The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud services and cyber security technologies is changing how technology partners position themselves in the market. Distributors expect the channel to play a bigger role in helping companies navigate increasingly complex environments.
Speaking at the Veeam ProPartner Summit last week, Veeam Software executives and some of its distributors highlighted a growing opportunity for partners. They said partners should move beyond traditional technology sales and focus on helping customers achieve measurable business outcomes.
Mena Migally, regional VP for EMEA East at Veeam, said the channel’s role is evolving. Customers are looking for guidance on how to manage data growth, strengthen resilience and adopt new technologies.
According to Migally, companies are no longer only looking for infrastructure. Instead, they want solutions that help them become more agile, secure and resilient in a changing technology environment.
Distributors echoed this message. They said partners will need to deepen their expertise as vendors continue to expand their technology portfolios.
Speaking to ITWeb at the summit, Jason Sharp, director at First Distribution, said one of the biggest opportunities for channel partners is to go “broader and deeper” within their customer environments.
“Broader” means offering customers solutions across the technology stack, including cloud, on-premises infrastructure and private cloud environments. “Deeper” means understanding the business outcome customers are trying to achieve, rather than simply selling a product, he noted.
Sharp said distributors have an important role in helping partners understand vendor strategies, commercial models and technical capabilities.
He added that demand for channel expertise is expected to increase over the next 12 months, as customers struggle to keep pace with rapid technology changes.
“Technology is an enabler for growth,” Sharp said. He added that distributors must continue investing in partner enablement to help resellers deliver value.
Anil Singh, head of enterprise value division at Mitsumi Distribution, said AI, cloud, data and security are becoming the key pillars driving technology adoption across African markets. Veeam recently onboarded Mitsumi as its new distributor for East and West Africa.
Singh said Mitsumi is seeing increased demand from partners across its footprint, which spans multiple African countries, as companies pursue digital transformation.
He said markets such as SA, Kenya, Nigeria and Morocco are showing strong potential. Emerging markets are also increasing their adoption of digital platforms.
“The future is around integrated solutions,” Singh said. He argued that technologies such as AI, cloud and security cannot operate in isolation but need to work together to support customer transformation journeys.
Andrew Moodley, cloud and marketing executive at Axiz, said one of the biggest challenges facing companies is understanding their own data resilience requirements.
He said many businesses assume their data is protected because they have backup systems in place. However, resilience requires companies to understand where data exists, how it is secured and how quickly it can be recovered.
Moodley said the growing complexity of enterprise environments creates opportunities for partners that can help customers assess their data protection and cyber security posture.
He added that AI is also changing how companies think about data. It is not only creating more content but also increasing the need to manage, secure and govern information effectively.
As AI adoption accelerates and businesses continue their digital transformation journeys, distributors believe the channel will become increasingly important in translating complex technologies into practical business solutions.
This shift, they say, will require partners to invest in skills, understand customer challenges and move from transactional selling towards long-term technology advisory roles.
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