Some readers may have spotted a third data series in the business outlook chart presented toward the conclusion of the preceding business transformation article that showed projected web traffic over a four-year transformation period. We didn't call out the traffic projection at that time but, resellers need to understand, that this is the metric that underlies the digital transformation. Without traffic, the strategy fails, period.
We've argued there's a $20 billion growth opportunity associated with replacement ink and toner cartridges, a $25 billion category that underpins the entire $150 billion-plus office industry. However, it's an opportunity that remains difficult to exploit while certain, complex, technology barriers remain in place that currently prevent alternatives from being seamlessly added to a reseller's value proposition.
Much has been written about the digital workforce and the trend toward mobility and flexible work hours. Much has also been written about the difficulties traditional managers face embracing these trends and their reluctance, or inability, to modify their management styles and to trust remote workers to fulfill their responsibilities.
Business transformation and disruption are over-used terms we have become accustomed to hearing about on a daily basis. It is common for innovators to claim they are the next big thing as they compare their concepts to widely recognized disruptions such as the paid-ride (i.e. Uber) and entertainment (i.e. Netflix) industries that have already been transformed.
