Don’t Let DE&I DIE

In this edition, I cover the recent September 7, 2023, Channel Futures Webinar DE&I: Find the Balance That Works for You by Brandon Knight , Global Head of Channel Customer Experience at Zoom and co-founder of Xposure Inclusion & Diversity Council.

The free webinar was hosted by Dell Technologies , Lumen Technologies and Granite Telecommunications is now available on demand: DE&I: Find the Balance That Works for You.

The Message

Brandon delivered a very clear and receptive message about a sensitive topic that impacts every #IT industry, the #channel especially because it is made up of so many tightknit relationships (aka partnerships) between a variety of businesses large and very small. We know the channel is a community with shared values and goals, which makes it even more important for its participants to embrace and accept the variances- gender, racial, cultural, geographical etc., of each of its members.

Brandon emphasized that every organization (#vendors and #channelpartners) within the channel community that’s truly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (#DE&I) should accept each members’ differences, abhor divisiveness, and root itself in #love.

The Data

We have been tracking business ownership within our Channel Futures #MSP 501 survey and rankings for several years. Within the results there are various market trends that have been growing like #cybersecurity, and others that have been declining like traditional #hardware. Unfortunately, one trend that has been mostly stagnant is minority ownership, which was 8% in 2023 and hasn’t changed much over the last few years.

Businesses who aren’t just adopting the latest fad but remain committed to the cause by ensuring DE&I remains a top priority by expanding its impact should be commended for their efforts. It’s up to the entire channel community- suppliers, partners, analysts etc. to make sure DE&I doesn’t become extinct.

Thank You to all the minority-owned organizations, their allies, and other DE&I advocates in the channel like Brandon Knight, Mayka Rosales-Peterson , Idris Odutoye , Tony Burns and many others.

And a special thanks to the Editors that continue to highlight DE&I in their work like James Anderson and Buffy Naylor (she, her) , and many others. To stay abreast of the latest DE&I activity in the channel, visit the Channel Futures dedicated DE&I page.

For more data from our MSP 501 survey, check out our recently released reports: “Managed Service Provider (MSP) 501 Survey Insights – 2023”?and “Fastest-Growing Managed Service Providers (MSPs) Survey Insights – 2023”

Brought to you by:?Channel Futures?and Omdia