Seizing the 2026 Channel Opportunities 

Working at the centre of the Australian IT channel gives our Dicker Data team unparalleled visibility into how customer needs, vendor strategies and technology investments are shifting. Across the market, we are seeing organisations refocus on value, resilience, capability building and smarter technology decisions. These shifts are reshaping where partners can create the most impact in 2026. Drawing on our insights and conversations across the channel, we have outlined six opportunities that will help partners strengthen their offerings and capture new growth. 

#1 Build Smarter Supply Chain Strategies 

“The world has changed, and supply is now the number one issue. Anyone with inventory wins.” - Steve Brazier, Canapii Co-Founder, speaking at the Canalys Forum 2025.  

A DRAM memory shortage hit the tech industry in late 2025, driving up costs and forcing vendors to rethink product lines. Prices for DRAM, as well as for devices and servers have already begun increasing, and with fewer options available in 2026, manufacturers are prioritising premium devices, such as Copilot+ PCs.  

“Adopting longer planning cycles, engaging with your distributor early and communicating clearly and regularly with your customers is essential. To ensure the configuration, specifications and rollout timelines are as accurate as possible, it is important to minimise revisions. Each time a change is made, you risk your position in the queue being reset. Despite pricing being volatile and supply fluctuating, we are already working very closely with every vendor to ensure we can service every partner order. As with previous supply disruptions, the partners who share visibility into their requirements, forecast accurately and communicate honestly and transparently are the ones who perform best.” - Luke Trinh, General Manager, Hardware, Dicker Data.

What Partners Should Do Now  

• Lock in critical component supply early through Dicker Data  

• Share market intelligence and set realistic timelines with customers  

• Plan alternate hardware configurations to protect delivery schedules and customer expectations 

Smart supply chain planning is now mission critical. Partners with contracts dependent on device supply should act immediately. Our team at Dicker Data is ready to help you secure inventory to keep your projects on track. Talk to your Dicker Data representative about your device needs over the coming months now to minimise the impacts of the global DRAM shortage on your business.

#2 Turn AI into a capability, not a constraint 

Did you know Australia’s AI market is forecast to reach $315 billion by 2028?  Shadow AI is already embedded in most organisations, and 60% of CIOs and IT leaders admit they know it’s happening but choose to ignore it. That’s the risk, and the opportunity for the channel. In 2026, partners who build their AI capability with awareness, governance, and repeatable pathways will unlock real value while protecting their customers from emerging threats. 

Why This Matters Now 

Skills shortages remain the #1 barrier to AI adoption for partners. That’s why Dicker Data is focused on helping you build your AI capability, accelerate your time to market and close the skills gap that your customers need help with. 

How We're Supporting You

AI Accelerate is a first‑of‑its‑kind enablement practice designed to expose IT resellers to real‑world AI solutions they can deploy for their customers today. It equips teams with foundational, ground‑up knowledge so they can confidently discuss and build bespoke AI solutions, helping them evolve into true AI‑capable partners.

“The $315 billion opportunity is real and moving fast. Partners who prepare internally and leverage AI Accelerate will be ready to lead customers through this transformation and capture the revenue that comes with it. Customers who are not being proactively engaged by their technology partner are going it alone and forging their own paths, which is a missed opportunity for the channel and a costly one for the customer.”- Amir Kalil, AI Practice Lead, Dicker Data   

How to get started:  

• Take our AI readiness assessment survey.

• Build AI into the tech stack you're already selling. 

• Engage AI Accelerate to fast-track your capability.

The Opportunity in Building AI Capability 

AI is reshaping every layer of the technology stack. Partners who treat AI as a capability, not a one-off initiative, will be the ones who win. By building skills, strengthening solutions and embedding AI thinking across devices, data, infrastructure and security, you unlock long term customer value. 

Dicker Data acts as an extension of your team to help you build your AI capability through enablement programs, consulting, engineering support and the AI Accelerate practice, giving you everything you need to confidently deliver AI led outcomes and capture the growing demand amongst your end-customers. 

#3 Building Cyber Resilience as a Business Enabler in 2026  

Cybersecurity is entering a new era. Organisations are facing rising threats, shrinking security teams and rapidly expanding hybrid environments. At the same time, investment patterns are shifting. APAC cybersecurity spending is forecast to grow, yet AI-related investment is accelerating even faster, signalling a clear direction for how partners should evolve their security practices in 2026. 

In Australia, spend is projected to reach approximately $15 to $20 billion by 2033–34. Yet 65 percent of businesses plan to reduce security headcount, creating a major oversight gap. This puts pressure on organisations to adopt AI-driven cybersecurity solutions that minimise manual effort, reduce false positives and clearly signal where human intervention is required. The result is greater focus, faster response and better utilisation of existing teams, and a greater reliance on technology partners to fill the gaps

Cyber resilience is no longer just about defence. It is how businesses maintain trust, protect operations and continue growing in an environment where disruption is inevitable. Organisations that embed intelligent, AI-assisted resilience into their strategy can recover faster, maintain uptime and make confident, risk-informed decisions that turn security into a competitive advantage. 

Here are five strategies that will help you guide customers toward stronger, more intelligent cyber resilience. 

