7 Changes Solution Providers Must Confront

Technology Demand Is Shifting From Away From Devices

Solution providers are going from selling servers to selling services, Bibby said.

The 2nd Platform - PCs, internet and client computing - still makes up 74 percent of the IT industry, Bibby said, but spending will remain flat through 2020.

Conversely, the 3rd platform – comprised of social, mobility, analytics and the cloud (SMAC) – is enjoying a 12 percent compound annual growth rate and should go from 26 percent of the IT industry in 2013 to 44 percent by 2020, Bibby said.

These changes are particularly pronounced in software, Bibby said, where by 2018, 60 percent of revenue is expected to be recurring and 27 percent will be subscription-based.