Channel Partnerships in the AI Era
By Peter Bocquet
Channel partnerships used to be about fulfillment – getting products to market efficiently, reliably, and at scale. Today, that’s the floor, not the ceiling.
With hybrid cloud solutions and AI redefining enterprise infrastructure, the nature of partnership has evolved. It is no longer sufficient to deliver a single product or deployment. What is required today is a partnership approach that transcends vendors, services, and long-term strategy. This shift transactional to transformational demands trust, adaptability and the willingness to co-create in ways that were not necessary or even possible before.
Across industries, companies are asking partners to help them solve broader, more complex challenges. That might mean speeding up data processing for AI model training, streamlining compliance in regulated industries or simply creating more sustainable infrastructure. These aren’t problems that can be addressed in isolation.
What’s different is the expectation: partners are being drawn into the complete solution cycle, from architecture and integration through support and innovation. It’s no longer just about selling a product; it’s about helping create systems that can grow and evolve with the business.
That shift is especially relevant in AI and data infrastructure. According to Hitachi Vantara’s recent State of Data Infrastructure report, 100% of companies surveyed have now adopted AI in some capacity. More than 75% have moved past pilots into production, and more than a third say AI is already critical to their core business. With that, the pressure on infrastructure – and those who support it – has intensified.
Pressure from All Sides
AI doesn’t just introduce new capabilities; it exposes old bottlenecks. Many organizations expect their data storage needs to double by 2026, yet they’re already managing three times more data than anticipated. Nearly half of IT leaders cite data quality and availability as top concerns.
The result? A rising demand for channel partners who can help not just with delivery but with design, implementation and optimization across hybrid environments. The State of Data Infrastructure Report found that 42% of IT leaders cite managing hybrid and multicloud environments as one of their top infrastructure challenges – underscoring the need for partners who can navigate that complexity with both speed and precision.
To respond, more alliances are forming between infrastructure companies, cloud providers, ISVs and services firms – often blending capabilities to build joint solutions that solve business problems at scale. That’s where the real value of today’s partner ecosystem lies.
Why Services Are the Stickiest Layer
One of the more visible changes in channel strategy is the growing emphasis on services. Products alone don’t differentiate anymore. What matters is who can make them work –together, securely and efficiently. Up to 58% of IT leaders are prioritizing partner services to manage modern IT complexity according to the infrastructure report. And according to IDC, global spending on professional and managed services tied to digital infrastructure is expected to surpass $400 billion by 2026.
That might involve onboarding large data sets, ensuring interoperability between platforms or navigating the nuances of governance and compliance. The service piece becomes the connective tissue. It’s what allows organizations to move fast without compromising stability or trust.
And this is where many partners are finding new relevance: by building capabilities that go well beyond fulfillment and into strategy, training, optimization and support.
The Case for Ecosystems
Old models prioritized control. But in today’s environment, flexibility is more valuable than exclusivity. The strongest partnerships tend to be those with built-in openness – where both sides can challenge assumptions, adapt offerings and share insights.
That often starts with cultural fit. Successful collaborations require more than aligned technology; they need aligned incentives and a shared approach to problem-solving. In some cases, that might involve co-developing new solutions; in others, simply sharing go-to-market insights to better serve a mutual customer.
It’s not a handoff. It’s a handshake.
Looking Beyond the Hype
With AI adoption growing more than 220% by 2026 (as projected in the report), there’s pressure to move quickly. Yet there is a genuine danger of over-promising, or concentrating too much on near-term victories such as launching a chatbot or retrofitting a workflow with machine learning. The companies making headway with AI are usually those addressing it as a foundation change – a priority, not an add-on. That implies reimagining infrastructure, data governance, talent models, and yes, channel strategy. Partners who can facilitate this type of long-term thinking, helping to bridge the gap between innovation and execution, will be in high demand.
Effective channel strategies are no longer defined by the number of resellers or volume of units shipped. They’re defined by the ability to help customers move smarter, not just faster. They’re about reducing complexity, enabling agility and unlocking potential from the massive volumes of data companies already possess.
In this environment, the most impactful partnerships are often the least rigid. They’re built on shared goals, not static contracts. They evolve with customers, adapt to new pressures and bring in the right expertise at the right time.
That’s the opportunity in front of us – not just to meet demand, but to shape what comes next.
Peter Bocquet is Senior Director, Partners & Alliances, APAC, Hitachi Vantara.
