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Build vs. Buy, trust and talent: 5 takeaways from the Channel Visionaries Power Panel. Aug 4, 2026 Quick answer: At ChannelCon 2026, six channel executives from Ingram Micro, Microsoft, Thrive, ConnectWise, Nucleus Networks and Evergreen joined GTIA's Carolyn April to discuss where the IT channel stands today. The panel's consensus: AI has moved past the hype cycle and into measurable ROI, trust and data security are now the deciding factors in client relationships, and the channel's biggest opportunity is using AI internally before selling it externally. Channel Leaders Agree: AI Has Moved Past the Hype Cycle The Channel Visionaries Power Panel opened with a direct question from Carolyn April, vice president, research at GTIA: What will separate successful channel companies today? The panelists agreed on one thing immediately - the AI debate is over. Manny Rivelo, CEO of ConnectWise, pointed to hard numbers: Companies investing in AI tools over the past 12 months are seeing measurable returns, with best-in-class organizations posting 14% gains. "It's not hype anymore," he said. "It's real, and it's impacting how you run your business." The remaining question, he added, is whether to build or buy. Craig Fulton, M&A advisor at Evergreen, framed the shift in terms of customer service. Channel companies have spent years automating their own operations. The next move is helping customers do the same - starting with better understanding of customer needs across verticals, not a full-scale rollout on day one. Nina Harding, corporate vice president at Microsoft, added a caution alongside the optimism. The channel has moved from experimenting with AI to depending on it operationally. But trust remains the deciding factor. Clients need confidence that the platform behind an AI solution is secure, because when something goes wrong, they're calling their MSP first. Security and data, she said, is the foundation everything else sits on. Jennifer Anaya, SVP of global marketing at Ingram Micro, reframed AI as less of a technology conversation and more of a business opportunity. Partnering and understanding real client needs may matter more than the tools themselves - and AI's biggest value is in reducing the friction that has always made channel business complex. The panel's biggest opportunity call came from Jennifer Roy, CEO of Nucleus Networks: Internal adoption first. Many MSP operators still aren't using AI inside their own businesses. Her advice - use the tools before asking clients to trust you with them, and lead client conversations with business outcomes rather than technology specs. Build vs. Buy: A Question of Core vs. Context Asked how MSPs should decide between building AI tools in-house or buying off the shelf, Rivelo offered a clear framework: Separate what's core to your business from what's context. Core capabilities - the things that differentiate a company in the market - are worth building. Context - the operational tools needed to run the business - are usually better bought. The risk, he noted, is mistaking something disruptive for something core. Jonathan Philipsen, EVP of channel & alliances at Thrive, echoed the same lens: Some tasks are better purchased off the shelf to stay agile, while other capabilities become the foundation of what a company sells to its own clients. Anaya returned to data as the connective tissue across the conversation. Channel companies already sit on top of client networks, data and security - understanding how to use that position well will define competitive advantage over the next several years. Harding agreed, noting that change management conversations increasingly lead straight to data and security, and that tying those conversations to the metrics clients care about is where the real value shows up. Cybersecurity: Standardize First, Then Scale On what smaller ITSPs can do to stay secure, Roy pointed to fundamentals: A standard, compliant technology stack. Without that foundation, she said, everything built on top of it becomes unstable. She also pointed to peer communities like GTIA as a practical resource for benchmarking against others facing the same challenges. Philipsen described this as operational discipline - "slow down to speed up" - both as a security practice and as proof to clients that a company holds itself to the same standard it recommends. Harding noted a shift in the nature of the threat itself: Security concerns used to focus on outside threats but now include identifying the growing number of AI agents operating inside a company's own environment. Roy closed the topic with a workforce reality check: Executing on strong security practices requires trained talent, and that talent is in short supply. Investing in people, she said, isn't optional. M&A: Recurring Revenue Is Still the Prize Private equity has reshaped the channel, and the panel didn't shy away from what buyers are looking for. Fulton pointed to recurring, contracted revenue as the primary driver behind the wave of MSP acquisitions - the same model that first drew PE into SaaS. Companies looking to maximize valuation should focus there first. Rivelo added a new variable to the equation: AI's ability to change a company's profitability model is itself becoming a factor that attracts PE interest. Philipsen rounded out the buyer's checklist with three criteria: Contract revenue, culture and how effectively a company is using AI to operationalize its business - plus a practical reminder to get documentation in order well before a deal conversation starts. Culture and trust remain central once a deal happens. Fulton emphasized that a successful ITSP is built on relationships specific to their community - not a playbook that transfers cleanly from one market to another. Knowing an acquirer's plans in advance, and protecting the customer relationships already built on trust, matters as much as the deal terms themselves. AI and the Workforce: Adding Value, Not Replacing People The panel's final topic tackled the human side of AI adoption directly. Anaya named culture as the deciding factor in whether employees trust what leadership is doing with AI. Harding shared that her own sales organization has shifted toward people who know the industry deeply rather than pure technologists - and that some of the most innovative ideas inside her company are coming from non-technical staff who are being freed up for more strategic work. Philipsen added that curiosity, not technical background, tends to produce the best ideas - and that framing AI adoption around adding value, rather than reducing headcount, is essential to getting that curiosity out of people. Roy agreed: Leading with why, staying transparent about intent and following through on that intent builds the trust that makes adoption possible. Rivelo pointed out that technical skill isn't going away - it's evolving. The bigger opportunity sits with the people running the business, who can ask a simple but powerful question: If Global Technology Industry Association built this from scratch today, how would Global Technology Industry Association do it more efficiently? Harding added that she's investing more, not less, in technical talent, particularly around data and