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5 min readEMEA Channel News Round-up — October 2026
In October an analyst warned that up to 30% of EMEA partners will not survive to 2030 in their current form. Over the same weeks distributors took on bigger roles and UK MSP consolidation continued.
In October an analyst warned that up to 30% of EMEA partners will not survive to 2030 in their current form. Over the same weeks distributors took on bigger roles and UK MSP consolidation continued.
Headlines
- Omdia at Canalys Forums EMEA (Barcelona, 6–8 October): “By 2030 we expect that up to 30% of the existing partner base is not going to exist in its current form”, according to chief analyst Alastair Edwards. Omdia also expects negotiating power to shift back towards partners over the next 12–18 months. (MicroScope, Channel Dive)
- ServiceNow moved to a multi-tier channel in EMEA. From 1 October Exclusive Networks handles its newly classified “Indirect” partners, about 600–700 of them. (IT Channel Oxygen)
- Proofpoint agreed to buy Varonis on 15 October in an all-cash deal of about $6.3bn. It is Proofpoint’s second big move on MSP and SMB security after Hornetsecurity. (SiliconANGLE)
- Pax8 Beyond EMEA took place in Copenhagen on 18–20 October. Pax8 launched 8os there, and Air IT Group was named Partner of the Year. (Pax8)
- UK MSP M&A stayed busy: Previder bought Wanstor, Aspire bought Sentis, Utilize bought tn4 and Strive Capital bought Jigsaw24.
Vendor partner programmes
Vendors are rewarding fewer, more capable partners, and they’re paying for growth and AI rather than renewals.
| Vendor | October move | What it means for partners |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Growth Margin live from 1 Oct; 5% increase on annual-term, monthly-billed CSP software (SQL Server, Windows Server, CALs, System Center) | CSP margin follows new customers, seat expansion and AI adoption; monthly-billed legacy licences cost more at renewal |
| Veeam | EMEA channel overhaul: fewer directly managed partners, consolidated European distribution, new Sovereignty Badge competency | Resources go to fewer partners; sovereign-cloud capability is now formally recognised |
| Westcon-Comstor + Palo Alto Networks | Partner Growth Circle launched at WestConnect Barcelona (28 Oct) | Joint business plans, pipeline targets and quarterly reviews for Palo Alto partners |
| Oracle | US$1bn over four years for Oracle PartnerNetwork (23 Oct) | Funds training, migration, co-sell and Oracle Marketplace private offers |
| Jitterbit | Catalyst Partner Program, published margins up to 40% (reported 1 Nov) | Three tiers; 20–30% base discount plus 10% on registered deals, and margins held across multi-year contracts |
| GTIA | Managed Intelligence Alliance launched (19 Oct) | Vendor-neutral support for MSPs delivering AI to SMBs |
Distribution & marketplaces
Distributors are moving from fulfilment into running channels, with ServiceNow and Palo Alto Networks as October’s clearest examples.
- Exclusive Networks now runs a ServiceNow business across Europe and the Middle East. It went live on 1 October with a team of about 70, and an Irish office is planned for Q4 2026. ServiceNow keeps about six direct partners in the countries Exclusive was awarded, and everyone else transacts through Exclusive. (MSP Channel, IT Channel Oxygen)
- Westcon-Comstor launched the Partner Growth Circle with Palo Alto Networks. Partners get structured joint planning and enablement, and their performance is reviewed each quarter against agreed pipeline targets. (ITPro)
- Pax8 Beyond EMEA (Copenhagen): Pax8 launched 8os, its agentic workforce OS, and 8bot, a managed AI coworker for SMB clients. UK award winners included Air IT Group (Partner of the Year), CMS Group (EMEA Managed Intelligence Partner of the Year) and Redinet (Hall of Fame). (Pax8 awards, Pax8 newsroom)
M&A and investment
In October UK MSPs and resellers were bought by European MSPs, PE-backed consolidators and Sage specialists. Proofpoint’s Varonis deal topped the vendor side.
