Where's Our Industry Heading? Follow The Distributors

By Jim Roddy, President & CEO at the RSPA

Two years ago, I didn’t know what UCaaS and EVCaaS were – and I’m guessing neither did you. But I can guarantee that two years from now, retail IT VARs and ISVs will be selling more and more UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) and EVCaaS (Electric Vehicle Charging Stations as a Service).

How can I be so certain? Because that’s where our channel’s distributors are steering their solution provider partners.

This fall at BlueStar’s VARTECH conference in Orlando and ScanSource’s Channel Connect in Nashville, I heard both distys emphasize to their partners that product expansion is a must to futureproof their organizations. “We all need to unlearn and relearn,” said BlueStar Canada President (and RSPA Board Chair) Michel Sirois. “We need to be curious and explore new stuff.” ScanSource SVP of Supplier Services (and former RSPA Board Member) Brenda McCurry told me, “You have to be a total solution provider. You have to go beyond one offer.”