Posted by: Tony
Date: December 18, 2013
Draft: Two

The New Ecosystem

In the 1980’s, the consumer electronics industry underwent a seismic shift from the small undercapitalized audio premise to the expansive TV/Appliance superstore. The VCR was both the instigator and the fuel for this cataclysmic event. When the dust settled, the audio dealer was a relic. Today, we are witness to another seismic shift that I feel will prove to be just as dramatic. Apple’s remarkable and stunning rise is just the first shot fired.

A revolution is underway, and both the instigator and the fuel for this new cataclysmic event is technology integration. Pick any segment of its arsenal – from the internet, to cloud service providers, to audio/video streaming, to cloud storage, to smartphones, to video conferencing, to online learning, to virtual servers, to social networking, to online shopping, to big data analytics – you name it and technology integration’s new delivery system has enabled, transformed, and accelerated it. It is overwhelming, and I believe no one can harness and deliver it like we can.

The old Stereo Advantage provided our retail customers access to entertainment through a well-developed and easily understood matrix of products; while our Commercial Division provided a concierge approach to selling the same entertainment product awkwardly positioned for business use. Audio/Video provided a recognizable banner for product choices, and it led to a revolution in retail. Big Box retailers effectively combined disparate categories into an effective sales environment: blending home appliances with audio/video, car audio, computers, and software. Today. technology has rendered the old matrix unrecognizable, as it has blurred the lines that conveniently separated the categories that we once sold [and bought] with simplicity.

Our New Delivery Concept

Just as we ushered in a new era in consumer electronics retail with the Home Theater and SmartLink mall concepts in the early 90’s, we are now embarking on yet another game-changing enterprise. Our new Advantage Business Resources headquarters and concept store at the Walker Center will provide our commercial and government clients with the resources necessary for effective technology integration by developing system architecture specific to their needs. We will provide a unique and effective delivery model for the components, installation, programming, ongoing support, and service required to maximize the potential and effectiveness of their fully integrated technology wonderland.

Apple, no doubt, is a definitive resource in today’s new technology delivery model. They touch communication, entertainment, and compute in a very attractive integrated ecosystem which they deliver almost flawlessly. They provide niche products that have revolutionized how people view and access technology, but they are not a business solution [and they are certainly not an effective cloud service provider]. Facebook is no less an instigator, and while Google and Windows will wage their own private battle for our souls, not one of these enormously successful companies can deliver the whole package like we can, not even Amazon [who in just a few short years has overwhelmed the legacy delivery model].

Whether it is a business, institution, home, school, or government application of technology in this new ecosystem, there is only one company currently poised and equipped to provide a complete integration solution [including creating, installing, managing, and servicing it]. That company is Advantage Business Resources. This technology revolution offers us a future with an opportunity to dominate the new delivery model. It is a future I intend on building with you.

The proposed Advantage Business Resources center will be the local, national, and international delivery vehicle for technology integration to our commercial and government customers; and the Advantage Sales Group featuring all of our Advantage Business Resources’ offerings will be the international team for delivery to our clients, business partners, and associates.

I am looking forward to building this with everyone at the Advantage. There will certainly be an incredible opportunity at Advantage Business Resources for those that understand, believe, and create our new vision with energy and purpose.

Our Native Resources and Offerings

The key resource for Advantage Business Resources is our Advantage Global Network, which is comprised of 4 unique service offerings:

• Advantage Global Management. Business service offerings. Our backend support of the various G8 entities has positioned us to realize the opportunities as a fully functional support resource for a variety of business operations.
• c1 Search. Personnel service offerings. Temporary and contract staff augmentation solutions and permanent placement.
• c1 Services. Professional and managed service offerings.
• c1Secure. Cloud service offerings, including an incredible array of offerings from the Autonomic Resources Oven.

According to one estimate, organizations around the world may outsource $483B in business and IT services in 2013. That so many organizations are willing to invest so much is a testament to the effectiveness of outsourcing as a service delivery model.

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) vendors are seeking to capitalize on cloud computing’s ability to enhance traditional business models and support new ones. Conceivably, one or more vendors [like The Advantage Global Network] may combine BPO with cloud computing horsepower to offer clients the ability to essentially outsource an entire business function in one fell swoop. This is what The Advantage Global Network hopes to enable with the entire array of G8 service offerings at our disposal.

We believe that this Advantage Global Network identification will also create an opportunity to identify and promote all of our world class resources for new partnerships such as Wellingtin Resources and for our various sales staffs throughout the Advantage Global Network.

TW&Co and Giancarlo’s have several significant offerings to contribute to Advantage Business Resources.

• Corporate Gift Giving.
• Executive Gift Giving Registry.
• Corporate Shopping Events.
• Corporate Meetings, Banquets, and Events.
• Corporate Catering.
• The Catalog.

Some of the resources we are contemplating including atAdvantage Business Resources are from our Electronics Division:

• Advantage Technology Integrators.
• Mobotix and Security.
• Advantage Trade Group [along with ASI, embroidery, and screen printing].
• The Commercial Division.

Over the past thirty years our retail and commercial customers have come to recognize us as the premier merchant in WNY, nevertheless, we need to stay relevant. Today’s technology offers us even more opportunities for our preeminent consultative sales. If we provide the type of product and services that our commercial customers need in this new age of technology, we will remain the most relevant merchant in our market. It is up to us to integrate IT technology with relevant business services. Furthermore, we have to make it universally accessible. Whether it’s in their office or online – it’s up to us to seamlessly integrate their access to all of their information and operation resources. No one is better equipped to provide the myriad of expertise necessary to deliver the whole package.Advantage Business Resources is our magic sauce.

I am confident that 2014 will be a remarkable and transformative year for everyone at the Advantage.

Be big, be a builder.

Sincerely,
Tony

Mission Statement: Advantage Business Resources will provide our commercial and government clients with the resources necessary for effective technology integration by developing system architecture specific to their needs. We will provide the components, installation, programming, ongoing support, and services required to maximize the potential and effectiveness of their fully integrated system.