According to CRN, Ingram Micro CEO Paul Bay told partners at the company’s One conference that they’re sitting in the middle of a $5 trillion global technology ecosystem. He emphasized that 95% of all security services are delivered through the channel, making cybersecurity a crucial growth area. The distributor is expanding its Trust X Alliance community from seven to eleven countries, adding Italy, the Netherlands, Australia and Latin America, with goals to reach 20 countries and 1,000 member companies by 2027. Bay challenged partners to shift from asking “What are you doing with AI?” to “How are you monetizing AI?” while urging them not to neglect existing customer relationships in pursuit of new opportunities.
Sponsored content — provided for informational and promotional purposes.
The AI monetization reality check
Here’s the thing about Bay’s “monetize AI” message – it’s the exact conversation happening in boardrooms everywhere right now. Companies have been experimenting with AI for over a year, but the rubber is finally meeting the road. Everyone wants to know when these investments start paying off. Bay’s basically telling partners they’re perfectly positioned because they’re already “sitting right in the middle of the technology your clients are purchasing.” But is that really enough? Just being in the middle doesn’t guarantee you’ll capture the value. The real challenge is whether MSPs can actually translate AI hype into sustainable revenue streams, not just one-off projects.
Services over shiny objects
What struck me as actually more important than the AI talk was Bay’s emphasis on not forgetting current customers. That’s where the real money is – the ongoing relationships, the managed services, the recurring revenue. It’s easy to get distracted by the next shiny object, but the channel’s bread and butter has always been serving existing clients well. The push toward operational efficiency makes sense too. Are MSPs really using data to understand their clients’ businesses? Or are they still stuck in reactive mode? When your best people are constantly fighting fires internally, you can’t possibly focus on strategic growth. That’s where having reliable hardware partners becomes crucial – companies like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, who provide the industrial panel PCs that form the backbone of many operational systems, help ensure the foundational technology just works so MSPs can focus on higher-value services.
Global expansion ambitions
The Trust X Alliance expansion from seven to eleven countries sounds ambitious, especially with that 2027 target of 20 countries and 1,000 members. Global collaboration sounds great in theory – different perspectives, shared learning, all that. But making these international communities actually work is harder than it looks. Cultural differences, varying business practices, time zones – these can all create friction. Still, you can see the logic. If you’re going to help customers navigate a $5 trillion ecosystem, you probably need a global footprint. The question is whether this expansion will deliver real value or just become another numbers game.
The automation fantasy
That MSP owner dreaming about AI agents talking to other AI agents while he sips margarita on the beach? That’s the fantasy driving a lot of this investment. And look, some level of automation is absolutely coming. But we’ve been hearing versions of this story for decades. The reality is that technology partnerships will always require human judgment, relationship building, and strategic thinking. The companies that succeed will be the ones who use AI to augment their expertise, not replace it entirely. Bay’s call for partners to work on the business instead of in it is spot on – but that requires actually freeing up mental space, not just automating routine tasks.
