The maxim that humankind should ‘think global, act local’ is, reportedly, more than 100 years old.

With its roots in civic planning and environmental concerns, the idea that we can only truly understand an issue via both its single universal matrix and its infinite individual impacts is nothing new.

The titans of the business world, too, have been aware for some time of the benefits of offering customers a local service at a global scale.

But the world is changing rapidly, and globalisation is no longer solely driven by the biggest multinational corporations. In the digital age, individuals and business can, with just a few clicks, interact internationally.

Indeed, with just a few clicks, individuals can become international businesses.

This increased connectivity means that an ever-greater number of organisations – even start-ups and small businesses – are operating in multiple countries. And, in our increasingly globalised world, all their customers no doubt expect the same service levels, regardless of their location.

In turn, businesses expect a multinational and consistent service from their IT partners.

The anecdotal evidence of recent years is that resellers, consultants, and managed services providers are facing more and more demand to serve their customers in multiple locations across the globe. For both parties, the benefits are clear.

Channel players have an opportunity to derive valuable additional revenue from existing clients, while end users get the peace of mind of working with a familiar and trusted partner – in what is an unfamiliar and challenging environment.

The research presented in this report seeks to uncover just how vast this opportunity is for the channel, what VARs need to do to take advantage of it, and how well placed they are to do so.

We first surveyed end users, to find out more about their global IT strategy and what they need and want from international suppliers. We then quizzed UK resellers about their current levels of overseas business, and what they see as the main opportunities and challenges.

The results offer an invaluable view of how the needs of end users compare with the capabilities of their partners in the IT channel. Our report also, hopefully, provides some insight into how the two can more closely map onto one another