As AI products and services bombard large enterprises with promises of generative AI features, AI-enablement, and broad AI possibilities, MSPs are often left on their own in the marketplace to figure out how the AI tsunami will affect them and their SMB customers.
To battle that conundrum, global technology distributor TD Synnex joined with Intel in June to create a Destination AI Practice Accelerator that aims to provide direct help and advice to MSPs on how to bring in AI technologies and services to help their businesses grow.
“A lot of the mid-market small business partners I'm talking to are experimenting with and using generative AI tools internally,” Sherry Bennett, chief data and AI scientist at TD Synnex, told ChannelE2E. “They are creating little products for themselves internally. This can lead to products that they take to market.”
The problem, though, is that there is a lot of hype, said Bennett, along with the need for better AI implementation advice and more.
Here’s What the Destination AI Practice Accelerator Provides
Under the new Destination AI Practice Accelerator alliance, TD Synnex is providing technical help and aggregation for its ISV and MSP customers, while Intel is bringing its expertise in chips, AI PCs, and other technologies. The combined alliance is an effort to boost AI possibilities for MSPs and their SMB end users, who often have more questions and answers on AI today, said Bennett. Under the program, Intel and TD Synnex will collaborate to guide partners and customers through the AI landscape by sharing AI best practices and recommended technologies based on the size, scale, and complexity of their customers' business needs.
“We are still helping partners to have conversations with their end-user customers around data strategy, data management, data governance, these sorts of things,” she said. “So, we have assessments that our partners use to facilitate those conversations with their end customers, to identify where they are weak on data management, to have conversations about how you cannot do X unless you put in data governance structure.”
For many MSPs, one of the most significant issues with AI today in the marketplace is FOMO -- the worry of being left behind as AI adoption happens around them and competitors or larger companies take advantage of the business opportunities that are being generated, said Bennett.
For TD Synnex, the answer is to create alliances like this one with Intel to find new ways to help MSPs, ISVs, and other channel partners go to market with AI services, she said.
Tech analyst firm Canalys said in a study last year that AI is an immediate market opportunity for systems integrators but not so much for MSPs. TD Synnex’s alliance with Intel recognizes this market opportunity and is providing more fuel for TD Synnex’s push to find new ways to raise revenue for MSPs and their SMB customers as well.
Working with TD Synnex on the alliance is Rob Risany, Intel’s director of edge AI and solution aggregation for the U.S. region. Risany was not immediately available for comment on the alliance at press time.
Helping Partners to Understand AI
The strategy of the alliance revolves around helping MSP customers to have conversations with their end user customers on how they can bring in powerful AI tools to help their businesses, including generative AI, said Bennett.
One example of this is a camera company that wants to use AI for its surveillance cameras. TD Synnex brought up ways to embed AI tools into the cameras and opened conversations with them about how to make it happen to create new products and services, said Bennett.
“We are trying to help partners understand, how do you have the conversation with the end customers who are confused about AI, who do not know how to leverage it?” she said.
