CRN 15 January 2013 by UBM India

OUTLOOK 2013

editorial

When the going gets tough

013 will be much tougher than 2012 because customer confidence will further ebb as macro-economic factors will continue to be negative. GDP growth will fall under 6 percent and the ongoing policy paralysis will continue as the country enters a pre-election period—from now to May 2014— when the next Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held. This will keep the political environment fully charged and hamper decision-making and governance at the Center. The domestic IT industry will grow in the range of 7-12 percent over 2012, which, considering the current macro-economic conditions, is a healthy growth rate.

Consumer trends: PC and peripheral sales to homes and SOHOs will at best grow by 5 percent. In the PC segment the ultrabook convertible—notebook plus tablet—is the best bet for growth. The entry-level price of convertibles is currently Rs 60,000+; however, during the year, the ASP is likely to fall under Rs 40,000. This would be a sweet spot for the convertible, and the faster this price barrier is broken the better for the Volume 2, Issue 06

Managing Director : Printer & Publisher : Associate Publisher & Executive Editor : Group Commercial Director : Contributing Editor : Assistant Editor : Principal Correspondent : : Senior Correspondent Design Art Director Senior Visualiser Senior Graphic Designer Graphic Designer Designer Marketing Advertising Co-ordinator online Manager—Product Dev. & Mktg. Deputy Manager—Online Web Designer Sr. User Interface Designer Operations Head—Finance Director—Operations & Administration

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Sanjeev Khaira Kailash Pandurang Shirodkar Dhaval Valia Salil Warior Ramdas S Sonal Desai Abhijeet Mukherjee (Mumbai) Amit Singh (Delhi) Deepjyoti Bhowmik Yogesh Naik Shailesh Vaidya Jinal Chheda Sameer Surve

: Jagruti Kudalkar

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Viraj Mehta Nilesh Mungekar Nitin Lahare Aditi Kanade

: Yogesh Mudras

SMB and enterprise trends: The growth of IT in the commercial segment is likely to range between 10-12 percent and will be driven largely by virtualization, business applications, BI, storage solutions and cloud computing. The good news is that the SMB segment will grow faster than the rest of the industry, maybe by 15-20 percent. Client sales will continue to disappoint as very few organizations are likely to invest in PC refresh. Virtualization will continue to be the main theme among SMBs. What will also drive SMB investment is the deployment of business applications either on-premise or in the cloud. Cloud computing will gain better momentum in 2013 among SMBs. Services that will do well are mail and Delhi Senior Project Manager : Sanjay Khandelwal sanjay.khandelwal@ubm.com (M) +91 98117 64515 mumbai Manager—Sales : Ranabir Das ranabir.das@ubm.com (M) +91 9820097606 production Production Manager : Prakash (Sanjay) Adsul Logistics Deputy Manager : Bajrang Shinde Subscriptions & Database Manager : Manoj Ambardekar manoj.ambardekar@ubm.com Senior Executive : Deepanjali Chaurasia deepa.chaurasia@ubm.com Head Office UBM India Pvt Ltd, 1st floor, 119, Sagar Tech Plaza - A, Andheri-Kurla Road, Saki Naka Junction, Andheri (E), Mumbai 400072, India Tel: 022 6769 2400; Fax: 022 6769 2426 Printed and Published by Sajid Yusuf Desai on behalf of UBM India Pvt Ltd, 6th floor, 615-617 Sagar Tech Plaza - A, Andheri-Kurla Road, Saki Naka Junction, Andheri (E), Mumbai 400072, India. Executive Editor: Dhaval Valia Printed at Indigo Press (India) Pvt Ltd, Plot No 1c/716, Off Dadaji Konddeo Cross Road, Byculla (E), Mumbai 400027

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entire PC ecosystem. Meanwhile, tablet sales will grow exponentially. With a flurry of brands and various form-factors, the ASP of tablets will fall under Rs 10,000 and this will further fuel demand. Online sales will gain traction among second- and third-time PC buyers and pose a threat to retailers in the top 15-20 cities.

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Associate Office - Pune Jagdish Khaladkar, Sahayog Apartment 508 Narayan Peth, Patrya Maruti Chowk, Pune 411 030 Tel: 91 (020) 2445 1574 (M) 98230 38315 email: jagdishk@vsnl.com

Dhaval Valia

Associate publisher & Executive Editor, CRN

messaging, storage services (mainly backup and DR), burst services and horizontal applications. A verticalized approach is necessary for cloud computing to succeed, hence cloud service providers will need to build and offer vertical application services in the cloud.

Get your strategy in place: With 21 industry experts discussing the trends and opportunities for 2013 in this edition of CRN, I recommend that you use their insights to plan your shortto-midterm strategy. The right strategy will make all the difference in a tough 2013—and keep you going. n E-mail me at dhaval.valia@ubm.com USA Huson International Media (West) Tiffany DeBie Tiffany.debie@husonmedia.com Tel +1 408 879 6666 Fax +1 408 879 6669 Huson International Media (East) Dan Manioci dan.manioci@husonmedia.com Tel +1 212 268 3344 Fax +1 212 268 3355

EMEA Huson International Media Gerry Rhoades Brown, gerry. rhoadesbrown@husonmedia.com Tel: +44 19325 64999 Fax: + 44 19325 64998 South Korea Young Media Young Baek ymedia@chol.com Tel: +82 2227 34819 Fax: +82 2227 34866

Japan Pacific Business (PBI) Shigenori Nagatomo nagatomo-pbi@gol.com Tel: +81 3366 16138 Fax: +81 3366 16139 Important Every effort has been taken to avoid errors or omissions in this magazine. In spite of this, errors may creep in. Any mistake, error or discrepancy noted may be brought to our notice immediately. It is notified that neither the publisher, the editor or the seller will be responsible in respect of anything and the consequence of anything done or omitted to be done by any person in reliance upon the content herein. This disclaimer applies to all, whether subscriber to the magazine or not. For binding mistakes, misprints, missing pages, etc, the publisher’s liability is limited to replacement within one month of purchase. © All rights are reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai only. While care is taken prior to acceptance of advertising copy, it is not possible to verify its contents. UBM India Pvt Ltd. cannot be held responsible for such contents, nor for any loss or damages incurred as a result of transactions with companies, associations or individuals advertising in its newspapers or publications. We therefore recommend that readers make necessary inquiries before sending any monies or entering into any agreements with advertisers or otherwise acting on an advertisement in any manner whatsoever.

OUTLOOK 2013

contents

January 15, 2013 l Volume 2 Issue 06

outlook 2013

While the IT industry will continue to reel under weak macro economics and experience muted growth, leading channel chiefs highlight key opportunities and strategies that can help partners grow in double digits The future is hybrid

S Rajendran

Chief Marketing Officer Acer India

Remain ahead of the curve

Adapt fast to survive

Vinay Shetty

Country Manager, Component Business Asus India

Mobility is transforming IT

Partners are pillars of brand

Alok Bharadwaj

Senior Vice President Canon India

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Pramodh Menon

President, Partner Business Group India & Saarc, Cisco

Sanjay Deshmukh

Area Vice President India subcontinent, Citrix

Challenging yet promising

Sameer Garde

President & Managing Director Dell India

OUTLOOK 2013

contents Survival of the smartest

Praveen Sahai

Vice President, Channels India & Saarc, EMC

The begining of 4-screen era

From low-cost to value-add

Samba Moorthy

Director, Sales & Marketing Epson India

Rajiv Srivastava

Vice President & General Manager Printing & Personal Systems Group, HP

Anoop Nambiar

Director, Business Partner Organization India & South Asia, IBM

MDM will go mainstream

Ravi Chauhan

Managing Director India & Saarc, Juniper Networks

Altaf Halde

Managing Director South Asia, Kaspersky Lab

Neeraj Gill

Managing Director India & Saarc, Polycom

Suresh Pansari

Managing Director Rashi Peripherals

Backup-as-a-service will boom

Need for unified security

Anil Valluri

President India & Saarc, Netapp

Brace for a tougher year

Chief Executive Officer iValue InfoSolutions

Product Group Head, IT LG Electronics India

Tipping point for VC

Key opportunities for growth Sriram S

Sanjoy Bhattacharya

Moving to agile data infrastructure

Get ready for a paradigm shift

Managing Director Lenovo India

The year of tablet and social media

Innovation takes center stage

Amar Babu

Amitabh Jacob

Channel Director India & Saarc, Symantec

SMBs: Next big wave of growth

Shoaib Ahmed

President Tally Solutions

Shift from virtual to cloud T Srinivasan

Managing Director India & Saarc, VMware

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OUTLOOK 2013

The future is hybrid

he year 2012 was challenging for the Indian economy. High interest rates combined with rising inflation meant that the country’s GDP growth could not breach the 7 percent mark. The growth of the Indian IT industry suffered a setback during Q12012 when the market was impacted by the floods in Thailand that led to a shortage of hard disk drives; the rising dollar also severely impacted margins. Newer form-factors such as ultrabooks and smartphones gained recognition among consumers. The rise in Internet penetration meant that more people beyond metros experienced the power of the Internet. Toward the end of the year Microsoft launched the Windows 8 operating system.

New form-factors The constant shift in technology has witnessed the rise of form-factors that are more intuitive. For instance, the ultrabook is an evolution of the fully functional notebook in a sleeker form-factor packed with features such as fast start-up, instant connectivity with long battery life. This category has gone mainstream and occupies a large chunk of the notebook segment. 2012 witnessed the advent of other form-factors such as convertibles, budget tablet PCs and all-in-ones (AIOs). We believe that this trend will continue in 2013. The emergence of the hybrid has changed personal computing and blurred the lines of differentiation between a tablet and a notebook. The acceptance of such devices suggests that the price-conscious consumer is willing to pay slightly more. In 2013, we foresee a transition in the desktop segment; AIOs will prove to be a single solution with the functionality of multiple devices, supporting the needs of consumers who require more than one device. The Windows 8 launch created a niche space for touch-friendly

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We foresee a transition in the desktop segment; AIOs will prove to be a single solution with the functionality of multiple devices, supporting the needs of consumers who require more than one device

S Rajendran

Chief Marketing Officer Acer India

devices; we are confident that this form-factor will gain traction in the coming months. We believe that the hybrid devices on Windows 8 will gain more preference in the enterprise space. Another trend that has emerged in Q42012 is the BYOD policy.

