Monday Morning Impact – October 6
TD Synnex: AI, Services and Specialization Driving Next Wave of IT Growth
TD Synnex has released its Fourth Annual Direction of Technology (DoT) Report highlighting how blending AI-driven transformation with resilient cybersecurity frameworks, deep specialization and automation-enabled talent drives growth despite persisting macroeconomic challenges. The report also emphasizes how service-led business models are fueling success in the age of AI, with ISVs and professional services firms expressing the most optimism about the future.
Nearly 75% of partners say AI is essential to their future, making it both a competitive necessity and a catalyst for new offerings that blend innovation with core capabilities. Combined with the growing demand for skilled talent, these shifts create an opportunity for partners to redesign workflows and operating models to drive efficiency and growth in an AI-enabled future.
“As the technology industry navigates extraordinary change, our partners are facing evolving challenges,” said Patrick Zammit, CEO of TD Synnex. “This year’s DoT report shows that leadership comes from building resilience in core technologies, while leaning into next-generation technologies, services and specialization. By structuring the report around regional perspectives and partner business models, we’ve created a sharper lens on how to deliver value across the global technology ecosystem.”
Among the highlights, as AI adoption accelerates, partners must differentiate by offering more advanced, impactful use cases like AI-powered cybersecurity (58.4%) or AI-driven automation (54.3%), which were identified by partners as solutions likely to have significant impacts on their business.
Security remains the price of entry to the IT ecosystem with 80% of partners offering at least one cybersecurity solution. It has also emerged as the leading growth driver for endpoint solutions over the past two years, and partners are doubling down, ranking advanced endpoint security as their second-highest priority for new offerings in the year ahead. However, challenges remain top-top-of-mind as partners identify emerging threats like AI-driven attacks (49.2%) and data breaches (41.9%) as top concerns.
Industry expertise and consultation is the #1 factor that end customers look for in a partner, according to the report, with exceptional customer service following closely in second. Partners are already adapting to this market expectation, with 90% planning to offer support and maintenance services, 88% planning to deliver custom IT integration and 82% planning to expand managed services in the next year.
Nearly 70% of leaders are experiencing talent shortages, which they say directly affects AI (43%), data & analytics (41%) and cybersecurity (39%) implementations. This signals an industry-wide shift in how work gets done and serves as an opportunity for partners to redesign operating models and workflows to drive efficiency for an AI-enabled future.
The report is based on feedback from more than 1,400 IT solution providers and resellers across 40 countries.
Channel Impact®
Now in its fourth year, the Synnex Direction of Technology Report provides perspectives and insights to help partners and customers navigate complexity and seize technology opportunity.
Akamai Consolidates Global Partner Program with Localized Tiering and Targeted Incentives
Akamai Technologies, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based cybersecurity company, has rolled out “Akamai Partner Connect,” a unified global program that replaces its previous partner structure with a single framework supporting resale, distribution, technical solution enablement, services, and referrals.
“Partners have told us they want simpler engagement, clearer incentives, and more flexibility at the local level,” said Paul Joseph, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Services at Akamai. “Akamai Partner Connect delivers on that feedback.”
Key benefits of the new program include localized tiering that reflects market maturity and rewards partner performance at the regional level; incentives aligned with strategic solution areas; and integrated training and technical resources.
Existing cloud services partners remain supported through their dedicated agreements, while resellers can continue to benefit from volume-based discounts. The initiative also opens the door for independent software vendors (ISVs) to join the Akamai Partner ecosystem as the company evolves its cloud partner strategy.
Channel Impact®
Akamai Partner Connect marks the first time Akamai has integrated all partner types into a single global program, while also decentralizing qualification criteria to better reflect market-specific conditions. The move addresses partner feedback around greater simplicity, flexibility, and support.
Syncro and ThreatDown Partner to Simplify Security for MSPs
Syncro, a Tampa-based platform provider for MSPs and IT teams, and ThreatDown, a corporate business unit of Malwarebytes, have announced a new partnership to streamline how MSPs purchase, provision, and bill their security services.
Through the integration, MSPs can now purchase ThreatDown solutions directly through the Syncro Marketplace, provision them instantly for clients, and consolidate charges through Syncro’s universal billing model. This eliminates the need for multiple vendor portals and invoices, helping MSPs save time, reduce administrative overhead, and deliver enterprise‑grade security faster.
“Empowering the channel is truly at the heart of everything we do,” said Kendra Krause, general manager at ThreatDown. “Our partnership with Syncro reflects our channel-first commitment, providing MSPs with scalable cybersecurity solutions and the resources they need to confidently protect their clients.”
“Whether they want to stay hands-on or step up to MDR, Syncro’s universal billing is zero touch,” said Syncro channel chief Andy Cormier. “Every license is auto-mapped and auto-invoiced to the right customer, with no spreadsheets, no portal hopping, and no month-end reconciliation.”
ThreatDown solutions available through the partnership include Managed Detection & Response), Endpoint Detection & Response, Managed Threat Hunting, Endpoint Protection, Email Security, Mobile Security, DNS Filtering, Application Block, Patch Management, and Vulnerability Assessment.
The ThreatDown product portfolio is now available to all Syncro Marketplace users.
Channel Impact®
By combining ThreatDown’s security platform with Syncro’s RMM and PSA tools, the two companies hope to help partners to simplify protection, strengthen their service offerings, and deliver enterprise-grade security to businesses of all sizes.
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