This edition of this venerated publication marks 30 years since “The Esteemed One” put his head down and tried his very best to meet what is commonly referred as the “dreaded deadline”.
Despite his best efforts in trying to explain to anyone who cares to listen that he “is the deadline”, he has never quite got to grips with the concept of why he should be beholden to a concept that dates back to what used to be referred to as a “hot metal” process and a cumbersome production printing system aimed at getting the latest and greatest news delivered via “hardcopy” to a loyal and news-hungry community of regular readers.
Whatever his argument may be when it comes to deadlines and getting the news out into the IT channel in South Africa, there can be little doubt that Channelwise is without peer in the local market.
If ever a publication deserved to be regarded as a leader in the realms of its role as a member of the so-called Fourth Estate, it is Channelwise.
Founded on the principles of journalistic excellence that date back to The Esteemed One’s days as a mainstream journalist during the dark days prior to independence, Future Wave as the publishing house for both Channelwise and IT-Online provides an invaluable reference point for not only the latest technological developments that shape the IT channel as an industry sector, but also the human interest aspects that shape and drive every story worth publishing.
Looking back over the past three decades, the IT channel has certainly undergone some seismic shifts. What began in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a straightforward three-tier pipeline for the supply of hardware and software into the market has evolved into a complex ecosystem shaped by virtualisation, cloud computing, and hyperconverged infrastructure.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, virtualisation emerged as the first major disruptor. By decoupling applications and operating systems from physical hardware, businesses were able to consolidate servers, reduce costs and improve efficiency.
For South African resellers and distributors this meant moving beyond the traditional “box‑shifting” model. Instead of simply supplying hardware, partners had to develop expertise in designing and implementing virtualisation and hosted solutions.
This shift was particularly impactful in South Africa’s corporate and public sectors where budget constraints demanded more efficient IT investments. Virtualisation enabled organisations to stretch resources further, while channel partners who embraced the technology gained a competitive edge.
Those who clung to hardware‑centric models, however, saw margins erode and relevance diminish.
The second disruptive wave of change arrived in the 2010s with the rapid adoption of cloud computing.
Global giants such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud reshaped the IT landscape as the benefits of scalability, flexibility and pay‑as‑you‑go pricing began to take hold, forcing local distributors and resellers to pivot toward managed services, hybrid cloud integration and subscription‑based offerings.
This was a cultural as much as a commercial shift. South African partners had to build recurring revenue models, invest in skills development, and position themselves as trusted advisors rather than transactional suppliers.
The third major development has been the move from traditional three‑tier architecture — separate compute, storage, and networking layers — to hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). By tightly integrating these elements into a single software‑defined solution, HCI simplified deployment and management, while disaggregated models later offered flexibility for scaling specific resources.
In the face of these three waves — virtualisation, cloud and hyperconvergence — the South African channel has shown remarkable adaptability.
By investing in training, embracing the services, and aligning with customer outcomes, many partners have carved out sustainable niches. The emphasis has shifted from transactional sales to consultative engagement, where success depends on understanding client needs and delivering measurable value based on enhanced efficiencies.
A look back at the annual Channelwise Awards at the end of last year demonstrated just how resilient the channel has become and the critical role played by Channelwise in recognising achievements in this critically important segment in the national economy.
And, with a bit of luck and continued hard work, “The Esteemed One” will make us proud by meeting at least one deadline over the next 30 years!