Five partner trends Tech Data predicts for 2026

The distributor recently welcomed 166 partners from across the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region to Danang, Vietnam for Inspire APJ for its annual Partner Day.

As one of the most influential distributors in the region, Tech Data continues to grow and enhance its capabilities are it works with more vendors to reach out to more customers. With strong financial results throughout the year, Tech Data believes that 2026 will only see greater need to support businesses in their tech journey.

According to Anand Chakravarthy, Vice-President, Advanced Solutions, Asia Pacific & Japan, Tech Data, APAC remains the fastest-growing region in the world, with the IMF projecting a 60% contribution to global growth in 2025.

“In this context, the IT channel sees a unique opportunity in capitalizing on high-growth technologies such as AI, cybersecurity, and data analytics. Distributors, serving as ecosystem orchestrators, are delivering differentiated value by fast-tracking enablement that helps partners to adopt these technologies, simplifying complexity, and setting the stage for exponential growth across the region,” said Chakravarthy.

Tech Data recently welcomed 166 partners from across the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region to Danang, Vietnam for Inspire APJ for its annual Partner Day. With the focus on AI, the distributor shared with channel partners how they can turn opportunities into measurable outcomes.

Patrick Zammit, CEO of TD Synnex, was also present at the event and shared with partners the megatrends that are shaping the IT ecosystem. Partners also learned how Tech Data can scale their security practices through services, provide advanced capabilities such as white-label storefronts, FinOps, and SecOps on our StreamOne Marketplace, and secure their installed base through renewals.

Looking into 2026, Chakravarthy shared five trends based on the fourth edition of Tech Data’s Direction of Technology report, which surveyed over 1,000 partners across 40 countries.

The first trend is that AI will remain pivotal for market leadership. Chakravarthy explained that partners across APJ collectively agree that AI is vital to market domination, with 75.8% seeing opportunity in AI infrastructure & cloud and 70.9% in AI-led automation and data management.

“With AI and GenAI spending in the Asia Pacific expected to reach $175 billion by 2028, the region is strategically positioned as a proving ground for real-world deployments, paving a clear route for differentiation in the new year,” he said.

The second trend will be the fundamental role that cybersecurity plays in growth. With 73.4% of partners offering or planning to offer at least one cybersecurity solution, investing in cybersecurity will be critical to ensure market relevance. Chakravarthy added that data and privacy (81%), network security (78%), and cloud/app security (77%) have emerged as key priority areas as organizations seek comprehensive protection across AI, cloud, and data ecosystems.

The next trend will see the shift to services continue. Chakravarthy pointed out that Service-based frameworks are seeing significant traction among partners in APJ, with 83% offering consulting or professional services and 78% providing managed services. These are increasingly attractive to partners as they create a consultative platform, driving higher attach rates and profitability.

“In the coming years, this shift will be critical for partners to build and maintain market momentum, improve end-customer relationships, and monetize expertise throughout the IT ecosystem,” he added.

The fourth trend states that foundational technologies are here to stay. Partners in APJ continue to see high demand for hardware and endpoint devices, despite high-growth technology prioritization. According to the report, currently, 68.5% of partners continue to offer devices, and 57.6% provide hardware, above the global average. This sustained demand is driven by government regulations, data sovereignty requirements across countries, and the need for greater computational power.

“In 2026, sustained hardware and endpoint demand will anchor channel growth, reinforcing partners’ role as essential enablers of data security, hybrid work, and digital infrastructures,” he said.

The final trend is that partners will proactively focus on solving skills gap. As expected, the top challenge for partners across APJ in 2026 will be addressing the skills shortage. The struggle to retain or attract talent in APJ remains high at 79.8%, limiting the ability to sell advanced AI and cybersecurity implementations and scale IT services.

“Distributors like Tech Data providing necessary training, enablement, and proof-of-concept support will be vital in reducing the talent gap while simultaneously accelerating technological adoption,” he concluded.