Distribution in the Age of AI- A Conversation with Sayantan Dev

Setting the Context

For decades, distribution has been the backbone of how technology vendors reach partners and ultimately customers. Yet, every few years, someone declares its demise. I’ve personally heard two such “death knells” during my time in the channel ecosystem. Each time, we’ve seen the opposite: the rebirth of distribution in an even more pivotal form.

To understand how distribution is adapting to the AI era, I spoke with Sayantan Dev, President, Redington Gulf and Global Head of the Software & Services Group (SSG). Sayantan is both an insider and a thought-leader in this space, having spent over 17 years with Redington across MEA and emerging markets. 

In this conversation, he shares how distribution has evolved, from hardware to software to cloud, and now into the AI-driven digital economy.

Q: Sayantan, congratulations on your new role. Tell us what it encompasses.

Sayantan Dev: Thank you, Anuj. It’s been an incredible journey, nearly 17 years with Redington, across multiple roles in MEA. With my new global responsibility for the Software & Services Group, we’ve consolidated all our software, cloud, and security businesses under one strategic unit. The idea is to accelerate growth in high-potential categories like SaaS, PaaS, and cybersecurity, and to build deep capabilities across the regions Redington operates in.

Every data point indicates exponential growth in these categories. Our focus now is to invest in people, platforms, and competencies to ensure we play a meaningful role in the evolving digital supply chain. 

Q: You’ve seen distribution evolve from hardware-centric roots. How has that journey unfolded?

Sayantan Dev: The modern era of broadline distribution began in the 1970s, when personal computing became mainstream. Initially, distributors were hardware-centric, handling logistics, warehousing, and credit to enable reseller growth. Their core value lay in creating capacity for innovators, helping products reach markets efficiently.

By the mid-1990s, as enterprise-class software, storage, and networking took off, Value-Added Distributors (VADs) emerged. They brought technical expertise, pre-sales, project management, and solution integration, turning distribution into an orchestrator of complex IT projects.

Fast-forward to the cloud era, distribution had to reinvent itself again. With SaaS and hyperscalers entering the picture, distributors became digital platform enablers. They built marketplaces and metering systems, simplified subscription management, and democratized enterprise-class technology for SMBs. And now, we stand at the edge of the AI era, the next transformation frontier.

Q: Many predicted the “death of distribution” with the rise of cloud. Now the same is said about AI. What’s your take?

Sayantan Dev:  (Laughs) Yes, we’ve heard that many times! Each technological wave has forced distribution to evolve, but never disappear. During the shift from hardware to software, we added value by managing subscription complexity, billing, and usage optimization. In the cloud age, we became essential by offering unified marketplaces and single panes of glass for partners. Now in the AI era, I believe distribution’s relevance will increase, not decline.

AI will dramatically shorten product development cycles, but distribution remains the chokepoint, how you scale, deliver, and monetize that innovation globally. Distributors are transforming into digital-commerce platforms that enable SaaS vendors, ISVs, and AI startups to reach markets faster.

At Redington, for instance, we’ve launched CloudQuarks 2.0, our next-gen cloud-commerce platform, highly scalable, marketplace-ready, and designed for self-service operations. 

Q: You mentioned the “AI maturity curve.” What are the pillars of readiness for enterprises?

Sayantan Dev: There are four key pillars every organization must align before scaling AI:

1. Infrastructure & Devices:  AI workloads rely on robust cloud or edge infrastructure and specialized hardware.
   
2. Data Readiness:  There’s no good AI without good data. Data collection, engineering, normalization, and classification are critical before models can deliver reliable outcomes.
   
3. People & Culture:  Beyond technical skill, teams need creativity and awareness to apply AI effectively in every function.
   
4. Security:  In the AI age, the threat surface expands exponentially. Protecting data, models, and usage patterns is paramount. 

Distributors like Redington play a pivotal role in orchestrating solutions across these pillars, from cloud infrastructure to security services.

Q: Let’s talk about the Middle East, one of the fastest-growing technology markets. How do you see the ecosystem evolving?

Sayantan Dev: The Middle East is witnessing unprecedented momentum. Countries like the UAE and KSA are making massive investments in AI capabilities. Governments are providing regulatory support and capital ecosystems for tech startups. Hyperscalers are deepening their presence and digital transformation agendas are in full swing. At Redington, we’re helping startups and ISVs through co-selling and demand-generation programs, pitch rooms, and market entry support. We also run dedicated ISV teams that help digital natives scale across regions via our marketplaces and partnerships with hyperscalers. For any global software vendor eyeing this region, my advice is simple: focus on customer outcomes. The market is hungry for solutions that create tangible impact, and the ecosystem here is ready to back them.

Q: So, can startups and innovators leverage SSG as a platform for growth?

Sayantan Dev:  Absolutely. We offer structured programs around:

• Co-selling & marketing for startups to reach customers faster.
  
• Pitch Rooms where we take innovators to different markets and connect them with decision-makers.
  
• Marketplace onboarding and self-service commerce tools through our cloud platforms.
  
• Dedicated ISV support teams for growth acceleration and integration with hyperscaler programs.
  
  Our mission is clear ,  to unlock market potential for new-age startups and digital natives by acting as their distribution accelerator.

Closing Thoughts

As this conversation shows, distribution is far from obsolete, it’s being re-engineered for the AI economy. From aggregating hardware to orchestrating software and AI-driven solutions, the role of distributors like Redington has never been more strategic. The future is about platforms that enable AI innovation to scale, and those who master distribution will control the chokepoint of the AI economy. 

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: Distribution in the AI Era – Anuj Joshi in Conversation with Sayantan Dev