Partnerships key to supporting channel sustainability

A growing awareness of the importance of getting it right on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) front is sparking fresh channel relationships and underlining the value of joining the right ecosystems and alliances.

A report from Agilitas IT Solutions, which regularly monitors the changing channel landscape, has revealed the changes that are happening as a result of a desire by more channel players to be more sustainable.

The Evolve for your partners report revealed that the channel was developing alliances to improve ESG and was under increasing pressure to be able to demonstrate the use of innovative technologies to support sustainability efforts.

There was a recognition that tinkering at the fringes of the business was no longer an option and to be truly sustainable required wholesale changes and working with others through alliances or ecosystems.

That recognition that partnerships were going to be key to supporting ESG efforts meant that the value of choosing partners that could help drive the business in the right direction was becoming more paramount.

Where the report found some positives was in the existing attitude across the channel to sustainability, with many believing they already had a company culture that supported change, and many had established frameworks to measure progress and had promoted a commitment to change across the workforce.

Agilitas’s findings made it clear that partnerships were crucial, and it was important that collaboration was struck between firms with similar attitudes and approaches to sustainability. VARs and MSPs were both looking to work with partners that could offer flexibility and adapt to changing needs.

Resellers were also keen to work with partners that went beyond the SLAs and were prepared to extend the scope of project collaboration. MSPs expressed a desire for a customised service that supported the needs of their specific partnership.

“The technology channel has made significant strides in choosing the right partners, selecting those whose values not only align but also offer longevity that can help the business progress in its current sustainability efforts,” said Warren Playford, head of sales at Agilitas.

“It has been evident that confidence has remained high but did vary across companies of different sizes, while also highlighting the industry sectors that are not prioritising the creation of good quality and rewarding collaborations.”

There is still some work to be done with many channel players quizzed by Agilitas admitting that they still valued profits over purpose as the main criteria when selecting a partner. 

“There is no overnight fix, and the importance of accountability for areas that are currently lacking is key to making progress, for example, sustainability. According to Deloitte, one in every three companies surveyed said an error could easily go undetected in their sustainability data, so a move toward accountable sustainability can’t come soon enough,” he added.