Cloud
John Alexander Consulting (JAC) has introduced a partner program that lets technology advisory firms (TAs) use its technology expense management (TEM) software, client engagement process, and back office services. The elite tier will onboard a few independent TAs under 'Powered by JAC' branding, sharing commissions with JAC. JAC aims to widen its customer base and help TAs scale without building their own TEM platforms. The program is led by Steve Braverman, hired as director of sales in August, who will recruit and support partners. JAC's TEM software has helped it win enterprise clients against larger competitors, and the company sees partnerships as a faster route to market.
Last month, Kyndryl and Broadcom announced the expansion of their VMware Cloud Foundation alliance to address enterprises' growing sovereignty and security needs. The two companies will jointly invest in training thousands of consultants to drive automation and AI capabilities in private and hybrid cloud environments.
Telarus' 2026-27 Technology Trends Report reveals that 84% of IT buyers are willing to switch vendors at renewal, and 87% of buyers saw renewal costs rise over the past year. Vendors tend to attract new customers with discounts, while renewal costs for existing customers remain high, especially in the SaaS sector. Cases such as Nutanix vying for VMware customers and unified communications vendors maintaining contract values by adding AI SKUs highlight this trend.
The latest BMC survey shows that 94% of mainframe professionals and decision-makers expect long-term investment in mainframe technology, with AI tool adoption as a top priority (45%), and over a third plan to invest in in-house or third-party agents. The industry is shifting from AI experimentation to trusted operations, with mainframes seen as part of AI infrastructure, a younger talent structure, and security and privacy concerns reinforcing their position.
Microsoft's cloud licensing model adjustment is sparking a battle for the MSP market. Onyx co-founder John Dusett points out that enterprises' migration from three-year enterprise agreements to CSP models has opened up the licensing transaction market previously dominated by LSPs to MSPs. Automation tools have lowered professional barriers, enabling MSPs to compete for customer growth and value-added service opportunities.
Forrester reports show that CX budgets are evenly distributed across technology, data, initiatives, and services, but leaders plan to increase technology spending by more than 5%, while personnel and services account for only 36%. Experts warn that this 'spray-and-pray' allocation masks inefficient investments and neglects critical capability building such as governance and cross-functional coordination. The article proposes a budget fix approach that is outcome-oriented, cross-functionally collaborative, and synchronized with strategic planning.
In a blog post on Wednesday, Google said it will provide enterprises with new ways to manage AI costs by expanding flexible billing options, AI agent cost controls, and including developer platforms in the Gemini Enterprise subscription.
DataStrike announces the expansion of its Snowflake managed services practice, addressing the lack of dedicated experts after deployment for mid-market clients by offering round-the-clock operations covering architecture support, cost governance, pipeline monitoring, and query performance. The company also extends its services to implementation and AI strategy through collaboration with Snowflake partner Brainforge.
Lemongrass announced on Tuesday the expansion of its SAP practice, adding an AI assessment tool and a frontline deployment engineering team, and introducing a migration methodology called Brightfield, aimed at shortening the time for customers to realize returns from cloud ERP investments. This move comes as SAP plans to end mainstream maintenance for its legacy software, including on-premise ERP Central Component systems, next year, leaving customers who have not migrated to S/4HANA needing third-party support. Lemongrass Chief Commercial Officer Abe Iruegas stated that the 2027 timeline is a catalyst but should not be the core of the business case; the real opportunity lies in building more agile, AI-ready operational platforms.
A survey by global IT services provider Unisys shows that 75% of enterprises view agentic AI as key to managing multi-cloud environments, but only 23% have initiated large-scale adoption. The gap between expectations and execution is transforming into a clear mission for channel partners: helping customers move from pilot to production. The latest Omdia channel analysis also points out that multiple cybersecurity vendors are formalizing consulting roles around AI security and platform adoption, providing partners with reusable service models.