EDGE 2025: Partners on the hunt for new customers amid demand for AI and data skills

Partners from across Australia and New Zealand are on the hunt for new customers in the current financial year, valuing the need for fresh business ahead of all other priorities, including growing annuity revenue.

The finding was one of many as part of a partnership between EDGE Research and Tech Research Asia and was delivered by the latter’s executive consultant and industry analyst Mark Iles at the opening keynote of EDGE 2025 on Day 3.

This differs from research conducted last financial year, which saw annuity revenue growth ranked above all else, with new customers coming in third.

Meanwhile, annuity revenue growth in TRA’s latest research came in second place.

“I actually think this is a pretty healthy thing,” he said. “There’s an element here that says there’s only so much of that managed services style revenue you can you can generate, much as we love it.”

The need for AI and data skills

Additionally, the industry shift towards AI is likely to be a boon for consulting services, but Iles stated there is a noticeable lack of attention being placed on these service offerings.

“There’s a muscle there that we need to strengthen,” Iles said. “We’ve used this analogy previously, where we said it’s like skipping leg day in the gym. That consulting muscle is a muscle we’ve got to work.”

The AI shift also means that there needs to be more skills around data and analytics, as AI technology relies on data to function. However, Iles said there’s a slight disconnect in the strategic alignment of the usefulness of data skills between partners and customers.

Iles said when partners were asked what kind of solutions they were focusing on as a priority FY26, data and analytics came in 12th place out of 14 areas.

Essentially, this means that A/NZ partners overall are not valuing data and analytics highly compared to other solution areas, like managed services and cyber security, which were ranked first and second, respectively. In response, Iles said that data and analytics are “slightly undercooked,” with more demand than supply in the market.

When it comes to bringing in new talent into a partner, most said they were looking for AI-related roles, followed by field sales, pre-sales specialists, marketing roles, customer support, internal sales and industry specialists.

However, Iles flagged that partners may be better off rethinking their hiring aspirations while considering the role of AI, automation and industry specialists.

“Do you really need that many more field sales, and do you really need to be investing that heavily in customer support in terms of people — not AI, not automation, not workflow?” he said.

This brings up what Iles refers to as the “cobbler’s shoes” analogy; partners are great at selling AI and enabling automation solutions to customers to make them more efficient, but are “really terrible” at using these solutions internally.

“Most partners that I speak to don’t have an internal CIO, they don’t have an internal business improvement section,” he said.

“If they did have those skills, they’d end up being billable, because we’d sell them out to a customer, and we’d never end up working on our own stuff.

“If you’re … recruiting just additional sales capacity that isn’t specialised in solution consultants or industry, I think it’s worth a question to see whether you’re already focused in the right area.”

If partners are looking to dive deeper into AI, Iles added that the train hasn’t left the station yet, as the technology has a long opportunity attached to it.

He compared the concerns of AI lateness from today to those around cyber security from six years ago.

“I spoke to a few partners who were like, ‘I’m late to the cyber game. Is it okay?’ I was like, ‘It’s going to be the gift that keeps up giving. You’re fine. You’re a little bit late to the party’,” he said.

“I say if you’re going to show up late to a party, bring French champagne; If you’re late, make sure that your offering is really good, because there’s a bunch of people in before you.

“The same thing holds true here for AI. You’re not too late yet, but you probably want to really start thinking about what your role is here.”