Growth drivers With the availability of seamless 3G connectivity and the upcoming 4G services, broadband penetration in India will increase manifold and will prove to be a key factor driving the demand for PCs. With the emergence of 4G, the wireless experience will be enhanced. The trends and opportunities

Upcoming 4G services, broadband penetration will increase manifold, and will prove to be a key factor driving the demand for PCs Ultrabooks have gone mainstream and occupy a large chunk of the notebook segment Hybrid has changed personal computing and blurred the lines of differentiation between tablets and notebooks The National Optical Fiber Network, which aims to provide broadband connectivity to villages will drive PC demand

government’s National Optical Fiber Network, which aims to provide broadband connectivity to villages, also plays a crucial role in driving the demand for PCs in India. With more than 50 percent of the IT consumption expected from Class C and D cities by 2013, tier-2 cities and non-metros will continue to be areas of focus. Consumers, education, governments and SMBs will continue to be focus verticals, and the demand from these sectors will continue to drive PC adoption in the country. E-governance initiatives and large government orders will help increase PC penetration to a large extent.

Channel partner focus The changing product landscape as well as the end-consumers’ acceptance of these multiple products provides great promise in 2013. This year the aim will be to touch many more consumers. The higher demand will also mean that there will be intense competition. To compete effectively with ecommerce and direct sales methods, channel partners will need to develop new skills. Apart from understanding the market scenario, it is important to understand the consumers’ mindsets, identify their requirements and recommend appropriate products. This year the focus will be to work more closely with partners and upgrade their knowledge through customized training programs and continue to build the best schemes to reward them for good performances. n

OUTLOOK 2013

Adapt fast to survive

ear 2012 was sluggish, with a slow economy, low consumer sentiments and a depreciating rupee leading to higher costs of imports. The continuing hard drive shortage due to the Thailand floods added to the woes with short supplies and high prices. The overall mood in the IT channel and among vendors was that of uncertainty. Business was down in the first two quarters, and, contrary to industry expectations, even the festive season could not lift the mood. Only a few could meet their revenue projections for the year. The impact of the crisis of 2012 highlighted the emergence of some evidently negative trends in terms of channel investments, reduced holding capacity of partners, and an increase in bad debts. On the brighter side, partners are now more cautious about open credit, and have realized that a business model with wafer-thin margins will not work. Although 2012 was not the best year for the IT market, that should not stop us from hoping for the best in 2013.

Changing consumer mindset From the end-user perspective, the flooding of cheap tablets into the market has actually created more informed buyers because there are more than a few devices to cater to different users’ computing needs. Customers equipped themselves with information about the device before spending their money. Gaming motherboards have become a rage as more vendors have come with their own line of products. The Mini-ITX form factor is also seeing a viable market because of various thin client applications such as PoS. We have seen a strong growth in graphics cards, as well as a rapid increase in the attach ratio of graphics cards with motherboards which we expect

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Globally, the IT industry is going through testing times. Concepts like value-based selling, lean inventory and processes, and educating last-mile buyers will yield greater returns as the markets consolidate statement. In addition, Windows 8 is taking the touch experience further and expanding the market for touchbased devices.

Growth projections Vinay Shetty

Country Manager, Component Business, Asus India

to double in the next two years. If chipset makers can offer their new products at similar competitive prices, this trend is expected to continue. Desktops are now transitioning to a more solution-based role and are being viewed as the central data storage device or the principal device with a number of gadgets creating the user’s tech ecosystem around it. Meanwhile, AIOs are witnessing a large potential market because they are great space-savers. Consumers view AIOs as a midway solution between notebooks and desktops, and also as a unique style trends and opportunities

The Mini-ITX form factor is seeing a viable market because of various thin client applications There was strong growth in graphics cards, as well as a rapid increase in the attach ratio of graphics cards with motherboards Consumers view AIOs as a midway solution between notebooks and desktops, and also as a unique style statement There will be growth in gaming and high-end PCs for specialized users like designers and animation studios

The IT spending projections made by leading research firms show a positive outlook for the new year. According to Gartner, IT spending in India is projected to total $71.5 billion in 2013—a 7.7 percent increase from the $66.4 billion that was forecast for 2012. The new segments where there will be growth and business are gaming and high-end PCs for specialized users like designers and animation studios. Assemblers who can tap buyers by offering high-end hardware will be able to grow their profitability.

Optimistic about 2013 We are optimistic about 2013 being a good year for the IT channel in India. Most of the unfavorable conditions of 2012 are gradually falling behind us and the market is slowly picking up. We expect the PC market to grow at 8 percent in 2013. I would urge all our partners to create broad-based product line-ups so as to not depend on only certain segments for growth and sustenance. The IT industry the world over is going through testing times. The concepts of value-based selling, lean inventory and processes, and educating last-mile buyers will yield greater returns as the markets consolidate. n

OUTLOOK 2013

Partners are pillars of brand

he last year witnessed major changes in digital and imaging companies. We can note the rising importance of Wi-Fi-enabled devices and networking. 2012 also saw increased awareness about the environmental impact of printing and a preference for low power consumption and bio-degradable material.

The proliferation of multiple devices, connectivity, mobility, color and the print-anywhere concept will continue to drive newer ways of printing

Global trends Worldwide trends can be summarized as the 3Cs: controlled printing, confidentiality and color. Because of the economic slowdown, companies are driven to reduce the cost of printing and revamp their printing architectures. The proliferation of multiple devices, connectivity, mobility, color and the printanywhere concept will continue to drive newer ways of printing. More electronic communication and the increasing trend toward controlled printing will drive new application and service domains. Digitization has increased accessibility, saved storage space, and enabled increased data preservation. Digitization solutions will range from digital microfilming to document and printing solutions. In 2013, inkjet printers will be in great demand both at the B2B and consumer level. After adverse trends in the last few years, customers are realizing the cost-effectiveness and software opportunities inkjet printers offer. Innovative inkjet printers are already fast becoming household lifestyle products. Due to demand by enterprises for energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness and optimization, managed document services (MDS) will be another important trend in 2013. MDS will provide end-to-end services to achieve your goals for continuous business process improvements. In addition, managed printing services (MPS) have a very bright future. MPS enables users to print anywhere and anytime, and reduces IT support costs by 20-30 percent.

Alok Bharadwaj

Senior Vice president Canon India

Challenges for CIOs With constrained budgets, CIOs are facing questions such as how they can reduce printing and imaging costs. There are also issues surrounding the awareness about MDS and the need for office automation solutions. The first thing on a CIO’s mind is paper management to go green. Along with a paperless office and streamlined workflow optimization of storage, the readiness and accuracy of data, and security and digital color printing, are the latest trends in MDS. On the other hand, office automation catapulted corporate environments into a different realm altogether. In this rapidly changing trends and opportunities

Printing trends can be summarized as 3Cs: controlled printing, confidentiality and color A paperless office, streamlined workflow optimization of storage, readiness and accuracy of data, security and digital color printing are trends driving managed document services The trend of Wi-Fi-enabled devices and inkjet printers will open the doors to a new range of innovative software applications Managed print services will become a crucial tool for large organizations to enable cost-efficient business continuity

business world, the strength of an organization’s communication procedures is one of the most crucial factors for its success. As India gets more globalized, it becomes imperative for organizations to adopt new technologies in order to streamline their business processes and become more efficient. One of the biggest challenges faced by digital and imaging companies is the rupee depreciation which has increased the cost of imports and has, in turn, impacted the customer’s bottomline. Other major challenges include the continuous escalation of cost structures and expansion of service reach to more tier-2 and -3 cities.

Pillars of success Channel partners are the pillars of brand success in India. It is essential to understand their requirements in order to have a strong and beneficial relationship. Devising clear channelfriendly strategies will help partners to increase their revenue and profits. However, not all trends are applicable in the context of local market needs. It is therefore very important to develop local strategies after extensive market research. 2013 will be a year of challenges and opportunities for digital and imaging companies. The rising consumer trends of Wi-Fi-enabled devices and inkjet printers will open the doors to a whole new range of innovative software applications. Meanwhile, MPS will become a crucial tool for every large organization to enable cost-efficient and effective business continuity. n

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OUTLOOK 2013

Remain ahead of the curve

et another new year has begun, so it is time to reflect on the year that went by and prepare ourselves for the new challenges that lie ahead. The transition in the market was dominated by the cloud, mobility, video, social networking and virtualization.

Market sources estimate that IT spending for FY2012-13 in India will be nearly $80 billion, of which 30 percent is slated to come from the SMB segment

Macro dynamics According to Gartner, worldwide enterprise IT spending will be $2.679 trillion in 2013, a 2.5 percent rise over the $2.603 trillion of 2012. Banking, manufacturing, communications, media and services will be the largest growth drivers through 2016. Governments too played a significant role and invested about $447 billion in building stronger ITeS and communication services. The collaboration sector grew by a significant percentage during the last year. The telecom market generated the maximum revenue though routers and switches. Apart from this, a new trend that evolved during 2012 was the increasing influence of data center virtualization and cloud services. Video will continue to be the next megatrend in enterprise communications, and more than half of all Internet traffic by 2014 will be video with a significant portion of that seen through mobile devices.

