2025 could present a mixed bag for the IT channel. Inflation and economic uncertainty continue to cause customers to prioritise spending – represented predominantly in a slowdown in hardware sales.
But the channel has always adapted to change, and some partners will undoubtedly look beyond those boxes to everything that is wrapped around them – software and services – in an effort to develop a new value-led business model.
There are other areas of optimism for channel partners, too. The cybersecurity channel continues to go from strength to strength. And of course, partners are anticipating how they exploit the topic on everyone’s radar: artificial intelligence (AI).
Christine Horton, a freelance writer for Channel Futures and member of the TechComms content team shares a brief rundown of what the channel might expect in 2025.
Cybersecurity
Channel analyst firm Canalys recently described cybersecurity as “a gift that keeps on giving.” buoyed by the introduction of compliance regulations such as DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) and the NIS2 Directive (Network and Information Security). Meanwhile, global incidents such as the CrowdStrike outage continue to drive cyber conversations with customers.
Marketplaces
2024 saw the explosive growth of cloud marketplaces. There are the hyperscaler marketplaces from the likes of Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, but there are also companies like Pax8 that have designed their marketplaces solely for managed service providers (MSPs). They promise a new way of doing business, and have been quick to fire a shot across the bow at ‘legacy’ distribution. How distribution adapts to this model will be worth noting, but it makes sense for them to focus on their ‘value-add’ aspect of their offerings.
Back to office
It’s time to say goodbye to the sweat pants. We will see more companies – vendors and partners – mandating that employees return to the office five days a week. The likes of Amazon and Dell have already told employees they want them back where they can see them, and distributors like Exclusive Group are requiring their people back three days a week.
AI
It’s been the hot topic in 2024, with every vendor jumping on the AI bandwagon. The hype will continue to dominate in 2025 – at least for a while. For partners, the goal is identifying use cases for their customers. Everyone wants to tap into the potential of AI, but many don’t know quite how. This presents an opportunity for partners to help their customers navigate the ‘brave new world’ of AI.
Sustainability
As with every other industry, the channel talks a good game when it comes to sustainability. But we could be doing a lot better – especially as the industry looks to usher in a new era of AI, which is a vast drain on energy and water. (According to Canalys, the channel has also been rubbish at implementing diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives in 2024, too.) But with customers asking partners about their sustainability strategies in 65% of conversations, it is something partners need to be on top of in 2025.
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