News in the Channel – issue #25

PREVIEW 2025

Personalisation will be another important factor. Businesses want technology tailored to their specific needs. Channel partners that can offer customised solutions and value-added services, like remote monitoring or predictive maintenance, will stand out in a competitive market. Finally, automation and AI will play a transformative role, enabling smarter workflows and better user experiences. Customers will expect technology that not only performs but actively improves their efficiency. The channel in 2025 will thrive by focusing on products and services that deliver intelligent innovation, meeting the evolving needs of customers in a rapidly changing market. The channel will face several challenges in 2025, driven by evolving customer expectations, market dynamics and global trends. One significant challenge will be balancing the demand for sustainability with cost pressures. While customers are increasingly seeking eco-friendly products and services, the upfront investment in sustainable technologies and materials can be a barrier. To overcome this, channel partners should focus on educating customers about the

long-term benefits of sustainability, such as cost savings from energy-efficient devices and potential compliance advantages as regulations tighten. Offering flexible financing options and subscription-based models can also ease the transition to greener solutions. Another challenge lies in navigating supply chain disruptions, which remain a concern due to geopolitical instability and economic uncertainty. Localising production and embracing on-demand manufacturing can help mitigate these risks, as can fostering closer relationships with suppliers to improve forecasting and inventory management. Skills gaps will also impact the channel, particularly as AI becomes more prevalent. Channel partners will need to invest in training and upskilling their teams to stay ahead of technological advancements. Collaborating with manufacturers to provide certifications and education programmes can ensure resellers are equipped to support customers with increasingly complex solutions. HP’s Amplify AI programme aims to support the vendor’s partners with AI knowledge, certification and tools to provide the resources to harness the AI enabled workforce.

Zoe Westwood (cont)

Ralf Jordan , vice president channel EMEA, Lenovo 2024 was a good year for Lenovo and the channel in EMEA. In a challenging

and multi-cloud projects will continue to open opportunities for resellers, offering everything from platform to infrastructure and end user services. They are reshaping IT modernisation and disrupting traditional reseller roles. As mentioned, AI will continue to grow in importance. Channel partners are already keen to ride the wave of AI, but turning ambition into fruition is what will really matter, especially as business leaders want to see return on AI investment. IT vendors need to empower customers to deploy AI faster, safely

marketplace, we have seen strong growth in the channel across our portfolio and we have taken a share of our competitors. We continued to invest in our Lenovo 360 global channel framework, which enables partners to adapt to change with strength, agility and expertise. Many of the defining trends in 2024 will continue into 2025 and beyond. AI will be the major driver for the workplace as well as infrastructure projects. Both hybrid

Ralf Jordan

lenovo.com

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