The State of the Channel Report’ outlines industry developments driving unprecedented levels of channel relevance

Sept. 16, 2020 – Irvine, Calif. – In its inaugural ”Cloud Technology: The State of the Channel Report,” Ingram Micro Cloud examines the rising cost of customer acquisition, the consolidation in four key verticals, the impact of COVID-19 on the technology market and the diversifying role of the channel.  

Among its findings, the report shows the growth in the adoption of cloud technologies has reinforced and expanded the channel’s critical role in the industry. Additionally, vendors increasingly rely on the channel to recruit, enable and finance partners, while managed services providers and resellers are turning to distributors more than ever to maneuver through the increasingly complex half a trillion-dollar cloud services market.

“Now is the golden age of the technology channel,” said Nimesh Davé, president of Ingram Micro Cloud. “Never before have vendors and businesses relied so much on the channel for expertise and problem-solving, and this report explores both the driving forces that led us here, as well as the growth opportunities that await.” 

Ingram Micro Cloud, which operates the world’s largest cloud marketplace for the channel, examines how four industry developments will ultimately expand vendor, partner and customer engagements and opportunities on the channel for the marketing and sale of IT products.

• Rising costs of customer acquisition: For vendors, the sales and marketing costs of securing new customers continue to rise. Less able to effectively obtain new customers on their own, vendors are increasingly gravitating toward the channel as a means of connecting with customers.

• Consolidation in four key verticals: An increase in mergers and acquisitions, and the resulting reduction in options, may drive up pricing in business applications, cybersecurity, enterprise collaborations and multi-cloud software – threatening SMB’s access to essential technologies. The channel’s automated processes and bundled solutions offer a cost-effective way to obtain, deploy and maintain needed solutions.

• Tech market is thinning out amid COVID-19: The pandemic has amplified the need for fully digital infrastructures, while hamstringing a large number of startups. In this desolate startup landscape, the channel’s agnostic marketplaces offer access to a greater variety of solutions.

• The diversifying role of the channel: Beyond its traditional role, the channel is now helping grow cloud ecosystems by recruiting and investing in smaller vendors, and even extending credit to channel partners.

The State of the Channel Report is available for download here.

About Ingram Micro Cloud

Ingram Micro Cloud brings together innovators and problems solvers to help the world accomplish more.  It facilitates and manages the cloud’s complex digital value chain—all powered by CloudBlue technology. Ingram Micro Cloud operates in 64 countries with over 55,000 reseller partners, and its Cloud Marketplace serves over 10 million seats, offering more than 120 cloud solutions. With unmatched global reach, easy access to automated go-to-market and integration tools, deep technical expertise, and a curated selection of scalable SaaS and IaaS solutions, Ingram Micro Cloud helps vendors, resellers and managed service providers by offering More as a Service. Detailed information is available at www.IngramMicroCloud.com.

Global Media Contact

David Yang

CloudBlue & Ingram Micro Cloud

+ 1 714-382-3357

david.yang@ingrammicro.com