From the smallest particle to the grandest vision, progress happens when we come together. That was the inspiration behind the look, feel and message of this year’s TD SYNNEX Inspire Conference.
Inspire 2025 brought together vendors, partners, customers and co-workers in Greenville, South Carolina to celebrate the power of people and relationships to move technology forward over the course of three general sessions, dozens of breakout discussions, a buzzing vendor pavilion and countless networking moments.
Above all, the week reinforced a simple truth: technology doesn’t advance without people. And our shared vision became clear — when we collaborate, we can all achieve bigger things.
The AI imperative
“AI is no longer an experimental frontier,” said Reyna Thompson, President, North America. “It’s the backbone of competitive advantage.”
AI dominated during this year’s conversations, with leaders from across the IT industry positioning it not as a passing trend, but as the new foundation of the IT ecosystem.
She pointed to the success of Destination AI, where participating partners have seen 250% year-over-year revenue growth compared to peers. Vendor investments surged 500% in 2025, pushing total AI solution revenue toward $1 billion — with projections to triple in 2026.
But, despite all the exciting advances AI makes possible, she was quick to credit the story back to its even more impressive authors: the people powering this revolutionary progress.
“Our purpose and our motivation are clear,” Thompson stated. “We believe in the power of people to drive technology forward. People will remain our priority.”
Jessica Yeck, Senior Vice President, Vendor Solutions took the discussion another step forward by showing how this momentum is making it easier for our vendors, partners and the overall tech community to discover opportunities that lead to new levels of growth.
“AI adoption has grown from 14% in 2022 to 40% in 2025, with more than 36% planning new services within the next year. You are the bridge between possibility and reality, helping customers adopt AI and unlock new growth opportunities.”
While the risks have never been greater, now is the time to act. Because that goes tenfold for the rewards after adopting AI. Embracing AI isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about being willing to learn, experiment and move forward, even when the path isn’t clear.
The evolution of modern work
Inspire also marked the launch of PartnerFirst, a new unified digital experience designed to simplify processes and support partners across their entire journey.
“PartnerFirst is about unifying how our partners work with us,” said Nate Herz, SVP, Digital Transformation and IT. “It simplifies their experience through one platform that brings together enablement, insights, and community — making it easier to do business with TD SYNNEX.”
The launch of PartnerFirst drew significant buzz. This new digital experience is designed to simplify and personalize how partners engage with TD SYNNEX, bringing solutions, services and communities together under one virtual roof to deliver vendors, partners customers and co-workers a single cohesive platform experience to satisfy all their IT needs.
“PartnerFirst is a bold, new digital experience designed to transform how our partners engage with us,” exclaimed Meredith Payne, Senior Director, Business Development. “We’re providing each of you with a single point of entry where you can seamlessly explore our full suite of offerings.”
As confidence wavers in the growth potential across the industry, delivering seamless, simple and effective solutions like PartnerFirst is only becoming more important.
Insights from the fourth-annual Direction of Technology (DoT) report also unveiled at Inspire underscored why this shift matters. Partner confidence in growth potential has fallen from 75% in 2024 to 67% in 2025, with recruitment, retention and rising customer expectations ranking among top challenges.
The way we work no longer works. You can’t show up to your business today with the same playbook you used last year. The tech landscape is evolving rapidly, but there’s no need to panic. Specialization and adaptability are becoming superpowers in this environment.
To support this evolution, TD SYNNEX introduced Marketing as a Service (MaaS), offering scalable digital marketing solutions to help partners modernize how they reach buyers. Nearly 75% of B2B buyers now rely on digital tools for complex decisions, making services like MaaS essential to meeting customers where they are.
Going forward, how we get stuff done will be as unique as our business needs. TD SYNNEX’s philosophy of people-powered success ensures you’re prepared — no matter what comes next. As Calhoun McKinney summarized, “Yes, we automate. Yes, we innovate. But more than anything, we strive to serve each of you in your own journeys.”
And we’re not slowing down or planning on stopping anytime soon.
Data center modernization and the future of security
While advanced solutions and tailored services are important, they ultimately fail to move the needle or deliver value without the support of secure, scalable infrastructure. As McKinney reminded attendees. “Every innovation depends on infrastructure that’s secure, scalable and built for what’s next.”
