A study from Cisco has revealed that IT partners anticipate a wave of AI technology that will drive revenue over the next few years.
According to the Cisco Global AI Partners Study, titled Bridging the Customer AI Readiness Gap – The opportunities ahead for partners, nearly one-fifth of the UK partners surveyed believe that almost all their revenue will come from AI-related technologies during this period.
Another 46 percent believe the demand for AI-related technology investments will grow by more than three quarters in the next four to five years.
The partners surveyed for the report highlighted infrastructure, cybersecurity, and customer experience as the top three drivers of AI technology demand in the coming years.
As AI demand surges, UK partners also foresee a significant shift in their revenue mix. In the short-term, over a quarter anticipate AI will contribute to up to half of their revenue in a year’s time, while in the long run that contribution is expected to become even higher.
Alex Pujols, VP, Global Partner Engineering, Cisco, said: “The potential for AI to transform business operations is immense and realising this requires a concerted effort to strengthen our partners’ practical deployment capabilities. This study highlights the significant revenue opportunities for IT partners to lead AI deployment.
“By focusing on AI readiness, Cisco and its valued partner ecosystem are well-positioned to drive transformative outcomes for our customers and leverage the opportunities of the AI era."
The Cisco Global AI Partners Study, a double-blind survey of over 1,500 IT partners across 29 markets, assess partners’ capabilities in the age of AI. These findings align with the Cisco AI Readiness Index, which found that companies globally lack readiness for AI adoption, revealing gaps in infrastructure, data management, governance, and talent.
The findings show partners’ confidence in their knowledge and understanding of AI technologies. The assessment focused on several specific solutions and capabilities for AI deployment across the four pillars of infrastructure, data, governance, and talent.