More From the Middle

The potential buying power of the midmarket is huge, with more than 100,000 midsize companies in North America, according to AMI-Partners. As such, many vendors are targeting this segment and tying their future growth to it. For example, faced with a saturated enterprise market for their products, CRM and ERP vendors have recognized the promising niche and are devoting resources to wooing midmarket customers.

VARs who understand the special requirements of the midmarket are more likely to be rewarded with increased revenue. In addition to the research featured in our cover story, VARBusiness took a look at VARs who derive more than 50 percent of their gross revenue from midmarket customers. The results are telling: Midmarket VARs believe their companies' revenue and operating margins will improve in the first half of the year. They are also more likely to specialize in technology niches, such as wireless and storage.

What follows is some of our findings. No doubt, what midmarket VARs are currently doing will provide a road map for those trying to penetrate this hot space.