security, as end users gain more ability to build tools themselves. April closed the panel with a broader observation: AI may be the first force with the potential to break down long-standing silos between departments - and even bring the industry closer together. Best Leadership Advice from the Panel * Jennifer Anaya: Listen hard. * Craig Fulton: People are what make companies great. * Nina Harding: Stay curious and keep a growth mindset - ask "why" on repeat. * Jonathan Philipsen: This is an evolution, not a revolution. * Manny Rivelo: Lead with clarity. Act with urgency. Change your culture faster than the environment changes around you. * Jennifer Roy: Take risks. Frequently Asked Questions Who spoke at the Channel Visionaries Power Panel at ChannelCon? The panel featured Carolyn April (GTIA, moderator), Jennifer Anaya (Ingram Micro), Craig Fulton (Evergreen), Nina Harding (Microsoft), Jonathan Philipsen (Thrive), Manny Rivelo (ConnectWise) and Jennifer Roy (Nucleus Networks). What did the panel say about AI adoption in the channel? The panelists agreed AI has moved past the hype cycle into measurable business impact, with best-in-class companies seeing double-digit returns on AI investment. The bigger opportunity, they said, is internal adoption - using AI to run the MSP's own business before selling AI-enabled services to clients. How should MSPs decide whether to build or buy AI tools? Panelists recommended building AI capabilities that are core to what differentiates the business and buying tools for operational tasks that support the business but aren't a source of competitive advantage. What's driving M&A activity in the IT channel right now? Recurring, contracted revenue remains the top driver of channel acquisitions, with private equity buyers also weighing culture, AI-driven profitability, and documentation quality. Will AI replace jobs in the channel? The panel's consensus was no. Leaders described AI as a way to reduce mundane tasks and free up staff for more strategic, creative work - while noting that technical talent, particularly around data and security, remains in high demand. Get more ChannelCon news and follow GTIA on LinkedIn!

/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Evergreen today announced its largest acquisition in the ANZ region, welcoming Office Solutions IT (OSIT) to its growing portfolio of...

What MSPs need to know about today's M&A market. * April 17, 2026 * 3:32 pm Earlier this week, MSP holding company Evergreen hosted their second annual event, Elevate, in Chicago, Illinois. Attendance more than tripled from last year's inaugural event, with MSPs from across the country gathering for a day focused on increasing business value and understanding current market dynamics. The surge in attendance reflects a broader trend across the MSP space: operators are actively seeking clarity on where the market is headed and how to position their business for long-term success. With consolidation continuing across the industry, events like this highlight how top operators are thinking about growth, exit strategies, and future positioning. Here's what you missed. The current state of M&A. The event kicked off with insights on the current M&A market from Sydney Hockett, Evergreen's VP of M&A. "If I had to pick one word to describe the state of M&A and the MSP space right now, it would be busy. It's the busiest it's ever been. There are the most buyers, the most transactions happening, and the most money flying around that we've ever seen," Hockett said. "It's a seller's market," she added later in an interview with MSP Success. "There's probably the highest volume of buyers that we've seen." The key takeaway is timing and optionality: strong demand means more opportunities, but not necessarily urgency to sell. As Hockett noted, there is no shortage of buyers for those who want to enter the market, giving MSP owners the ability to be more selective and strategic about if and when they pursue a deal. It also reinforces the importance of building a business that is "sellable" long before a transaction is on the table. MSPs that invest early in operational maturity, documentation, and scalable processes are better positioned to capitalize when opportunities arise. What to look for in a potential buyer. Hockett shared practical guidance for MSP owners navigating the sales process. "There are a million different versions of acquirers, offers, good structures, [and] people you can sell to - and buyers are always going to tell you what you want to hear, to some extent," she said. "I think you should choose to partner with someone that is honest with you and upfront about the good, bad, and ugly, but you also have to do your due diligence yourself." Here are a few areas Hockett recommends MSPs should spend time evaluating when looking to sell: * The buyer's structure and operating model * What selling to a roll-up means for employees and customers * Personal post-sale goals and how the deal supports them * Whether the buyer has committed capital or needs to raise funds * Feedback from previous sellers, including unexpected challenges Don't only focus on the financial. Beyond these factors, MSPs should also think critically about alignment. A deal structure may not look attractive on paper, but long-term success often hinges on how well the buyer's operating approach matches the seller's expectations. Culture, decision-making autonomy, and growth strategy can all have a significant impact after the transaction closes. In practice, this means MSP business owners should focus on more than just financial terms and evaluate how decisions will be made post-sale, what level of autonomy they will retain, and how success will be measured. Misalignment in these areas is often where deals that appear strong upfront, break down over time. "Every single person has different experiences. I would [talk to] a minimum of three people to understand what their experiences have been like. Ask those questions; if the buyer doesn't want you to talk to any references, that should be a red flag," she said. This emphasis on reference-checking highlights a broader shift in the market: with more transactions happening, MSP owners have greater access to real-world insights from peers. Taking advantage of that transparency can help avoid costly misalignment after the deal is done. As the M&A market continues to accelerate, MSP owners are being presented with more opportunity, and more complexity, than ever before. The abundance of buyers creates leverage, but it also raises the stakes for making the right long-term decision. Those who approach the process with clarity around their goals, a strong operational foundation, and a commitment to thorough diligence will be best positioned to capitalize on current market conditions. Ultimately, success in today's environment isn't just about closing a deal - it's about choosing the right partner to support the next phase of growth. For more on ensuring any M&A deals go off without a hitch, learn why a culture match is so critical to M&A happiness. Share: Sarah Jordan. Sarah Jordan is a staff writer at MSP Success. When she's not reporting on trends and issues pertinent to the MSP community, you can usually find her working on her novel's manuscript.