05-Feb-2019 05:56 PM
Posted by Prashanth GJ, CEO, Technobind
The
Indian IT industry is going through a major transformation. The metrics that we
once used to define success are being thrown out of the window. The focus of
any organization today is not on achieving certain numbers, but on facilitating
innovation and staying relevant in a highly dynamic market economy.
Companies
need to have the vision and the right business models to address the needs of
the future, rather than simply ‘going with the flow’.
In
many ways, it’s probably the most appropriate time for a solution provider to fine-tune
their critical business strategies to ensure that they are in the game. The market
prospects for the Indian channel fraternity is really huge. Digital
transformation opportunity alone accounts for more than $154 billion in India,
according to NASSCOM estimates.
But,
how do we ensure that we are not missing the mark?
Re-skilling, the new Imperative
On
one hand, the channels have the legacy business (which is still a big part) to
cater to, both at the customer’s end and your own establishments. At the same
time, emerging technologies have brought about entirely new requirements in
skills sets and standards of delivery for the channels.
The
tech workforce of our industry is perhaps going through one of the most
challenging phases in their careers. Staying relevant and staying updated is
going to be the very essence of their growth and success.
I
think, re-skilling the tech workforce is thus going to be the new imperative
for the Indian solution providers. Reports indicate that around 60-70 percent
of IT workforce in India will need re-skilling by 2025. Digitization,
automation, artificial intelligence and new developments in today’s widely used
technologies are disrupting the world of work.
In
fact, what we see today is just the beginning of a massive transformation in the
skills industry. A recent McKinsey Global Institute report, aptly titled as “Jobs lost, jobs gained: Workforce
transitions in a time of automation”, highlights that as many as 375 million
workers, which is roughly about 14 percent of the global workforce, may in fact
switch occupational categories in the next one decade!
In
addition to acquiring new technical skills, there will be a greater need for
soft skills and domain specialization among tech professionals, urging to them
to go beyond the traditional roles and expectations. Hybrid skillsets as
collaboration, critical thinking and subject matter expertise will become more
important.
TechnoConnect: The knowledge
Center
Learning
is a continuous process, as they say. For the tech workforce and the pre-sales
teams, learning does not stop at acquiring some of the best certifications in
the industry. They will have to walk that extra mile to acquire practical
skills and market perceptions which do not come from class rooms and training
session.
Think
about ‘judgement and decision making’ or ‘negotiation skills’ or ‘people
management’. These skills are proving to be highly indispensable for the tech
teams of our channel partners in today’s world. The technical skills
requirements, on the other hand, are ever evolving. What’s relevant today need
not be of any great value tomorrow.
This
is exactly why we are seeing an increased traction in our TechnoConnect forum — Technobind’s
online forum and community platform that’s designed to enable the right
conversations among pre-sales audiences. I would call it a ‘knowledge centre’
that lends the much-needed exclusive peer-learning for technology
professionals.
The
goal behind this forum is to help the key people in the ecosystem to stay
updated on the latest technologies and market trends. The platform, by design,
follows a Q&A format where queries are posted, and real-time answers are
received.
We
have seen that there is a great focus on addressing real-world deployment
challenges and market realities on the forum, where every member contributes in
his/her own unique way.
We are hopeful that TechnoConnect will play a
vital role in bridging some of the distinctive skills gap that exists in the
market. But it wouldn’t be possible without your active participation. So, I
urge you to sign up, be an active member and contributor to some of the most
relevant information exchanges.