NWN’s Jim Sullivan on 2026 AI NaaS Opportunity for the Channel

NWN CEO Jim Sullivan says accelerating AI adoption and renewed infrastructure refresh cycles are creating a major opportunity for channel partners heading into 2026—particularly those positioned to deliver AI-enabled networking as a service.

In an interview with Channel Insider, Sullivan outlined how legacy infrastructure, return-to-office mandates, and data-intensive AI workloads are pushing enterprises toward network and cloud modernization. 

NWN prioritizes outcome-based conversations with enterprise clients

Sullivan said NWN’s approach to its clients is designed to understand the business’s needs in its current and future states.

“We’re very consistent with how we work with clients. We often meet with their executive teams, maybe also the team responsible for infrastructure, and we’re asking them what the present state is and what they want their future state to look like,” Sullivan said, noting that NWN’s focus is always on outcome-driven solutions.

Those outcome-driven solutions target overall goals, whether it’s improving clients’ ability to deliver a high customer experience or driving revenue success through efficiencies.

Bundled solutions and differentiated options bring tech from demand to execution

Sullivan says NWN’s approach to building the technical offerings its clients need is highly customized to each organization and its goals.

“It’s not about NWN, and what we do, it’s about what the customer needs,” Sullivan said. “We take those needs and then create a bundled offering that addresses those needs in the best way possible.”

NWN offers technology solutions and services that address cybersecurity, customer experience, cloud, connectivity, and employee productivity needs.

AI adoption is forcing infrastructure refresh cycles in 2026

As enterprises continue to adopt and deploy AI-enabled solutions, Sullivan said many are encountering obstacles tied to legacy infrastructure not designed for modern workloads.

As 2026 progresses, he sees AI accelerating the natural refresh cycle for many organizations that last considered their environments during the COVID-19 pandemic as they embraced remote work and dealt with supply chain issues.

Now, Sullivan says, return-to-office mandates and data-intensive operations are causing another cycle, and NWN is working with technology vendors to keep pace with demand and ensure clients build a strong foundation for the future.

“You have to have tech partners who are keeping up with the right roadmap, and there are several right now coming to market with exciting products that are showing value in refreshing infrastructure,” Sullivan said. 

“We need the partners who have competitive solutions, but they also now need to offer the API integrations and other components that are so crucial to the ways organizations are using technology today,” he continued.

How NWN has scaled to over a billion dollars through periods of transformation

NWN has experienced significant growth in the past decade. Sullivan told Channel Insider that the provider has grown from $250 million in 2019 to “well over a billion dollars” in 2026, thanks in part to its commitment to delivering business value to customers.

“We’ve moved up the value chain over the past few years, definitely,” Sullivan said. “We’re doing a lot more with customers now, and we have a seat at the table with executives and business leaders as they’re making decisions.”

NWN provides its range of AI-enabled managed services to enterprise organizations and public-sector clients across North America. 

What AI NaaS and infrastructure refresh mean for channel partners

Sullivan is optimistic that 2026 will present a variety of paths forward for customers looking to invest in technology.

“I think there are compelling reasons for businesses to look at a full refresh right now, between what the big vendors are coming to market with and also just the needs of today’s workplaces,” Sullivan said, noting return-to-office mandates and the rise of WiFi 7 are also fueling renewed demand for faster networking capabilities across the board.

To Sullivan, the opportunity ahead is massive, but leveraging it for growth will require a focus on what works, while considering innovation when appropriate.

“I think there’s a balance between having to drive innovation but with the right repeatability and scalability,” Sullivan said. “It can’t just work once, and we’re extremely focused on building what we know will work for our customers.”