https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2022 NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2022 NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

Channel Research


Shutterstock

Start slideshow

Channel Futures’ 2023 TA (Agent) Outlook: MDF Gets a Shake-Up

  • Written by James Anderson
  • December 28, 2022
Vendors are rethinking their MDF in the face of partner consolidation and the recession. And there's more.

The relationship between technology advisor (agent) firms, technology service distributors and suppliers is changing as the channel moves into 2023.

What an exciting time it is to be running an agency. The technology advisor/broker model, in which partners source technology services for their customers and earn monthly recurring commissions, has proven itself a rewarding venture for entrepreneurs. But the best partners know how to adapt to change, and change is most certainly afoot.

We’ll name the elephant in the room: a recession, whose very mention is causing the world’s largest tech companies to trim their workforces in anticipation of a worst-case scenario.

“I expect more layoffs, stock market volatility, and interest rate increases,” said Michael Agri, president at North Atlantic Consultants. “Some providers may not survive, and M&A activity could increase.”

Channel Impact

And these harsh economic conditions are trickling down into the enterprise IT and telecom world, with many partners anticipating vendors to change their policies around commissions and market development funds (MDF). Vendors and tech services distributors (TSDs) are facing more pressure from partners to add value to partners, and the reverse is true.

For Agri and many of his partner peers, there’s hope for agents.

“Technology advisors are very lucky because recessions bring opportunities to increase efficiencies and reduce costs,” he said.

At the same time, partners need to work hard to keep up with this digital age. Ryan Rowland, partner at Adaptiv Advisors, pointed to the maturation and ubiquity of A.I.

“The A.I. powered interaction, writing, imaging and video tools that are widely available today, for free, are the stuff of sci-fi, “Rowland told Channel Futures. “… You’re seeing it in your LinkedIn feed, in art, in politics, in nearly all aspects of life. I believe we are in the midst of the next industrial revolution, and we’re all going to have to do some learning, unlearning and relearning over the next couple of decades to stay relevant.”

Among the partners and individuals from vendors and TSDs sharing their predictions for 2023 were:

  • Ryan Rowland, Adaptiv Advisors
  • Eric Ludwig, Rise Technology Advisors
  • David Goodwin, ATC
  • Nicole Steele, Aryaka
  • Idris Odutoye, ATA Trusted Advisors
  • Michael Agri, North Atlantic Consultants
  • Drew Lydecker, Avant Communications
  • MaryTom Hofer, Kairos Data Communications
  • Dave Dyson, Eclipse Telecom
  • Chris Jones, AT&T
  • Bill Hustad, Okta
  • Adam Edwards, Telarus
  • Dan Pirigyi, Telarus

Scroll through the nine slides above to see the outlook on the upcoming year for the technology advisor channel.

Ryan Rowland, Adaptiv Advisors

Adaptiv Advisors’ Ryan Rowland

Rise Technology's Eric Ludwig

Rise Technology’s Eric Ludwig

Goodwin, David_ATC

ATC’s David Goodwin

Aryaka's Nicole Steele

Aryaka’s Nicole Steele

ATA Trusted Advisor's Idris Odutoye

ATA Trusted Advisors’ Idris Odutoye

 

 

 

 

 

 

North Atlantic Consultants' Michael Agri

North Atlantic Consultants’ Michael Agri

Avant Communications' Drew Lydecker

Avant Communications’ Drew Lydecker

Kairos Data Communications' MaryTom Hofer

Kairos Data Communications’ MaryTom Hofer

Eclipse Telecom's Dave Dyson

Eclipse Telecom’s Dave Dyson

 

 

 

 

 

 

AT&T's Chris Jones

AT&T’s Chris Jones

Okta's Bill Hustad

Okta’s Bill Hustad

Telarus' Adam Edwards

Telarus’ Adam Edwards

Telarus' Dan Pirigyi

Telarus’ Dan Pirigy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to contact the author directly about this story? Have ideas for a follow-up article? Email James Anderson or connect with him on LinkedIn.

