Companies view project delays as the biggest risk arising from technology supply constraints, including hardware pricing volatility and a shortage of memory technology, according to Westcon-Comstor.
The value-added technology distributor surveyed its global Tech Xpert community – an online hub featuring cyber security and networking experts – and found that 87% of operators in the global market, including the EMEA and APAC regions, are taking steps to mitigate risk and keep projects on track.
The findings draw on a survey of more than 100 members of the community, comprising technical specialists and decision-makers from channel partner companies such as resellers, systems integrators and service providers. Responses were collected during May and June 2026 across multiple regions.
Much of the risk stems from the need to redesign or revalidate solutions when components become unavailable or specifications change, adding time and complexity to project delivery, said Westcon-Comstor.
According to the survey, 24% of companies cite the inability to scale capacity as a key risk, while 39% highlight technical risks including performance instability, degraded user experience, increased operational complexity and reduced resilience.
Westcon-Comstor added that there has been an increase in the use of managed services and optimisation techniques to reduce reliance on memory-intensive workloads. A quarter of surveyed companies have moved workloads or components to managed services, while 29% have switched vendors or platforms and 27% are using storage tiering or caching to reduce RAM reliance. More than half (60%) have improved infrastructure capacity to better align supply with customer demand.
Buying behaviour shifts
Buying behaviour is also changing, said Westcon-Comstor. While more than half (52%) of respondents said they or their customers have accelerated hardware purchases to mitigate risk, almost a quarter (23%) reported delays or cancellations. This reflects a fragmented market as companies balance urgency with uncertainty. Overall, 75% reported some change in buying behaviour.
Hardware availability is also influencing workload placement, with 45% of partners reporting accelerated cloud adoption and 7% noting a shift back to on-premises environments.
According to Westcon-Comstor, the disruption is being felt across the infrastructure life cycle, particularly in hardware refresh cycles, new procurement and system expansion.
Callum McGregor, COO and CFO at Westcon-Comstor, said: “Hardware pricing volatility and supply constraints are reshaping customer buying decisions and having a profound impact on the IT channel. In response, partners are helping customers plan earlier, adapt architectures and stay flexible so they can keep projects moving despite uncertainty."
The ability to balance immediate performance and long-term requirements is becoming increasingly critical, he added. "It also demonstrates the strategic role that channel partners, supported by distribution, can play in building resilience and helping customers navigate the pressures that have quickly become a systemic feature of the market.”
Pricing shock
Mark Walker, director at technology consultancy T4i, said South African technology projects face a structural and sustained hardware pricing shock, fuelled by AI-driven global demand.
“This has pushed DRAM and SSD prices up by 40% to 260% since late 2025, with further quarterly increases expected. This trend is compounded by a weak rand and downstream supply allocations that leave local buyers receiving only 40% to 70% of ordered volumes," he said. "This volatility directly threatens project budgets, cashflow, ROI and refresh cycles, and capex-heavy procurement models are becoming increasingly untenable.”
According to Walker, to maintain project continuity, companies must act immediately to secure memory and storage stock before further hikes; shift from upfront capex to opex-based leasing to protect liquidity and lock in current pricing; supplement new purchases with refurbished equipment to bypass constrained supply chains; re-forecast budgets to reflect current realities; and strengthen distributor relationships to secure early allocation.
“Other strategies include verifying sourcing to avoid counterfeits and considering DDR4 alternatives where performance permits. The outlook is that prices will settle at a new, permanently higher baseline rather than revert to historic lows,” he said.
Louis Friedman, head of business development at Excalibur Solutions, said South African companies are operating in an environment where budgets are under pressure and project timelines are closely scrutinised.
“In that context, volatility in hardware pricing and availability can quickly become a business issue rather than simply an IT issue," he said. "The challenge is not always a longer lead time – organisations can plan around a known timeframe – but the lack of certainty around availability. When delivery dates remain uncommitted, it becomes far more difficult to manage budgets, resources and project expectations.”
Friedman added that Excalibur Solutions is working with customers on forecasting, procurement planning and architecture decisions so that risks can be identified earlier and projects can continue moving forward. “The organisations managing these conditions most effectively are those planning further ahead and building flexibility into their technology strategies,” he said.
Joshua McDonald, senior network security engineer at South Africa-based Business Driven Network Services, said: “We've seen customers become much more conscious of hardware availability, component costs and lead times over the past year. In some cases, projects that would previously have been straightforward now require additional planning to ensure products are available when needed and budgets remain on track.
"The good news is that there are practical ways to reduce the impact," he said. "Earlier engagement with customers, stronger forecasting, greater flexibility around technology choices and selective use of cloud and managed services can all help maintain momentum. While supply and pricing pressures remain a challenge, they are also encouraging organisations to take a more strategic approach to infrastructure planning and investment.”
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