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By now, virtually everyone in the channel seems to have felt a change in the air. This Q&A explores how market demands and technological evolution are shaping the opportunities ahead for partnership-driven ecosystems.
Peter Bocquet is the Senior Director of Partners & Alliances, APAC at Hitachi Vantara. This has been lightly edited for grammar and style.
Shifts in customer demand are changing as AI fuels new needs
Are organizations now asking more of their partners than they did in previous years?
Across industries, companies are asking partners to help them solve broader, more complex challenges. That might mean speeding up data processing for AI model training, streamlining compliance in regulated industries, or simply creating more sustainable infrastructure. These aren’t problems that can be addressed in isolation.
What’s different is the expectation: partners are being drawn into the complete solution cycle, from architecture and integration through support and innovation. It’s no longer just about selling a product; it’s about helping create systems that can grow and evolve with the business.
How is AI impacting those changes?
That shift is especially relevant in AI and data infrastructure. According to Hitachi Vantara’s recent State of Data Infrastructure report, 100% of companies surveyed have now adopted AI in some capacity. Over 75% have moved past pilots into production, and more than a third say AI is already critical to their core business. With that, the pressure on infrastructure—and those who support it—has intensified.
AI doesn’t just introduce new capabilities; it exposes old bottlenecks. Many organizations expect their data storage needs to double by 2026, yet they’re already managing three times more data than anticipated. Nearly half of IT leaders cite data quality and availability as top concerns.
The result? A rising demand for channel partners who can help not just with delivery, but with design, implementation, and optimization across hybrid environments. The State of Data Infrastructure Report found that 42% of IT leaders cite managing hybrid and multicloud environments as one of their top infrastructure challenges—underscoring the need for partners who can navigate that complexity with both speed and precision.
Are there concerns rising about whether AI is overhyped?
With AI adoption growing more than 220% by 2026 (as projected in the report), there’s pressure to move quickly. Yet there is a genuine danger of over-promising—or concentrating too much on near-term victories such as launching a chatbot or retrofitting a workflow with machine learning.
The companies making headway with AI are usually those addressing it as a foundation change—a priority, not an add-on. That implies reimagining infrastructure, data governance, talent models, and yes, channel strategy. Partners who can facilitate this type of long-term thinking, helping to bridge the gap between innovation and execution, will be in high demand.
How the channel ecosystem is adjusting to emerging trends
What can different types of partners do to stay relevant?
One of the more visible changes in channel strategy is the growing emphasis on services. Products alone don’t differentiate anymore. What matters is who can make them work—together, securely, and efficiently. Up to 58% of IT leaders are prioritizing partner services to manage modern IT complexity, according to the infrastructure report. And according to IDC, global spending on professional and managed services tied to digital infrastructure is expected to surpass $400 billion by 2026
That might involve onboarding large data sets, ensuring interoperability between platforms, or navigating the nuances of governance and compliance. The service piece becomes the connective tissue. It’s what allows organizations to move fast without compromising stability or trust.
And this is where many partners are finding new relevance: by building capabilities that go well beyond fulfillment and into strategy, training, optimization, and support.
How does this change the way businesses model their channel practices moving forward?
Old models prioritized control. But in today’s environment, flexibility is more valuable than exclusivity. The strongest partnerships tend to be those with built-in openness—where both sides can challenge assumptions, adapt offerings, and share insights.
That often starts with cultural fit. Successful collaborations require more than aligned technology; they need aligned incentives and a shared approach to problem-solving. In some cases, that might involve co-developing new solutions; in others, simply sharing go-to-market insights to better serve a mutual customer. It’s not a handoff. It’s a handshake.
Where are the opportunities for vendors and partners to address customer needs?
Effective channel strategies are no longer defined by the number of resellers or volume of units shipped. They’re defined by the ability to help customers move smarter, not just faster. They’re about reducing complexity, enabling agility, and unlocking potential from the massive volumes of data companies already possess.
In this environment, the most impactful partnerships are often the least rigid. They’re built on shared goals, not static contracts. They evolve with customers, adapt to new pressures, and bring in the right expertise at the right time.
That’s the opportunity in front of us—not just to meet demand, but to shape what comes next.
