While many of the long-standing partner support mechanisms 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 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 – 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.
Source: Futurum Research
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” and providing critical resources and support for business success. A full 93 percent said partner programs are at least somewhat important to their business. What’s more, most partners 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 the respective stables. It also speaks to the important role TSDs will continue to play as businesses’ technology stacks and, in turn, partners’ portfolios grow increasingly technical and diverse.
