US Channel Partners Shift Toward Services and AI Deployment in Response to Structural Market Changes
Omdia's latest analysis indicates that the US IT channel is undergoing profound transformation: partners are increasingly leaning toward services and delivery businesses, while the direct sales market is expanding rapidly, driven by hyperscale cloud providers. AI and cybersecurity have become the twin engines of growth, but the channel also faces challenges such as tariffs and talent shortages.
Executive Summary
- US partners are pivoting toward services and delivery, while IT sales and procurement increasingly concentrate among hyperscalers and platform vendors. According to the latest report from Omdia (a sister company of Channel Dive), channel revenue has grown 27% since 2022, while the direct sales market has surged 97%.
- "The channel is moving away from pure resale models and steadily advancing toward delivering services and outcome-based engagements," said Noah Dantes, Omdia Research Manager. "AI and cybersecurity are the two main drivers. Partners succeeding in this environment are expanding their service portfolios rather than relying on resale to drive business growth."
- The US remains the world's largest IT market, accounting for 41% of global IT spending, but represents only 11.5% of global partners by count, creating a top-heavy structure—where large, well-known partners capture the majority of revenue, Omdia's analysis found.
Deep Insights
As hyperscalers such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft invest hundreds of billions of dollars in buildinglarge-scale AI infrastructure, the direct sales model is expanding dramatically. The first wave of cloud migration has passed, and many enterprises are now turning to channel partners to manage existing infrastructure.
Dantes noted that consulting firm Accenture—currently one of the most profitable partners globally—is a typical example of the shift toward services.
"During the pandemic, Accenture's revenue came from consulting and systems integration," Dantes said. "By 2026, half of its revenue will come from managed services."
Large customers are seeking partners to provide modernized IT services. As a result, Omdia found that US service providers and systems integrators hold a market share (by count) three times the global average.
Globally, US partners dominate various rankings. Nearly 400 US partners are included in Omdia's Global Partners 1000 Index, the most of any country. Top US partners include channel giants such as IBM Consulting, Cognizant, CDW, and World Wide Technology.
Seven of the world's top 15 distributors are headquartered in the US, including TD Synnex, Ingram Micro, and Arrow. The report shows that just 46 North America-based distributors contribute 53.1% of global distribution revenue.
Despite rapid growth, the US channel ecosystem faces significant headwinds, primarily stemming from geopolitical challenges, including margin pressure from tariffs and inflation, growing cyberattacks and legal risks, and talent shortages exacerbated by H-1B visa restrictions.
AI is also changing how customers view partners. Dantes said enterprises implementing AI tools are seeking ways to maximize efficiency and justify AI costs.
"Everyone is buying AI right now, but for most companies, the return on investment hasn't fully materialized yet," he said. "Partners are a key part of that."
Looking ahead, Dantes believes the winning strategy for partners lies in expanding service offerings and even becoming technical experts in specific products.
"The key is to collaborate with vendors and deepen relationships with a few vendors, rather than offering many options like traditional distributors," he said.