GDPR the most disruptive channel factor - partners

Survey of resellers and MSPs finds impending data legislation to be the most disruptive channel issue between now and 2020

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be the most disruptive challenge for the channel between now and 2020, according to a survey of IT resellers and MSPs.

The research, commissioned by Agilitas, saw 37 per cent of respondents claim they expect the incoming regulation to be the most disruptive challenge over the next three years, closely followed by new technology which was cited by 31 per cent of respondents.

Despite concerns over GDPR's impact, 34 per cent of partners surveyed said they expect to see a revenue boost as a result of channel disruption.

Shaun Lynn, CEO of Agilitas, said: "Our research merely reinforces the fact that, while there are significant challenges in the channel, the industry is rolling with the punches and taking the glass-half-full approach towards disruptive factors."

Other disruptive trends cited by respondents included: demand for on-demand services (30 per cent), changes to supply chain infrastructure (21 per cent), political events (16 per cent) and changes to the IT channel model (13 per cent).

The research surveyed 100 senior executives at leading resellers, managed service providers and independent IT channel firms.

New vendors to market were highlighted by 36 per cent of respondents as driving disruption in the channel, with a quarter believing that cloud-only vendors will take the lead.

"This only reminds traditional vendors that they need to re-assess their entire business model in order to remain relevant to the requirements of their customers," Lynn added.

"It's no surprise that an on-demand service, using the cloud and other opex technologies, will drive this, as businesses move towards more flexible options."