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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.