For channel partners, 2025 was a year of AI growth, constant technology upheaval, and increasing competition for customer dollars. And 2026 is expected to bring more of the same, according to a sampling of vendor executives who shared their predictions with ChannelE2E about how the channel and its service providers will continue to evolve in the new year.
Jim DeCarlo, vice president of channel at code quality and security vendor
Sonar, told ChannelE2E that he sees 2026 as the year when “super VARs (value-added resellers)” will emerge and reshape the DevOps landscape through strategic acquisitions.
Super VARs will be “massive partners who have acquired other companies to expand their comprehensive capabilities across the entire software development lifecycle,” said DeCarlo. “These moves are not just about scale; they are about expertise transformation.”
What Are Super VARs?
These super VARs will be created as traditional infrastructure partners acquire or partner with niche DevOps-focused companies, he said. This will allow them to quickly position themselves as experts in modern development practices while bringing in the skills, IP, and customer relationships that would otherwise take years to build organically.
“This means that smaller, specialized partners who once owned their niches will find themselves competing in the channel with well-funded giants that have deep existing customer relationships and the ability to bundle solutions across the entire stack,” said DeCarlo. “Smaller partners will shift their focus to highly specialized services and managed services, away from resale.”
As super VARs, these channel partners will have “unprecedented negotiating power, deliver more sophisticated services, and build deeper strategic relationships,” according to DeCarlo. “They will also be able to deliver truly integrated solutions across complex tech stacks. Vendors who adapt their partner strategies to this new reality—by investing in scale and skill—will unlock the value of the channel.”
As AI continues to expand across enterprise use cases, several other substantial changes are also expected, he said.
“The channel partner model is fundamentally changing in 2026, and vendors that are not focused on seamless integrations will be left behind,” said DeCarlo. “AI is not just an infrastructure play. It is also about AI agents generating code at scale.”
Another impactful shift he expects is that successful channel programs in 2026 will move away from product expertise toward ecosystem expertise, and from selling features to orchestrating experiences.
“The revenue opportunity is no longer just in the initial sale,” said DeCarlo. “It is in the ongoing services, integrations, and optimizations that make complex tech stacks work smoothly. Partners who embrace this reality will become indispensable advisors, while those who do not will be left behind.”
2026 Will Be the Year of Showing Faster Business Results
Mike DePalma, vice president of business development for information management software vendor OpenText, told ChannelE2E that he expects 2026 to be the year the partner ecosystem shifts toward outcome-driven services.
“MSPs will need to show real business results in 2026,” said DePalma. “AI threats move too fast for a simple tools conversation. Partners who tie their work to measurable gains in productivity and security will take more share and keep it. Integrated platforms and clear proof points will matter more than product lists or feature sheets.”
To make this shift work, partner enablement and co-selling in 2026 will need to demonstrate fast proof of value while allowing customization as customer needs change.
“Partners want speed, clarity, and support that leads to real outcomes,” he said. “Long onboarding tracks and slow handoffs will lose appeal. Trials, guided workflows, and simple examples of customer results will matter more than dense presentations. Vendors that offer customizable, pre-packaged bundles will stand out by giving partners a faster, clearer path to value in days, not months.”
Resellers Will Become Strategic Security Advisors
Sydney Weber, director of channel sales at API security and bot management vendor
Cequence Security, told ChannelE2E that she expects resellers to become more strategic security advisors in 2026.
“We are already seeing the shift from product fulfillment to ongoing risk, compliance, and resilience guidance, and that momentum will only accelerate,” said Weber. “The channel is quickly becoming an extension of the CISO team, not just a procurement function.”
This role will grow more critical as AI-enabled threats increase demand for continuous validation, she said.
“As attackers start using AI at scale, organizations will lean heavily on partners that deliver breach and attack simulation, exposure management, and real-time attack surface insights,” said Weber. “Those capabilities will see outsized growth.”
Another change she expects is a shift toward AI gateways as a must-have security layer.
“As AI tools become embedded across every team and workflow, partners will help customers monitor prompts, enforce governance, and protect sensitive data, making safe AI adoption a core part of the channel’s value,” she said.
Flexible, AI-Ready Architectures Will Differentiate Partners
Tom Evans, chief partner officer at connectivity cloud vendor
Cloudflare, told ChannelE2E that he sees 2026 as the year partners help customers address years of accumulated digital sprawl.
“As organizations layer on more SaaS and cybersecurity tools, the resulting sprawl creates visibility risks, higher costs, and security gaps that partners must solve holistically,” said Evans. “In 2026, the channel will move away from ad-hoc solutions and toward consolidated bundles that secure entire environments, rather than individual applications, while reducing operational complexity and cost.”
Partners that sell and support flexible, AI-ready architectures will stand out in an increasingly crowded market, he said.
“AI adoption will force customers to rethink how data is used and moved, how identities are protected, and how applications connect across cloud environments,” said Evans. “Partners that can deliver secure architectures built for AI workflows, and adapt as customer needs evolve, will become the preferred choice for organizations modernizing at scale.”
As 2026 progresses, technical expertise will become the defining currency of partner competitiveness, he added.
“As customer environments grow more complex across AI, cloud, and security, partners will be judged on their ability to deploy, not just recommend, advanced architectures,” said Evans. “The partners that invest in deep technical talent, managed services, and specialized certifications will win larger, longer-term relationships as customers demand measurable outcomes over basic support.”
