Voice of the SI partners survey 2025

The HFS 2025 voice of the SI partners survey (based on input from 117 senior leaders) reveals which tech vendors truly drive enterprise value through their ecosystems and which ones still treat partnerships as a checkbox. It also exposes what drives SI partners’ satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue.

- Execution beats incentives. SIs reward vendors that show up in the field, not just in the portal. Embedded co-selling, responsive support, and shared accountability win deals and build loyalty. Co-selling and GTM alignment drive both value and revenue. Microsoft Software, Azure, and AWS dominate here because they don’t just talk partnership; they deliver.
- Differentiation is the new deal breaker. In crowded markets, vendors that equip SIs with industry solutions, certifications, and GTM assets stand out. Oracle and IBM shine on enablement but must close the monetization gap.
- No differentiation = no investment. Vendors with high scores for tech roadmap, AI vision, and ecosystem integration are pulling ahead, enabling partners to differentiate and innovate at scale. Google Cloud, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and especially Adobe, Databricks, Snowflake, and Workday risk fading into irrelevance without clearer value props for SIs.
- MDF and incentives must be frictionless and outcome-driven. Funding is only valuable if it’s fast, flexible, and directly tied to the pipeline—not buried under the process.
- Revenue and value impact are not always aligned. Some vendors excel at enabling value but lag in driving partner revenue, and vice versa. This divergence is critical for enterprise buyers: a high-value partner may not always be the best for revenue acceleration, and a high-revenue partner may lack the strategic depth for long-term transformation.

The Bottom line: SIs back tech and cloud vendors that treat them like growth partners not sales channels. The mandate for vendors is clear. Double down on what moves the needle: GTM alignment, co-sell orchestration, next-gen enablement, and a clear, partner-centric innovation roadmap. Optimize incentives and MDF to reward business outcomes, not just compliance.

Login

Register

Insight. Inspiration. Impact.

Get Started

Author

Hansa Iyengar Practice Leader

Sign up for a free
research account

With the exception of our Horizons reports, most of our research is available for free on our website. Sign up for a free account and start realizing the power of insights now.

First Name *

Surname *

Email address *

Phone Number

Company *

Type of Organisation *

Job Title *

Job Seniority *

State / County / Province

Country *

Digests/Newsletters: Overviews of the latest news, insight, and research by HFS.

HFS Events: Exclusive invitations to HFS webinars, roundtables, and summits, bringing together key industry stakeholders focused on major innovations impacting business operations.

By registering you agree to our privacy policy.

I hereby consent that HFS Research can process my personal data.

Premium Access

Our premium subscription gives enterprise clients access to our complete library of proprietary research, direct access to our industry analysts, and other benefits.

Help

If you are looking for help getting in touch with someone from HFS, please click the chat button to the bottom right of your screen to start a conversation with a member of our team.

[email protected]