Q4 Tech Advisor Survey Points to Widening TSD Market

Data from Channel Futures' latest survey of technology advisors (agents) hint that share-shift may not be taking place among technology services distributors.

Avant, Intelisys, Telarus and Sandler Partners all saw partner bookings increase more than they decreased in the last quarter of 2024, evidence that the TSD market is expanding its proverbial pie chart.

State of the TSD Market

Channel Futures each quarter asks partners – alongside several other questions – if they've been putting more, less or the same amount business with various TSDs. The Q4 data shows increases across the board. Forty-two percent of partners said they increased bookings with Avant, and 25% said they increased with Intelisys and Telarus, respectively.

Those increases did not come with a corresponding decrease from a different TSD. In other words, increases for one TSD didn't come at the expense of another.

Partners also shared how they are most commonly leveraging TSD support. Quoting and pricing, commissions delivery and vendor research/vetting were the top three areas.

"The TSDs that can best help TAs sell the solutions that will drive the high projected growth will be most coveted," said Devan Adams, principal analyst of channel for Omdia, Channel Futures' sister research company. "It is imperative for a TSD to do its homework now, if they haven’t started already, to dive deeper into both the revenue/profit drivers and activities (like quoting and vendor-vetting) TAs need most from TSDs to support their 2024 growth aspirations."

Related:Q3 Tech Advisor Survey Shows Shift in UCaaS Sales

Optimism for Partners

A challenging macroeconomic environment isn't worrying agents about the health of their business and the industry.

Twenty-eight percent of respondents gave the channel an "excellent" rating for how it is performing.

Thirty-nine percent said their customers were more willing to spend money on technology than they were a year prior.

Channel Futures also asked partners about their needs from vendors, how their tech sales portfolios are faring and their thoughts on fee-based revenue.

Go through the seven images above to see key takeaways.

Then, check out the Q3 TA survey.