Monday Morning Impact – August 10

Aptean, an Alpharetta, Georgia-based AI company serving medium and enterprise manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers, has issued a report suggesting that general purpose AI lacks the relevance and accuracy that businesses demand.

The company’s 2026 Artificial Intelligence Research found that over the past year companies using vertical, industry-specific AI outperformed those relying solely on general purpose tools on seven of eight operational key performance indicators measured. “Seventy-seven percent of leaders told us general-purpose AI simply can’t handle the complexity of their operations. That’s not a knock on the technology; it’s a mismatch of design,” said Aptean CEO TVN Reddy. “A generic model doesn’t know your business, your compliance rules, or what success looks like in your industry. Purpose-built AI does, and that’s often the difference between success and failure.”

Survey respondents clearly stated their desire for vertical AI solutions, purpose-built for a single industry or function and trained on the data, terminology, and compliance rules specific to that domain. 88% of leaders said purpose-built, industry-specific AI is critical or very important to their business. When asked why they preferred industry-specific solutions, the top three reasons cited were easier integration with existing systems, more relevant and accurate outputs, and better strategic guidance from vendors who understand their sector.

The survey identified systems integration as a barrier to AI adoption. Eighty-two percent of respondents said integrating AI with core systems is more difficult than AI technology itself. Most businesses lack this capability in-house and turn to outside vendors for help: 92% of respondents agreed their organization would benefit from external expertise to maximize AI’s value, and integration with existing systems ranked as the top factor in vendor selection.

The survey also reveals the rise of “Shadow AI” tools, the need for increased governance, and continued optimism for the long-term impact of AI solutions.

After the failure of initial AI pilot programs, many employees elected to bypass company-sanctioned tools in favor of outside AI technologies. The research found 40% of employees using these Shadow AI tools at work without formal approval. This behavior stems from three factors: a gap between employee adoption speed and organizational readiness, a lack of sanctioned tools, and individuals are prioritizing their immediate needs over the organization’s governance measures. Despite their own use of Shadow AI, 96% of respondents say a formal AI governance framework — with defined accountability and ethical standards — is necessary, and 75% say the lack of a governance framework is a major barrier to success.

Aptean commissioned a survey of 1,535 decision-makers at businesses with $10 million or more in annual revenue across six markets (the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, and Germany) and five industries: food and beverage; apparel and soft goods; transportation and distribution; discrete and process manufacturing; and equipment dealers, plus a cross-sector supply chain cut.

Channel Impact^®
Partner may find solid opportunity in systems integration, as well as in other strategic tasks covered in the report.

Barracuda Networks, a Campbell, California-based IT security company, has rolled out new advancements to the Barracuda Partner Success Program.

The company is introducing a new channel marketing automation platform supporting co‑branded campaigns, social and email syndication and turnkey capabilities. In addition, a forthcoming partner locator is expected to further elevate partner visibility, credibility and differentiation by connecting customers directly with certified partners and fueling high‑intent opportunities.

“We’re creating more opportunities for partners to engage customers, sharpen differentiation and grow their business — and making it easier than ever to do so,” said Michelle Hodges, Senior Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances at Barracuda. “These enhancements reflect our ongoing commitment and our belief that partner success drives superior customer outcomes.”

The company is also expanding the recently launched Barracuda Mastery Program with deeper role‑based learning, new technical labs and advanced sales and technical badges intended to strengthen and validate partner expertise. New role-based segmentation and automation within the partner portal, including a guided journey that helps partners jump-start activities like co-selling, are designed to make it easier for partners to scale their business.

Channel Impact^®
These enhancements are intended to give partners a more connected, intelligent experience across customer engagement, enablement and growth activities. The company claims they will help partners move faster from identifying opportunities to delivering measurable customer impact.