Acronis CEO Ezequiel Steiner On Leadership, AI, And The Future Of The Channel

Acronis CEO Ezequiel Steiner shared his vision for the future of the channel, highlighting how transparency, AI, and inclusive leadership are shaping sustainable growth. From the company’s own FOMO at Work study to its focus on AI-driven productivity, Steiner shared with CRN how trust and innovation will define MSP success in 2026.

When Ezequiel Steiner took the stage at MSP Global in Salou, Spain, hosted at the PortAventura resort, his message was clear: The future of the channel depends on productivity, transparency, and trust. As CEO of Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection and data backup, Steiner’s leadership style is defined less by corporate polish and more by candor. In conversation, he doesn’t sound like a man trying to impress shareholders. He sounds like a builder; someone focused on aligning people behind a shared purpose.

A Transparent Approach to Leadership

Steiner’s take on leadership starts with a simple but often elusive principle: transparency. “I try not to think too much about what I should not say,” he said during our interview. “You hire the right people, give them the right tools, and let them do their jobs.”

It’s a deceptively modest approach that suggests a belief in maturity and mutual respect. For Steiner, transparency isn’t about sharing every corporate secret; it’s about treating professionals as adults. His philosophy is anchored in trust: build a strong hiring process, equip people to succeed, and hold them accountable for results. It’s a framework that reflects the pragmatic culture Acronis has built while scaling to work with more than 20,000 service providers worldwide.

Building in an Uncertain Market

Steiner’s optimism about the U.S. channel market stands out. Despite “uncertainty” in the broader economy, he sees the managed services space as a bright spot. “The MSP business is growing very, very well in the United States,” he said. “It’s part of how companies operate now; it’s in their DNA.”

That insight captures a broader truth about where the industry stands in 2025: managed services are no longer a technical add-on but a strategic necessity. Yet Steiner’s confidence comes with subtle caution. Growth is strong, but complexity is growing faster. His acknowledgment of thin margins and rising labor costs in earlier remarks suggests he understands the pressures many partners face.

AI as an Enabler, Not a Replacement

When asked about the role of AI in the channel’s future, Steiner’s answer was practical rather than futuristic. “It’s all about augmenting the capabilities and the capacity of the technician,” he said. His goal is to show partners and service providers that “there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

Noting that technicians are exhausted, stretched by high workloads, low margins, and limited support. Acronis’ approach to AI aims to reduce that burden, not erase the human element. By framing AI as a tool for “augmented productivity,” Steiner positions the technology as a means of giving technicians time back — time for creativity, strategy, and problem-solving. It’s a vision that rejects both hype and fear, opting instead for balance.

Inclusion and Flexibility: The Human Side of Productivity

Perhaps the most revealing moment came when Steiner discussed the industry’s persistent struggles with work-life balance. Referencing The FOMO at Work Report, a study conducted by Acronis, he acknowledged that many companies have yet to adapt to the real needs of their employees. “We need to meet people where they are,” he said, advocating for flexibility and empathy in leadership. “We achieve results better if we are more flexible in our processes and workflow.”

This kind of statement carries weight in a sector that still rewards overextension and burnout. While Steiner didn’t frame it explicitly in terms of gender equity, his call for flexibility speaks directly to issues that disproportionately affect women in tech, particularly caregivers and mid-level managers who navigate both performance and perception bias.

Leadership Rooted in Clarity

In an industry obsessed with speed, Steiner’s message is refreshingly measured. Leadership, as he defines it, is about creating clarity of purpose, of process, of people. Transparency and AI may seem like separate topics, but in his hands, they’re connected. Both are about trust: trusting people to act with integrity, and trusting technology to elevate, not replace, the human factor.

As Acronis looks toward 2026, Steiner’s leadership philosophy offers a quiet challenge to other executives in the channel ecosystem. Growth isn’t only measured in revenue or market share. It is also reflected in how leaders communicate, how they empower, and how they sustain the people who make innovation possible.

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