Megatrends 2013 The network will be at the center of the megatrends in 2013 and beyond. 2.5 billion people and 37 billion things will connect to the Internet by 2020. 99 percent of physical objects are currently unconnected, so once they join the network a whole new connected world will be formed. This connection will perhaps be the biggest evolution. Cisco terms this transition as the ‘Internet of Everything,’ and believes it will drive the next wave of business innovation, productivity and customer engagement for years to come. Also, with an increasing number

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Pramodh Menon

President, Partner Business Group, India & Saarc, Cisco

of smart, tech-savvy employees joining the nextgen workforce, BYOD as a trend will see greater acceptability among organizations. Going forward, we expect platforms to boost organizational interest and spur an augmented demand for developing a BYOD-friendly environment.

Key to business agility A robust, intelligent and versatile network having the flexibility to accommodate different kinds of devices and systems, and enabled through a secure cloud, will be the key to business agility. Given that the trends and opportunities

The network will be at the center of the megatrends in 2013 and beyond; 2.5 billion people and 37 billion things will connect to the Internet by 2020 With an increasing number of tech-savvy employees joining the nextgen workforce, BYOD as a trend will see greater acceptability among organizations Cloud computing will be a key opportunity for channel partners The increasing demand for constant connectivity will drive 3G and Wi-Fi deployments in the coming days

challenges faced by current CIOs from a business or technology perspective are very different from those faced by their predecessors, companies will need to constantly evaluate market demand, and create strategies and solutions to meet customer needs around productivity, security and network control.

Opportunities for partners We believe that cloud computing will be a key opportunity for channel partners because it has revolutionized the way technology is consumed. Additionally, the focus on enabling the workforce to be connected anytime, anywhere and with any device has prompted the shift to a virtual environment. The increasing demand for constant connectivity will drive 3G and Wi-Fi deployments in the coming days. All these trends, coupled with the increased IT spending on technology by the SMB sector, will be a huge opportunity for partners to explore and grow. Market sources estimate IT spending for FY2012-13 in India will be nearly $80 billion , of which 30 percent is slated to come from the SMB segment. Channel partners will have to continually transform themselves and adopt technology to stay abreast of the competition. Partnering with organizations that bring in a diverse set of expertise, along with the ability to spot new opportunities ahead of the curve, will help to catch market transitions, acquire specific skill-set upgrades, and sustain and enhance profitability. n

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OUTLOOK 2013

Mobility is transforming IT

n 2013, IT service providers will be expected to drive initiatives to help organizations optimize cost and increase productivity. The IT organization will consider business transformation initiatives such as work shifting to drive programs like work-from-home and executive mobility in a bid to cut real estate costs. The organization will enable employees to work with people, apps and data from any device and any location thus increasing the productivity of employees.

IT is still not prepared to support heterogenous form factors, and platforms coming into the workplace with one solution. The core challenge is about delivering and securing the app and the data, not the device

Changing role Today, there is a fundamental and structural shift in the way we work. Compared to the old PC era when employees worked through a wired network in an office environment, today’s workers are driving change because of the empowerment they are getting from powerful consumer devices and self-service cloud applications. Thus, in effect, IT must get into service delivery. The role of IT has now been transformed to respond to the way people need to consume the services, apps, data and information. The solution will be a holistic approach with many piece parts working seamlessly to solve the problem. The other way in which the role of an IT organization has changed is that it needs to think of itself as an internal service provider which has to compete against commercially available apps and products. The IT-as-a-Service trend is extending to service providers who are able to provide desktops more efficiently, as well as to IT shops which are compelled to source desktops from outside their walls.

Many challenges The levels of complexity will get even deeper in the new year with a number of heterogenous form factors, platforms and devices

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Sanjay Deshmukh

Area Vice President India subcontinent, Citrix

but also app mobility and moving apps around from the data center to the cloud. In the context of these newer realities, mobility will not really be about the device which enables it but about being able to do what we want, where we want and when we want.

BYOD goes mainstream coming into the workplace. IT is still not prepared to support or secure these devices with one solution alone. The core challenge here is about delivering and securing the app and the data, not the device. With this difficulty, it will become impossible for IT to find one solution or one set of solutions to secure these devices. The purview and definition of mobility will undergo a change as organizations will now need to consider how they will deliver these apps to any user at any time regardless of the device. Mobility will be not just about user mobility trends and opportunities

The levels of IT complexity will get even deeper in the new year with a number of heterogenous form factors, platforms and devices coming into the workplace The move by IT to allow BYOD by employees has hit the mainstream Mobility will be not just about user mobility but also app mobility Enterprise apps will need to be rebuilt to have a cloud context and a cloud interface, not just Web-enabled but with deep cloud integration

The move by IT to allow BYOD by employees has hit the mainstream. The IT organization has realized that it is able to control devices remotely through virtualization while simultaneously allowing individuals to use the devices that make them happiest and most productive. This is confirmed by the Citrix Bring-Your-Own-Devices Index which surveyed 700 IT decisionmakers and organizations around the globe. It was found that in India, over 40 percent companies already have a BYOD policy in place, while 95 percent of the respondents expected a BYOD policy to be institutionalized in their companies by 2013. With BYOD becoming mainstream, draconian mobile device management measures will cease to be effective and the contours of MDM will be redefined. Existing apps must change to accommodate the cloud. Existing enterprise apps have always been about the local interface, but with anywhere, anytime access enterprise apps will need to be quickly rebuilt to have a cloud context and a cloud interface, not just Web-enabled but with deep cloud integration. n

OUTLOOK 2013

Challenging yet promising

he year 2012 was undoubtedly a challenging year for the Indian IT industry. Several factors such as inflationary pressures, rupee depreciation and an overall uncertain business environment impacted the growth rate of the industry and its players. On the home turf, the domestic IT industry, though on the path of recovery, was affected by policy paralysis, tighter purse-strings and mid-year budget cuts. However, the year closed on a good note with the Indian IT industry crossing the $112 billion milestone. Providing an insight, a recent IDC report stated that Indian businesses are likely to take a more cautionary approach toward ICT spending in the coming year. As we step into 2013, let us look at trends and developments that will play a defining role in the IT industry.

A balancing act Delivering a seamless, secure and manageable end-user experience that provides anywhere, anytime connectivity and access to work, play, learn, collaborate and connect has emerged as a key requirement today. Going forward, the prime focus will lie in maximizing the balance between end-user preferences, productivity and IT control. Helping users and IT departments navigate the BYOD landscape will be priority. In 2013, we can expect an acceleration of touch-enabled devices which will bring about a mix of innovative form-factors and features to support the next level of computing expectations from users. This change will be steered by fast-paced, techsavvy mobile professionals who wish to own devices with which they can easily switch between their personal and professional lives.

New directions Enterprise customers today are presented with an opportunity to use their IT to drive efficiency and productivity throughout their organi-

The domestic IT industry was affected by policy paralysis, tighter purse-strings and mid-year budget cuts. However, 2012 closed with the industry crossing the $112 billion milestone virtualization market continues to grow exponentially. Converged infrastructure will see plenty of demand from large enterprises in 2013.

BI and modernization Sameer Garde

President & Managing Director Dell India

zations. Transformative technologies such as virtualization, converged infrastructure and cloud computing will change the way large enterprises function and compete in their markets. Among the new trends that will dominate enterprise IT, the segment will see a dramatic increase in big data projects though the actual investments in big data might remain relatively small. There will also be a rise in investments in private clouds as customers look for an automated end-to-end solution to manage seamless virtual delivery of resources and services through the cloud. Organizations will evaluate and adopt multiple hypervisors for their virtualization and computing environments as the trends and opportunities

Enterprise IT will see a dramatic increase in big data projects though the actual investments in big data might remain relatively small Organizations will evaluate and adopt multiple hypervisors for their virtualization and computing environments According to IDC, we are creating more than 58 terabytes of data every second, and we expect to have some 35 zettabytes of digitally-stored data by 2020 Indian enterprises are turning to BI for decision-making to remain competitive

There is an explosion happening in data driven by social media and other rich formats. According to IDC, we are creating more than 58 terabytes of data every second, and we expect to have some 35 zettabytes of digitallystored data by 2020. Consequently, Indian enterprises are slowly turning to BI for faster decision-making to remain competitive. As enterprises focus more on rationalizing the enterprise application portfolio, modernizing the application environment and taking advantage of new technology advancements can make companies more efficient, responsive and competitive. Modernization can also help lower ongoing operational costs.

Long-term growth As more players focus on the midmarket segment, channel partners in metro cities and the other growth markets in India are poised to take on business opportunities on a larger scale. With SMBs updating their IT infrastructure and adopting technologies such as cloud computing and virtualization, channel partners will now be able to sell high-end technologies, ultimately contributing to their own business success. Our channel forecast for 2013 is that transformation in IT implementation among mid-sized businesses will accelerate the revenue of channel partners and lead to long-term growth. n

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OUTLOOK 2013

Survival of the smartest

ccording to IDC, smartphone shipments to retailers worldwide are expected to total 717 million in 2012, 45 percent more than the corresponding figure for 2011. India has been the fastestgrowing market among the BRIC nations, adding over 18 million Internet users and growing at an annual rate of 41 percent. India’s share of digital information is expected to grow 60-fold by 2020, which would be twice as fast as the worldwide rate. This rapid growth will be driven by the roll-out of 3G and BWA networks, the digitization of television networks, and the increased adoption of technology by individuals, SMBs, enterprises and government services such as the Unique ID project.

Scale-out NAS in vogue The growth of both structured and unstructured data, data mobility, and new foundations for extracting value from big data will expand and drive new levels of enterprise storage requirements in 2013. The transformation to a hybrid cloud, and the need to move data between corporate IT data centers and service providers, will accelerate. The movement of data, and application mobility to enable organizations to move their virtual applications, will be the norm. Another trend rapidly catching on is the adoption of scale-out NAS solutions, as well as next-gen backup and recovery solutions. The growth of Web, cloud-based and other data-intensive applications has ushered in the era of big data, forcing companies to find new ways to scale and manage their storage environments. To address these challenges organizations are deploying scale-out storage solutions optimized for rapid data ingest, efficient storage management and reliable access. The workforce is becoming mobile, and this is a positive trend.