 

Tags: Agents Cloud Galleries Intelligence Mergers and Acquisitions Sales & Marketing Security Strategy Technology Solutions Brokerages Telephony/UC/Collaboration

Most Recent


  • Smart City, IoT Network
    Abundant IoT, Advisors Tackle the eIoT Opportunity
    CEO Vince Bradley said partners are tapping into eIoT and ESG trends to move up-market with new customers. 
  • Top 20
    Top 20 Stories in January: Avaya, Microsoft, IBM, AWS, Datto, More Layoffs
    ChatGPT cracks our list for the first time. We've also got new hires and security training. But what was No. 1?
  • Update
    Acronis Updates CyberFit Partner Program Amid Rapid Service Provider Growth
    The updates include several programs and promotions for all types of partners.
  • Lawsuit
    Bondholders File Lawsuit Against Avaya for $125 Million
    They accuse the company of misleading investors.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • UCaaS predictions
    Channel Futures’ 2023 UCaaS Outlook: The Year of Democratization
  • Crystal ball laptop
    Channel Futures’ 2023 Hardware Outlook: ESG Takes Priority Amid Economic Weight
  • smb
    Unlocking the Power of the SMB Value Chain
  • Man pointing to graph showing revenue decline
    NPD Group: US B2B Technology Forecast Projects 2023 Revenue Decline

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

May 1, 2023 - May 4, 2023

Channel Partners Europe

June 13, 2023 - June 14, 2023

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Galleries

View all

Abundant IoT, Advisors Tackle the eIoT Opportunity

February 6, 2023

Top 20 Stories in January: Avaya, Microsoft, IBM, AWS, Datto, More Layoffs

February 6, 2023

Cloud Computing News: Broadcom-VMware, Google-Anthropic, Red Hat, More

February 6, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

The Software Patching Problem – Solved

February 3, 2023

How to Break Through the Growth Ceiling

February 1, 2023

5 Things to Look for in a UC Partner

January 31, 2023

Webinars

View all

Next-Generation MSP Platform: The Building Blocks for Your Business

February 15, 2023

The SMB Opportunity: How to Sell and Service the SMB Market, Capture Customers and Expand Your Business

February 23, 2023

How To Boost Your Business With White-Label UCaaS

February 28, 2023

White Papers

View all

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them

February 1, 2023

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022

February 1, 2023

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success

February 1, 2023

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 117: Cato Networks, Video Killed the Podcast Stars

Retired Astronaut Capt. Scott Kelly Previews His CP Expo Keynote

December 21, 2022

Fusion Connect Eyes Future with Intrado UC, Managed Network Customers

September 23, 2022

RingCentral Focused on Hybrid Work, Microsoft Teams, Other Integrations

September 23, 2022

Twitter

ChannelFutures

.@AbundantIoT is putting more focus on the enterprise, CEO Vince Bradley tells Channel Futures.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

February 7, 2023
ChannelFutures

January's #topstories in channel include @Avaya @GTTComm @Broadcom @awscloud @citrix @Salesforce @Datto… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

February 6, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@Acronis announces #CyberFit partner program updates. dlvr.it/Sj2FZQ https://t.co/z7lRdIRo9R

February 6, 2023
ChannelFutures

More #Avaya trouble: Lawsuit against company by bondholders claims "massive fraud." dlvr.it/Sj2DZT https://t.co/4Q1E7JAXXf

February 6, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@DellTech adds new #APEX delivery options for #delltechnologies partners. dlvr.it/Sj29c6 https://t.co/3qEEYpnOBX

February 6, 2023
ChannelFutures

There are some familiar names in @coxbusiness and @Rapid_Scales recent partner awards. dlvr.it/Sj1zm6 https://t.co/0BuGwBrnvM

February 6, 2023
ChannelFutures

RT @Channel_Expo: We know your mind is on the #BigGame this week, but don't take your eye off the ball! #EarlyBird rates for #CPExpo & #MSP…

February 6, 2023
ChannelFutures

Learn about @bluewavetg's latest deal. dlvr.it/Sj1wrV https://t.co/NCdmJ4OFkf

February 6, 2023

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X