| Date | Deal | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Oct | Strive Capital acquires Jigsaw24 | Academia’s owner adds Apple-focused reseller Jigsaw24 |
| 26 Oct | Previder (Odin Group) completes Wanstor buy | Dutch MSP’s UK platform; Wanstor is a business with £26m in revenue. Terms not disclosed |
| 19 Oct | Utilize acquires tn4 | Doubles Utilize’s Sage customer base |
| 15 Oct | Proofpoint to acquire Varonis | About $6.3bn all cash; close expected H1 2027. Builds on its MSP-focused Hornetsecurity buy |
| 7 Oct | Aspire Technology Solutions acquires Sentis | Warrington MSP with 80+ customers; Aspire’s fourth deal as it targets £100m in sales |
MSP/MSSP market & AI
The EMEA channel is splitting in two. Specialists in AI, cyber and data centres see strong demand, while generalists face flat or falling revenue.
- Omdia’s EMEA partner research, presented in Barcelona, found that more than half of partners expect flat or declining revenue. Large VARs and AI, cybersecurity, networking and data-centre specialists see strong demand. (Dutch IT Channel)
- The MSP model itself is changing. Omdia’s Robin Ody said the disruption could change what an MSP looks like in five to ten years. Omdia expects valuations to be the main driver of MSP AI adoption up to 2030. (CRN UK)
- AI dominated the Canalys Forum. Omdia’s Jay McBain pointed to the many AI projects that fail as a gap partners can fill. (MicroScope)
- The global MSP surveys point both ways. In the MSP 501 report, 57% of MSPs expect AI to be among their top revenue gainers (IT Brief). But Nerdio finds only 12% can show measurable productivity gains from AI (GlobeNewswire).
- Pax8’s SMB AI Pulse report (12 Oct) found that small businesses are building AI faster than they can govern it. That makes governance a natural MSP service to sell. (Pax8 newsroom)
Looking ahead
November is busy in London: ChannelCon EMEA, the CMA EMEA Summit and the Manchester Managed Services Summit fall within two weeks of each other.
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Nov 2026 | Managed Services Summit Nordics | Stockholm |
| 9–10 Nov 2026 | GTIA ChannelCon EMEA | Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London; 500+ MSPs/ITSPs |
| 11–12 Nov 2026 | Channel Leader (CMA/CSA) EMEA Summit | London |
| 12 Nov 2026 | MSP Channel Insights Roadshow | Utrecht |
| 17 Nov 2026 | Managed Services Summit | Manchester Central |
| 24 Nov 2026 | MSP Channel Insights Roadshow | Copenhagen |
| 1 Dec 2026 | Updated Microsoft Partner Agreement takes effect | Automatic for most CSP partners |
| 1–3 Mar 2027 | IT Nation Connect Europe | London |
Sources
- MicroScope — 30% of EMEA partners will disappear by 2030
- MicroScope — Channel forum: AI the dominant theme
- CRN UK — Up to 30% of channel partners will disappear or transform by 2030
- Channel Dive — How AI expertise is shifting the balance of power
- Dutch IT Channel — Groei in IT-kanaal verschuift naar AI-, cyber- en dataspecialisten
- MSP Channel — Exclusive Networks launches ServiceNow business
- IT Channel Oxygen — Exclusive Networks’ 70-person ServiceNow team
- ITPro — Westcon-Comstor Partner Growth Circle
- CRN UK — Veeam EMEA channel chief interview
- IT Europa — Jitterbit 40% partner margins
- IT Brief UK — Oracle pledges US$1bn to partner ecosystem
- Pax8 — Microsoft updates October 2026
- Pax8 — Beyond EMEA 2026 awards
- Pax8 EU newsroom
- SiliconANGLE — Proofpoint to buy Varonis
- CRN UK — Previder acquires Wanstor
- IT Europa — Aspire acquires Sentis
- IT Channel Oxygen — M&A coverage (Jigsaw24, Wanstor, tn4)
- IT Brief — MSP 501 AI revenue report
- GlobeNewswire — Nerdio State of the MSP Business
- GTIA — ChannelCon EMEA
- Impartner — channel events
- Scalable MSP — MSP events 2026
- Nuoptima — MSP events 2027
- Pax8 — Microsoft updates September 2026
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