Historical perspective on partnerships
Partner networking has become critical to the growth and viability of nearly all IT and related technology businesses. The old “go it alone–survival of the fittest” business model of the 1980s and 1990s has given way to an acceptance and appreciation of “business interdependence.” The concept of interdependence is actually a refined form of business symbiosis which has existed for decades. Small business, which clearly understands the importance of communal efforts, has successfully utilized retail malls and strip centers to attract a greater number of customers than one business could possibly have attracted alone.
No industry has the potential to truly benefit from business symbiosis, or partnered networking, like the IT and related technology industries. With technology growing at an exponential rate in both scope and complexity, collaboration between specialists is becoming increasingly necessary to forge solutions. This is also creating new opportunities since consumers no longer have the time, desire, or technological knowledge to research and design their own solutions. In an information-drenched, time-compressed world, consumers are demanding complete and quickly-delivered solutions from their IT experts.
The IT and related technology industries are ready for a new and more sophisticated level of business networking. One look into the chassis of a modern personal computer or business server graphically illustrates how integrated IT companies have become over the years. Working together, these “independent” hardware and software companies have all become “dependent” on each other. From the Value-Added Reseller (VAR), Independent Software Vendor (ISV), and Systems, Applications and Products (SAP) Partners, to the IT Manufacturer, Distributor, and Vendor, the time for even more integrated IT partner networking has arrived.