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Over the next few years the revenue on offer to the channel will not grow significantly, meaning that only the smartest and fastest players will survive

Praveen Sahai

Vice President, Channels India & Saarc, EMC

BYOD is compelling organizations to rethink their back-up and security strategies.

Channel transformation With the increasing need for managing information, what is required is the right product portfolio to manage growth, reduce cost and improve efficiencies in IT infrastructure. Apart from channel enablement, companies will need to focus more on channel growth with incentive-based strategies such as channel-only products which have the full support of the company. Channel partners will transform trends and opportunities

India’s share of digital information is expected to grow 60-fold by 2020—twice as fast as the worldwide rate The transformation to a hybrid cloud, and the need to move data between corporate IT data centers and service providers, will accelerate Sacle out NAS, next gen backup and recovery solutions are seeing increased adoption Resellers and SIs who were unable to keep pace with cloud computing will find themselves the target of acquisitions

their roles; 2013 will mark the beginning of a transformation in the channel. The roles and responsibilities of different channel entities are blurring. SIs are becoming resellers, and resellers are becoming service providers. Over the next three years it is probable that the traditional mix of end-user, channel, alliance and service organizations will change, merge or disappear.

Market consolidation Businesses will focus on data management and big data services. While big data will have an impact on the channel in 2013, this will mostly be centered on the provision of scalable storage and data management technologies. The main focus for 2013 will be to help businesses to manage their data from an infrastructure point of view and extract insights from it. The next stage in the evolution of big data in the channel—the provision of sectorspecific analytical propositions that SIs can build services around—won’t take place until further down the line. The pace of market consolidation will accelerate. Resellers and SIs that have not been able to keep pace with the changes created by cloud computing and professional services driven business models will find themselves the target of acquisitive companies; the economy will also be a major factor in the increase in such acquisitions. Over the next few years the revenue on offer to the channel will not grow significantly, meaning that only the smartest and fastest players will survive. n

OUTLOOK 2013

From low-cost to value-add

s expected by most people, 2012 was not an easy year. Smart companies innovated, adapted and worked hard to ensure that they could sustain some momentum. The year saw small but noteworthy growth from SMBs, home users and the commercial segment. This helped to offset the negative sentiment emanating from large corporates and the government sector. The end of the tunnel looks bright, and 2013 is likely to see a resurrection of significant proportions. The caution and restraint shown by the industry on big spending for IT infrastructure is likely to retreat into the background, and much of the money held in abeyance will flow into the market. In terms of technology, tablets and smartphones led the way in 2012, and true networking power gained strength with the cloud, Internet, intranet, wireless, BI, RFID and social networks having an impact on both personal and business needs. This will only get stronger in 2013.

From low-cost to value-based What does 2013 hold in store for the printer and projector segments? Let’s start with printers. First, vendors will continue to move away from low-cost, entrylevel printers to printers based more on value. Those offering faster ROI and better TCO will see better traction among consumers. The growing acceptance of these printers by consumers will turn into a wave across all segments as more consumers see the benefit. Second, the number of people who are keen that the products they use conform to norms such as low power consumption, recyclability and control of ewaste will only increase in the year ahead, hence technologies which are eco-friendly will see gains over those that are not. Inkjet printing will therefore gain over laser printing. Third, intelligent printing

The restraint shown by the industry on big spending is likely to retreat into the background, and much of the money held in abeyance will flow to the market in 2013

Samba Moorthy

Director, Sales & Marketing, Epson India

technology will see strong adoption at various PoS applications at hospitality and entertainment organizations, and at LFRs.

Interactivity the buzzword As far as projectors are concerned, we expect that interactive projectors will see far greater adoption not just in private schools but in public schools as well. We will also see greater adoption of projectors for enhanced entertainment experience by home users.

Customer engagement key The outlook for 2013 for the economy as well as the IT channel (including trends and opportunities

Vendors will continue to move away from low-cost, entry-level printers to value-based solutions Interactive projectors will see greater adoption The channel must look for increased and new opportunities with existing principals rather than wasting resources in searching for new ones Partners should provide customers with an upgrade from partial to complete solutions; this will ensure a wall is built against poaching of customers by the competition

printers and projectors) looks positive. Education, SMBs, home users, commercial users and retail will be the areas of focus; we would urge channel partners to focus on these verticals. To leverage the opportunities, the IT channels should stay focused on their customers and their changing needs with early adaptation and speedy services. Customer engagement will be key, and partners must upgrade their skills to enable knowledge-based selling to their customers. Partners must look at creating new market value, drive efficiencies, and explore the possibility of new business models. They should identify emerging technologies and invest to be the first in the market with them, thereby staying ahead of the curve.

Optimize and allocate resources The channel must not bow to negative market sentiments, but rather look at creating and driving positive sentiments. The channel must also have the foresight and wisdom to look for increased and new opportunities with existing principals rather than wasting time, energy and resources in searching for new ones. By doing this they can optimize their resource allocation to ensure sustained growth. In addition, partners should look to provide complete offerings to customers; an upgrade from partial to complete solutions will ensure a wall is built against poaching of customers by the competition. n

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OUTLOOK 2013

Innovation takes center stage

he IT industry in India and globally is going through a phase of rapid evolution. Changing preferences are shaping the way technology is conceived, designed and consumed. Products are being introduced faster than ever before, and 2012 was remarkable for a string of innovations.

Driven by optimization and efficiency considerations, larger organizations will continue to move toward a usage-based managed print services model for print consumption

The new world Ultrabooks, tablets, hybrids and AIOs, and advanced multi-function printers with embedded workflow features, are offering a never-before experience. At a time when the consumerization of IT is becoming the norm, trends that will perhaps have the most profound impact are social media proliferation, cloudbased deployments, data organization, analytics and mobility-based applications. The need for simplicity and cost optimization is driving cloud-based computing which allows you to consume content without having to bother about where it resides and how it reaches you. With this shift, mobility acquires a whole new meaning. Requirements such as ease of access and being always-on are forcing companies to innovate.

Partnering the cloud After the Internet and the dotcom, the cloud is perhaps the most disruptive change taking place. It leads to acceleration toward servicebased architecture, and while that has an implication for manufacturers, it will also force partners to evolve and transform themselves to be successful. In turn, it has changed the mindset of customers, both large organizations and SMBs, and converted many capex-based businesses into an opex model. Employees are carrying multiple devices such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks, each being used for a different purpose. Increased access of the PCs to gaming and entertainment has led to data explosion, and this data is being consumed to study and

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Rajiv Srivastava

Vice President & General Manager Printing & Personal Systems Group, HP

set new trends. The trend of the 1-PC world is fast becoming extinct.

The demands on vendors With technology becoming so ubiquitous and personal, the desire be seen with cool devices that have zero compromise on functionality is challenging vendors to launch newer, sharper and smarter devices. Consumers are becoming younger and more aspirational, so we have to be more innovative to be successful. Data proliferation is also altering the print industry. Now that data is available anytime, anywhere over mobile phones, anytime, trends and opportunities

Trends that will have the most profound impact are social media proliferation, cloudbased deployments, data organization, analytics and mobility-based applications Employees are carrying multiple devices, each for a different purpose. The trend of the 1-PC world is being extinguished Consumers are becoming younger and more aspirational, so vendors have to be more innovative Multifunction devices that print, scan, fax, copy and do document management are the trend for organizations as well as homes

anywhere printing is the new norm. Multifunction devices that print, scan, fax, copy and do document management are the trend for organizations as well as individual homes. In fact eprinting has the potential to create a new breed of print service providers, and I expect this to even penetrate the interiors of the country. Driven by optimization and efficiency considerations, larger organizations will continue to move toward a usage-based managed print services model for print consumption. Children’s education needs will be the main contributor to home printing.

2012 vs 2013 While 2012 had its fair share of ups and downs, 2013 comes with a great promise. Every segment of the market, from manufacturing, finance, security and telecom to the government will have to invest in IT to compete. Rapid urbanization is creating new concentrations of investments. Coupled with the rising income levels and aspirations of the middle-class, we expect consumers to demonstrate the capacity to consume innovative and better technology. India is poised for the rapid growth of the IT industry. Integration with the global economy is forcing organizations to adopt tools and technologies to become more productive. Work practices and processes have to match the bestin-class across the world, and those are the key differentiators. The winners will be the organizations that understand the changing landscape, and are agile and responsive. n

OUTLOOK 2013

Get ready for a paradigm shift

he manner in which technology gets acquired and consumed is changing. Even as business objectives are defining hardware spends, it is no more a game of adding speeds and feeds. Consider this. An FMCG company crunches massive volumes of data in real-time from all its social media as well as the shop-floor, and takes instant decisions on product positioning, distribution, pricing and the customer experience. Now imagine the manner in which it needs to stay up-to-date with technology that supports this interesting business scenario. It is all about hardware, software, databases and applications working in perfect unison besides catering to multiple other computing needs within the organization. This is the future.

Changing scenario Clients are facing a new set of complexities created by the explosion of unstructured data, an ever-challenging economy, and new sources of global competition. Buying behavior is moving toward new and mixed delivery models. As a result, the expectations from and economics of IT are also changing. The role of business partners too must therefore evolve to offer greater long-term sustained value to clients. There is a shift from stock-andsell or feature-based sales to absolute value-sell by business partners. While systems themselves are getting smarter, the ability to customize client solutions is beginning to gain traction among business partners. At a time when more technology decisions are driven by line-ofbusiness leaders, partners need to deliver industry-based solutions that drive specific business outcomes. This new breed of clients is not keen to pick up mere products or services. They are interested in solutions which improve the efficiency of their marketing campaigns, accelerate time-to-market for new products,

Throughout its history IT has demonstrated a clear pattern: innovation occurs, shapes new markets, and then becomes commoditized. That requires a constant focus on further innovation and new opportunities

Anoop Nambiar

Director, Business Partner Organization, India & South Asia, IBM

decrease risk and fraud exposure, improve cash flow and optimize their workforce.

