Prospects for South African technology providers appear bullish, as the latest survey from software vendor Citrix reveals that two major technology trends - demand for mobile workstyles and the move to the cloud - have enabled distributors and resellers of technology systems across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to defy the economic gloom.
Throughout this year, according to the Citrix Channel Index 2012, a substantial proportion of Citrix partners experienced double-digit growth in providing technology that helps organisations support mobile working patterns and cloud infrastructures, and they expect to see the same level of growth next year.
"South Africa is generally regarded as being 18 months behind Europe in technology trends, so this is a positive indication of what is to come in the South African market in the next year," says Simon McCullough, channel manager at Citrix SA.
Citrix coined the term 'workshifting' to describe the emergence of mobile and flexible working patterns in which employees can choose the ideal time, place and device to get their work done.
The Citrix Channel Index 2012 shows that partners across EMEA have seen extremely strong demand for workshifting technologies in the last 12 months - more than half of respondents (56%) had experienced growth of 10% or more, while a further 20% had seen growth of up to 10%.
"Earlier this year, Citrix South Africa research demonstrated that only 5% of organisations in South Africa are allowing workers to bring their own devices to work, highlighting a huge opportunity for resellers to capitalise on this growing market trend," says McCullough.
According to Citrix partners across EMEA, the main drivers for workshifting cited by their customers were, in order of priority, increased productivity (average rating of 1.88, where one is the highest priority and six the lowest); reduced office, travel and labour costs (2.82); as well as attracting, retaining and motivating the best people (3.67).
Citrix says the major drivers behind the demand for workshifting capabilities seem to indicate that many businesses recognise that top talent needs a level of flexibility in how they organise their working lives.
The Index highlights how growth in the use of smartphones and tablets to access the corporate network is driving demand for workshifting capabilities. Half (51%) of respondents had experienced considerable growth (more than 10%) in demand for solutions involving mobile devices, while a further 39% had seen some growth (less than 10%).
The workshifting capabilities most in demand from customers during the last 12 months are also expected to be top of the priority list next year, namely: desktop virtualisation (average rating of 1.83); instant, secure access to all business apps and data from mobile devices (3.17); and network optimisation technologies to ensure the best user experience (3.75).
However, a shift also seems to be underway among Citrix partners. Although many acknowledge the considerable opportunities presented by desktop virtualisation, there are some who believe that enterprise cloud platforms and server virtualisation offer them the greatest potential for growth in the next 12 months
A quarter of partners forecast double-digit growth for cloud infrastructure projects, followed by 28% and 23% who forecast 6% to 10% and 0% to 5% growth, respectively.
Given these findings, says Citrix, it is not surprising that the Index shows a partner base aligning itself with this shift. More than half (55%) already offer cloud infrastructure services, while a further third are gearing themselves up to do so.
"Citrix has long been at the forefront of enabling businesses and their staff to find new, innovative ways of working and collaborating. The Citrix Channel Index 2012 demonstrates that companies across EMEA recognise the key benefits of mobile working and cloud services. I believe we will see a similar growth in both of these areas in South Africa within the next 12 to 18 months," concludes McCullough.
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