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Ecosystems, Channels, & Marketplaces

Winning with Channels, Marketplaces, and Next-Gen Partners

Vendors are increasingly adopting indirect go-to-market strategies and ecosystem partnerships to address economic pressures and growing IT complexity. As IT environments span multiple clouds and architectures, no single vendor can meet all customer needs, making partnerships essential. Key trends for 2024 include prioritizing top-performing partners, emphasizing partner competencies, and investing in new alliances like AWS and Salesforce. Cloud marketplaces are becoming critical routes to market, offering cost-effective access for ISVs, despite operational challenges. Meanwhile, large resellers are transforming into service integrators, reshaping business models, and targeting specialized firms, while legacy GSIs struggle with reinvention amid rising costs and legacy burdens.

When working on strategy, product, marketing, and sales initiatives, consider intelligence from our expert analysts – planned deliverables for 2025 include:

  • Analyst Insight (monthly) – an analyst report on critical issues facing partner leaders
  • Futurum Partner Advisory Board Insight (bi-annual)  – analyst report highlighting the key learnings from discussions with a select group of partner leaders
  • Chief Partner Officer Advisory Board Insight (bi-annual) – analyst report highlighting the key learnings from discussion with a select group of partner teams (from vendors)
  • Market Data (bi-annual) – market sizing & five-year forecast of key technology sectors by RTM
  • Partner Survey (annual) – a survey of IT partners assessing key issues they are facing and opportunities they are focused on
  • Inquiry Sessions (ongoing) – one-on-one time with our expert analysts to explore your challenges and opportunities

The Latest Insights On Ecosystems, Channels, & Marketplaces

Tariff Watch 2025 - Has the Tech Community Dodged a Bullet?

TariffWatch 2025 – Has the Tech Community Dodged a Bullet?

Alex Smith, VP Channels Research at The Futurum Group, shares his insights on how tariffs impact different technology sectors and [...]
Tech Leaders Navigate Fluid Tariff Environment

Tech Leaders Navigate Fluid Tariff Environment

Alex Smith, VP & Practice Lead, Channels and Go-to-Market at The Futurum Group, shares his insights on how technology leaders [...]
AWS Marketplace Expanding Its SaaS Catalog: Will This Drive the Next Boom?

AWS Marketplace Expanding Its SaaS Catalog: Will This Drive the Next Boom?

Alex Smith, VP Channels Research at The Futurum Group shares his insights on AWS’s decision to expand its Marketplace catalog [...]
Less Creepy App Dev? SOUTHWORKS Shows How a Vendor Can Reduce Slippage and Increase Scope Control

Less Creepy App Dev? SOUTHWORKS Shows How a Vendor Can Reduce Slippage and Increase Scope Control

Guy Currier, CTO of Visible Impact at The Futurum Group, shares his insights on the model provided by app dev [...]
Giving Shape to Nutanix’s “Run Anywhere” Customer Strategy

Giving Shape to Nutanix’s Run Anywhere Customer Strategy

The Futurum Group’s Guy Currier and Paul Nashawaty share their insights on the recent announcements on Nutanix’s Run Anywhere customer [...]
Nutanix Introduces New Kubernetes Platform at Nutanix .NEXT

Nutanix Introduces New Kubernetes Platform at Nutanix .NEXT

The Futurum Group’s Guy Currier and Paul Nashawaty share their insights on the recent announcements from Nutanix .NEXT 2024. [...]

The Latest NEWS

Hyperscaler Marketplace Spending Surges as Enterprises Shift Software Budgets
December 17, 2025

Hyperscaler Marketplace Spending Surges as Enterprises Shift Software Budgets

Alex Smith, Research Director at Futurum, shares insights from new research showing hyperscaler marketplace spending surpassing $21B in 2025 and accelerating toward $42B by 2029 as enterprises shift software procurement...
Are Partners Ready to Engineer the Next Wave of AI Data Center Disruption - Report Summary
November 21, 2025

Are Partners Ready to Engineer the Next Wave of AI Data Center Disruption? – Report Summary

Alex Smith, Analyst at Futurum, shares his insights on how channel partners must evolve beyond product resale to master complex engineering skills for the expanding AI data center market, including...
Is a Platform Ecosystem the Most Important Moat a Tech Company Can Have - Report Summary
September 4, 2025

Is a Platform Ecosystem the Most Important Moat a Tech Company Can Have? – Report Summary

Alex Smith, Analyst at Futurum, shares insights on how platform ecosystems have become the most critical competitive advantage for tech vendors, creating a powerful flywheel effect that drives innovation, market...
July 3, 2025

As Vendors Push More into Their AI Story, Can the Channel Keep Pace?

Alex Smith, VP Channels Research at Futurum, shares his insights on how partners are performing amid the industry transformation toward AI....
Partner Programs Remain Very Important to the Partner Ecosystem
June 26, 2025

Partner Programs Remain Very Important to the Partner Ecosystem

Alex Smith, VP Channels Research at Futurum, shares his insights on what partners are looking for in vendor partner programs....
AI Has Arrived in Partner Organizations: Those Without Will Be Left Behind - Report Summary
May 29, 2025

AI Has Arrived in Partner Organizations: Those Without Will Be Left Behind – Report Summary

Alex Smith, VP Channels Research at Futurum shares his insights on how partner organizations are deploying AI to drive efficiency in their operations and yield better overall partnering outcomes....

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