Key areas for business partners Today, business partners are asking questions such as how to address this new environment and how to reach this kind of customer. The SMB market represents 44 percent of total IT spending worldwide; this market is expected to grow in double digits in India for the next three years. 2013 will see partners working together with SMBs to realize their GTM strategy. India continues to focus on the trends and opportunities

Buying behavior is moving toward new and mixed delivery models There is a shift from stock-and-sell or feature-based sales to absolute value-sell by business partners The SMB market is expected to grow in double digits in India for the next three years The big data market presents a vast business opportunity Customers are looking for partners to provide integrated solutions that deliver real business outcomes quickly

next era of computing—social, mobile, information and cloud. This provides opportunities for partners to introduce new business models and practices, as well as to value-sell. The big data market is also exploding. While its definition and size may be in the realm of debate, there is an element of certainty when it comes to the vast business opportunity it presents.

Maintaining the status quo The challenge facing companies is the need to spend 70 percent or more of their IT budgets on simple operations and maintenance, leaving little to invest in innovation. Unimaginable complexity, combined with a lack of resources, has created a situation in corporate IT globally where $2.5 trillion or 70 percent of the IT budget is spent to maintain the status quo. As a result, one in five projects never sees the light of the day, and there is a backlog in IT of more than 18 months. Customers are therefore looking for partners to provide integrated solutions that deliver real business outcomes quickly. I would like to summarize by quoting Ginni Rometty, our Chairman, President and CEO: “The future will continue to require a constant shift to higher value. Throughout its history IT has demonstrated a clear pattern: innovation occurs, shapes new markets, and then becomes commoditized. That requires a constant focus on further innovation and new market opportunities.” n

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OUTLOOK 2013

Key opportunities for growth

he last three months have seen a positive turnaround on multiple fronts for the world and India. Experts feel the worst is behind us, and that a recovery is underway since October. The Eurozone will not see any country breaking away in the near future. The US, after the fiscal cliff challenge, looks to be in a recovery mode. On the domestic front, we have seen positive intent on reforms with important decisions taken during the last couple of months. With elections due in 2014, the present government will be in an overdrive mode till H12013. FDI has seen record inflows, thus helping us on the current account deficit front. RBI has responded to market needs by injecting liquidity into the system. It has also signaled a shift in focus from inflation management to growth, with a planned interest rate cut at the beginning of 2013.

Growth forecast According to Nasscom, the market size of the IT-ITeS industry is expected to rise to $225 billion by 2020 considering India’s competitive position, the growing demand for exports, the government’s policy support, and our increasing global footprint. The growth of ITeS companies will spur domestic IT market demand even as they continue to cater to global needs. On the other hand, with inflation high, costs have been steadily escalating for businesses. Global competition and the commoditization of offerings have impacted margins. To ensure profitability, every business needs to manage both cost and growth simultaneously. Businesses are increasingly leveraging IT for enhancing productivity and optimizing costs. IT is being used to enhance internal efficiency and extend better SLA externally. Operational complexity has increased among large companies due to their growth over the last decade, hence the key drivers for using technology are to

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The Eurozone will not see any country breaking away. The US, after the fiscal cliff challenge, looks to be in a recovery mode. On the domestic front, we have seen positive intent on reforms

Sriram S

Chief Executive Officer iValue InfoSolutions

achieve greater operational flexibility and reduce cost.

Technologies to bet on Monitoring, managing and protecting data, network and applications (DNA) has become a necessity to ensure business continuity. DNA management will continue to be a key business priority across verticals such as BFSI, ITeS, telecom, manufacturing, FMCG, retail and hospitality. Hosted models are being preferred to run critical business applications such as ERP, CRM, SCM, email and cloud computing, and will be embraced by enterprises, making it trends and opportunities

Experts feel the worst is behind us, and that a recovery is underway since October According to Nasscom, the size of the IT-ITeS industry is expected to rise to $225 billion by 2020 DNA management will continue to be a priority across BFSI, ITeS, telecom, manufacturing, FMCG, retail and hospitality Hosted models are being preferred to run critical business applications Analytics and BI are increasingly being leveraged to sustain growth through crossand up-selling opportunities

imperative for partners to build skillsets around the cloud. Analytics and BI are increasingly being leveraged by large businesses to sustain growth through cross- and up-selling opportunities. Enterprise application availability, performance and security thus become critical business aspects for driving growth and efficiency, and are partner opportunities. With digital data doubling every year, customers have a huge challenge managing it and deriving actionable intelligence from it. Some of the data management offerings of relevance for this challenge include storage virtualization, thin provisioning, scale-out systems, automated tiered storage, and de-dupe at source and destination. Some of the services (such as data storage and retrieval) will also be driven by partners on a pay-as-you-go model.

Message for partners Business needs are evolving, and technology is evolving even faster, hence it is important to understand both business and technology trends in your key verticals. This will enable you to relate to and address the business and IT challenges of your customers. Categorize your top customers into segments, and identify relevant offerings based on their business and IT needs. Spend time with the CXOs of your customer base and understand their business initiatives. Identify offerings to address these initiatives, then invest time and money to gain expertise by aligning with the right VAD. n

OUTLOOK 2013

MDM will go mainstream

he year 2012 was a watershed year for the Indian IT industry. The ecosystem is more evolved now. Organizations across verticals want technologies that are disruptive and innovative rather than just incremental. Channel partners are looking for vendors who can be technology solution providers and who they can engage with regularly. Partners need to be more sensitive toward customer pain-points.

While mobile technology continues to advance, unmanaged mobile devices and BYOD would be vulnerable to cybercriminals, hence the needs for secure networks will rise

BYOD—challenges and solutions Enterprise mobility or BYOD is changing the way organizations determine the scale of IT adoption. Interestingly, the CIOs have also started viewing IT as a profit center rather than as a cost one. The complexities of IT management increased with workers accessing mission-critical applications on phones, tablets and PCs at the same time. It is critical to deliver apps and data to end-users anytime, anywhere and on any device. Challenges such as lack of uniformity in personal devices and platforms persist. This means that IT managers can’t design one policy for virtual machines, mobile devices and the cloud. CIOs must address issues related to data security and not device security. They must evaluate mobile device management (MDM) solutions and develop a strategy around application deployment. In the coming days, most organizations will have a hybrid application strategy. Successful transformation will involve a combination of VDI, hosted/published desktops and applications, layering of application virtualization, and personalization.

Ravi Chauhan

Managing Director India & Saarc, Juniper Networks

in this sector face is not just how to control the huge data splurge but also how to manage it effectively. The legacy approach to networking is proving unsustainable. In 2013 we will witness the new network which will transform the economics and experience of networking by providing a scalable, efficient and reliable way of quelling the present data deluge. As more users adopt mobiles and the cloud, mobile platforms and cloud services will be high-risk targets for attacks and breaches. While mobile technology continues to advance, unmanaged mobile trends and opportunities

Enterprise mobility or BYOD is changing the way organizations determine the scale of IT adoption CIOs must address issues related to data security and not device security. They must evaluate MDM solutions and develop a strategy around application deployment Mobile platforms and cloud services will be high-risk targets for attacks and breaches

Big data Mobile data coupled with the increasing use of video is seeing an exponential increase in traffic. The challenge that the players

Web intrusion deception systems will become mainstream

devices and BYOD would be left vulnerable to cybercriminals, hence the need for safe and secure networks is set to increase. These are exciting times for data security as we will see Web intrusion deception systems becoming mainstream. In a world of zero-day Web attacks, automated hacker tools, malicious Web content and similar threats aimed at companies’ Websites and Web applications, intrusion deception technology will be our main defense going forward.

MDM will be mainstream Intrusion deception technologies ensure role-based access with regard to users, device types and access parameters. An MDM can also assist in managing application usage that also helps check data theft or loss. MDM will be popular because it can manage the enterprise mobile app store, allowing the enterprise to control the apps while the employee can control the device. In fact this is a key MDM function because it lets the employee go about his business tasks without having to compromise on the personal nature of the device. Supplementing an MDM should be a sound application strategy, so securing the browser, address book and corporate communications is the elementary step. The key would be to achieve an integrated security platform which offers a centralized way to view and manage security functions including firewalls, VPNs, intrusion prevention systems and antivirus. n

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OUTLOOK 2013

Need for unified security

n the last fiscal there was a significant rise in malware. During this period hackers got more creative and cybercrime reached newer heights. The malware came to be represented by a pyramid which had the traditional cybercrime at its base and newer attacks on top of each tier.

New products with a unified platform are on the anvil. These products will bridge gaps in IT managers’ security posture and reduce the number of tools they have to work with

3-tiered cyber crime Cyber criminals mostly targeted unsuspecting users for direct financial gain through banking trojans, clickers, botnets, ransomware, mobile threats and the like. The second tier comprised targeted threats aimed at organizations for industrial espionage, as well as targeted hacker attacks to discredit their victims. The highly specialized attacker’s goal was mainly to steal information or intellectual property. This group of threats included a variety of malicious programs created by certain companies at the request of law enforcement agencies in several countries, and were sold openly. The third tier, the top level of the pyramid, included malware which can be categorized as true cyber weapons. This included malware created and financed by governmentcontrolled structures. Such malware is used against citizens, organizations and agencies in other countries. We saw huge growth of mobile malware and witnessed that cyber criminals primarily focused on the Android platform—the most widelyaccepted platform for mobile tablets and smartphones. In 2013 we are likely to see an alarming trend toward the use of vulnerabilities to extend drive-by download attacks on mobile devices. Android will continue to be the most preferred platform for cyber criminals and hackers.

