Tech Insights: Interview with Andrew MacKenzie, Professional Advantage

In our new Tech Insights series, we quiz industry leaders to get their views of what the year ahead holds for the IT world. Today we speak with Andrew MacKenzie, Sales Manager & Solution Advisor, Professional Advantage.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the ICT industry in the year ahead?

Cloud computing services represent a disruptive technology that is having a big impact on the ICT industry. As a result, ICT organisations need to keep pace with the new and emerging ways of doing things. Many won’t. They will assume that the skills that have been engaged to create successful on-premise solutions are the same as those required for the effective delivery of cloud services. While this is an education issue, it’s also something that requires the cultivation of a pro-change attitude amongst ICT industry professionals.

Fewer young people are joining the ICT industry compared to 20 years ago. Those who have been around a while may have to adopt an ‘old dog learning new tricks’ strategy not only to survive but also to provide customers with the best outcomes.

What do you see as the two biggest growth opportunities for your customers in 2015 and why?

Social engagement and mobility solutions. The opportunity to create communities around your brand is unparalleled in social platforms. You can manage content, guide discussions, provide a Wikipedia of your organisation’s operations, culture and service Q&A, while receiving real-time market feedback on desires and behaviours relating to your product lines. Mobility is the other area of opportunity in 2015. The productivity gains, real time information sharing, and at-fingertips decision making have become expectations of staff and customers.

What are your customers demanding of you more today than five years ago, and how will you meet those requirements in 2015?

Five years ago, selling project methodologies and a quality-first approach was a battle. I can recall countless conversations with would-be clients who would ask, “Why is project management included; surely this is a waste of time and money?” There has, thankfully, been a shift in maturity. Now clients want clear and detailed answers regarding our methodologies and the processes and governance models that are applied to our projects to manage risk and cost.

For Professional Advantage this is all part of our operational DNA, so we’ve simply shifted from selling quality-based project approaches to sharing our experience and models with prospective customers.

Apart from your own, which ICT companies will be the ones to watch in 2015 and why?

After attending Microsoft’s worldwide Partner Conference in Washington in July, I wrote a blog post where my general theme was that Microsoft is back and is here to stay. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is leading a tremendous revival, with the company remodelling its market and application approaches so that they are device-agnostic. In the same sense, it has produced excellent devices such as the Surface PRO 3 and some hardware resulting from the Nokia acquisition.

Almost every week, Microsoft’s cloud offering for SaaS, PaaS and IaaS is evolving with new and market-leading features and functions. The company is gaining market share in areas otherwise considered lost to competitors like VMware, Apple and others, and all the while remaining a profitable corporation.

Andrew MacKenzie is Sales Manager and Solution Advisor at Professional Advantage, with over 16 years’ experience in helping customers recognise market opportunities and maximise business performance through IT and change.