Canalys Forums 2025

Closing the main stage at Canalys Forums 2025 Americas, Omdia’s Jay McBain spotlighted how AI is redefining the customer lifecycle and why the next era of growth will be partner-led. Key insights: 🔹 AI partner opportunity surging: The ecosystem around AI is projected to grow to $267 billion by 2030, unlocking massive potential for partners across every segment. 🔹 Customers lean on partners for agentic AI: The majority of organizations say they’ll rely on trusted partners to build, deploy, and manage autonomous and agentic AI solutions. 🔹 People-powered innovation remains key: Even as AI accelerates, human expertise and connected devices will stay central to delivering value throughout the customer journey. 🔹 The next decade of partner-driven growth: From AI copilots to humanoid home robots, partners sit at the center of how AI will be commercialized and scaled. It’s been an amazing two days of insights, connection, and collaboration at Canalys Forum Americas - a true look into the future of the partner ecosystem and the AI-powered decade ahead. #CanalysForums2025 #Omdia #PartnerEcosystem #Channel #AI

Huge congratulations to the winners announced at the Canalys Forum Americas! These awards recognize outstanding performance and excellence in the channel. Well done to the teams at: 🏆 Innovation Partner of the Year: Infosys 🏆 Sustainability Partner of the Year: Exing SRL 🏆 Overall Partner of the Year: SHI International Corp. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists for their incredible achievements and leadership in the ecosystem! #CanalysForum #CanalysForums2025 #PartnerOfTheYear #Awards2025 #ChannelPartners

In the closing session at Canalys Forum Americas 2025, Peter Bryant explored the profitability challenges facing the world’s top 20 GSIs and how AI is both exposing and accelerating the need for change. While AI dominates headlines, Peter emphasized that it’s a catalyst for confronting deeper structural issues within organizations. Partners now stand at a crossroads: evolve to become more strategic and software-led, or risk being left behind. 🔹 57% of partners are now co-creating solutions with vendors, enabling scalable and repeatable deployments. 🔹 Buyer committees are increasingly senior but less informed demanding immediate, measurable results. 🔹 Success depends on balancing human expertise with AI capability; those who rely solely on agentic AI without the right people and processes will struggle. #CanalysForums2025 #Omdia #AI #PartnerEcosystem #GSIs #Profitability #AgenticAI #ChannelTransformation

At Canalys Forum Americas 2025, the "Omdia Expert Hub: Navigating the Next Era of the Channel" brought together Omdia's top channel analysts to dissect the ecosystem's biggest mindset shifts. Hosted by Evan Kirchheimer, Chief Research Officer at Omdia, the discussion brought together experts Rachel Brindley (Senior Research Director), Devan Adams (Principal Analyst), Jessica C. Davis (Principal Analyst), and Sebastian Wilke (Senior Analyst) where they explored the future of partner collaboration, AI disruption, and security. Key themes emerged throughout the session: 🔹 Rachel Brindley explained that the biggest gap is "just recognizing that change" and that "not a single partner can't do this all alone." This complexity means partners are "co-selling" and "competing" simultaneously. To adapt, she noted a "real shift" in partner programs "from revenue thresholds to certifications" to recognize value "across the entire customer lifecycle," as partners may now earn more from a "pre-sales workshop than... the point of transaction." 🔹 Jessica Davis addressed the reality of MSPs being a "threat vector" following the SolarWinds and Kaseya attacks. To regain trust, she said the key is adopting a "cybersecurity first" mindset, praising N-able's repositioning as a "cyber resilience company" rather than just a "managed service platform provider." 🔹 Sebastian Wilke noted that while AI valuations are "chased by hype" in a "bubble", the underlying opportunity is real. He stated that "AI infrastructure is being built and revenues are being generated," calling them "tangible." His advice to partners: "keep control of your data, partner with the right partners... and target that use case." #CanalysForums2025 #Omdia #PartnerEcosystem #Channel #AI #CyberSecurity #MSP

In the closing session on the main stage at Canalys Forum Americas 2025, Noah Dantes, Research Manager at Omdia, explored the dynamics reshaping the federal channel this year. Key insights included: 🔹 DOGE disrupted the traditional balance between federal contracting and insourcing, yet IT services have remained the least impacted by job cuts. 🔹 Channel contractors are increasingly implementing AI across federal agencies, contributing to a record year for the federal channel. 🔹 Automation, including AI initiatives like DOGE’s, is helping offset workforce reductions, impacting around 300k roles. 🔹 Resellers are growing, taking on roles traditionally filled by distributors (+12%). 🔹 Public sector partners can drive growth in 2026 by expanding AI implementation, extending services to the state level, and prioritizing defense opportunities. #CanalysForums2025 #FederalChannel #AI #PublicSector #Omdia #PartnerEcosystem #ITServices #Automation

At Canalys Forum Americas 2025, Omdia's Jay McBain hosted a panel with Sanjib Sahoo, President, Global Platform Group, Ingram Micro, and Mark Sutor, President, The Access Group Inc., discussing how platform development is reshaping partner operations and data usage. Key insights included: 🔹 Sanjib Sahoo (Ingram Micro) explained that market dynamics are rapidly shifting. The world has moved from marketplace to platform, integrated with hyperscalers and other relevant stakeholders. The platform aggregates knowledge and prepares partners for future opportunities. It is built on a data mesh leveraging 40 years of historical data to help partners navigate complex markets. 🔹 The platform provides more than transactional information, offering data-driven guidance and insights to help partners understand trends and potential outcomes. 🔹 Mark Sutor (Access Group Inc.) noted that many partners still perceive the platform primarily as a procurement tool, but in practice it serves as a trusted source of data, often more reliable than internal systems, while enabling faster response to feedback. #CanalysForums2025 #PartnerEcosystem #IngramMicro #AccessGroup #Omdia #PlatformEconomy #DigitalTransformation #CustomerExperience

