Technology Reseller Publishes V97 as AI Reshapes the Channel

Key Takeaways

• Technology Reseller magazine V97 highlights the channel’s shift toward AI, cloud marketplaces and recurring managed services revenue
• Market data points to continued reseller growth, with software, services and cloud platforms taking a larger role
• Acquisitions, partner-program changes and rising security demands are pushing resellers to refine their operating models

Technology Reseller magazine V97 arrives as the technology channel moves through a particularly active period. Its coverage of MSP acquisitions and partnerships, managed services and industry appointments reflects a market in which traditional product resale is increasingly only one part of the commercial picture.

The broader numbers support that view. According to Circana, U.S. B2B technology reseller revenue reached $65.8 billion in 2025, an increase of 4% year over year. Circana forecasts another 3% of growth in 2026.

That is steady rather than spectacular expansion. Still, the composition of revenue matters more than the headline rate. Software and services revenue approached $31.4 billion in 2025, while cloud-platform services grew by more than 14%, supported by data, analytics and early AI workloads. Resellers are not simply shipping more equipment. Many are becoming long-term operators of customers’ technology environments.

AI demand does not eliminate the need for conventional infrastructure; rather, it tends to increase it.

IDC identifies AI, infrastructure modernisation and security as leading investment priorities for infrastructure partners. Data management, networking and hybrid deployment remain central because AI projects depend on available information, suitable computing capacity and reliable connections between environments.

That creates an opening for resellers able to combine advisory work, deployment and ongoing support. It also raises the bar. A partner recommending an AI workload may need skills spanning cloud economics, data governance, identity, network architecture and security. Few customers want to coordinate all of those elements across a long list of disconnected suppliers.

Managed services offer one response. They can convert episodic project revenue into recurring contracts while giving customers access to expertise that may be difficult to recruit internally. ISG reported that contracts worth at least $5 million annually rose 18% year over year in Q3 2025 to nearly $33 billion. Managed services represented about one-third of total contract value.

The model is attractive, but it is not frictionless. Providers take on operational responsibilities, service-level commitments and security exposure. Pricing also becomes more complicated when cloud consumption can change quickly or when an AI pilot moves into production. A contract that looks profitable at signing can become less appealing if support demand, licensing costs or infrastructure usage rises unexpectedly.

Cloud marketplaces are changing the route to market as well. Microsoft’s CSP ecosystem gives partners a mechanism for selling and managing cloud subscriptions, although participation brings program requirements and operational expectations. Cisco’s Cisco 360 partner framework similarly illustrates how major vendors are adjusting incentives and partner structures around lifecycle value, services and customer outcomes.

So where does that leave the conventional reseller? In many cases, somewhere between procurement specialist, systems integrator, cloud adviser and MSP. The labels are becoming less useful because customers increasingly buy combinations of these capabilities.

Consolidation is accelerating that transition. UK-based reseller boxxe acquired CAE Technology Services as businesses across the channel sought greater scale, broader technical coverage and access to established customer relationships. Acquisitions can add skills faster than internal hiring, particularly in security, networking and managed operations. They can also create integration headaches involving service platforms, contracts, cultures and vendor accreditations. The deal is only the beginning.

Partnerships provide a less capital-intensive route. A reseller can work with specialist MSPs, security providers or cloud consultancies rather than building every capability itself. But who owns the customer relationship when several partners contribute to delivery? Clear accountability, shared commercial terms and agreed incident procedures can help prevent confusion.

Security runs through all of this. As resellers manage more customer systems and identities, their own controls become part of the customer’s risk profile. Risk-based practices covering governance, asset visibility, access control, detection, response and recovery can provide a practical foundation for service design.

The magazine's “New faces, new places” coverage and Editors Comment add a human dimension to V97’s market snapshot. Technology changes quickly, but channel transformation still depends on hiring, leadership and execution. AI may be the loudest theme. The quieter shift is toward partners taking broader, longer-term responsibility for customer outcomes, and being judged accordingly.