MSP Evolution
TD Synnex announced on Wednesday the addition of vendor-specific integrations for Microsoft and Cisco in its PartnerFirst account management platform, giving partners clearer visibility into relevant deals. The platform also introduced native connectors supporting Salesforce and QuickBooks. Launched less than a year ago, the platform previously added a natural language AI assistant plugin in November. The company plans to roll out more vendor integrations ahead of its annual Inspire conference in October.
Barracuda Networks incorporated MSPs into its previously reseller-only partner success program in March and announced last month new support including channel marketing automation, co-marketing resources, account mapping, customer propensity data, and an upcoming partner locator website. This adjustment reflects the diversification of customer purchasing methods and the adaptive changes of IT service partners.
As AI adoption becomes a top technology priority for enterprises, the IT services industry is facing a turning point. A survey commissioned by Corsica Technologies and conducted by Censuswide among 600 IT and security decision-makers reveals that although 87% of respondents are satisfied with the guidance provided by their MSPs, only 35% fully trust their MSP, and nearly two-thirds are considering switching providers within 12 months. Corsica CEO Brian Harmison points out that customer needs have shifted from response time and uptime to strategic issues such as risk reduction, effective data utilization, and AI readiness, and traditional managed IT contract models are struggling to cover these new responsibilities.