Up first at this year's closing session of Canalys Forum Americas 2025, Omdia's Senior Analyst, Ben Caddy highlighted the often-overlooked environmental and financial aspects of AI adoption. Key insights from his presentation included: 🔹 Sustainability is sidelined in AI conversations today, but as AI matures, its importance will only grow. 🔹 AI is not a monolith — the environmental impact of AI video generation, for example, is roughly equivalent to running a microwave non-stop for an hour. 🔹 90% of enterprise AI projects will fail, raising questions about financial sustainability and the strain on the power grid before environmental concerns. 🔹 Only 30% of AI is currently used for work, according to a Harvard study, highlighting efficiency gaps. 🔹 Renewables are thriving, overtaking coal as the largest source of power, creating opportunities for the channel to support efficient infrastructure and circular economy initiatives. #CanalysForums2025 #Omdia #AI #Sustainability #PartnerEcosystem #CircularEconomy #RenewableEnergy

At Canalys Forum Americas 2025, the Future partner programs Expert Hub brought together leaders to explore the changing nature of partnering. As many vendors shift incentives away from pure transaction to focus on the entire customer lifecycle, the panel highlighted how partners are adapting to this new landscape. Hosted by Lisa L., Senior Analyst at Omdia, the discussion united experts from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Qualcomm, ePlus, and Milestone Tech. Together, they examined the strategies and complexities shaping the next generation of partner profitability and collaboration. Key themes emerged throughout the session: 🔹Jonna Bell (Global Director Commercial Channel Marketing at Qualcomm) championed simplicity, stating, “We already live in a world of complexity, so we prioritize simplicity.” She also underlined that tier-based systems remain crucial, as flattening them would remove the "aspect that underlines the tiers: trust.” 🔹Beth Jensen (Senior Director, HPE WW Channel Partner Programs and Strategy at Hewlett Packard Enterprise) spoke on the importance of partner feedback, calling it a "balancing act" to manage different needs, and affirmed that “From our perspective, [the tier-based system] is something our partners want.” 🔹Ken Farber (President, ePlus Software, Strategy and Alliances at ePlus inc.) pointed to the rapid pace of disruption, noting, “we also disrupt ourselves... it used to be every year, and now it’s every six months,” and stressed that "The vendors that do it well involve the partner in the codevelopment of the solution." 🔹Sarah Miles (CEO at Milestone Tech) addressed the constant change in programs, explaining that partners who invest time to "understand all the caveats and ins and outs" and "learn the rules" gain "a leg up in the game.” #CanalysForums2025 #PartnerProgram #ChannelPartners #PartnerEcosystem

At Canalys Forum Americas 2025, the Cloud cost meets GenAI Expert Hub brought leaders together to tackle a critical challenge: as GenAI accelerates cloud consumption, costs and customer expectations are rising. The panel explored how partners can navigate this new reality and reshape cost conversations. Hosted by Noah Dantes, Research Manager at Omdia, the discussion united experts from EVOTEK, Dell Technologies, TD SYNNEX, Crayon, and IBM. Together, they unpacked how AI is reshaping cost conversations and what it means for partners. Key themes emerged throughout the session: 🔹Cesar Enciso (CEO at EVOTEK) highlighted that while many clients have the infrastructure, they need partners to help “turn it on,” calling this evolution the "biggest time for vendors and clients." 🔹Ed Morales (North America VP, AI & High-Growth Strategic Business Development at TD SYNNEX) warned that organizations can't employ AI on old infrastructure, comparing it to “putting a jet engine on a paper airplane,” and urged the channel to move from "unstructured ambition" to delivering clear ROI. 🔹Daniel Hodge (Global Partner Technologist at Dell Technologies) distinguished between “AI builders” (large enterprises) and “AI consumers” (SMBs), stressing that in a market moving "at 1000 miles per hour, communication is key.” 🔹JD Helms (VP US Operations at Crayon) encouraged experimentation, noting that “a failure [in AI] can still be a success, because now you know what doesn’t work” as ISVs race to innovate. 🔹Tushar Bajaj (VP FinOps, AIOps & Automation Sales at IBM) emphasized the need to look at both spend and "waste," stating that with every customer having a multi-cloud strategy, products must be “usable across hyperscalers.” #CanalysForums2025 #GenAI #AI #Cloud #CloudCosts #FinOps #PartnerEcosystem

In the Putting the Profit in MSP Expert Hub at Canalys Forum Americas 2025, industry leaders unpacked what truly drives profitability in today’s managed services landscape - from aligning pricing models with customer outcomes to building AI-enabled efficiencies. Led by Devan Adams, Principal Analyst at Omdia, the panel brought together experts including VP Americas Ecosystem Sales Christian Goffi from Nutanix, VP Global Managed Service Sales Therese Marie Ryan from SentinelOne, Jacob Sanders CEO of 180 Pros, and Chief Strategy Officer Dan Timko from BlueAlly to share real-world approaches to scaling profit and performance. Key takeaways included: 🔹 Clarity of customer focus is essential - profitability grows when services are purpose-built around client needs. 🔹 Outcome-based models are outperforming traditional per-device pricing, driving stronger margins. 🔹 AI must serve a purpose, not just a trend - partners should prioritize use cases that cut costs and deliver measurable results. 🔹 Depth over breadth wins - expanding value within existing accounts can outperform chasing new ones. #CanalysForums2025 #MSP #ManagedServices #Omdia #AI #ChannelEcosystem #Profitability #PartnerEcosystem #Nutanix #SentinelOne #BlueAlly #180Pros