LETTER Martin Vilaboy Editor-in-Chief martin@bekabusinessmedia.com Gerald Baldino Contributing Editor gerald@bekabusinessmedia.com Brady Hicks News Editor brady@bekabusinessmedia.com Percy Zamora Art Director percy@bekabusinessmedia.com Jen Vilaboy Ad Production Director jen@bekabusinessmedia.com Berge Kaprelian Group Publisher berge@bekabusinessmedia.com (480) 503-0770 Beka Business Media Berge Kaprelian President and CEO Corporate Headquarters 10115 E Bell Road, Suite 107 - #517 Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 Voice: 480.503.0770 Email: berge@bekabusinessmedia.com © 2025 Beka Business Media, All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in any form or medium without express written permission of Beka Business Media is prohibited. ChannelVision and the ChannelVision logo are trademarks of Beka Business Media While many of the long-standing support mechanisms provided by vendors, resellers and distributors are still very important to their channel partners, shifts in the marketplace, driven in part by digital transformation and new service opportunities, have created a shift in how vendors and technology solutions providers (TSDs) must support their partners and sub-agents. When Futurum Research asked IT partner professionals to rank the top ways vendors can support their businesses, the expected sales-oriented responses such as attractive terms, co-sell support, marketing resources, lead generation and robust portals certainly remained on the list. But more than anything, partners today are looking for technical enablement, argued analysts at Futurum Research. Mechanisms including developer tools (such as API libraries and documentation), best-in-class technical support and training programs were listed as the top three ways vendors could support their partners’ businesses. This increasing demand for technical enablement within partner organizations coincides, not surprisingly, with IT partners selling what could be considered increasingly technical and layered services. According to Futurum’s findings, for example, nearly seven in 10 (68 percent) of partner organizations surveyed currently are selling AI software, and among those respondents, an overwhelming 86 percent believe AI software will drive future growth. Nearly six in 10 (57 percent) now sell cybersecurity, with 82 percent of these responded expecting significant growth within this often complex and sometime confusion technology category. Cloud infrastructure (IaaS, PaaS), meanwhile, often considered the backbone of digital transformation, is sold by 61 percent of partner organizations surveyed, with 79 percent of these respondents expecting it to be a major growth area driven by the continued migration to cloud-based environments. “AI software, cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure stand out as the biggest growth drivers, reflecting the industry’s shift toward automation, security and cloud adoption,” said Futurum Research analysts. Vendors and TSDs that can provide the proper technical enablement are likely to make significant gains, as 64 percent of partners polled view vendor programs as “extremely important” in providing critical resources and support for business success. A full 93 percent said partner programs are at least somewhat important to their businesses. What’s more, most partner organizations expect to expand their vendor relationships during the next two years, with 67 percent anticipating growth, highlighting a strategic focus on expanding partnerships across the technology stack, said analysts at Futurum Research. This runs counter to CompTIA surveys from a few years back that showed MSPs were cutting back on the number of vendors in their respective stables. It also speaks to the important role TSDs will continue to play as businesses’ technology stacks and, in turn, partners’ service portfolios grow increasingly technical and diverse. What Sub-Agents Want Best Way Vendors Can Support Your Business, % Share of Respondents Source: Uptime Institute; 2022 Source: Futurum Research 14% 7% 9% 13% 14% 14% 12% 8% 9% 10% 8% 8% 9% 7% 10% 9% 8% 7% 9% 12% 12% 8% 8% 9% 7% 10% 9% 10% 17% 15% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% Developer tools Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Best-in-class technical support Training programs Early access and roadmap visibility Lead generation Co-sell support Dedicated account management Modern portals and tools Marketing resources Attractive commercial terms 6 CHANNELVISION | MAY - JUNE 2025
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