We haven't spent a lot of time in this episode talking about specifics, but I do think partner programs at large are evolving. On a a broader front, the incentive structures, the rebates, the what vendors are pushing their partners to push out to customers. We've seen Microsoft introduce new licensing tiers. We've seen the kind of ongoing push of co-pilot into environments that's being funneled largely through the channel. I think that's going to continue.
I think more of these kind of traditional old legacy guys so to speak and I'm I'm sorry to use that phrasing right but the the companies that have been around for a long time your Microsofts your Google clouds in the channel your CASA and connectwise and and all of those kind of big dogs that traditionally were thought of as necessary whether you felt you were supported by them fully or not I think have challenges from startups that they haven't seen in years prior and I think they're retooling their programs and their approach to ecosystems to address that and to stay relevant into the channel and to stay on top of MSP's minds.
I think we'll see some more of that come this year. I think we'll see vendors increasingly work with each other. Part of the coverage that I do when we talk to the vendor leaders throughout the channel is on integrations, the focus on APIs from an AI perspective, the focus on model context protocol, MCP, and what those servers mean in terms of how, to Jordan's point, tooling can act as a platform together so that MSPs can leverage all of this technology without having to put 50 disparate tools together in a tool stack anymore.
I think all of those conversations reach a bit of a fever pitch at the end of the year. And to go back to what we talked about earlier, I think part of that's because anthropic and open AI seem to be here to stay and to win in the IT channel. And so what I'm looking at the rest of 26 is how those programs scale and lead, how partners kind of adjust to working with them and how they in turn adjust to working with partners. It's a a bit of a different role.
Well, I think I said at the end of our 2025 recap video that the channel's not really the the best kept secret anymore and that more of the enterprise focused vendors are looking to IT channel partners as a as a selling motion as they are uh to scale adoption worldwide. I think we're going to see that continue especially as some of the AI companies kind of coalesce um into larger organizations and out of the startup space. this the first half of the year is oftent times when we see a lot of um partner program enhancements and and revamps and things like that.
But I think the tone from people that I've spoken to is um whether that's Dell or others has has been along the lines of we revamped our partner program not not just to um help you know push our products into the market and our services into the market but because they are the sentiment is we need our partners and the we need our um partners to help us along with this journey. It's it's a give and take. It's not just a uh here, let me push this out to you and you can get into a certain tier and you can get a certain rebate back if you do this.
It's more of a um symbiosis that I'm I'm feeling. Um, and that that could be just because we're in a very evolutionary era with AI, but it it feels a little bit different than it has in the past couple years in terms of um making partner program changes. It it's more intentional as opposed to we need to update this because it's about time we update it. It it's there's a lot of intentionality behind
This transcript was generated automatically from the video's captions and may contain errors.
AI, integrations, and evolving vendor strategies are reshaping partner programs and MSP ecosystems in 2026.
Partner programs across the IT channel are undergoing a major transformation as AI adoption accelerates and vendors rethink how they engage with MSPs and solution providers.
In this Channel Insider Partner POV discussion, Victoria Durgin and Jordan Smith explore how traditional vendor programs are evolving, why collaboration and ecosystem strategies are becoming more important, and what the rise of AI leaders like OpenAI and Anthropic means for channel partners.
Victoria Durgin is a technology communications professional and editorial leader specializing in channel technology, cloud marketplaces, managed service providers (MSPs), technology distribution, and partner ecosystems. As Managing Editor of Channel Insider, she oversees editorial strategy and content development focused on helping technology vendors, solution providers, and channel partners navigate an evolving IT landscape. With nearly a decade of experience spanning technology journalism, corporate communications, content strategy, and digital publishing, Victoria has developed deep expertise in the business side of technology. Her work includes creating executive thought leadership content, industry analysis, case studies, and channel-focused reporting that helps organizations better understand market trends, partner relationships, and technology buying decisions. Before leading Channel Insider, Victoria built experience across local journalism, business reporting, social media communications, and corporate marketing. She has worked closely with technology vendors, cloud providers, and managed service organizations to develop content that highlights industry innovation, business growth strategies, and successful channel partnerships. Her portfolio includes case studies featuring mid-sized MSPs across the United States, Canada, and Australia. Victoria's work has appeared in Channel Insider, The Valley Ledger, and Medium. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Environmental Studies from Susquehanna University. Through her reporting and editorial leadership, she helps technology professionals stay informed about the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the global IT channel.
Channel Insider combines news and technology recommendations to keep channel partners, value-added resellers, IT solution providers, MSPs, and SaaS providers informed on the changing IT landscape. These resources provide product comparisons, in-depth analysis of vendors, and interviews with subject matter experts to provide vendors with critical information for their operations.
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