IT & Telecomunication
The knowledge of the markets is an essential prerequisite
Whether public relations, creative or consulting – knowledge of the markets is an essential prerequisite in order to be really successful.
However, superficial knowledge will just not do here: since each market has its own laws and requirements – not least in the highly differentiated IT industry –, in-depth knowledge is required to be able to identify challenges and to develop market-oriented strategies.
The Riba:BusinessTalk advisors stand out with their in-depth knowledge about current developments and longer-term development trends in the markets of the IT industry. All recommendations, communication steps and organisational measures are thus based on sound knowledge and experience and are tailored to the respective market situations as well as shifts in the market which are to be expected in the future.
Rising electricity costs stimulate the demand for ever more efficient infrastructure solutions
Data centres
Rising electricity costs stimulate the demand for ever more efficient infrastructure solutions in the field of data centres. This market segment is consequently fiercely competitive. Manufacturers and service providers are thus also under intense pressure when it comes to addressing product-specific added value to potential customers in a targeted manner.
Against this backdrop, the expectations of readers and editorial offices in the highly professional data centre environment are also clear: they do not want any empty marketing phrases; it is rather professional expertise and comprehensible facts that count here. What’s more, the variety of topics is extremely vast – along with the network technology, server and storage hardware, UPS technology and precision air conditioning form the complex functional unit of modern data centres, which must nowadays meet a wide range of standards and compliance regulations. The professional presentation of specialist topics in the data centre thus requires an in-depth understanding – both of the individual infrastructural components and their interdependencies and of the higher-level economic and regulatory issues.
Business software
ERP, business intelligence
Today, business applications are amongst the most business-critical systems of every company. In addition to ERP and CRM applications, BI solutions in particular play an increasingly prominent role. They provide important business information on the basis of collected facts and figures and thus support the company management and C-level teams in the decision-making process in a sustainable manner.
Holistic HR solutions
Holistic HR solutions are equally important: along with pure personnel management, the systems available on the market also offer intelligent training management and talent search functions. They make efficient staffing possible – even when there is an increasing shortage of skilled labour.
Suitable licencing
From the perspective of software providers and commercial end customers, there are also questions relating to suitable licencing. For many years now, several providers have attempted to market “on demand” services, but so far only with limited success. With the growing acceptance of cloud technologies, the customers’ interest in demand-oriented licencing methods such as Saas (Software as a Service) is now increasing – and this not only applies to office production software, but also to traditional business solutions. From the perspective of the providers, this gives rise to plenty of opportunity to acquire new customer groups.
Network technology and building infrastructure
Growing volumes of data, increasing demands
Growing volumes of data and the increasing demands placed upon the performance of IT networks are now of significance not only for ultra-modern SAN storage resources and data centres. Nowadays, a high-performance structured cabling network forms the foundation of almost all corporate processes – a trend which is exacerbated by IP telephony and unified communication.
Rising convergence, increasing technical demands
However, the rising convergence also gives rise to an increase in the technical demands placed on the active network technology and the IT cabling. This is also being carried over to private households: the transmission of multimedia data as part of Smart Home and Triple Play offers interesting business models for local carriers and communal providers. Future-oriented infrastructure solutions such as FTTH can exploit completely new sources of revenue. This is particularly true if content is provided in addition to the pure data transport. Network technologies such as SDN (Software Defined Network) and optical multiplexing lay important foundations for a scalable and market-oriented networking infrastructure, which also provides sufficient investment protection with regards to future volumes of data.
The fastest growing global IT markets
Cloud/virtualisation
Cloud and virtualisation are the fastest growing global IT markets. Leading experts predict that Cloud technologies will have a long-term impact on the entire IT world. But what are the main advantages for companies? Cloud and virtualisation offer maximum flexibility as business applications and IT resources can be accessed anywhere in the world. They also enable IT costs to be optimised.
Cost-cutting technologies such as VDI (Virtual Desktop Integration) minimise hardware costs and create a virtualised IT landscape, which can be efficiently managed. Maintenance and IT personnel costs are thus permanently reduced. In turn, the use of public Cloud services makes expensive applications, highly available IT infrastructure as well as storage space and processing power affordable for everyone.
This development gives rise to attractive market opportunities – particularly for IT channels and Value Add Distribution. Whereas enterprise applications were often previously dismissed on grounds of cost, these are now of greater interest to small and medium-sized companies.
