Top 7 Reasons Technology Advisors, MSPs & Partners Choose AppDirect

The way businesses buy technology is changing fast. Buyers now expect cloud marketplaces, AI-assisted procurement, and integrated technology stacks that work together seamlessly. IT budgets are rising, managed services are becoming the default expectation, and customers increasingly want one trusted partner who can help them integrate, manage, and optimize their entire environment.

Marketplace adoption is accelerating: Canalys reports that marketplace-driven software and services purchases will reach $45B by 2025 (84% CAGR). At the same time, vendor consolidation has become a top priority as companies streamline their technology environments and look to strengthen strategic partnerships, as indicated by Flexera. And as procurement modernizes, 73% of procurement professionals say they're already using AI for procurement use cases, underscoring how quickly AI-assisted buying is reshaping B2B purchasing.

In this environment, AppDirect has grown into one of the world’s largest subscription commerce ecosystems—powering 1,000+ providers, 14,000+ advisors, and 16 million subscribers. Every side of the ecosystem—providers, advisors, and buyers—benefits from shared innovation, efficiency, and growth.

About this article

This article breaks down the top reasons technology advisors and channel partners across North America choose AppDirect to streamline operations, boost revenue, and deliver exceptional value. Use these insights to see how you can leverage AppDirect to scale your business and meet the demands of today’s digital-first buyers.

Sell across more categories—And earn 2–3x more revenue per customer

Today’s customers want more than connectivity. They want integrated solutions across cloud, SaaS, energy, security, infrastructure, mobility, and managed services.

AppDirect gives you access to thousands of products in those categories – and more – from more than 1000 providers—all in one place—so you can expand your portfolio with confidence.

“Every time an advisor adds a category, they typically sell on average two to three times more than those who don’t.” —Renée Bergeron, Chief Operating Officer, AppDirect

This means that as a channel partner or managed services provider, you get a clear path to cross-selling and upselling across the entire stack, helping you increase revenue while remaining your customers’ single trusted technology partner.

World-class support at every stage of the sales journey

You shouldn’t have to grow alone—or hire a large team to scale your business.

With AppDirect, you get a full, dedicated support team at no cost:

• Channel Manager—Your growth strategist

• Partner Success Manager—Your day-to-day deal executor

• Solutions Engineer—Your technology quarterback

• 300+ back-office specialists—For quoting, ordering, commissions, and escalations

This extended team helps you close more deals, move faster, and appear bigger to customers, without increasing your SG&A (Selling, General, and Administrative expenses).

“We help advisors grow faster and achieve more by embracing digital marketplaces and multi-category technology solutions.” —Christopher Schubert, VP Channel Sales, AppDirect

You grow faster and achieve more when you embrace the power of digital marketplaces and multi-category technology solutions.

Watch the full video to learn how AppDirect drives growth for technology advisors and the channel community! 

Operate like a modern, digital-first advisor business

Automation is now a competitive advantage. AppDirect gives you a digital back office that replaces manual tasks with fast, intuitive tools:

• Automated quoting

• Streamlined order management

• Proactive commission validation

• SaaS pricing lookup

• Serviceability tools

• Unified customer procurement

Key takeaway

You can manage your entire business—the quotes, the orders, the commissions, the renewals—from one portal. This is how top advisors scale without adding headcount.

Access the largest technology catalog in the channel

Your customers’ needs don’t fit into a single category. Neither should your catalog. 

AppDirect has the industry’s largest and most diverse Technology Catalog, which includes thousands of digital products across all technology areas. It gives you the ability to manage your entire customer base across SaaS, cybersecurity, infrastructure, network, hardware, AI, and other services—all in one place.

Spanning what we call the Technology Wheel, advisors who work with AppDirect can capture a greater share of their customers’ IT budget by offering additional products and services across their customers’ full-technology stack. AppDirect provides all the cloud applications end-businesses are already buying, along with their current connectivity services, so they can complement their existing portfolio with cloud solutions, all from a single provider, on a single platform.