Unified security platform To manage all new malware one needs a systems management solution for patching holes in applications—the cybercriminals’ top target. Companies

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Altaf Halde

Managing Director South Asia, Kaspersky Lab

will need an encryption tool to protect data on notebooks and a mobile device management tool to secure mobile phones. This means multiple evaluation processes, multiple separate management consoles, and multiple policies to create, maintain and enforce. But more importantly, even if you make the effort to get all these tools, you are still going to have gaps in your overall security posture. This is because of multiple policy sets and systems that may not be designed to work well together. As a result, the biggest challenge IT security professionals face is the lack of interoperability between their trends and opportunities

We saw huge growth of mobile malware and witnessed that cyber criminals primarily focused on the Android platform In 2013 we are likely to see an alarming trend toward the use of vulnerabilities to extend drive-by download attacks on mobile devices The biggest challenge IT security professionals face is the lack of interoperability between their security systems Partners should take on the role of being their customers’ trusted advisors by sharing knowledge

security systems. However, new products with a unified platform are on the anvil; these products will bridge gaps in IT managers’ security posture and reduce the number of tools they have to work with. The products will have robust control tools, systems management, encryption and mobile device management all managed from a single console and available in a single purchase. With these, businesses will be able to reduce the risk to data, the complexity of security tools, and their investment.

Partners as advisors Companies are now realizing the importance of IT to improve processes, deploy and support new systems and technologies, and manage and protect an ever-growing amount of corporate data. However, in a tough economic climate it is really difficult for IT teams to meet their objectives with limited resources. Quite simply, they need to do more with less. At the same time, today’s customer is the most aware stakeholder of the industry ecosystem. Knowledge is driving his buying decisions. In such a scenario, it is important for partners to have up-to-date knowledge about the evolving security threats and industry trends. Mobility has become a segment that’s evolving rapidly, but it also brings added security threats, and customers expect trusted advisors on this. Partners should take on the role of being their trusted advisors by sharing the knowledge they possess. n

OUTLOOK 2013

The begining of 4-screen era

ndia did a fair job of weathering the uncertain market conditions of 2012 despite inflationary pressures and the depreciation of the rupee. While the overall growth of the Indian PC market was hampered by the conservative spending of enterprise customers, the consumer PC market saw good traction in the demand for ultra-portables, low-cost tablets and AIO desktop PCs; these constituted almost half the sales of all PCs sold in the country.

We see a future where the tablet, smartphone, PC and smart TV will co-exist, so the market opportunity for investing in a 4-screen strategy will be huge

Market shift The potential for PC revenue growth has shifted from the advanced markets of the US, UK and eastern Europe to the BRIC nations of Brazil, Russia, India and China. The battle for market supremacy is being waged between PCs and smartphones, and between local and global competitors. In the enterprise PC segment organizations witnessed the increasing proliferation of BYOD and wireless devices in the workplace. A new generation of workers entered the rolls of organizations and displayed their liking for customizedto-use mobile computing devices like smartphones and tablets to increase their productivity. 2012 also proved to be a watershed year for consumers located in tier-2 and -3 cities. Overall, the next wave of growth in the Indian PC market will be driven by smaller cities which are characterized by a young demographic, rising income and low PC penetration. We expect a large market of local SMBs and big companies to emerge and seek simple PC-based workplaces. However, consumers will continue to choose vendors who offer innovative computing devices which reduce energy consumption and require less space. By and large, the market for enterprise PCs in the new year will be dictated by major tenders from state governments for notebooks,

Amar Babu

Managing Director Lenovo India

and will be driven by the agenda to increase e-literacy in the respective states. In this there will be opportunities for partners in the areas of delivery, installation, aftersales and service support.

Multiple formats We see a future where the tablet, smartphone, PC and smart TV will co-exist, so the market opportunity for investing in a 4-screen strategy will be huge for not only vendors but also for the channel. The future lies in devices which will be able to integrate multiple functions such as content consumption, content trends and opportunities

The consumer PC market saw good traction in the demand for ultra-portables, low-cost tablets and AIOs The potential for PC revenue growth shifted from advanced markets to the BRIC nations The next wave of growth in the Indian PC market will be driven smaller cities The market for enterprise PCs in 2013 will be dictated by major tenders from state governments for notebooks

creation, infotainment and gaming. The shift away from traditional IT acquisition models to public cloud services is still in the early stages. However, in 2013 we expect to see a shift to new models, including cloud computing and virtualization where a host of devices will interact with the cloud and applications are delivered as cloud-as-a-service. As one of the fastest-growing PC markets, India too will see customers who are highly demanding and require speedy evolution of devices in terms of their form-factors, prices and functions.

Clear roadmap The consumerization of IT and the demand for wireless technologies will increase the demand for costefficient and energy-conserving mobile computing devices. We expect the market will advance further into the PC+ era which will be dominated by the presence of PCs, tablets, smartphones and smart TVs. To cope with such demands, the channel will need to partner with vendors who have gained insights into market dynamics and are aware of new trends in the industry. In 2013, the channel should work with vendors who have a clear roadmap for jointly exploring opportunities in categories such as tablets and ultra-portables. On the retail and distribution front, the best advice will be to optimize the profits of existing stores before investing significantly in increasing retail and brand presence. n

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OUTLOOK 2013

The year of tablet and social media

he IT industry has been sailing through the turbulent seas of recession since 2008. It has never been able to fully recover and recreate the magic of the golden years when exports grew at 26 percent CAGR. Just as the IT industry got back on its feet after the 2008 global crisis, a second wave of recession had the global economy going into a tailspin, adversely affecting the US and Europe—the Indian IT industry’s key markets. However, analysts believe that the industry will pull out of this labyrinth soon enough to continue being a net employment generator in 2013.

Tablets vs PCs Building on the strong foundation of 2012, the proliferation of smartphones and tablets will continue this year too. The worldwide sales statistics of tablets versus PCs tell a dramatic story. According to Gartner and IDC, by 2015 the tablet market would be 479 million units while the PC market would be ahead by only 56 million at 535 million units. It is important to remind ourselves that tablets, in their glorious high-tech avatars, are a relatively new concept. In a world where smartphone and tablet users seem to be multiplying by the minute, social media has already surpassed the popularity scale.

Social media Leveraging on this, enterprise social media is another trend with a lot of potential. It enables employees of an organization to share and connect with co-workers in a private, enterprise-only social network. Many companies are now starting to utilize social networks to encourage collaboration among employees and foster innovation. Some social networks are even homegrown. The world is truly connected via various social networking sites, and businesses just cannot afford to be isolated. According to McKinsey,

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According to McKinsey, the revenue growth of businesses getting social is 24 percent higher. Organizations have to start using social media as a primary channel if they have not already started doing so According to Gartner, many businesses will continue a steady migration toward cloud computing in 2013, driven both by costs and the quality of service. Sanjoy Bhattacharya Product Group Head, IT LG Electronics India

the revenue growth of businesses getting social is 24 percent higher than less social firms. This proves that organizations have to start using social media as a primary channel if they have not already started doing so. Meanwhile, the technology revolution has slowly chipped away at the traditional business scenario to restructure the way service organizations interact with their customers. With the birth of the cloud and the beginning of the slow, slightly dragged demise of the physical machine, 2013 will see a number of trends broadly sweeping the IT industry. trends and opportunities

By 2015 the tablet market would be 479 million units while the PC market would be only 535 million units According to McKinsey, the revenue growth of businesses getting social is 24 percent higher than less social firms Many businesses will continue a steady migration toward cloud computing in 2013, driven both by costs and the quality of service With virtualization becoming a mainstream technology, 2013 will open several avenues for the IT industry

Competitive advantage While some organizations are wary of the security issues and data integration problems that might come with cloud computing, others have designed a risk-based approach to assess solutions they consider appropriate for the cloud. Many are adopting cloud computing for nonmission critical applications, while some have even started to downsize their data centers. Additionally, data is getting even more critical for competitive advantage because organizations need to better understand their customers as well as to better administer their products and services. Companies such as Yahoo and Google were established on their ability to manage, organize, categorize and analyze huge datasets effectively. A better ROI on important enterprise datasets is not all that big data promises; it can also easily deal with never-seen-before business problems that would be impossible to solve with existing techniques. With virtualization becoming a mainstream technology, 2013 will open several avenues for the IT industry. Big data is also likely to generate several job opportunities for IT professionals. Overall, 2013 seems to be a bright year for the IT market where companies can leverage IT trends by simply employing them. n

OUTLOOK 2013

Moving to agile data infrastructure

012 cemented a trend that was in evidence over the last decade: not only is the business environment for enterprises changing, but the rate of change is accelerating as well. Combined with economic uncertainty, this trend meant that enterprises are increasingly relying on creative and innovative tactics to manage their assets. A key enabler of innovation is the data owned by an enterprise—data generated by employees, partners and customers—which is a potential source of insight into how to grow the business and streamline operations. Winning in 2013 will be dictated by how effectively data can be leveraged to generate actionable information. Data management therefore becomes a business imperative. Until recently, data growth was linearly proportional to business growth. Today, a typical enterprise experiences 50 percent growth in data even if its business stays flat. Increased reliance on IT to conduct business; more compliance and security requirements; more channels for customer, employee and partner interactions; and wider adoption of multimedia to engage customers are some of the reasons for this explosion of data.

Data management a must Irrespective of the industry or segment an organization is in, one thing is certain: in 2013 every enterprise will have to pay attention to managing data growth. The long-term strategy for any enterprise is to transform data from a cost center into information that becomes a business asset. The short-term objective is to put in place a data services and management framework that facilitates this conversion. The onus is on technology vendors to create products aligned to these objectives.

Alternative IT architectures Nasscom observed that 2012 saw the rise of several challenges to mid-sized companies including competition

A long-term strategy for any enterprise is to transform data from a cost center into information that becomes a business asset. The objective is to put in place a data services and management framework

Anil Valluri

President India & Saarc, Netapp

from low-cost countries, an increase in the cost of operations, higher cost of acquiring new clients, and changes in the structure of demand. These point to an urgent need for alternative IT architectures, frameworks that will maintain business agility and efficiency while incurring lesser cost. Businesses of all sizes are adopting cloud computing approaches to IT, and this adoption will only increase in 2013.

