Technology provider and specialist distributor Westcon-Comstor has revealed a list of the top trends set to shape the channel throughout the coming months and beyond.
As part of its 40th anniversary, the company has outlined key growth drivers to prepare channel partners for fast-paced changes and evolving market dynamics.
Among these are a concerted effort among MSPs to drive hybrid enterprise IT, which it said represents a huge opportunity for specialist partners to own the ‘glue’ layer between platforms.
To capitalize on this opportunity, Westcon-Comstor said partners must take immediate action to build services across automation, security, governance, and data flows.
An equally pressing matter for channel partners in the months ahead will be cybersecurity, the company said. This is no longer just the concern of CISOs and security professionals, but has instead evolved to become a responsibility that spans the wider C-suite.
Partners that are capable of aligning security with enterprise priorities, such as compliance, business resilience, and risk management, are poised to unlock huge value from this business function.
So what else should channel partners be focusing on in the year ahead? Naturally, AI is a major talking point alongside a sharpened focus on cloud computing.
AI and cloud are top channel priorities
As AI continues to drive the data movement, channel partners are evolving from infrastructure providers to intelligence enablers.
Partner success will depend on their ability to master AI models, data governance, as well as multi-environment orchestration, according to Westcon-Comstor.
Elsewhere, the cloud is also a key focus for channel partners. New cloud models and skills continue to displace traditional reselling models, with an increasing reliance on marketplaces, partner-to-partner (P2P) selling, usage-based billing, and ecosystem co-selling.
According to Westcon-Comstor, partners must now adapt to hyperscaler platforms and not view them as rivals.
Networking gains and SMB growth
As enterprises increasingly embrace AI workloads, partners must help customers adopt intent-based networking, zero trust architectures, and network observability at scale.
The most successful channel players will design networks that can “think, heal, and secure themselves,” the distributor said.
Similarly, millions of SMBs are undergoing a digital shift in the face of rising security risks, the increasing prominence of cloud native apps, AI tools, and remote working.
Partners that offer repeatable, scalable, and automated solutions, backed by vendor support and distributor orchestration, are set to unlock significant, margin-rich growth opportunities.
Preparing for the future
Commenting on the trends, CEO David Grant said the company’s partners and vendors must be suitably prepared as they navigate a rapidly changing market, while also executing their own business transformations.
“Our focus is on helping them become future ready, so they are prepared for tomorrow’s challenges as well as today’s,” he explained.
“Our Future Ready initiative is the perfect way to spotlight our heritage along with our forward-facing priorities and our dedication to enabling sustainable, long-term success across the channel.”
“We believe being future-ready means staying close to our partners’ and vendors’ realities, investing in the right tools, platforms and capabilities, and keeping our eyes on the horizon.”
MORE FROM CHANNELPRO
- Kaseya eyes further EMEA growth with fresh $100 million investment
- NinjaOne completes $270 million Dropsuite acquisition
- MSP security confidence remains high despite rising breaches, research finds
- INSERT STORY LINK
-
From real-time to reasoning: Why NoSQL is core to agentic AIIndustry Insights As businesses race to integrate AI into their operations, many are hitting the same stumbling block: their data infrastructure wasn’t built for it
-
Harrods rejects contact with hackers, after 430,000 customer records stolen from third-party providerNews The luxury department store has denied any link to a failed attack on its systems in May
-
Advania UK eyes further growth under new CEO James HardyNews Hardy will lead Advania’s UK business as it targets the underserved mid-market with integrated IT services
-
Schneider Electric names Karlton Gray as new UK&I channel directorNews The seasoned channel leader will spearhead collaboration and sustainability efforts across the vendor’s channel ecosystem in the UK & Ireland
-
HPE names Phil Mottram as new global sales chiefNews Mottram succeeds HPE veteran Heiko Meyer who is retiring after 38 years with the tech giant
-
Westcon-Comstor promotes Stéphane Reboud to lead European salesNews Reboud will front all sales teams across Europe as part of the distribution giant’s new streamlined leadership structure for the region
-
Kaseya targets new growth with double C-suite appointmentNews Anthony Anzevino joins the security vendor as chief revenue officer, while Pratik Wadher takes the role of chief technology officer
-
Snowflake revamps channel program to meet rising data and AI demandNews The new-look Snowflake Partner Network (SPN) now includes new training resources, improved structures geared towards growth, as well as increased channel networking opportunities.
-
RingCentral expands contact center capabilities with CommunityWFM acquisitionNews RingCX customers can now leverage CommunityWFM’s range of AI-powered workforce management tools
-
Okta acquires Axiom Security to enhance privileged access managementNews Axiom’s identity-centric PAM capabilities will be integrated into Okta’s Privilege Access platform over the coming months
