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The channel is historically very risk averse is not a statement you’d normally associate with the technology industry – after all, it’s the same industry that popularised the term “bleeding edge”. Yet Carolyn April, vice-president of industry research at CompTIA, is unequivocal in her belief that the channel’s aversion to risk “often keeps channel companies the same size year after year. They are not willing to take the risk.” Her comments were made at the recent launch of CompTIA’s State of the channel 2024 report, which found that only 23% of channel businesses described themselves as having a “high risk tolerance”. Tom Henson, managing director at Emerge Digital, says: “It’s understandable why some might perceive the IT channel as risk-averse – and in some cases, it is. However, it’s a mix; some vendors are eager to innovate, while others are more reserved.” Adopting new technology can be complex and time-consuming, so many partners must weigh up the potential benefits with the investment of time and resources. “MSPs [managed...