Overarching themes of investment and business model evolution pervade the 11 technology distribution stories Channel Futures deems most influential in 2023 thus far.

Halfway through the year, Channel Futures is looking back on the activity shaping the information communications and technology (ICT) channel. Distributors of all kinds – services, cloud, SaaS and hardware – are working to stay relevant with the latest trends.

In IT distribution, cloud and e-commerce cast a heavy shadow. Cloud hyperscaler marketplaces loom as a rapidly growing 800-pound gorilla, serving as a key vehicle for many software vendors. Born-in-the-cloud distributors and incumbent “disties” are making their own efforts to give partners (and in Pax8’s case, end customers) a one-stop-shop for all of their technology needs. And some distributors are building services that go beyond procurement and logistics.

Distribution Stories Tell Tale of Evolution

The tech services distributor channel, which sells managed services from network, communications and security providers, is reckoning with its own evolution. On one hand, some TSDs are putting major capital into building new tools and platforms. On the other hand, many TSDs are passing on more margin to their sales partners.

Channel Futures recapped 11 key trends based on different articles its editors have covered this year. Check out these distribution stories in the slideshow above, learn about why they matter to partners, and see what people should be watching out for in the rest of 2023.