A relationship with a strong systems integrator is the key to success

Jason Nash Director of Next Gen Architecture at Sirius Computers was on theCube as part of their Redhat Summit coverage. Nash spoke to one of the largest challenges with enterprise IT, the shortage of next-generation talent. I believe CTO’s understand the advantages of containers, private & public cloud, and microservices. The promises of continuous development in the form of self-updating infrastructures such as CoreOS hold promise. But, the technology is moving faster than the talent pool for these next-generation data center technologies. Silicon Valley and service providers are snatching up these talented engineers and consultants and offering better packages and challenges. A potential solution are value-added resellers (VAR) turned system integrators.

I believe the cloud, convergence, and commoditization will squeeze the profit margins for traditional VARs. As a result, there will be continued consolidation and a shift toward services. These services will focus on helping enterprises navigate the next-generation technologies and service models. I don’t see these services as one-time engagements. Enterprise customers will consistently need agile system integrators that can help translate business requirements into applications and infrastructure that operate in an extremely fluid security landscape.