Here’s What 20 Channel Chiefs See As The Biggest Challenges Facing Partners In 2023

The Challenges Ahead

Solution providers entered 2023 facing numerous flashing warning signs. Topping the list is the current high level of economic uncertainty, high inflation, rising interest rates, and the possibility of a recession.

Supply chain disruptions, while starting to ease according to some reports, remain a problem. The shift to hybrid work practices that began with the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep solution providers guessing about their customers’ evolving IT needs. And long-running challenges like finding – and keeping – employees with in-demand IT skills haven’t diminished.

As part of the CRN Channel Chiefs 2023 project, we asked the nearly 600 channel executives that made the list to tell us what they see as the biggest challenges facing their channel partners in 2023. Here’s what 20 had to say.

AMD

Terry Richardson

North America Channel Chief

I expect 2023 will be a challenging year, given the macroeconomic environment. There will be continued growth in public cloud deployments, and partners will have to choose carefully how they will best address their customers’ requirements as it relates to AI, HPC, security, sustainability and other relevant IT trends.

Arctic Wolf

Bob Skelley

VP, Channel Strategy, Development

With economic uncertainty, organizations will have a heightened focus on how they spend their IT and security budgets. It will be important for vendors and their partners to be able to demonstrate their business value throughout the lifecycle of a deal. Small and medium-sized businesses may also need/expect additional financial flexibility to help bridge the gap until business returns to a less turbulent state. Hiring and staffing needs will continue to present challenges to solution providers and the vendor partners that can deliver a full end-to-end service without solution provider staff augmentation will be critical to their long-term scale.