In the current economic scenario, Tier II and Tier III cities of the country such as Pune, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Kochi, Jaipur, Indore, Nagpur, and Patna among others have shown a growth rate of more than 40 per cent. This paradigm shift in these cities is quite evident, as we are witnessing an extensive number of startups emerging with the motive of solving more localised problems with the help of on-demand applications, consumer tech solutions, online delivery, ride sharing and more, thereby driving the growth of IT in these cities.
These changing market dynamics have opened up a plethora of opportunities for the IT channel partners operating out of these cities. Along with new age channel companies, the traditional partners are shifting gears wherein the focus is more on building their own IPs and embracing digital technologies.
Moreover, the channel partners in these cities are looking to work closely with a new set of vendors and startup companies in the areas of emerging technologies, which means that they are not only discovering collaborative ways to work with their vendors but also identifying new growth areas and aligning with those technology players who have products and solutions that is poised to be in demand and assist them in framing their growth strategies.
For instance, Bhubaneshwar has become a software hub of Eastern India, as it is a base of startups (given the backing by the state government). Besides, with the rise in infrastructure projects, the partners here are also witnessing demand for data centres. Even for a city like Indore, the boom of startups and eGovernance projects has been generating immense channel business.
The growth story holds true for channel markets in Nashik, Thiruvananthapuram, and Vizag as well because these cities have emerged as investment destinations of various IT giants.
Meanwhile, like their counterparts in metro cities, these partners also make sure to upskill and re-skill themselves on a regular basis and take assistance from their OEMs/vendors in areas like deep technical sales skills, lead generation, sales transaction progression, training and certification in order to facilitate future growth.
Nivedan Prakash
Senior Associate Editor, CRN India
[email protected]
