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.