Flash everywhere In 2013 clustered storage platforms will dramatically increase their enterprise footprint as more organizations move to an agile data trends and opportunities

Winning in 2013 will be dictated by how effectively data can be leveraged to generate actionable information We will see a shift in storage media deployments from a near-total reliance on HDDs to a relatively better-performing mix of flash and HDD media IT has reached the point where nondisruptive operations are no longer an aspiration but an imperative for business success Partner strength will be based on 3Cs— competence, coverage and capacity

infrastructure making 100 percent uptime a reality. We will see a shift in storage media deployments from a near-total reliance on conventional hard disk drives (HDDs) to a more balanced and relatively betterperforming mix of flash and HDD media. We also anticipate a demand for all-flash storage platforms. Organizations will continue to integrate the use of flash into every area of the storage architecture from cache at the host level and in storage arrays to all-flash arrays.

Three Cs for partnership An important part of our strategy is continuing to foster vibrant relationships with our pathways— alliances, channels and service providers. 2013 marks the beginning of a new transformation in the roles of ecosystem partners. Partner strength will continue to be based on the three Cs—competence, coverage and capacity. Since competence will ensure the closing of a deal, certification and training will be imperative for the partners’ growth. Data storage partners will have to deliver agile data infrastructure solutions to help their customers manage data better. Data is sure to become more complex and will be the driver for all reliable business transactions. IT has reached a critical point where nondisruptive operations are no longer an aspiration but an imperative for business success. 2013 will make it more compelling for enterprises to have their data infrastructure deliver scale, performance and insight. n

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OUTLOOK 2013

Tipping point for VC

isual collaboration has seen huge uptake in the Indian market in 2012. In a vast country like India it’s not possible to travel everywhere all the time. Key sectors such as government, healthcare, education and manufacturing are therefore adopting video collaboration solutions to make business collaboration faster, more efficient as well as more cost-effective. According to Frost & Sullivan, the Asia Pacific video conferencing market— including immersive telepresence, video endpoints and video infrastructure— registered growth of 33.3 percent in 2011 leading to a total market of $780.1 million at the manufacturer level. The adoption has accelerated in China, India, Australia, Singapore and South Korea. Frost & Sullivan estimates that the video conferencing market in India, at $83.2 million, grew 38.9 percent in 2011 over the previous year, and that it’s likely to sustain a CAGR of 20.1 percent over the next seven years.

Open standards and interoperability One of the key trends seen in 2012 was of organizations realizing the value of open standards and native inter-operability which enable disparate technology to work together seamlessly. This eliminates inefficiencies in communication to make organizations more productive and responsive, and gives businesses the flexibility to connect and collaborate easily, reliably and securely regardless of the network, carrier, protocol, application or device they want to use. An interoperable network allows companies to choose a right mix of solutions and products from multiple vendors to best suit the UC ecosystem that they require.

Mobility solutions Another big trend we witnessed was the demand for mobility solutions from the Indian enterprise market. Such solutions help employees to

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Sectors such as government, healthcare, education and manufacturing are adopting video collaboration solutions to make business collaboration faster, more efficient as well as more cost-effective quick adopters of technology, the differentiator will be more visible on the social plane—in the areas of education and healthcare—where both access and quality, remain huge challenges. Neeraj Gill

Managing Director India & Saarc, Polycom

stay connected with their offices and work even when they are on the move. Gartner expects 900 million tablets to be purchased by 2016. By 2014, the installed base of devices based on lightweight mobile operating systems is expected to exceed the total installed base of PCs. This opens up a whole new opportunity. We believe that as visual collaboration becomes more mobile and ubiquitous, the next couple of years will see video being built into almost every aspect of communication. Video will become an intrinsic collaboration tool wherein content can be shared more easily. While corporates are usually trends and opportunities

The video conferencing market in India, at $83.2 million, grew 38.9 percent in 2011 over 2010, and is likely to sustain a CAGR of 20 percent over the next seven years Organizations realized the value of open standards and native inter-operability which enable disparate technology to work together seamlessly 2012 saw increased awareness of clouddelivered video-as-a-service With the adoption of UC solutions on the rise, expect huge demand for customized solutions around UC in 2013

Increased awareness of VaaS 2012 saw increased awareness of cloud-delivered video-as-a-service (VaaS) solutions. Such solutions are very useful for SMBs which are considered to be price-sensitive and prefer using the opex model as compared to capex investment.

Channels will gain prominence We see channel partners gaining prominence as the UC market achieves great momentum especially with more SMBs adopting the technology. As we move up the ladder of socio-economic development, the demand for UC will continue to increase. In this situation, it is imperative to become channelfriendly and channel-focused in a way we never have before. With the adoption of UC solutions on the rise, we expect huge demand for customized solutions around the technology in 2013. It will therefore be important for the channel community to develop a deeper understanding of these solutions so that customers can be offered solutions based on their requirements. Over the next two years, we see a maturing of the UC space to create solutions that focus on technological innovation. The demand for mobility, collaboration, social networks and increased interactivity will drive innovation in the UC domain. n

OUTLOOK 2013

Brace for a tougher year

he year 2013 is expected to be another tough year for the IT industry, and I believe the years ahead will be progressively tougher. Gone are the days of high doubledigit and even triple-digit growth. You will see that 5-12 percent growth is quite normal for the industry. There are two trends which are bothersome for both distributors and channels. The costs of finance, distribution and logistics have risen. From 2000 to 2007 we had a fairly stable rupee, and stable banking costs. A combination of rupee and dollar financing meant that annual financing costs were around 7 percent. Today, the rupee has become very unstable, and relying on any funds from abroad can backfire if the rupee softens during the period. Distributors will now be lucky to limit their rupee and dollar financing costs to under 12 percent annually. Similarly, because of spiraling real estate and transportation costs, the costs of operations have impacted overall margins. In India you may see one or two changes in the ownership of national distributors (NDs) this year. I do not see consolidation happening, but a few sub-distributors and regional distributors will attempt to increase their presence across the country.

Emerging technologies If you are a partner who is focused on the SMB and home segment, there are four technology segments that are emerging this year. The real convergence which we have been hearing and reading about is finally happening in 2013. It will be driven by mobile phones and tablets. Resellers must have a strategy or partnership to sell either smartphones or services around smartphones. Storage is another fast-growing segment, and there are lots of peripherals and products that will go into homes connecting televisions and other devices.

The years ahead will be progressively tougher. Gone are the days of high double-digit growth. You will see that 5-12 percent growth will be the new normal for the IT Industry

Suresh Pansari Managing Director Rashi Peripherals

Security solutions are in vogue, and right from IT security to surveillance solutions, the market will boom. Finally, the networking space in the SMB segment will start kicking in.

Message for VARs There’s pressure on vendors to increase their share in India, and that’s passed on to distributors and partners. Partners must not succumb to such pressures. It’s important to identify your strengths and focus on areas which are certain to grow. Growth from mainstream brands trends and opportunities

The costs of finance, distribution and logistics have risen. Distributors will be lucky to limit their financing costs to under 12 percent annually You may see one or two changes in the ownership of national distributors in 2013 Four technology segments are emerging this year: convergence, storage, security solutions, and networking There’s pressure on vendors to increase their share in India, and that’s passed on to distributors and partners

and known market segments will be minimal, so it’s important to grow your base. I have always told channel partners never to divert funds to other businesses especially at a time when the industry is facing its own challenges. This is not the time to diversify, but to stay focused on your business.

Message for sub-distributors It’s expected that many NDs will increase the number of partners they are billing this year. In this process several partners who were previously handled by sub-distributors or redistributors will be handled directly by NDs. This could heavily impact the business of local sub-distributors. In such cases sub-distributors should work closely with vendors and NDs to protect their turf. At the end of the day, no ND would like to disturb an existing sub-distributor if the subdistributor’s payment terms are good, and commitments are being honored. It’s also important to develop specialization in sub-distribution. Today there are a number of smart sub-distributors who are focused on addressing channels in just one field. We will see several such small sub-distributors eating into the marketshare of broad-based sub-distributors who supply every product. Finally, it’s important to explore beyond traditional channels. Retail is the way to go. Local sub-distributors can go after local retail. Do not focus on LFRs because vendors and NDs are addressing them. n

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OUTLOOK 2013

Backup-as-a-service will boom

ndia’s domestic IT spending is expected to reach $36 billion by 2015, growing at 12 percent CAGR. The IT adoption by SMBs is growing at 15 percent and will reach $15 billion by 2015. The 2012 Symantec State of Information Survey revealed that while enterprises overall spend more than SMBs on their information, the per-employee cost of information for SMBs is higher. As a knowledge partner, the reseller community can help SMBs to manage their technology needs better. In a scenario where SMBs are a high-potential growth market, 2013 offers some trends that partners can leverage to grow their businesses and accelerate profits.

Cyber conflict new norm In 2013 and beyond, conflicts between nations, organizations and individuals will play a key role in the cyber world. The Symantec Internet Security Threat Report XVII revealed that over 50 percent of attacks last year were on SMBs and 18 percent on small businesses alone. Partners must help customers in developing a comprehensive security strategy. This includes educating customers about the constantly evolving threat landscape and helping them implement updated security technology. Specialized partners are better qualified to advise customers on a proactive and holistic security approach.

Mobility, cloud new targets Mobile platforms and cloud services will be high-risk targets for attacks and breaches in 2013. With the spread of BYOD, mobile devices will continue to enter and exit corporate networks and access vulnerable networks, increasing the risk of breaches. Also, as users add applications to their phones they may pick up malware. This trend underscores the need for partners to ensure that trusted,

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The 2012 Symantec State of Information Survey revealed that while enterprises overall spend more than SMBs on their information, the peremployee cost of information for SMBs is a lot higher center computing. The partner community can take advantage of this trend by ensuring they add bestin-breed software solutions to their portfolio to help customers who are adopting virtualization. Amitabh Jacob

Channel Director India & Saarc, Symantec

market-leading mobile and cloud solutions are part of their arsenal. Partners should undergo training and gain resources needed to demonstrate expertise in mobile security solutions.

