WATCH: ‘Sales and marketing are crucial’: industry leaders on priorities for UK solution providers

At ChannelCon EMEA in London, industry leaders Carolyn April, Guy Hocking, and Greg Jones joined CRN’s Matt Harris to discuss the seismic shifts impacting the IT channel and how solution providers can best prepare for what’s next.

Carolyn April, who participated in a panel discussion earlier in the day, highlighted the pace of change in the industry. “Technology is moving faster than I’ve seen in my long career,” she said. “AI is going to have a massive impact on all businesses in the channel and vendor space, both large and small. Everyone is trying to figure it out—how it works for their business and their customers.”

She also stressed that cybersecurity remains a critical focus. “The threat landscape increases every day, and AI is going to throw a giant monkey wrench into all of the cybersecurity considerations companies have to have,” April warned. “There’s still a huge education gap, and MSPs are dealing with customers who just don’t get it.”

Greg Jones echoed the urgency for MSPs to evolve. “The reason the end customer is leaving an MSP is because that MSP doesn’t provide the tools, technology or service that business needs,” he said. He urged providers to lean into new offerings like compliance-as-a-service and co-managed IT, and to prioritise sales and marketing. “The fastest-growing MSPs globally are the ones that focus on sales and marketing. You need to start today.”

Guy Hocking added that AI is reshaping service delivery and customer experience. “We have to work out how we still maintain human touch but use AI to drive efficiency,” he said. “It’s about investing in skills and helping customers understand what those skillsets look like.”

Looking ahead, the panel agreed that internal AI adoption must come before external rollout. “It’s like putting your own oxygen mask on first,” April said. “Companies need to become experts internally before they roll it out to customers… and be wary of all of these people claiming to be AI experts right now – because I’d argue only about 10% actually are.”

For the UK channel, the strongest guidance centred on embracing innovation, prioritising continuous learning, and evolving strategies to meet rising customer demands.