The Omdia Global Partner 1000

Omdia's new Global Partner 1000 report reveals that the top 30 channel ecosystem partners generate the same revenue as the bottom 970 combined, highlighting extreme market concentration in the $1.07 trillion IT services industry that employs 10.5 million people worldwide.

The Omdia Global Partner 1000 is a comprehensive ranking of the top 1,000 channel ecosystem partners worldwide, encompassing global systems integrators (GSIs), systems integrators (SIs), value-added resellers (VARs), consulting firms, managed service providers (MSPs), non-telco and MSP professional service providers (SPs), and managed security service providers (MSSPs). Collectively, these organizations represent the backbone of the global IT services economy.

Together, the 1000 partners generate US$1.07 trillion in revenue annually, accounts for 63.3% of the global IT services opportunity, employs 10.5 million people, and commands a digital following of 286 million LinkedIn users. The full report, available on the client website, analyzes the structure, scale, partner type, and geographic distribution of these leading partners. It not only provides numerical insights but also interprets what those numbers reveal about the dynamics of the channel ecosystem: who dominates, who specializes, and what the geography and composition of the partner base say about the market.

Omdia has ranked the Global Partner 1000 on a wide array of factors, including but not limited to revenue, geographic presence, strength of partnerships, employee count, and online following. To make the top 1000, partners had to earn at least US$28 million in annual revenue. Certain types of organizations, such as distributors, vendors, telcos, SaaS companies, and independent software vendors (ISVs), were excluded from the rankings. This ensured that the Omdia Global Partner 1000 focused exclusively on professional services, excluding IT manufacturing and development. 

The Omdia Elite Partner 30: the undisputed leaders of the channel ecosystem

The global channel ecosystem is quite top-heavy. The top 30 partners alone generate the same amount of revenue as the bottom 970 partners. This concentration underscores the outsized influence of a handful of GSIs and global players, while also revealing the long tail of thousands of specialized and regional partners.

The Omdia Global Partner 100: global challengers in integration and consulting

The next group of partners, ranked 31 through 100, generates US$274.4 billion annually, representing 26% of the Partner 1000’s revenue.

See the partners ranked 31-100.

The Omdia Global Partner 500: regional specialists with diverse service offerings

The 101–500 tier generates US$208.3 billion annually, representing 19% of the Partner 1000’s total revenue.

See the partners ranked 101-500.

The Omdia Global Partner 1000: the long tail of highly localized services

The final tier, comprising partners ranked 501–1000, generates US$36.7 billion, or 3% of the Partner 1000’s total revenue. 

See the partners ranked 501-1000.

Methodology

The Partner 1000 was compiled using a weighted multi-factor scoring methodology, ranking firms on factors including revenue, geographic presence, strength of partnerships, employee count, years incorporated, and online following. To qualify, firms needed to have at least US$28 million in annual revenue and employ 180 employees. Public revenue data was used when available, and revenue was estimated when not publicly available through a combination of the metrics listed above, using multi-factor, proxy revenue estimation, weighting, scaling and normalization across revenue and non-revenue inputs. Only professional services revenue was counted.

The list excludes distributors, vendors, telcos, SaaS providers, and ISVs. This ensures the focus remains on channel ecosystem partners whose core business lies in professional services rather than distribution, product manufacturing or software development. 

Partner types were assigned to this list based on what service area constituted the majority (50%+) of a given partner’s revenue. However, on average, VARs and MSPs operate in 3.2 distinct service areas, highlighting their adaptability and ability to expand into new areas. GSIs deliver 23% of all managed services worldwide. Partners are increasingly expanding their service breadth to capture a greater share of the customer journey: before, during, and after the transaction.

Authors

Jay McBain, Chief Analyst, Channels Analysis

Noah Dantes, Research Manager, Channels Analysis

Sebastian Wilke, Senior Analyst, Channels Analysis

Aditya George, Research Analyst, Channels Analysis

Dorota Ciupa, Research Analyst, Channels Analysis

For more information, contact [email protected].