And our partners agree. Here’s how we know it:
- 80% of TD SYNNEX partners already offer at least one cybersecurity solution.
- 52% of North American TD SYNNEX partners cite data breaches as their top concern.
- Revealed at Inspire, our fourth-annual Direction of Technology (DoT) report found that 49% of respondents flagged AI-driven attacks and ransomware as growing threats.
Security isn’t just a feature — it’s your reputation. Without a security-first mindset, organizations aren’t just exposed to threats — they risk being outpaced by the competition. The leaders will be those who make security their culture and their promise.
Chief Executive Officer Patrick Zammit tied it all together:
“It’s a relationship business. People matter. Trust matters.”
-Patrick zammit, TD SYNNEX CEO
PartnerLINK and AI Pioneers: strength in connection, power in skills
Inspire also spotlighted new ways to strengthen community and build skills across the ecosystem. The launch of PartnerLINK brings together a broad network of expertise under one umbrella, with eight specialized sub-communities for deeper engagement. “PartnerLINK is the answer,” said Kristi Kirby, Senior Vice President, North American Communities. “Our partners are already growing three times faster by working together.”
We also showcased the AI Pioneers program, designed to close the AI skills gap through enablement, certifications and real-world use cases. Globally, 43% say the skills gap is a huge issue in implementing AI. Our goal is to equip partners with the knowledge and readiness to lead in this next chapter.
Together, PartnerLINK and AI Pioneers reflect how TD SYNNEX is investing in both connections and capabilities — helping partners collaborate, innovate and grow.
Celebrating our partners
This year’s Vendor Summit and Inspire Conference also debuted the inaugural TD SYNNEX Awards, which recognized the innovation, collaboration and impact our most strategic vendors and partners have across the ecosystem.
“These awards are more than recognition,” said Gary Palenbaum, Executive Vice President, Revenue and Customer Success. “They celebrate the partnerships that power our ecosystem.”
2025 Partner Awards winners included:
- Partner Innovator Award — Mark III Systems
- Partner of the Future Award — Courser
- New Partner Award — eCare USA
- Partner Collaborator Award — Evolving Solutions
- Vendor Collaboration Partner Award — Lenovo
- Vendor Innovator Award — Palo Alto Networks
- Vendor Operational Excellence Award — StarTech.com
- Vendor Marketing Award — Microsoft
- Emerging Vendor Award — Qlik
Inspire Media Buzz and Moments You’ll Want to Replay
This year’s event generated a lot of buzz, with a record number of media organizations and representatives onsite at Inspire leading to insightful coverage during and after the event.
Highlights included:
- Published and promoted the fourth-annual DoT report.
- Hosted onsite media members, podcasters and live content capture opportunities, including 20+ interviews to share TD SYNNEX’s latest news and announcements.
- Released third-quarter financial results.
- Supported onsite content capture at the TD SYNNEX Studio’s first onsite presence, amplifying the event’s reach.
And if you missed any of the action — the Inspire Pavilion once again served as the centerpiece of collaboration, buzzing with vendor demonstrations, solution showcases and nonstop partner networking. Beyond the show floor, from partners inside the pavilion to the Camperdown Plaza Block Party, the TD SYNNEX North America LinkedIn page has all the highlights. Our social insiders captured the energy, creativity and community that made this year’s Inspire unforgettable.
Be sure to relive the fun on our Instagram page, too:
Looking ahead
As this year’s Inspire Conference came to a close, one takeaway resonated: the future of technology is powered by people.
“The future of technology is being shaped by collaboration and courage,” said Reyna Thompson, President, North America. “When people come together to innovate, listen and lead with purpose, that’s when progress happens — and Inspire was a powerful reminder of that.”
With future-focused innovations like PartnerFirst, PartnerLINK, AI Pioneers, TD SYNNEX Partner Awards, insights from the fourth-annual DoT report lighting the way, we’re not just responding to change — we’re leading it.
In an ecosystem where evolution never slows, together at Inspire we proved that when relationships, technology and imagination collide, we can all achieve bigger things.
