What’s the point of 3 Tree Tech? Our managing partner, Eric Skeens was invited onto the The Edge Podcast by the SSE Forum to explain the story. He told host John Spiegel there was a big problem with the “V” in VAR. They were good at being a reseller, but not so good at adding value.

Skeens discusses why technology is “6 months to stupid” and how fast technology is obsolete and why 3 Tree Tech ensures companies stay ahead in three ways. Tech scouting to find disrupted or bleeding edge tech, tech strategy that builds architects and serves enterprise clients, and tech forums to build a network of empowered leaders.

Where’s the “V”?

Skeens is a veteran in the technology industry. On the show, he offered a comprehensive critique of the traditional IT procurement model and provided insights into emerging trends that could redefine the landscape. His career spans various facets of technology from software sales to infrastructure, and he took aim at the Value-Added Reseller (VAR) model, which he described as a “middleman that doesn’t provide a lot of value.”

Skeens’ critique of the VAR model is rooted in its inability to offer genuine value to the customer. He argues that VARs often serve merely as contractual intermediaries, focusing more on margins than on delivering real solutions. “You usually have some type of middleman that… all they did was nickel and dime you,” Skeens states. He believes this model creates a layer of distrust between the customer and the reseller, as the latter is often seen as trying to maintain a margin at the expense of customer needs.

IT Leader Challenges for 2023 and beyond

In the podcast, Skeens touches on the challenges that IT leaders face, particularly the constraint of time. He points out IT leaders often lack time to thoroughly vet new technologies, leading to suboptimal choices. This is where the 3 Tree Tech model aims to fill the gap. 3 Tree tech empowers leaders, securely growing companies by fighting tech inefficiency. One way that vision manifests itself is through the “Tech Scout” model. This involves scouting technologies and vetting them rigorously before recommending them to clients.

According to Skeens, the vetting process at 3 Tree Tech is multi-faceted. It starts with assessing the technical capabilities of the product to ensure it meets market needs, and then moves onto evaluation of pre-sales and post-sales support, ensuring the customer isn’t left in the lurch post-purchase. “Do they bring the A team to the song and dance, and then do they bring the D team to the deployment?” Skeens asks, emphasizing the importance of consistent quality in both pre-sales and post-sales phases.

Another critical aspect of the vetting process is the evaluation of the company culture and leadership of the tech firms. Skeens believes that a company with a strong culture and leadership is more likely to deliver a successful product. “If they have decent culture and leadership that people want to follow, they’ll follow them to the end of the earth,” he said.

Skeens also revealed that 3 Tree Tech pays special attention to technologies in the A and B funding rounds, allowing them to stay ahead of market trends before they become mainstream. The nature of technology for enterprise is fast-paced and there’s a need to constantly stay head, says Skeens, “Technology is six months too stupid.”

Hear The Edge Podcast by the SSE Forum

You can find the show on your favorite app:

• Go to The Edge Podcast on the SSE Forum website
• Go hear the full show on SoundCloud
• Listen to the show on Spotify
• Listen to the show on Apple
• Listen to the show on Amazon.

Eric Skeens is the co-founder of 3 Tree Tech in Portland. He is a platform-agnostic tech researcher that transitions siloed organizations into automated DevOps centric businesses. Message him right here.