As a result of widespread lockdowns and remote working caused by the pandemic, the importance of the technology channel is soaring. Even before the pandemic started, the channel was becoming more critical to long-term profitability as global businesses went digital at a steady pace. Now, implementing a company’s digital transformation strategy has turned into a full-blown sprint. Here’s why.

Covid-19 means businesses are increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure to meet the needs of their remote workers. Essentially, they must act quickly to integrate more solutions into ever-more complex infrastructures. The obvious solution? Moving to the cloud—a change that requires new tactical as well as digital transformation strategies.

Cloud spend surpasses all other IT infrastructure investment

In a recent survey of global IT leaders by Snow Software, 82% said they had increased their use of cloud in direct response to the pandemic, while 90% said current trends require them to adopt a completely new cloud-first strategy.

Need more proof? Investments in cloud infrastructure last year were projected to exceed non-cloud infrastructure spending, to fully 54.2% of all IT infrastructure expenses, according to a report from IDC.

Yet just when companies need fast and easy access to cutting-edge cloud technology, the industry is seeing several innovative startup companies with compelling cloud solutions buckle under the economic pressures of the pandemic. This will likely result in a scarcity of desirable cloud offerings in the tech market.

The channel evolves, delivering curated and affordable cloud solutions

Closed, single-vendor ecosystems simply can’t satisfy the soaring demand and new marketplace realities created by the pandemic. With the cloud solutions landscape thinning, now there’s a better way to deal with the growing need for innovative, world-class offerings.

The solution is for open, agnostic and centralized marketplaces to offer a much wider range of technology products and services, empowering reseller partners to deliver targeted, leading-edge cloud solutions to their customers.

Today’s channel is up to the task. As the industry continues to diversify, the channel is effectively positioned to meet rising market demand by offering more highly curated access to optimal and affordable cloud solutions. This means vendors and partners will rely more heavily on the channel to successfully market and sell the services their customers need.

The benefits of working with an open, centralized marketplace such as Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace are clear. Cloud solution providers gain increased market exposure. Cloud channel partners ramp up profits and lock in greater ROI by providing the right technology solutions at the right price. And end customers can consistently optimize their cloud spend to experience even greater satisfaction.

Discover how to profit from the cloud channel evolution

Learn how your business can do more with today’s evolving channel—get your free copy of Cloud Technology: The State of the Channel Report.  You’ll find invaluable insights to help your business navigate the channel, empowering you to make the best decisions for your cloud business.