(Photo: Telarus SVP of sales Tim Basa)

Welcome to TSD Wars – a new series exploring the competitive landscape of technology services distributors and the battle for partner mindshare in the $16 billion market. Grapevine, TX, set the stage for what promises to be an intense year of competition among TSDs. Telarus kicked off the 2026 partner summit marathon with bravado, bold predictions, and a laser focus on AI that left approximately 1,900 attendees energized about the market ahead.

The Market Heats Up

Telarus SVP of sales Tim Basa opened with compelling data: more active sellers, increased supplier engagement, and a surge in six-figure deals compared to last year. Sales engineering engagements are significantly higher, partners are successfully selling outside their traditional expertise, and enterprise deal closings with Fortune 100 companies are accelerating revenue.

"We are the home of the big deal," Basa declared, backing it up with Omdia Research showing Telarus as the largest TSD by gross billings, edging Intelisys and significantly outpacing Avant, AppDirect, Sandler, and Bridgepoint. The gauntlet was thrown.

AI: Opportunity, Not Apocalypse

Telarus CEO Adam Edwards delivered a masterclass in cutting through AI hype. Taking aim at "inflammatory" predictions from OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei about massive job losses, Edwards challenged partners to see beyond the fear-mongering. "They were selling out of their own book," he noted pointedly of the AI model execs.

Edwards highlighted corporate AI overspending as unsustainable, predicting that as CFOs demand ROI, partner opportunities will expand. He praised Nvidia's Jensen Huang as AI's "most sane voice" and positioned technology advisors as essential guides through increasing market complexity.

The Partner Advantage

Telarus' massive investment in its Hub platform and AI-enabled tools demonstrates commitment to partner success. Edwards' vision is clear: value won't accrue at the model layer but through best-of-breed application integration – exactly where advisors excel.

His message resonated: "Complexity is going to compound. Discerning truth is increasingly a problem." In this environment, trusted advisors become invaluable.

What's Next

As the TSD Wars heat up, one thing is certain: the competition for partner loyalty has never been fiercer. Stay tuned as we track how competitors respond.