CRN has been hearing from vendors who are urging their partners to step up their game in managed services, as well as from resellers who are eager to dive deeper into this space.
The global managed services market is booming, with a projected value of $970.86bn by 2032, according to Precedence Research. This growth is driven by factors such as Covid-19, inflation, and the IT skills gap, which are pushing organizations to seek out managed services for business automation and operational efficiencies.
In response to this demand, vendors like CrowdStrike are encouraging traditional resellers to invest in services to enhance their offerings. CrowdStrike’s VP of EMEA channels emphasized the importance of developing professional or managed services to provide customers with more value and build long-lasting relationships.
On the other hand, networking vendor Zyxel has launched an updated MSP partner program to help partners transition into managed services providers. Zyxel’s UK&I regional director highlighted the growing adoption of cloud and the ease of offering managed services as key reasons for resellers to embrace this model.
Similarly, Netskope has introduced a managed services provider program to motivate channel partners to add more managed services to their portfolios. Netskope’s VP of channel sales for EMEA & LATAM emphasized the importance of offering customers different procurement options and meeting their evolving preferences.
Resellers like Axians UK are also recognizing the value of managed services for sustained growth. Axians UK’s managing director emphasized the need to provide real value and business impact to customers through service creation, rather than relying solely on hardware sales.
SCC’s head of strategy and corporate development shared a different perspective, highlighting the company’s early adoption of managed services and its current focus on digital transformation services.
Overall, the trend towards managed services is gaining momentum, with vendors and resellers alike recognizing the need to elevate their offerings and provide customers with enhanced value and support.