In 2025, the IT distribution sector has seen several blockbuster mergers, a headline-grabbing ransomware attack and a heated debate over the very nature of what its main protagonists actually do.
But what are the biggest distribution stories of the year so far?
IT Channel Oxygen has delved through our archives to bring you 10 stories that hit the hardest.
But what was number one?
Read on to find out…
10. Move over Ingram and TD Synnex – AWS Marketplace is coming for you
When? March
Having last October dubbed AWS Marketplace “one of the biggest distributors in EMEA and globally”, Canalys in March went all in on that characterisation.
In a LinkedIn post, Canalys Chief Analyst Jay McBain asserted that the hyperscaler will be a top-five global distribution player “soon”.
Hyperscaler marketplaces arguably defy categorisation. While they are in some cases disintermediating the entire channel, in other cases resellers (and more recently distributors) have been co-opted into the model.
McBain’s proclamation comes after a number of software vendors announced they had generated over $1bn of sales via AWS Marketplace, with CrowdStrike announcing in March that it had achieved this feat in 2024 alone.
“This made AWS a Top 10 distributor in only a few years, joining the likes of TD SYNNEX, Ingram Micro, Arrow Electronics, and ALSO Group. Now we are calculating when they will be Top 5 (soon),” McBain wrote.
See following page for 9 bigger distribution stories…
