SMBs have Different IT Requirements and Challenges

A small and midsize business (SMB) is a business which, due to its size, has different IT requirements—and often faces different IT challenges—than do large enterprises, and whose IT resources (usually budget and staff) are often highly constrained.

For the purposes of its research, STERLITE defines SMBs by the number of employees and annual revenue they have. The attribute used most often is number of employees; small businesses are usually defined as organizations with fewer than 100 employees; midsize enterprises are those organizations with 100 to 999 employees. The second most popular attribute used to define the SMB market is annual revenue: small business is usually defined as organizations with less than $50 million in annual revenue; midsize enterprise is defined as organizations that make more than $50 million, but less than $1 billion in annual revenue.

The IT channel is so much more than a product and service pipeline. It’s a collective system of professional relationships, technical expertise, and customer support and service capabilities. Despite the addition of cloud and managed services, the channel continues to be a value chain that connects consumers, providers and vendors.

Today, the IT industry is focused less on discussions around specific products and services and more on creating positive business outcomes. Perhaps that’s why it’s become more important than ever to build and maintain productive partner relationships.

In the SMB space, vendors rely heavily on solution providers to help them sell and deliver a portfolio of products and services — and most suppliers are willing to make significant investments to ensure their partners’ success. In addition to reseller discounts, they typically offer technical and training programs, sales and engineering support services and a wide variety of marketing resources that providers can leverage in their business. Partners who understand how to access and leverage these assets have a greater opportunity to profit.

To learn more about maximizing our vendor relationships, check out the range of Services that STERLITE has designed specifically to help companies strengthen their business operations and improve their sales opportunities.

Contact Charlie Hirsch – Business Development Manager for more information 312-576-7979