This past March, AireSpring hosted an online roundtable of executives from the six major technology solutions distributors (TSDs), which according to industry analyst and moderator Jay McBain, collectively account for about 70 percent of the communications and network services indirect channel. The roundtable included representatives from AppDirect, Avant, Bridgepointe Technologies, Intelisys, Sandler Partners and Telarus. A recurring theme during the roundtable discussion – in addition to “you should source more stuff from us” – centered around how great a time it is to be in the channel, or specifically, how this is an opportune time to be a technology advisor. The basic premise being that business IT departments and decision makers have their hands full, arguably more than ever. That’s not a hard argument to make. Just think digital transformations, AI disruption, multi-faceted network infrastructures, increasingly technical-savvy customers and cyber attackers … we could go on. And these customers, argued Telarus CEO Adam Edwards, look to leverage the expertise of advisors in these times of chaos and complexity. Overly burdened with the tasks of running their day-to-day businesses, customers simply don’t have the time to evaluate vendors, compare product sets and breakdown data points of what might or might not be on the horizon, Edwards continued. What they do realize, added Sandler Partners senior vice president, Ryan Yakos, is that the complexity curve outpaces their ability to stay educated on everything that will impact their IT stacks, and the advice of informed advisors, in turn, can help. It’s partly why analysts such as McBain expect the already massive $16.6 billion channel to grow by as much as 14.5 percent this year. Of course, not all channel partners and technology advisors are so optimistic. While 46 percent of partners expect revenue growth in 2026, according to fresh data from Omdia, 58 percent expect profit decline, including 51 percent forecasting a double-digit drop, reported McBain. Apparently, partners see a stacked set of barriers in front of them, ranging from supply chain disruptions, trade disputes and cost input pressure to delayed customer decisions and a flurry of vendor program and pricing changes, McBain continued. In other words, partners and advisors are facing their own complexities and chaos. As Yakos pointed out at the recent roundtable, Sandler’s top partners educate themselves as much as two years out in terms of what they might be selling or facing in the marketplace. So, while there is not much we at ChannelVision can do about political instability or extreme margin compression, we remain dedicated to our objective of helping technology advisors and vendors navigate the challenges of operating within the channel, through both our content and our educational sessions every November at CVxEXPO. You can rely on our expertise through the chaos. Your Partner Through Complexity LETTER Martin Vilaboy Editor-in-Chief martin@bekabusinessmedia.com Gerald Baldino Contributing Editor gerald@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 © 2026 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 6 CHANNELVISION | SPRING 2026
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