It’s all about software Because of virtualization, softwaredefined data centers (SDDCs) will take on cloud computing to become the new industry buzzword. Most large enterprise data centers will evolve to SDDCs where IT services are not dependent on the underlying hardware. Commodity hardware, appliances and the cloud will become increasing reliant on smart software that will define and drive the future of data trends and opportunities

India’s domestic IT spending is expected to reach $36 billion by 2015, growing at a CAGR of 12 percent Because of virtualization, software-defined data centers will take on cloud computing to become the new industry buzzword Backup-as-a-Service will become a standard way of doing business The potential for partners to host entire companies by leveraging virtualization presents a huge market opportunity and will revolutionize how channel partners sell to SMBs

BaaS will be market disruptor Backup-as-a-Service will become a standard way of doing business. As the quantum of information continues to expand, the deployment of backup appliances that combine source and target de-duplication, backup software, replication, snapshots, security and cloud integration in a single box will increase. It is essential that partners also look at all-in-one backup appliances to stay ahead of the smarter storage trend their customers will look to capitalize on.

100 percent virtualization Organizations of all sizes will evaluate and adopt multiple hypervisors into their virtualization and computing environments as the marketshare of hypervisors begins to balance out between vendors. This hypervisor diversity will cause specific hypervisor point tools to be ripped out and replaced by platforms with more capabilities that support multiple hypervisors. This will lead to more SMBs becoming 100 percent virtualized and using multiple hypervisors in both testing and production environments. This trend is a game-changer. The potential for partners to be able to host entire companies by leveraging virtualization presents a huge opportunity and will revolutionize how channel partners sell to SMBs. n

OUTLOOK 2013

SMBs: Next big wave of growth

s we enter 2013, it’s important that the channel ecosystem recognize the fact that the exponential growth seen in the 90s and early parts of the millennium is a thing of the past. Unless your base is small, it’s a herculean task for most businesses in the IT industry to grow at rates that are significantly higher than that of the industry. For the same reason, a number of partners who grew almost effortlessly over the past decade might find the going tough as we move to another year. While I see no specific alarm bells from a macroeconomic point of view, it’s likely that customers who are unwilling or unable to adapt to, invest in or gain RoI from modern technology will find it difficult to grow. While investing in technology is important, it’s also important for a user to implement the technology successfully with measurable RoI. This is also true for a channel partner. The channel will need to do more with less in every aspect of the business, and it’s imperative that they also invest in technology whether it’s CRM, enterprise mobility or the Internet for marketing.

SMBs driving growth It’s very clear that the next big wave of growth will be driven by the nearly 20 million SMBs. While in the past many small business startups have been able to reach certain levels of growth without significant investments in technology, it’s impossible to start any enterprise without IT. To a large extent government bodies have been forcing the industry to adapt with every department from sales tax to central excise launching different e-models. While this is helping the government to govern better, simplify processes and reduce red-tapism, it’s also boosting ICT growth in SMBs.

While cloud computing models are on the rise, I do not think that it will replace software product sales, especially in ERP and accounting

Shoaib Ahmed

President Tally Solutions

Some forward states have been fast to embrace such reforms; we expect the rest of the country to follow. This could mean that PC penetration in SMBs will grow significantly.

Technologies to bet on Mobility and specifically enterprise mobility will be the biggest gamechangers. In 2013 you will see a number of realistic business models being created where enterprise mobility will play an important role. The proliferation of tablets and smartphones will revolutionize the way IT is delivered. Depending trends and opportunities

Customers who are unwilling or unable to adapt to, invest in or gain RoI from modern technology will find it difficult to grow The channel will need to do more with less, and also invest in technology whether it’s CRM, enterprise mobility or the Internet for marketing The next big wave of growth will be driven by the nearly 20 million SMBs Customers are looking for a better sales experience, which is much more than giving the customer a great deal

on the domain the partner is specializing in, it’s important for the partner to align with or be aware of the opportunities around mobility. While cloud computing models are on the rise, I personally do not see much of an acceptance of cloud computing models to replace software product sales, especially in ERP and accounting. However, the cloud will be used for delivering services, and hybrid models of service delivery, both onpremise and via the cloud, will evolve.

Message to channels With market growth stagnating, there’s more time for everyone to breathe, and partners must use this time to figure out the possibilities of tomorrow. Remember that the buying patterns of both enterprises and consumers are changing, and that everyone is looking for uniqueness in the delivery of products and services. If you are unable to create that differentiation, be prepared to be left behind. Customers are increasingly looking for a better sales experience, but sales experience is not just about giving the customer a great deal. What a customer is likely to remember is the experience of actually purchasing. Ensure that everyone involved in the process from your salesperson to the delivery boy to the service engineer involved in deployment is presented properly because these minor details impact your business. n

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OUTLOOK 2013

Shift from virtual to cloud

he IT industry exhibited great resilience while weathering uncertainties over the past year. These uncertainties included a cautious global business environment that prompted companies to hold back on their investments, and the fluctuating rupee that impacted the IT decisions of many companies. We’re seeing maturity among customers for virtualization and cloud computing. Our discussions are now about how fast they can virtualize and move to a private cloud. In the year ahead we will see the mobile workforce expanding and the shift toward software-defined data center (SDDC) increasing.

Trends 2013 Over the last few years we have seen a frenzy of interest and buzz around big data. Beyond the hype, there is a solid base of growing use cases which are becoming center-stage to most businesses. The adoption of big data continues to grow. We believe that virtualization will play a central role in creating that common distributed platform, and that a growing number of enterprises in 2013 will standardize on virtualization as the platform for their big data solutions.

SDDC storm The software-defined data center vision took the industry by storm in 2012. It represents a prescriptive model which brings the benefits of virtualization to the rest of the data center. Networking and infrastructure security represent some of the stickiest issues to confront a data center. Because of this strong customer interest in SDDCs, the industry will also see more networking vendors and start-ups modifying their roadmaps to steer toward a software-defined networking (SDN) strategy. In 2012 the ecosystem continued to make strides with storage technologies to support highly

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The software-defined data center vision took the industry by storm in 2012. It represents a prescriptive model which brings benefits of virtualization to the rest of the data center efficiency and reduced cost of a hybrid cloud environment. However, with multiple clouds comes the need to manage this multi-cloud world. We expect the industry will continue on this path in 2013. T Srinivasan

Managing Director India & Saarc, VMware

virtualized and cloud environments. We expect to see more customers virtualize their storage environment and move toward a more policy-based management approach in the year ahead. While VMware and others feel a homogenous environment is the most efficient approach, we recognize that customers will have heterogenous pools of infrastructure and that this isn’t going away. The ability to deploy and move x86 workloads between private and public clouds (VMware, AWS, OpenStack and others) is becoming a standard practice for organizations of all sizes as they benefit from the agility, flexibility, trends and opportunities

We are seeing maturity among customers for virtualization and cloud computing The adoption of big data continues to grow. There is a solid base of growing use cases of big data among enterprises The mobile workforce and BYOD will increase, and will see more advancement in 2013 Fueled by growing demand for business agility and high availability, virtualization has gone mainstream among SMBs

Rapid change The mobile workforce and BYOD will increase, and we will see more advancement here in 2013. The ability to manage desktops and devices will continue to be a hot topic for enterprises next year as employees are on the move with their laptops, smartphones, iPads and more, and as vendors continue to offer and innovate solutions to address this rapid change. IT departments in SMBs understand that the demands on their IT—to keep the business up and running, to balance IT supply with demand, and to be able to respond quickly to business needs—are the same as those on the IT departments in big businesses. Fueled by the growing demand for business agility and high availability and disaster recovery, virtualization has gone mainstream among SMBs. The challenge SMBs face is to do it all with a small team. In 2013 advances in cloud-based management solutions will make it easier for companies to solve these problems and focus on growing their business. Channel partners will play a key role in evangelizing the technology with customers as they have done in the past. Vendors will continue to help partners grow their business and build competencies. n

shadow ram GET

The other Mr Sahore

Personal

“I love watching Tom & Jerry” Shweta Thakare, AVP, Europe, Apac & Saarc, eScan, has been with the company for the last 13 years. In her earlier role, she played a central role in helping eScan expand in Europe.

Ritvik Sahore with his proud parents, co-star Sharman Joshi, and Prem Chopra

ll of us know Rajesh Sahore because he has been an integral part of the IT channels with his various roles at companies such as Allied Telesyn, Cisco and D-Link. Now he is running his own company called Aries Network which he founded last year. However, it’s not Rajesh but his son Ritvik who is making news these days. Ritvik, who was the main child protagonist in the recent movie, Ferrari Ki Sawari, has been nominated as a best child artiste at the Screen Awards. With his strong performance in the movie, some say that the 12-year-old is the favorite to sweep all film awards as the best child artiste in 2013. n

If not in the IT industry: I would have been a fashion designer.

Shweta Thakare

Biggest passion: To learn human psychology.

Behind the wheels: Hyundai i10. Gadget I can’t live without: My notebook. Weekends are for: Spending quality time with my son. Favorite holiday destination: Any place where I feel close to nature, and can breathe fresh air. Hate the most: Hypocrites. Favorite movie: The Pursuit of Happyness.

Total PC Protection 2013 Call :

098 22 88 25 66 092 72 70 70 50

Favorite stars: Tom & Jerry. I still go crazy watching their movies or cartoon shows. Role models: My parents. Ultimate ambition: To invent some technology and get it patented. Wildest thing I have ever done: Some of the pranks with friends. Thing I most want to do: Teach at least one illiterate person. If I became the PM: I am not interested in politics at all. Celebrity I would like to spend a day with: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. One person I would like to meet, and why: I would like to meet RJ Jeetu Raj because I love his positive attitude towards life and the way he puts things on air in a very optimistic way. Deepest and darkest fear: Losing a near and dear one. n

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— CRN Network

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