextual aspects of their business conference, EDGE 2016, in Hamilton to build our capabilities quickly,” and instead focus on what is core. Island, this issue outlines the key takeaways from four days of keynotes, breakouts and networking. Instigating change is one thing, however, executing Book-ended by a world-renowned represents a different beast for channel partners. culture guru in Stan Slap and one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs in Steve Baxter, EDGE Greatrex explained. Alluding to the “Core vs. Context” 2016 reflected the new world of the Fast forward to 2016 and Artis debate, Adams advised partners channel, and crucially, outlined how has presence across five cities, with to operate on the lucrative side of partners can progress within it. an expanded applications-based the market, adapting practices and Built by partners for partners, our portfolio built around the Microsoft services in light of customer choices. extensive post-event coverage offers and SAP stacks. It’s a sentiment not lost on key points for the channel to action, Also recognising the need to stay Accenture also, with technology zoning in on the business issues close to the customer, three years lead, Jane Livesey, outlining the core impacting resellers today. ago, Infront Systems managing priorities of Australian CIOs today, Not forgetting our usual round-up director, Allan King, stepped away emphasising a focus on multi-speed IT. featuring the Secret Reseller, regional from the spotlight to reassess the Instigating change is one thing, partners updates, Channel Coaching, market's future and potential. however, executing represents a born-in-the-cloud players and latest Seeking counsel from key different beast for channel partners. product releases, the September customers in the wake of dramatic Yet for Datacom Group CEO, issue shines a light on the single most cloud adoption, King now heads a Jonathan Ladd, the answer to solving important aspect of the industry – the refocused team, built around core the customer conundrum is simple. customer circling within it. hybrid solutions. “People,” he explained, need a “We run our businesses only for single-minded IT salesperson coming James Henderson, our customers and we have to go in and trying to hedge them into a Editor, ARN | SEPTEMBER 2016 | arnnet.com.au Travels light, docks large Total security Built for business Effortlessly switch between Business-class security Enjoy on-the-go access phone, desktop, and laptop features help protect your to your corporate apps experiences.2 sensitive data. through HP Workspace.3 4 INTERVIEW/ACCENTURE Jane Livesey | SEPTEMBER 2016 | arnnet.com.au ACCENTURE/INTERVIEW 5 MAXIMISING MULTI-SPEED IT In the pursuit of innovation, Accenture technology lead, Jane Livesey, outlines to James Henderson how businesses can gear up for growth in a multi-dimensional world. or Australian CIOs in the fast “In order to successfully achieve “Many organisations are still lane, it’s time to shift gears. this, businesses must work in parallel grappling with how to improve key F As new technologies and to support the fast-paced delivery of aspects of their end-to-end delivery shifting business operating models digital and analytics solutions that processes e.g. enhancing the time-to- change the role of IT, CIOs are can enhance and improve market of new products and services,” balancing demands - keeping the lights customer experience.” she acknowledged. on while being pulled by digital’s fast-moving influence to establish new Multi-Speed Outcomes market and revenue streams. Livesey’s sentiment is shared across the Likewise, challenges continue to Yet the negativity associated with country by executives who believe the IT surface for systems integrators as a multi-tasking remains, forcing organisation needs to broaden its scope result, with customers now expecting decision makers to choose between and keep pace with evolving needs of the partners to focus on business keeping everything running and business, citing simultaneous operation outcomes, and how to utilise teams to pursing new opportunities. to support multiple objectives. effectively achieve those outcomes. The answer in 2016 however, is With businesses now consuming “Partners can also help by being not choosing. IT at several speeds at once, Livesey flexible and part of the disruption, be it “Today IT organisations are focused said two speeds are no longer enough predictively or reactively when on multi-speed IT,” Accenture Australia for the modern organisation, a reality opportunities arise,” Livesey advised. and New Zealand technology lead, Jane that is starting to play out in the “They should be bringing new ideas, Livesey, said.