Vox Pop: 2013-14 financial year

Graeme Clark, managing director, Advent One

I saw it as stronger than last year. Towards the end of the financial year it seemed to be gathering momentum. There’s usually a good number [of transactions that] spill over into the following year. This year, a lot more of them than normal did not spill over from June. There seems to be a gathering urgency by clients to get projects started. I think professional services seem to be quite strong. On average, clients are looking more externally to get direct skills placement or managed services. There’s no doubting that in the first three to five months of the financial year there was a general pause in the lead-up to the federal election. I think there was a feeling of wait and see.

Allan King, managing director, Infront

As a business, it was stronger. We achieved double-digit growth [for 2013 and 2014]. But there is no doubt there is a shift in the market brought about by competition as well as pricing pressure. Internally, we are referring to it as the emergence  of ‘good enough’. Customers are willing to accept the solutions they buy may not have all the bells and whistles they have commanded before, but are willing to accept that position based on price. We have to adjust as well. The reason we’ve had double-digit growth has been [due] to the emergence of our advisory practice, but also advanced services – above-the-line automation and services. Obviously cloud is topical. Customers are still grappling with the how and the why.

Daniel Williams, general manager, PowerNet

I’m not sure if we’re working in an altered reality but I feel the market was stronger. It may be a weaker market for businesses that haven’t evolved from selling product. We made a conscious shift towards more of a consultative approach with our clients and identifying how technology can add value to their business. People aren’t interested in buying equipment at a cost unless they can relate it to their business needs. It’s been a growth period for us. Our clients are far more informed than ever before. They expect you to be even more informed. People are still shifting towards a smaller footprint, less equipment and doing more with less.