At the start of 2026, the outlook for the Middle East channel was clear. IT spending across the region was set to rise sharply, with Gartner projecting that IT spending in MENA would reach $169 billion this year, an 8.9% increase on 2025. Karim Azar, AVP & GM, Confluent Middle East explains how priorities are shifting from focus on growth and new business development to a greater emphasis on maintaining business continuity, strengthening cyber resilience and ensuring operational stability.
But in recent weeks, the ground has shifted, subtly but meaningfully. Across the region, organisations are still moving forward. The ambition has not changed. But priorities are being recalibrated in real time. There is a greater emphasis on maintaining business continuity, strengthening cyber resilience and ensuring operational stability. There is also intent to meet these objectives by getting more out of what is already in place, rather than committing to large-scale new projects. This changes the equation for the channel, because in this environment, winning the next deal matters less than remaining relevant after the last one.
Customers are starting to ask harder questions. Are we fully using what we have already invested in? Can this platform do more for us right now? How quickly can it adapt to shifting priorities? And, crucially, is it still delivering value in the way we need it to today? In many ways, this is not a new dynamic. But it is being brought into much sharper focus.
From deployment to value rediscovery
This is where the channel’s role is being redefined, and where the biggest opportunity now lies. In many organisations, the first use case is only the beginning. Platforms are implemented to solve an immediate need, but their broader potential often remains untapped. In more stable times, that untapped value can sit dormant. Today, it has become too important to ignore. The most effective partners are already leaning into this by helping customers rediscover value within existing investments.
Take real-time data platforms as an example. A solution initially deployed to support operational data flows can quickly evolve into something far more strategic. In the current climate, organisations are using real-time streaming to amplify the value of internal communication systems, delivering instant updates on office access, travel disruptions or changes in operating procedures. It is a simple shift, but an important one. When employees have timely, accurate information, organisations can respond faster, maintain continuity and reduce uncertainty. The technology has not changed, but the value it delivers has.
That is the difference between implementation and partnership. And it does not happen by accident. It requires partners to step in with intent and ask better questions, challenge assumptions and actively look for where more value can be unlocked – not as an upsell, but as a way of making the existing investment work harder.
Because in moments like this, customers do not need more technology. They need more outcomes from the technology they already have.
Why experience has become the differentiator
This is where many partner relationships are tested. When everything is going well, most vendors look the same. The solution works, the dashboards are green and the engagement ticks along. But when priorities shift, or pressure builds, the customer experience becomes far more visible – and far more important.
This is the part of the relationship that cannot be packaged into a proposal or captured in a feature list. It is built over time by being present when it matters, understanding the customer’s world beyond the technology and showing a genuine commitment to their outcomes. In today’s environment, that is not a nice-to-have. It is what protects revenue.
Rethinking the partner playbook
All of this points to a broader shift in how channel partners need to operate. Of course, solution selling remains critical. But it is no longer the end goal. It is the entry point.
What follows is where long-term value is either created or lost. That might mean identifying new use cases within an existing platform. It might mean helping customers redefine how success is measured. Or simply being the partner who shows up with ideas when others stay quiet.
Technology vendors, in turn, have a role to play in enabling this model. They must provide platforms that can support multiple use cases over time, while equipping partners with the tools and support needed to engage beyond the initial implementation.
While strategies set at the start of the year may have shifted, adapting to the current environment presents a clear opportunity for the channel that can create competitive advantage for years to come.
Because ultimately, this is not a temporary adjustment. It is an acceleration of an existing trend. Research from Forrester shows that customer experience can outweigh price as a driver of loyalty, while McKinsey & Company has found that moving from average to exceptional experiences drives disproportionately higher retention and long-term value. In other words, what happens after the sale is now more commercially important than the sale itself. It is no longer about who can sell the next solution fastest, but who can stay relevant the longest.
