How do MSPs really feel the channel will shape up by 2020?

Is the current pace of consolidation sustainable? And what is the real customer appetite for digital transformation?

The past couple of years have seen consolidation and growth happen in the channel at a rapid rate, with more global and international giants created as a result.

This point and many others were covered at a recent Agilitas event in London, entitled The Channel in 2020: A Blueprint for growth in a fast-changing world.

In fact, 47 per cent of MSPs questioned in exclusive research by CRN specifically for the event said they were planning for further organic growth in the year ahead, with 18 per cent keen to collaborate with peers over the next 12 to 24 months. Unsurprisingly, 39 per cent of those same respondents were also convinced Brexit would have the biggest impact on their plans for the coming year.

However, all speakers at the event agreed that technology is the key to solving growing concerns across the industry, such as skills shortages and a constant demand from customers for increased efficiency on restricted IT budgets; but the message from a panel discussion at the event was that technology has to be pitched to customers in the right way, as a solution to their actual needs, and not just because it is shiny and new.

Included on the panel was a prominent end-user customer who stressed that when it came to using IT providers, those that provide a local and tailored service, and actually listen to his concerns and requirements, are the ones that will always get his business.

All the research and discussions from the event have been handily condensed into a special report, which can be downloaded here and additionally you can see an exclusive video from the event where key MSP players discuss what the biggest technology drivers have been for them so far, what their attitude to acquisition is, and how their own customers have embraced digital transformation.