AppDirect also gives you:

• The ability to launch your own white-labeled storefront—We can help you launch a custom-branded storefront to showcase your solutions, track engagement, and capture leads—boosting customer stickiness and lifetime value.

• First-party, third-party, and distributor-integrated catalogs—Connectivity, cloud, energy, mobility, SaaS, security, IaaS, devices, and more

With customer acquisition requiring more effort than ever, partners are finding that adding complementary product categories to existing clients doesn’t just make sense—it drives real results. As AppDirect COO Renée shared with Channel Dive, cross-selling strategically across categories—from connectivity to cloud, energy, or managed services—creates a solid foundation for expansion and deeper customer relationships.

Key takeaway

AppDirect’s flexible catalog and Technology Wheel make it easy to identify complementary solutions and build guided selling paths based on customer needs. This breadth gives you a unique competitive advantage: you can always say “yes” to your customers’ needs—and keep more of their IT spend with you.

Connect and grow through the AppDirect community and ecosystem 

When you become an AppDirect technology advisor, you join one of the most dynamic partner ecosystems in the channel. 

AppDirect was built as a multi-sided platform, where the success of each participant strengthens the success of all. This is the foundation of the subscription commerce flywheel.

• Providers monetize their services more efficiently

• Technology advisors expand their catalog and win more deals

• Buyers access a curated, integrated stack that solves real business outcomes

This ecosystem effect accelerates growth for every side of the marketplace.

Your customers get a unified way to find, buy, and manage solutions. You get an engine that helps you scale your portfolio. Providers get more routes to market.

In short: Everyone wins—and everyone grows.

Watch this video to see what the AppDirect advisor community saying:

Stay ahead of shifting buyer behavior

Customers are buying differently today:

• Marketplace adoption is accelerating to meet buyers needs—As buyers shift their technology procurement and management online, companies that offer customers a buyer-centric, frictionless, unified commerce experience will see 20% or higher growth in total revenue, according to Gartner.

• Reliance on the cloud is increasing—By 2025, 95% of new digital workloads will run on cloud-native platforms—making reliable connectivity foundational to business operations, Gartner.
  

• Cloud spending is surging—Public cloud spending will reach $1.1 trillion by 2027, up from $563B in 2023, according to Gartner.

• Businesses need your support—SMB spending on managed services has tripled since 2021, driven by cybersecurity needs, cloud migration, and IT complexity, according to Analysys Mason.
  

• Businesses need support—CrowdStrike reports 70% of SMBs rely on outside experts to guide security decisions, highlighting the opportunity for partners to deliver trusted solutions, support, and education.
  

As buyers move to marketplaces and digital procurement, you need a partner who helps you meet them where they are. AppDirect provides the tools, ecosystem, and catalog breadth to help you serve today’s buyer—and tomorrow’s.

Capture a bigger share of every customer’s IT budget—without increasing overhead

AppDirect partners benefit from both upfront and residual commissions, creating long-term recurring revenue streams. By expanding into new categories and layering managed services, partners can build resilient, scalable businesses that grow year over year.

Managed services, in particular, are key to advisor success—helping partners strengthen relationships, deliver greater value, and tap into a market projected to exceed $520 billion by 2032.

Because AppDirect acts as your expanded sales and engineering team, you can:

• Enter new categories without adding staff

• Strengthen customer retention

• Increase wallet-share

• Win more deals through unified quoting and guided selling

• Offer managed services without building your own NOC or help desk

This is how advisors grow revenue without adding cost—and why many see immediate improvements in deal volume and margin.

Grow faster. Sell smarter. Build your future.

The subscription economy and how customers by B2B technology is transforming, and the most successful partners are the ones who embrace platforms, ecosystems, and digital-first selling.

Whether you want to expand your catalog, cross-sell into higher-value categories, or scale your business without adding overhead, AppDirect gives you the tools, expertise, and ecosystem you need to thrive.

✅ Offer the best solutions from top providers
✅ Maximize recurring earnings
✅ Access robust tools and expert support
✅ Join a thriving partner community

Sign up today and start growing with AppDirect—your partner in technology sales and advisor success.