Six in ten IT decision makers are expecting to invest in AI in the coming year despite more than a quarter not feeling that they do not fully understand the technology, a sentiment shared by 20% of employees.
This comes from BT research that explores the channel landscape across emerging technologies and concludes that simplicity and fostering trust will help partners benefit from these opportunities.
The report highlights that it is it’s particularly important for channel partners to encourage greater security awareness. In fact, resellers are significantly more likely (42%) to cite cyber-security as a top business priority than end-customer employees (25%) or even IT decision makers (27%).
This is despite more than one in 10 (13%) IT decision makers falling victim to a scam themselves.
This is particularly important as the report suggests hybrid working is here to stay, as At least three quarters (75%) of all groups believe businesses should allow remote working at least once a week.
To facilitate this, 75% of decision makers agree businesses need fewer applications and 72% agree they need simplified ways to collaborate.
Yet less than half (49%) of IT decision makers already have a platform in place, with more than a third (35%) planning to invest in the next twelve months.
Six in ten (65%) employees also say they need faster connectivity and seven in ten (70%) more reliable connectivity and yet, less than a third (31%) of IT decision makers and less than a fifth (16%) of employees prioritise the shift to all-IP.
Gavin Jones, Channel Partners Director at BT Wholesale said: “The channel must pivot from tech talk to customer-focused conversation, fostering strong relationships to support customers as they navigate an ever-changing tech landscape.”