Be prepared: tech trends to watch out for in 2022

In the world of technology, nothing stands still. SoftwareOne has evolved from a software licensing reseller, to being an end-to-end software and cloud technology solutions company. While the last two years have been immensely challenging for all businesses as they grappled with working from home and fluctuating business demands, SoftwareOne has remained committed to its strategic vision of helping customers with their commercial and technology transformation. Our highlights from 2021 include:

8 new acquisitions including 5 SAP-focused acquisitions, 2 related to AWS, and one for Google Cloud

• SAP
• Optimum Consulting (US)
• ITPC (EMEA)
• ITST (Brazil)
• SE16N (Eastern Europe)
• Centiq (UK and Europe)
• AWS
• SynchroNet (US)
• HeleCloud (UK and EMEA)
• Plus: we joined the AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) for SAP
• Google
• Intelligence Partner (Spain)

We also:

• Entered into a strategic agreement with Microsoft for application services and SAP on Azure.
• Collaborated with Microsoft to accelerate digital transformation for Nonprofit Organizations worldwide.
• SoftwareOne was named Microsoft Security Go To Market Partner of the Year
• Grew our services business to more than CHF300 million
• Placed PyraCloud at the centre of our business model with over 60% of our customers activated on it by mid-2021
• Reached more than 6.7 million managed cloud users with our xSimple services
• Grew our SAP capabilities with more than 500 certified SAP consultants
• Saved our customers many millions of pounds through our publisher advisory services.

What to expect in 2022?

In 2022, we anticipate that our customers will be particularly interested in these six areas:

1 - Getting smart about cloud

The pandemic has demonstrated the value that cloud computing brings. In 2022, we expect to see more customers looking for help in identifying:

• Which applications they have, which can be lifted and shifted vs which should be modernized – and getting the help to do that modernization
• How to implement FinOps for greater cloud accountability and management of cloud spend
• Guidance on multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud strategies, to get the best value and fit for their specific needs

2 - Dealing with ransomware attacks

Ransomware is big business and cyber criminals are going after organizations of all sizes, with a 93% increase in attacks in the first half of 2021 and this figure is expected to keep growing into 2022. The best protection against this is to have a robust backup solution in place that ensures data can be restored fast. Back up as a Service will grow as a cost-effective way to ease the burden on IT teams who have to keep their attention on transformation projects, rather than backups and restores.

3 - Making hybrid working people-centric

In March 2022, it will be two years since the first lockdown. Our working lives have transformed. As work-from-anywhere becomes business as usual, we expect our customers will continue to need help with security and unified communications for employees. But more than that, identifying the human side of work, using tools in Microsoft Viva, identifying burn out and ensuring every employee has the tools to work productively and securely from anywhere, will be a base level requirement to attract and retain good talent.

4 - Conducting SAP S/4HANA pilots

In 2022, companies will have just 5 years left to decide what to do with their SAP ECC, before the end of support deadline. Five years may seem like plenty of time but moving from ECC to S/4HANA isn’t a simple undertaking. Demand on available SAP consultants will increase as the deadline approaches. And as the cost to implement a greenfield project comes in at multiple millions of pounds, organizations will be looking at more cost-effective brownfield options, converting their existing ECC to S/4HANA. But this may not be possible, depending on the depth of code customization needed. We expect to see greater demand for S/4HANA pilot programmes in 2022, so that the right future SAP strategy can be made with confidence.

5 - Saving money on big ticket items

After a couple of turbulent years where a ‘just-make-it-happen’ approach has been adopted to respond to pandemic-induced challenges, organizations will be revisiting contracts signed in haste and looking for help to make savings and reduce audit risks, particularly around big ticket line items like Oracle, SAP, IBM and Microsoft.

6 - The growth of online marketplaces for efficient software purchasing

The role of IT Procurement is never easy - multiple vendors, contracts, renewal dates and a plethora of services and solutions can make what should be a straightforward task, complex and time consuming.

Online Marketplaces such as PyraCloud will shift to democratize the IT purchasing process - providing simpler and more transparent ways to investigate, understand and buy software and services. Your day-to-day renewals and purchases will be handled from a single source; and provide you with the opportunity to purchase on your terms, whilst giving you the opportunity to explore the vast software ecosystem.