The annual ChannelCon gathering of MSPs, vendors, distributors, and other tech industry experts, formerly a CompTIA community event and taking place this week in Nashville, Tennessee, did not miss a beat under the rebranded Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA). From a look at GTIA’s new mission to the inside scoop on their recent buying trends study, and a familiar face in the channel named GTIA Partner of the Year, here’s a rundown of what attendees heard on Tuesday.
GTIA’s Pillars for Community and Advancement
Dan Wensley (pictured above), appointed as GTIA’s CEO in May, shared the core values and mission of the nonprofit membership community that connects and represents the worldwide IT channel. He described four pillars that will guide how GTIA operates. “For us, it’s first and foremost people. It’s the individual members of GTIA and the channel across the globe. Next is the resources we build, share, collaborate on, and deliver to you. Next is community—it cannot happen in a vacuum. It has to happen in and with this community. And [finally], it’s a dedication to advancement, to make sure we’re giving you value out of your membership,” he said.
GTIA’s new mission statement is: “To advance the people and businesses of the global IT channel with trusted, unbiased resources as an inclusive community that drives growth. Together with our members, we give back through impactful charitable initiatives that shape the future.”
A Deeper Look at SMB Buying Trends
GTIA’s also released their most recent study, SMB Technology and Buying Trends 2025, at ChannelCon 2025. Carolyn April, VP of research and market intelligence at GTIA, dug into key findings from the report in her breakout session—and in a sit-down interview with MSP Success. Here’s what you need to know to stay ahead of the curve.
Economic shifts cause fluctuating SMB costs.
Many SMBs will not be able to survive new tariffs and inflation without passing some or all of the additional cost onto their customers, said April. “This means [SMBs] could lose customers who can’t afford their new prices, or have a slowdown in acquiring net new customers. That’s all going to trickle upstream to technology providers. It leaves less money for them to spend on technology. It’s a domino effect,” she said.
Because SMBs are so susceptible to economic shifts, MSPs who support a high percentage of SMB clients will be more at risk. Resiliency will be key for MSPs to survive the shift, April said.
SMBs continue increasing technology spend.
SMBs who have the money to spend are continuing to invest in tech. The report found that about 40% of SMBs increased their year-over-year technology budget from 2024 to 2025. “There is a general realization that technology is a fundamental piece of any business’s infrastructure,” April said. “There was a direct correlation [in the research] between the SMBs that are thriving and their level of technology use. They tend to be much more invested in technology and consider technology a primary factor in running their business.”
Budget constraints create gap between SMBs’ tech needs and actual spend.
There is a not insignificant group of SMBs who would like to spend more on technology like new hardware and cybersecurity, but simply don’t have the funds to do so. For MSPs with cash-poor clients, “convincing them how important technology is, is the first step,” said April. “You can show them taking [some money] away from another area to spend on technology might be a good thing for their business in the end. Technologists can also be creative and find less expensive solutions for some customers. You don’t have to sell them the premium stack; you might create a basic stack for these customers. As you upgrade them over time, they may be more inclined to move up the stack once they start to see results.”
With Change Comes Opportunity
Luckily for MSPs, these shifts have opened up new avenues of opportunity for technology providers. Here are some areas where SMBs are looking for support.
SMBs look to AI to fill efficiency and workforce gaps.
Many SMBs want to improve operational efficiency—and they’re looking to AI to do it. MSPs can best take advantage of this demand by continuing to educate themselves on AI and educating their customers, said April. “We’re all in a learning process right now with AI,” she said. “But one of the biggest opportunities for MSPs right now is to do consulting around AI. You’re not selling your customer anything AI-related, but you are sitting down with them and explaining what AI is. A lot of [the opportunity] is that consultative sales [model]; bring the technology in after the fact.”
SMB cybersecurity awareness continues to lag.
“[SMBs] can be very vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks; they don’t get that,” said April. The study found that SMBs tend not to commit enough budget to cybersecurity because they don’t understand their risk. “It’s a bit of a ‘blinders on’ situation with a lot of SMBs,” she said. “They don’t realize they’re big targets for breaches, hacks, and ransomware. If you can have that educational conversation, show them the dollars and cents and business reality of it, you can get them to understand that what they’re doing is not sufficient. Then you can start translating that into the technology conversation.”
However, April informed attendees that attempting to scare customers into taking cybersecurity has proven to be ineffective. “Fearmongering is not the way to go,” she said. “You need to have a gentler message to get them there—but a convincing one nonetheless.”
Vision and strategy is the biggest tech gap for SMBs.
The report found that SMBs believe that vision and technology strategy is the area where they are lacking the most, with 61% reporting they have some room for improvement, and 20% saying they have lots of room for improvement. This gap signifies an incredible opportunity for MSPs to become that trusted advisor to their customers. “Your real value-add here is not the things you sell, but the knowledge you have,” said April. “The complexity [in the tech industry] is a positive for the experts—the customers need you. If you can learn what your customer’s business priorities, goals, and outcomes are and apply your technical know-how, that’s another way of demonstrating that you’re an expert and understand their business.”
Member of the Year Award
GTIA also revealed its Member of the Year on Tuesday: well-known community member Matt Lee, senior director of security and compliance at Pax8.
Celebrating its 10th year, the GTIA Member of the Year Award is the highest honor given by GTIA each year to a member of the GTIA Community. To be eligible for the award, a nominee or applicant must have been a GTIA member in good standing for a minimum of one year. The winner is chosen by the GTIA Member of the Year selection committee, which is made up of past Member of the Year recipients who are active members of GTIA.
“Matt Lee reflects the core values of GTIA and his impact can be seen, felt, and heard throughout the community,” said MJ Shoer, chief community officer, GTIA. “His leadership around cybersecurity and his commitment to building community have made a real difference for GTIA, our members, and the greater channel ecosystem. We’re proud to name Matt Lee our GTIA Member of the Year.”
