Channel Ecosystem & Roles

Who's in the IT channel ecosystem. Technology rarely moves straight from vendor to customer. It travels through a channel of intermediaries - distributors who carry inventory, resellers and VARs who sell and configure, system integrators and MSPs who deliver and run it, and OEMs and ISVs who build on top. Each plays a different role, earns rebates differently, and relates to vendor programs in its own way.

This cluster defines the segments and the people who run partner programs, so you can place your own business in the ecosystem and see where rebate exposure sits.

The channel and its segments

• IT channel · Channel partner · Reseller · VAR (value-added reseller) · LAR (large account reseller)
• SI (system integrator) · GSI (global system integrator) · Solution provider · Technology broker

Services-led partners

• MSP (managed service provider) · MSSP (managed security service provider) · ISP (internet service provider) · CSP (cloud solution provider)

Upstream players

• Distributor · OEM (original equipment vendor) · ISV (independent software vendor)

The roles that run programs

• Vendor manager · Alliance manager · Partner manager · Channel operations