2023 Direction of Technology Report Reveals Critical Role of High-Growth Technologies and Ecosystem Partnership to Address Skills Gaps and Uncertain Markets

Findings of TD SYNNEX’s (NYSE: SNX) second-annual Direction of Technology Report capture the explosion of interest in artificial intelligence (AI) across the technology business partner ecosystem and show how many technology resellers are growing despite rapidly changing demands and market uncertainty. The global survey of more than 550 technology resellers finds that despite the many headwinds across the industry, technology partners are meaningfully preparing for a shifting reality by rebalancing priorities and business offerings.

“The business partner ecosystem is a bellwether for the global technology landscape, and this study provides actionable insights for any business navigating a myriad of macro changes like disruptive new technologies and market challenges around the globe,” said Rich Hume, Chief Executive Officer at TD SYNNEX. “Through this year’s report, it’s encouraging to see that our channel partners are confident and hopeful about the future and are demonstrating flexibility in their business models by focusing on emerging technologies and responding to changing customer demands.”

The report – which is based on findings from a survey conducted in partnership with Canalys – can be summarized into five key findings, summarized below with some of the most compelling data points:

• In just one year, the number of partners offering AI/ML solutions increased 625%. In fact, several high-growth technologies like cloud, AI and IoT, cybersecurity, and hyperscale infrastructure are dominating partner offerings.
  • Security was the top technology sold, followed closely by networking, servers and storage, and hybrid cloud.
• Shifting skills needs reveal gaps in the talent pipeline. More than a third of respondents (38%) said managed services were their top business skill needed, while the same percentage said security was their top technology skill need.
  • Following security, networking and data analytics were the most in-demand technology skills among partners globally, and after managed services, professional services and business planning were the most sought-after business skills.
  • Skills needs vary by region – illustrating how each region is evolving to meet the needs of their markets. However, a common thread was high demand for managed services across all four regions.
• 73% of IT spending will be partner delivered in 2023, according to a Canalys estimate, underscoring the technology channel as an essential go-to-market strategy for capturing value.
  • Cybersecurity leads the way as the technology that is most often partner-delivered (91.5%).
• 77% of channel partners report seeing revenue growth this year, and partners are achieving this by shifting their business models and offerings in real time to meet changing market demands.
  • Portfolio mix is changing: Sales of product lifecycle services, owned IP and resale of packaged services rose 150% to 200%.
  • Around 50% more survey respondents identified as managed service providers (MSPs) than the year prior, illustrating the explosive growth of this market.
• The number of partners that reported environmental, social and governance (ESG) management as important to their businesses jumped 125%
  • 37% of partners report additional ESG investment and 38% perform ESG through hybrid or outsourced partnerships.

“The Direction of Technology Report is purpose built to help any business better understand and best capitalize on the latest trends and demands of the technology ecosystem. This is directly aligned with our purpose of empowering our global partners to achieve great outcomes with technology,” said Jill Kermes, Corporate Vice President, Global Corporate Communications and Citizenship. “We look forward to bringing forward the insights of this year’s global report in addition to unveiling supplements with data specific to each global region as well as content specifically focused on MSPs.”

In the second year for the survey and the report, the response rate of channel partners doubled. The survey was conducted from May to July 2023 and captured feedback from more than 550 B2B channel partners from over 60 countries in global regions of North America, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) - spanning resellers, systems integrators, service providers, MSPs and more.

The European supplement is now available, and regional reports for North America, LAC and APJ will be published later this year.

To download the full 2023 Direction of Technology report, visit https://www.tdsynnex.com/dot.

About TD SYNNEX

TD SYNNEX (NYSE: SNX) is a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator for the IT ecosystem. We’re an innovative partner helping more than 150,000 customers in 100+ countries to maximize the value of technology investments, demonstrate business outcomes and unlock growth opportunities. Headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, and Fremont, California, TD SYNNEX’s 23,500 co-workers are dedicated to uniting compelling IT products, services and solutions from 1,500+ best-in-class technology vendors. Our edge-to-cloud portfolio is anchored in some of the highest-growth technology segments including cloud, cybersecurity, big data/analytics, AI, IoT, mobility and everything as a service. TD SYNNEX is committed to serving customers and communities, and we believe we can have a positive impact on our people and our planet, intentionally acting as a respected corporate citizen. We aspire to be a diverse and inclusive employer of choice for talent across the IT ecosystem. For more information, visit www.TDSYNNEX.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

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