Over the past couple of years, the emergence of virtualisation and cloud technologies has challenged the financial viability of many resellers in the channel.
This is the view of Andy Robb, CTO at Duxbury Networking, who notes that these resellers were used to selling hardware - servers and storage devices - whose functionality became increasingly available to end-users from cloud service providers.
"The channel had to come to terms with the need to change business models and face the challenge of keeping abreast of fast-paced technological developments in order to realise profit," says Robb.
He believes resellers can meet these challenges in 2014 by aligning themselves with vendors and distributor partners that have the ability to optimise developing technologies and present end-user solutions that continue to create revenue for all players in the channel.
According to Robb, one of the key challenges facing the channel in 2014 will be to fully grasp the potential of innovative technologies, as they move from concept to reality. Resellers need to be fully prepared for the time when these technologies become commercialised, he urges.
He points out that one of the biggest opportunities presented to vendors and distributors serving the channel is to provide their reseller and dealer partners with revenue streams linked to the optimisation of the latest technologies.
For example, he notes, mobile technology has evolved rapidly over the past few years and will continue to take great strides in 2014 with new and innovative wireless applications playing a significant role in diverse sectors, including the manufacturing industry and the medical fraternity.
Robb adds that wearable computers, for instance, will play an increasing number of roles in the healthcare and fitness fields this year.
"Two important features associated with these miniature electronic devices are consistency - there is constant interaction between the computer and user - and the ability to multi-task. In a healthcare application, for example, a wearable computer may be able to monitor the wearer's blood pressure, sugar level and other vital signs and then automatically alert emergency services in a crisis situation," Robb explains.
He also believes that technologies associated with renewable energy will have an increasing influence on the channel in the year ahead.
"The acceptance of solar as an alternative energy source has led to innovations such as solar-powered modularised micro data centres housed within conventional shipping containers and targeted at smaller organisations."
For Robb, the availability of industrial Ethernet switches and other 'ruggedised' networking components will prove to be beneficial in these and other applications involving extreme operating conditions.
In the mining sector, for example, where all operations are largely now IP-enabled and expected to function consistently and reliably under harsh conditions, industrial Ethernet is paving the way for industrial computer switches and other devices, which will be increasingly required in 2014 as technology moves from the back office to the coal face, he notes.
"The market for 3D printing - or additive manufacturing, as the process is alternatively known - will grow exponentially in the year ahead, driven by demand in architecture, construction, industrial design, the automotive industry, the military, engineering, the medical industry and many other sectors. Ground-breaking developments in human tissue replacement have been recorded," says Robb.
He also points out that the advent of 4D projection devices and bendable TV screens, while encouraging considerable interest in the home entertainment market, will soon find a place in the business arena, where they will be optimised by resellers keen to create revenue streams for this technology in the commercial/ industrial environment.
"Ease of use will become paramount in 2014, a year in which we will see decreasing complexity. Devices that once required the expertise of a specialist technician will now be installed and configured with consummate ease by any tech-averse individual," he concludes.
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