‘It’s a war machine ready to be activated’: European partners react to Pax8 Beyond EMEA
French and Belgian MSPs share their views on the event, their transition to MIPs, and how their relationship with Pax8 could improve
Pax8 Beyond EMEA, the cloud commerce marketplace’s European conference, attracted partners from all around the continent.
Alongside UK MSPs, companies from across the wider European IT channel attended the event to hear the latest insights and announcements from the company.
CRN spoke with Digicab, Stemsy, and Keep iT Simple, who shared what organisations from the mainland thought of Pax8’s message, how their overall relationship could be improved, and whether they are ready to adopt the MIP model.
Nolwenn Pigault, head of strategy and operations, and Cédric Bigay, president, Digicab
What are you biggest takeaways from the event?
Pigault: “We can see there’s a real machine - a war machine, ready to be activated - to energise a market that needs to move and move fast.”
How do you feel about evolving to the MIP model?
Bigay: “We’re completely comfortable with it, and we agree that those who don’t adapt will eventually fall behind.
“As the CEO said, you can’t be afraid to take the leap into the unknown.”
Pigault: “It’s about developing what comes next. If you follow their logic, the marketplace is what enables us to grow revenue.
“They’re convinced, and rightly so, that you have to go in that direction to avoid being overtaken.
“To sell services today, you need to engage people, and that’s what Pax8 is emphasising: get ready for that shift.
“I don’t think MSPs will completely lose their margins if they don’t embrace AI, but they’ll need to be either very creative or have a very large customer base to stay profitable without adapting to what technology now makes possible.”
What's your relationship with Pax8? Are you a long-time partner?
Bigay: “We’ve been partners for a long time.
“Before that, we worked with another, more traditional partner, but we weren’t really satisfied with the service.
“We came across Pax8 by chance on Reddit about four years ago, when it was expanding more intensively into the European market.
“I’m personally very satisfied with the relationship I have developed with Pax8: it’s truly a human relationship, especially with my account manager, Alexis [Semda, channel account manager at Pax8], with whom I get along very well.”
Pigault: “For us, it’s simple: we already have operational and technological excellence, so having a partner on that same level is important.
“They must bring us additional value, because we’re focused on commercial activation.
“And as [Bigay] mentioned, there’s also that human closeness; transparent, honest communication that allows great responsiveness.
“Information systems are constantly changing, so we need partners who can adapt quickly without stress.
“That adaptability is something we’ve found valuable in our relationship.”
Is there anything Pax8 could do to support you better?
Pigault: “When it comes to improving a partnership, it’s always a question of personalisation.
“Even when you offer a high-quality service, it doesn’t always hit the mark at the exact moment it’s needed.
“When you have ideas and ambition for your market, you want to deliver right away.
“We could say we’d love them to respond to every question immediately, but that would be asking a lot.”
Bigay: “That said, they’ve been very responsive to every specific request we’ve made.
“We’ve been connected with experts fairly quickly, and they’ve answered most of our questions and requests.”
Pigault: “It’s also about challenging us more.
“We share their conviction about the intelligence-driven model, and we’re aligned with that, and what could be improved is perhaps even more agility in deploying these initiatives, so things become tangible faster.
“It’s not that we expect more, it’s that we want to keep customising and being creative in our work."
Luc Pendic, CEO, and Sarah Razgallah-Barbier, executive assistant, Stemsy
What are you biggest takeaways from the event?
Pendic: “This is our second Beyond event.
“This year’s edition feels much more AI-oriented, unlike last year, and that’s in line with what we’ve been thinking about and working toward over the past year, even if we haven’t fully implemented it yet with our clients.
“If I had to highlight one thing, it would be the lab session yesterday, something I hadn’t experienced before.
“When you’re learning about a new concept, it can be abstract, but trying it out, putting your hands on it, makes it click.
“It sparks even more motivation to keep going.”
Razgallah-Barbier: “There’s also the human side; meeting other players in the same sector, sharing experiences, and learning from each other.
“It helps you reflect on what you’re doing well and where you can improve.
“For me, that human connection is just as important as the sessions themselves.”
Pendic: “It’s true, though I have to say, the French-speaking community isn’t very well represented here.
“Last year, we were three MSPs, including us.
“It’s a shame because the French market has huge potential.
“Still, it’s always worth coming; I’ve met people from all over the world.
“It creates real bonds, we’re more like colleagues than competitors. It’s about shared value, not rivalry.”
How do you feel about evolving to the MIP model?
Pendic: “Companies that don’t adapt risk losing margin, especially against those who embrace AI and agentic technology.
“We’ve been exploring it for about a year, and we see the potential.
“The main challenge isn’t the technology; it’s convincing clients that it’s worth it.
“As IT providers, we’re external partners, but the MIP model brings us into our clients’ core operations, giving us access to critical business data. That requires deep trust.
“If that trust exists, the opportunities are enormous; we can help clients grow, and as they grow, so do we. It’s a win-win.
“If implemented right, AI and agentic systems can multiply profits.”
What's your relationship with Pax8? Are you a long-time partner?
Pendic: “We’ve been working with Pax8 since the beginning of our company - we were founded in February 2024, and Pax8 was our first Microsoft license provider.
“I found them by asking ChatGPT which distributors to look into, and Pax8 came up.
“After connecting with [Semda], we immediately clicked.
“The human approach was great, and when we saw their marketplace - fully integrated with our existing tools - it was a no-brainer. Integration is key for us.
“Many vendors offer great standalone tools, but if they’re closed systems, they’re useless to us.
“Pax8’s platform was open and modern, fully connected - exactly what we needed.”
Is there anything Pax8 could do to support you better?
Pendic: “Many sessions are more about theory or demos.
“Demos are fine, but they often don’t apply directly to our reality or our specific business models, clients, and needs.
“The lab sessions are much more useful. When you can test and build something yourself, it sticks.”
Razgallah-Barbier: “It’s about practice, not just vision.
“Being able to experiment helps you truly understand how to apply what you learn.”
Julien Hermans, owner, Keep iT Simple
What are you biggest takeaways from the event?
“For me, it’s really a continuation of what Pax8 has been communicating over the past several months - but now it’s becoming more concrete, especially with the lab we had yesterday, which made everything more tangible.
“What I also appreciate is meeting all the vendors we work with, having face-to-face discussions about how we use their solutions, and addressing any issues more deeply than through support tickets or chats.
“It helps unlock things and strengthens those relationships.”
How do you feel about evolving to the MIP model?
“For me, it’s a huge opportunity, not a threat.
“I just started my business last year, I only have two clients, so it’s easier to introduce change now.
“Larger companies will have a harder time, but for me, it’s a chance to evolve quickly and take advantage of the momentum.”
What's your relationship with Pax8? Are you a long-time partner?
“I launched my company in January 2024.
“I started contacting different providers and met Pax8 partners last year.
“The relationship was great, they helped me consolidate my contacts, going from 15 account managers to just one, which made things much simpler.
“What impressed me most was the support.
“I worked with Pax8 before even signing my first client.
“They invested in me before I was profitable, and that really motivated me.”
Is there anything Pax8 could do to support you better?
“I’d add that Pax8 Academy is great, but it’s still mostly theoretical.
“I’ve done a lot of their business development courses, which are useful, but for technical topics like AI, I’d love to see more hands-on labs, whether free or paid.
“That would really help solidify the learning.”