Caution in IT Investments: The Channel Feels Economic Pressure

Sentiment in the German and Austrian IT channel has noticeably deteriorated. End customers are still investing, but they are doing so much more cautiously and with different priorities. This is shown by a recent survey conducted by Compris among 326 IT service providers, system houses, and system integrators between May and July 2026.

Respondents included managing directors, sales managers, and those responsible for vendor selection and portfolio management. The results are clear: 56 percent view the current economic situation negatively, 39 percent describe the situation as challenging or in decline, and 17 percent report a difficult situation with a sharp decline. Only 5 percent report growth. Compared to the previous year, the proportion of stable business conditions has fallen from 52 to 38 percent. At the same time, the proportion of difficult situations has more than quadrupled—from 4 to 17 percent.

Despite the gloomy outlook, end customers continue to invest, albeit with clearly shifted priorities. The largest areas of investment are operations, security, and the cloud—not innovation-related topics. According to the survey, 20 percent of current IT investments are allocated to IT services such as optimization, maintenance, and operations. Security follows with 19 percent, cloud migration with 16 percent, and IT infrastructure with 14 percent. Consulting and workplace-related topics each account for 8 percent, while application software accounts for 6 percent. Artificial intelligence ranks at the bottom of the investment priorities with just 3 percent—a clear signal that many companies currently prefer stabilization over experimentation.

The study links these findings to an earlier Compris survey on component shortages from the winter of 2025/2026. At that time, 88 percent of the system integrators surveyed reported supply shortages in the server and storage sectors. The consequences were project delays at 24 percent of companies and longer sales cycles at 17 percent. Taken together, this paints a picture of dual pressure for the channel: supply shortages are slowing operational implementation, while the weaker economy is dampening end customers’ willingness to invest.

For manufacturers and distribution partners, this means a changed landscape. Projects are being scrutinized more closely, and budgets are being prioritized more strictly. Anyone who wants to succeed in the channel needs more than just a promise of innovation. Gerald Holler, CEO of Compris, sums it up: “Anyone who wants to succeed in the channel today must be able to do two things at once: deliver reliably and offer compelling value.” As a result, many IT service providers are currently looking more closely at alternative manufacturers. The key criteria here are delivery capability and value for money.

03.09.2026, by Waltraud Ritzer