At GTDC Summit 2026, distribution executives made one thing clear: artificial intelligence is not just another technology cycle; it is reshaping the foundation of the IT channel.
Data, global scale, and platform economics are becoming the competitive edge, and traditional MSPs may soon face pressure from AI-native entrants built for model-driven systems and agentic workflows.
Distribution executives tout data access and global scale for partners and vendors
GTDC is, of course, primarily comprised of the leading global tech distributors. In the age of AI, where data is more crucial to standard operations than ever before, distributors find themselves in the middle of a technological gold mine.
As the facilitator between vendors, channel partners, and end-user customers, distribution organizations hold decades’ worth of billing, procurement, and other client data across software and hardware deployments.
Now, that data is fueling recommendation engines that can surface upcoming renewals and cross-sell and up-sell potential with ease.
“We have had to spend a lot of time educating about what a platform is to us,” Ingram Micro CEO Paul Bay told Channel Insider. “It’s really a three-phase process built on speed, scale, and services.”
As we’ve covered before, Ingram Micro has invested heavily in building the Xvantage platform into what it describes as an operating system for partners to leverage as they scale their businesses.
AI-powered platforms redefine the role of IT distribution
Ingram Micro isn’t the only one of its peers to roll out a platform within its offerings. TD SYNNEX also leverages a marketplace experience to scale its vendor and channel partners globally.
“When you think about our marketplace, that’s a global platform,” the company’s SVP of Vendor Acquisition and Global Solutions, Cheryl Day, told Channel Insider.
“Being able to build it once and deploy everywhere and modify the currency, language, and everything that needs to happen to be compliant, that’s a huge opportunity for vendors… to immediately go global,” Day continued.
Day also highlighted the ability of distributors to work with partners on financing opportunities, billing consolidation and support, and other needs.
MSPs use distributor platforms to drive speed and margin
During a panel discussion with vendor and partner executives about the power of platforms, Duane White, SVP at Calian, and All Connected President and CEO Alan McDonald both highlighted efficiency gains as key wins for their businesses.
White said platforms have allowed his team to do more with less and ultimately close deals faster and more accurately, with fewer errors in contracts and billing.
McDonald agreed, citing a reduction in friction between accounting and other functions within his business that ultimately allows him to serve customers more efficiently.
Research signals rise of AI-native ‘frontier partners’
Platforms were one of several topics that dominated conversations during the two-day event.
GTDC CEO Frank Vitagliano was joined by Futurum Chief Strategy and Business Officer Tiffani Bova for a discussion about Futurum’s recentresearch on the evolution of service providers.
Bova told Channel Insider her research is inspired and informed by previous changes she’s seen in the channel and the unique opportunities presented by AI.
Bova’s research aims to define what she is calling a “frontier partner,” those who will evolve their practices to address organizational needs in the AI era.
“OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity, they’re all standing up partner programs right now. But these programs aren’t really for MSPs or resellers, it’s for a new type of partner,” Bova said.
Why AI-native partners could disrupt traditional MSPs
Bova contends that the demand for model-based systems and other AI-related shifts in how technologies operate within a business will force traditional integrators and advisors to reinvent their practices.
In the near future, Bova says, these providers and others will need to be able to engineer and run agentic processes, in addition to understanding each client’s use cases.
“There’s a whole new ecosystem scaling right now to bring the AI solutions to customers and make them actually usable,” said Bova, noting that wraparound services required to make AI work effectively will require a different form of expertise and capabilities than previous innovations did.
AI-native provider businesses are already beginning to pop up, Bova said, with the likes of Deloitte and others snapping them up in acquisitions reminiscent of the early days of cloud computing adoption.
“I feel like we’re in this cycle again, and now AI is the catalyst driving the change,” Bova added.
As newcomers to the market quickly embrace the needs of the modern enterprise, the channel will need to learn from their success and evolve before they are angled out of existing customers and miss new opportunities in the market.