XenTegra CTO Sellers on AI, Security & More 2026 Opportunities

Now that December is in full swing, the upcoming calendar year isn’t just a distant thought: the time to prepare for 2026 is now.

We spoke with Phillip Sellers, the recently-appointed chief technology officer at solutions provider XenTegra, about his analysis of 2025 and the opportunities ahead in 2026.

Why AI adoption and security pressures will define 2026 for MSPs

Unsurprisingly, Sellers is confident next year’s top conversation will be AI-related. He sees 2026 as the year when experimentation gives way to broader, more structured adoption. 

As he sees it, the market is still in its early stages of adoption, and that means the opportunity for channel partners to build revenue around AI is still in its early stages, too.

“I think a lot of folks are still trying to wrap their heads around AI and how it will affect their day-to-day, honestly,” Sellers said. 

Governance gaps create new demand for data services

As we’ve covered throughout this year, AI and security often go hand-in-hand, as do the related services and tooling needs that address data governance and cleanliness.

“We have sometimes as an industry been light on enforcing governance,” Sellers said. “With a technology like AI, you need your security posture to be strong and you need to understand your data.”

At XenTegra, Sellers says the provider has seen an uptick in conversations focused on data loss prevention and general data protection services. The demand then becomes an opportunity to build a continuous strategy for customers with recurring services revenue attached.

Sellers: Identity security and other foundational needs are still critical for customers

It isn’t just data-related security solutions that Sellers thinks are crucial to partners and their customers in this era. Identity security and other technology that some might see as foundational are no less important, Sellers stresses, than they were before AI became the dominant tech conversation.

Sellers says the changes in types of identities and how identity security is operationalized at an organization can impact not just a security posture but also that business’ approach to the concept of the desktop. More identities, more device types, and more distributed access have made identity security a strategic conversation rather than a background function.

This all translates into a variety of opportunities for channel partners in 2026, Sellers says, across device management, data governance, and data center operations services. While these aren’t new, necessarily, expanded demand for them because of their connections to successful AI deployments have put them back in the minds of many customers.

Along with the tooling itself, Sellers says, partners and their customers need to focus on how an organization’s approach to security impacts the ways its employees conduct their daily operations. 

“There’s always a balance between security and productivity, for sure,” Sellers said. “The foundational elements of security can’t be ignored, and at the same time, security needs to be something that doesn’t impact how employees do their jobs.”

Channel disruption creates opportunity for agile partners

Sellers has worked in the IT channel for decades and, as he says, seen a lot of change over that time period. Now, he sees another shift in how partners do business on the horizon.

“Over the next three years, I honestly can’t imagine what the day to day will look like, because the technology is changing so much,” Sellers said.

The technology itself is not the only thing disrupting how partners go to market. From Broadcom’s ongoing changes to aspects of its VMware channel business model to other vendors adjusting their own programs, Sellers says it is clear that casting a wide net is important for providers to avoid significant problems.

“The lesson we’ve learned is that any vendor in your portfolio can change at any point. Acquisitions happen, private equity funding might come in change things, or the vendor might just decide to go in a different direction because they can,” said Sellers. “Our agility is absolutely an advantage.”

He adds that partners who diversify and reduce dependency on any single vendor will be better positioned to navigate whatever changes arise in 2026 and beyond.

Outcomes over tools: how partners can differentiate in 2026

Over the course of 2025, we covered an emerging theme in channel discussions: why solutions providers need to tailor their conversations with customers to outcomes, not technology itself. Some executives refer to it as “getting back in the boardroom” while others stress the need to add differentiation and value to services.

To Sellers, that approach is nothing new for XenTegra, but it is as important, if not more so, than ever before. When the only constant is change, channel partners are often the voices of reason and expertise for their clients.

“There’s a ton of opportunity right now at a time where so much is constantly changing,” Sellers said. 

With AI, for example, XenTegra ties technology back to the business outcome it can produce. When teams automate tedious processes, they are’t doing that for the sake of doing it– those time savings become tangible benefits to customers. From there, it’s easier for customers to understand why tech is so important, Sellers says.

The importance of ongoing education and upskilling in the IT channel

Sellers also emphasizes the importance of education and curiosity in how he keeps himself and his time ahead of what customers will need.

“I truly believe if you’re standing still in IT, then you’re falling behind,” Sellers said. “A core tenant here is to invest in education, and we build ways for our team members to earn certifications and learn new things. It’s very important to us.”

Even in the era of AI-enabled automation, Sellers says the experience of how humans interact with humans will remain central to managed services.

“That’s the beauty of this industry– it’s built on continuous learning and mentoring,” Sellers said.

For XenTegra, that commitment to ongoing education is what Sellers believes will allow teams to adapt quickly to whatever shifts AI, security, and the broader channel landscape bring in 2026.