1. Lead with Business Outcomes. Position cyber resilience around uptime, recoverability, compliance and operational assurance rather than tools or features. 

2. Deliver Outcome-Based Solutions. Shift from resale to solution-led services that package detection, protection, response and recovery into clear business value. 

3. Grow Managed Security and DRaaS. With headcount declining, customers need managed offerings such as Backup as a Service, DRaaS and AI-powered monitoring that provide predictable ongoing support that’s scalable. 

4. Design for Multi-Cloud and Hybrid. Architect cloud-agnostic security and resilience solutions that work consistently across hybrid and distributed environments. 

5. Unify Cyber and Recovery Readiness. Identity, access control and zero trust principles are essential for preventing breaches and enabling rapid recovery. 

“Place as much focus on protecting identity as you do infrastructure. Every major breach starts with compromised access - your people are the new perimeter. Invest in Zero Trust, MFA, continuous verification, and incident readiness; these are no longer optional. Treat cybersecurity as a business resilience enabler, not an IT expense. The leaders who act now will be the best prepared.” - George Guirguis, Business Manager – Cybersecurity & Presales (Cisco & Pure Storage)  

Dicker Data provides an ecosystem of world leading cybersecurity and data protection vendors that enable AI-driven, intelligent cyber resilience across hybrid environments. Our portfolio helps partners deliver integrated detection, protection and recovery solutions so customers can focus on running their business. 

Explore our Cyber and Data Resiliency Solutions here.    

#4 The Year of Subscription Sprawl   

As businesses expand their SaaS and cybersecurity portfolios, the resulting sprawl introduces visibility challenges, escalates operational costs and exposes critical security vulnerabilities. This overload of overlapping services creates a golden opportunity for partners to step in as trusted optimisers, the go-to advisors who help customers audit and streamline their sprawling subscription stacks, curbing waste and complexity.   

The Opportunity for Partners:  

• Optimise costs by eliminating redundant subscriptions.  

•  Consolidate your tech stack for better pricing and management.  

• Ensure compliance with licensing terms.  

• Improve ROI by aligning subscriptions with actual usage and business goals.  

2026 is about turning transactions into transformation. Every sale should open the door to smarter bundles, including device management, security enhancements, backup solutions, workflow automation and licensing reviews. With AI, cloud, and cybersecurity driving complexity, partners can’t just advise, they need to architect and deliver. Those who invest in technical expertise will stand out, building deeper, outcome-driven relationships.  

#5 Why Telco is a key play for 2026  

If you’re an IT reseller or MSP working with Dicker Data, you’re already delivering the hardware, software, and cloud solutions businesses rely on. But here’s the question: are you capturing the connectivity revenue that powers it all? Enterprise mobility is a $3-billion-dollar opportunity that technology partners can’t ignore.  

The lines between IT and telco are disappearing. Customers don’t want multiple vendors, they want one trusted advisor delivering end-to-end technology: hardware, software, cloud, and connectivity. Telcos are investing heavily in the channel and actively seeking new partnerships. This is your moment to expand your customers operations, beyond IT and claim the connectivity revenue attached to every deployment.  

Why It Matters  

Every device, every cloud migration, every managed solution needs connectivity. Bundling telco services with IT solutions isn’t just smart, it positions you as the single source of truth for your customers’ technology needs.   

Enter Dicker Data Telco Solutions  

We’ve built a dedicated division with one clear mission.  

“To make telco accessible, easy, and profitable for partners. MSPs are perfectly placed to capture the connectivity revenue attached to every solution they manage, and we’ve positioned ourselves to help them do exactly that.” – Jason Hall, General Manager, Telco, Dicker Data  

Our team brings nearly 200 years of combined Telco experience. From onboarding and enablement to quoting and solution design, we work alongside you every step of the way.  

The Opportunity Is Clear:  

• Simplify complexity with consolidated, flexible bundles  

• Deliver measurable outcomes with future-ready architectures  

• Strengthen customer loyalty by becoming their end-to-end technology partner  

Ready to capture the connectivity revenue you’ve been missing? Learn more here. 

#6 Modern Workplace & AI PC Refresh  

AI PCs are projected to surpass 50% of global PC shipments by 2026 with Windows 10 end-of-support and Copilot integration accelerating refresh cycles. Standard laptops are disappearing and business buyers want future-ready devices that deliver speed, privacy and local AI processing.  

This isn’t just about hardware. Every AI PC sale is an opportunity to attach services and licenses; think Microsoft Copilot subscriptions, advanced security and workflow automation. With the average Windows 11 PC in Australia now four years old, conversations around refreshing these device should start now, particularly by positioning Copilot+ PCs as the productivity standard with your customers.  

Bundle devices with services to deepen value and elevate your role as your customer’s modern workplace advisor. 

Why Dicker Data?  

"A great IT distributor should feel like an extension of your team, helping you expand your offerings and stay competitive. This is what our team strive to do every day, helping you unlock and land your next opportunity." – Sandeep Sharma, Regional Sales Manager.  

2026 isn’t about waiting to see what happens, it’s about making bold, strategic moves now. As your trusted Distribution partner, we’re here to help you grow and turn these six plays into competitive wins. Connect with our team today.