Around 20 years ago, the rise of APIs reshaped the foundations of the technology channel. What started as a quiet shift in how software systems connected rapidly became a seismic change in how managed service providers (MSPs) delivered value. The partners that understood this trend were able to integrate solutions, automate processes and embed themselves deeper within customer operations, ultimately leading to greater success and faster growth.
Today, a similar but far more disruptive inflection point has arrived. Agentic artificial intelligence, the next major leap in enterprise automation, promises to change not just how work is done, but how MSPs, distributors and resellers define their business models.
Where APIs connected systems, agentic AI connects intent to action. It can plan, decide and execute tasks without step-by-step human input, and the implications for the channel are profound.
Unlike earlier waves of digital transformation, partners will not need large software teams to participate as low-code and no-code tools are rapidly democratising access to agent development.
The winners of the coming decade won’t necessarily be the most technically sophisticated players, but the ones that can quickly apply autonomous agents to real business problems. Imagination and execution, not engineering depth, will be the new differentiators.
From assistant to operator
For years, automation and AI tools have largely been reactive: generating alerts, responding to prompts or executing limited sets of pre-programmed actions. Agentic AI is proactive. Multi-agent systems can interpret goals, evaluate pathways and continuously optimise their own behaviour. In effect, AI shifts from acting as an assistant to functioning as an autonomous operator.
For the channel, this shift is more than a technical upgrade. Customers will increasingly expect partners not just to deploy technology, but to deliver ongoing outcomes, particularly as more customers seek partners that can deliver managed services. The familiar rhythm of project, handover and support will give way to a new model centred on continuous delivery, proactive optimisation and measurable impact.
A new layer of value
The growing maturity of agentic AI is paving the way for entirely new commercial constructs. One of the most promising is so-called ‘Agent-as-a-Service’. This involves partners packaging domain-specific agents such as IT operations trouble-shooters, logistics optimisers or customer onboarding assistants.
Instead of charging for labour, licences or maintenance hours, providers can bill based on the value the agent creates in the form of problems resolved, downtime avoided, transactions processed or customers retained.
Driving this economy will be a new generation of agent marketplaces, where distributors, software vendors, and resellers publish and certify autonomous agents. These marketplaces will mirror today’s SaaS marketplaces, but with deeper governance requirements and greater focus on interoperability.
Rethinking the service provider stack
Agentic AI is also reshaping the traditional value stack. Today, most partners focus on infrastructure, integration, application support and service delivery. But in the future, that stack becomes more dynamic and outcome driven.
With agentic AI, infrastructure shifts from static hosting to adaptive, agent-optimised fabrics. Integration moves from middleware and point-to-point connectors to agent-native orchestration layers.
Application embedded copilots give way to autonomous vertical agents capable of acting across multiple systems. And service contracts evolve from fixed-price projects to metrics that tie payment directly to outcomes such as productivity gains, cost reductions or customer retention.
Stack compression and the changing value chain
As agentic AI flattens layers of operational work, roles within the channel blur. Distributors may operate orchestration hubs that certify and coordinate agents from multiple vendors, including those built by manufacturers themselves.
Resellers and MSPs shift from configuration and support to designing full outcome solutions that bundle hardware, software and autonomous services. Instead of “phone home” diagnostics, agentic platforms can continuously identify opportunities for optimisation, suggest new features or highlight areas where add-on services may be valuable.
This doesn’t replace partners but changes their engagement model, creating a more fluid, networked ecosystem with shared responsibility for customer experience.
Challenges on the path to adoption
Though there is optimism about an AI-powered future, the transition will not be seamless. Skill shortages, particularly in governance, security and agent orchestration, are already emerging. Data quality will become a crucial risk point as autonomous agents cannot be trusted to act on incomplete or biased information. Organisational structures will also need rethinking, with clear boundaries between human oversight and AI autonomy.
Early adopters are mitigating these issues by running controlled pilots in low-risk operational areas before extending deployment to mission-critical processes. Interoperability standards and certification frameworks are becoming essential tools for avoiding vendor lock-in and ensuring transparency.
A strategic imperative
For leaders across the channel, the question is no longer whether agentic AI will reshape the market, but how quickly. Partners that begin experimenting with high-impact pilot deployments, building AI practices and preparing customer data pipelines will gain a first mover advantage.
In the agentic AI era, success hinges on the ability to combine autonomy, interoperability and measurable outcomes in a single, trusted offering. For channel partners of all types, now is the time to embrace agentic AI.