Rising operational complexity is reshaping technology buying, as organisations prioritise simplification, risk reduction and maximising existing investments –creating partner opportunities beyond transactional sales.
These were some of the notable highlights during the distributor’s Executive Connect roadshow, where discussions were focused on growing customer complexity. As well as broader shift toward services-led engagement across the Australian channel, as partners adjust to evolving demands spanning AI, cybersecurity and hybrid environments.
“One of the most consistent themes across the roadshow was the growing operational complexity customers are dealing with. Organisations are trying to modernise, adopt AI, manage cyber risk and control costs simultaneously and often across highly fragmented environments,” Ingram Micro vice president and chief country executive, Hope McGarry said.
She explained this is driving a fundamental change in how organisations approach technology decisions and buying behaviour.
“It’s no longer just about what technology to buy, but about how to simplify environments, reduce risk and extract more value from existing investments,” she said.
This is translating into strategic possibilities for partners willing to evolve beyond transactional engagements.
“That shift is creating a significant opportunity for partners to move up the value chain. The strongest engagement we saw across the roadshow came from partners focused on solving customer business outcomes through advisory services, customer lifecycle services and ongoing optimisation of on premise and cloud environments, rather than siloed transactional conversations,” McGarry said.
Another standout trend was the convergence of previously separate technology domains, paving the way for a services-led outcome.
“Customers are no longer treating cloud, cyber, AI, infrastructure and workplace as separate conversations, they’re looking for partners who can connect these into integrated, outcome-driven solutions,” she observed. “Customers are demanding measurable outcomes, which is accelerating demand for managed services, governance and long-term strategic partnerships.”
While many challenges are consistent nationwide, McGarry noted key differences in partner dynamics across states, particularly in the ACT, which stood apart for its proximity to federal government and associated regulatory requirements.
“Across most states, the core challenges are consistent – partners are navigating margin pressure, increased competition and growing customer complexity across cloud, cybersecurity and AI,” she said.
“The ACT stands out as a policy-driven and highly regulated environment. As the centre of Federal Government, the ACT market is shaped by large-scale transformation programs and strict requirements around security, compliance and sovereignty, alongside longer procurement cycles and stronger scrutiny on ROI.”
A widening skills gap is also helping to reshape partner roles, particularly in Canberra.
“We’re also seeing a significant capability gap in all markets and particularly in the ACT within government, with agencies increasingly relying on partners for specialist skills, advisory and ongoing operational support,” McGarry said.
“That shifts the role of partners in the ACT from technology delivery to helping government navigate complexity, manage risk and deliver transformation at scale, while other states tend to be more commercially driven with a stronger focus on cost optimisation and productivity.”
Customer Ready
Ingram Micro’s Customer Ready strategy is also influencing how partners engage and build new capabilities. One area where that has translated into tangible outcomes is artificial intelligence.
“For us, Customer Ready starts with customer obsession as a standard, not a slogan. It’s about spending more time in the field, listening closely and using those insights to invest in the areas that matter most to partners and their customers,” explained McGarry.
“A good example is AI…based directly on partner feedback. We built a structured enablement framework called Enable | AI, designed to take partners from foundational readiness through to delivering advanced, real-world AI solutions.”
In its first year, the framework featured hands-on workshops, technical sprints and co-development programs that led to live deployments, not just pilots, McGarry shared.
Supporting that has been broader investment across the ecosystem such as activating NVIDIA and accelerated compute vendors; supporting sovereign AI and Neo Cloud models; and standing up a dedicated AI team with specialist consulting and technical expertise.
The result is seeing partners expanding into higher-value opportunities, beyond resale and across into advisory, integration, managed services and ongoing lifecycle engagement, McGarry added.
Demand is also evolving beyond individual solutions toward integrated stacks with AI remaining a key focus area.
“Growth is increasingly happening at the intersection of technologies, rather than in isolated categories,” she said.
“We’re seeing strong traction in AI and AI-enabled productivity, with organisations moving from experimentation to embedding AI into everyday workflows, which is driving demand for adoption, integration and governance support.”
Cybersecurity and cloud are also continuing to mature while other areas gaining traction such as hybrid infrastructure, data and workplace transformation.
“Cybersecurity remains a major priority, with the conversation shifting toward resilience, compliance and managed services, particularly in regulated environments like government,” McGarry said.
“Cloud continues to grow, but with value moving beyond migration into optimisation, cost management and lifecycle services.
“We’re also seeing increased focus on infrastructure modernisation and hybrid environments, driven by AI readiness and the need to balance performance, cost and sovereignty.”
“Data management is becoming critical as organisations look to make data more usable and AI-ready, while workplace and endpoint transformation is gaining momentum to support productivity in increasingly digital environments.”
Across the board, McGarry emphasised, partners that can link technology to business outcomes will be best positioned.
“The common thread is demand for partners who can connect technology investments to measurable business outcomes and support customers over the full lifecycle,” she said.
Looking ahead
Ingram Micro plans to build on the momentum generated during the roadshow through continued engagement and events.
“That really started the minute we left the room. Across the country, those conversations have already created new opportunities and deeper partnerships, and our focus now is making sure we follow through and help partners turn that into real growth,” she said.
“A big part of that is continuing to invest in face-to-face engagement, that’s what builds trust and ultimately drives long-term growth.”
The distributor is now gearing up for its flagship events later this year.
“We’re also really excited about what’s next with Ingram Micro Experience and Executive Connect Sydney in August at the ICC. It’s the biggest B2B tech event in the country,” she said.
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With years of experience covering the latest technology trends and business news across the IT channel, Julia Talevski has been keeping the IT industry connected in Australia and New Zealand. She is currently the editor for ARN and Reseller News, responsible for keeping the community engaged at every touch point through our newsletters, websites and main events such as EDGE, WIICTA and Innovation Awards.
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