Backbone of the German IT industry
IT distribution
30.000 resellers
With approximately 30,000 resellers, the IT channel – with its specialist dealers and computer retailers – forms the backbone of the German IT industry. IT and specialised distribution plays a central role in this multi-tier concept: it combines the needs of manufacturers and the specialist trade with a comprehensive sales and logistics concept.
IT value-added chain
In this key position within the IT value-added chain, nothing changes the fact that the increase in eTail providers has left its mark on the IT market. Such shifts in the market provide the field of distribution with the opportunity to reprofile itself more clearly in the multifaceted IT business: whether value add distributors with extensive services and qualified expert advisors or broad-liners with a highly-efficient Europe-wide logistics network – now more than ever, the IT market provides scope for healthy and continuous growth.
IT distributors and competition
However, to ensure that IT distributors are able to differentiate themselves from the competition, specialist trade communication must also be aligned accordingly. Here, it is important to clearly highlight individual features – such as special strengths, intelligent specialist trade programmes or selective manufacturer relationships – in a sustainable manner.
IT technology and consumer electronics are growing together
Consumer electronics
Extensive networking opportunities
IT technology and consumer electronics are growing together. Smart TVs and cameras are already today offering extensive networking opportunities and functions which were reserved almost exclusively for notebooks and PCs just a few years ago. In addition, cloud services are now providing multimedia data on virtually all end devices and allow internet and multimedia content to join forces.
The result of this development?
Since consumer electronics are becoming more and more complex, it is becoming increasingly difficult to convey the added value for customers. This results in completely new tasks for manufacturers with regards customer communication. Solution ideas and overall concepts are of growing significance not only in the IT business, but also in the CE market. For this reason, traditional tools of B2B communication – such as tech-papers and solution guides – will also find their way into the B2C field in the future.
Fastest-growing technology sector
Video surveillance
ERP, business intelligence
Today, business applications are amongst the most business-critical systems of every company. In addition to ERP and CRM applications, BI solutions in particular play an increasingly prominent role. They provide important business information on the basis of collected facts and figures and thus support the company management and C-level teams in the decision-making process in a sustainable manner.
Holistic HR solutions
Holistic HR solutions are equally important: along with pure personnel management, the systems available on the market also offer intelligent training management and talent search functions. They make efficient staffing possible – even when there is an increasing shortage of skilled labour.
Suitable licencing
From the perspective of software providers and commercial end customers, there are also questions relating to suitable licencing. For many years now, several providers have attempted to market “on demand” services, but so far only with limited success. With the growing acceptance of cloud technologies, the customers’ interest in demand-oriented licencing methods such as Saas (Software as a Service) is now increasing – and this not only applies to office production software, but also to traditional business solutions. From the perspective of the providers, this gives rise to plenty of opportunity to acquire new customer groups.
Great sales potential in the competitive telecommunications market
Telecommunications
Voice-over-IP solutions currently have particularly great sales potential in the competitive telecommunications market. VoIP is not only more cost-effective than traditional telephony solutions – IP telephony is also easier to manage, its infrastructure is less complicated, and it is not at all difficult to integrate into other services and processes.
Small and medium-sized companies in particular are increasingly converting to VoIP and making the most of the financial and administrative advantages of this modern voice transmission technology. This opens up lucrative market opportunities for IT consulting companies, computer retailers and the IT specialist trade, particularly in the segment under 100 ports.
Since the successful utilisation of VoIP technology requires special data protection measures, VoIP-specific security solutions form another important market segment. Solutions, which combine encryption for connections via SIPS (Session Initiation Protocol Secure) and data encryption via SRTP (Secure Real Time Transport Protocol), offer maximum protection and thus the best sales opportunities in the medium-term. Market-leading specialists already have VoIP telephone systems with integrated SIPS/SRTP encryption and thus complete VoIP solutions in their portfolios.
IT security is becoming increasingly important in a business context
IT security
Emails, the Internet and the global expansion of business activities can turn a company into an easy target for cyber criminals. Threats include cyber-espionage methods, such as keylogger software and rootkits, which are used by hackers to steal confidential data and to disguise themselves, as well as malicious malware, which can penetrate into computer systems via spam, malicious websites and storage media.
Ever-present threats are also posed to the network by security gaps in the Cloud and the daily deluge of email messages. IT processes within companies are also becoming more complex due to trends such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). It is important to prevent dormant viruses from finding a loophole in such a complex IT environment. The market thus offers a wide range of cybersecurity solutions, which are tailored to various company sizes and requirements.
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