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Successful businesses know that the key to their prosperity is the ability to stay productive, efficient, and cost-effective. Experienced value-added resellers understand that the best way to improve sales is to offer services that help their clients meet their goals. It has become much tougher for VARs to generate good margins from selling hardware, and, as a result, the savvy ones are looking to a future that will revolve around managed services. Managed services have become a very attractive option as of late because they offer guaranteed and recurring revenue; recurring revenue creates a much more financially stable environment for VARs.
Many value-added resellers have already begun offering managed services. In order to stay competitive, consider offering these three managed services:
Mobile Device Management
The mobile device landscape has been constantly transforming and growing over the past decade. In many cases, enterprises are purchasing mobile devices from retail locations or – thanks to a growing dependence on smartphones and tablets – allowing employees to use personal devices on their networks. For VARs, this switch has opened up opportunities to offer mobile device management services.
Mobile device management software, like the options offered by Zebra Technologies, streamlines the management and support of devices throughout an enterprise’s operations and creates a more secure environment for users. MDM services usually allow enterprises to distribute applications, data, and other information to a wide variety of mobile devices. Offering mobile device management is a large undertaking for most VARs because it requires knowledge of various devices, applications, and carriers. However, making this commitment can prove to be extremely profitable for VARs.
Managed Print Services
Oftentimes, the biggest challenge with managed print services is convincing businesses to reel in their printing budgets, which are seen as necessary expenses. Managed print services minimize and consolidate the costs of printing and document management. VARs must convince customers of these savings in order to reap the benefits of this service. Barcode printers have special maintenance/support requirements; enterprises that rely on employees or IT to regularly perform checkups and maintenance on these barcode printers are taking huge risks. Managed print services allow VARs to remotely monitor, track, and connect to these printers – so problems can be diagnosed before technicians arrive for on-site maintenance.
Remote access saves businesses from a variety of expenses, like unnecessary visits from a technician, and can also optimize uptime and productivity. Managed print services can prove to be extremely valuable to customers, making them one of the most profitable services VARs can offer.
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of objects/devices that utilize software, connectivity, sensors, or electronics in order to exchange information with other devices or an operator. Although IoT is quite new for many people and it still has not reached its full potential, VARs are already discovering ways to be competitive in this market. In order to be attractive to prospective customers, VARs must be able to help them use energy more efficiently, manage/store as much data as possible, and operate a wireless network. Zebra Technologies, for example, has created Zatar, an Internet of Things platform for enterprise applications. Zatar is cloud-based, offers a user-friendly interface, supports any communication network, and supports any device. VARs can be successful in the IoT market by utilizing components from a variety of vendors to create a solution that solves certain business issues or meets industry needs.
For value-added resellers, staying competitive is all about adapting to the latest trends and technologies. Managed services are a great way for VARs to generate stable and recurring revenue.
