Top 5 Takeaways from CPEXPO 2022

Like many of you in the channel, I’ve just spent a week in Vegas at the 25^th anniversary Channel Partners Conference & Expo. Congratulations, Channel Partners, on 25 years. Thanks for bringing the channel community together twice a year and every day online. We agree – the best is yet to come!

Here are a few of the reasons why:

1. The channel is back – bigger and better than ever. More than 7,400 people turned out for CPEXPO – the largest contingent in the event’s history. It’s confirmation of what many of us in the channel community already know – the channel is growing in numbers and importance to businesses in navigating complex tech decisions. The record attendance also included a greater mix of agents, VARs and MSPs. The channel convergence we’ve anticipated for more than a decade may finally be here!
2. Network transformation is an opportunity and a challenge. Telecom agents are looking for providers to help their customers transition from MPLS-centric wide area networks to flexible software-defined WANs. At the same time, provider consolidation is narrowing their options as legacy carriers buy up disruptive competitors. Aryaka remains independent and invites partners to join our continuing campaign for cloud-first networking.
3. Marketplaces are gaining momentum. Online marketplaces are not new; they thrive in the software world as a direct-to-customer channel for buyers that have done their digital homework. What’s happening now is that marketplaces are adding more complex services like SD-WAN (stay tuned for some big news from Aryaka). At the same time, they are embracing rather than disintermediating the traditional IT and telecom channels. Buyers get the best of both worlds – expert advisors and simplified ordering.
4. SASE soars. Secure networking is priority one with partners and their customers, and for a good reason – network security is complex. They’re looking to simplify with integrated and managed SASE and SD-WAN. Aryaka’s 6^th annual State of the WAN report backs up what we heard in conversations at CPEXPO: More than two-thirds (64%) are deploying or planning to deploy SASE over the next year. A similar number will opt for a managed SASE to help address complexity and costs.
5. Diversity moves to center stage … literally. Diversity in gender and race were evident among the speakers and topics at CPEXPO – a welcome change for an industry long criticized for the opposite. While we’ve still a long way to go as a community, the show organizers deserve credit for leading us toward greater inclusion. For those of us at Aryaka, diversity is part of our DNA as an organization. Our global team is diverse from the home office to the corner office; two-thirds of our leadership are diverse in gender and/or race.

Those are my top five takeaways. Agree? Disagree? I’d love to hear from you! Connect with me personally on LinkedIn or email [email protected].

About the author

Craig Patterson

Craig Patterson is an award-winning, results-driven, and motivational sales leader, currently serving as Aryaka’s Global Channel Chief. In this role, Patterson is responsible for Aryaka’s global Channel Strategy, market growth, and mobilization of channel sales and marketing teams across North America, EMEA and APAC. He is credited with launching Aryaka’s Accelerate Channel Partner Program which earned the prestigious 5-STAR CRN Award in 2022. Patterson is also a recipient of the 2022 CRN Channel Chief Award and 2022 Channel Futures: Circle of Excellence Award for dedication, industry stature and accomplishments as a channel advocate. Prior to joining Aryaka, Patterson was the West Division Vice President for Lumen’s indirect channel, where he led the global sales and revenue strategy for a $1billion organization within the Lumen Channel Partner Program. Patterson is a passionate supporter and contributor to philanthropic efforts, and currently serves on the board for the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). He resides in Colorado with his family.