“Distribution, Done Differently” is Crayon’s commitment to exploring creative solutions that help partners respond to customers’ evolving needs to drive service-led growth. The challenge? Leveraging on market data in an ever-changing landscape.
Since 2021, the Future of Operations study series – commissioned by Crayon and conducted by Forrester Consulting – has tracked the growing demand for external IT expertise among small and medium businesses across APAC. Data insights drawn from the studies are used to validate new through-partner service offerings, ensuring they align directly with SMB needs and investment priorities.
The most recent 2025 study shows clear shifts in how SMBs are setting priorities:
What ties these findings together is speed. SMBs are moving quickly to adapt—but they cannot do it alone. Demonstrating clear business value from technology adoption is becoming more complex, and transactional partnership models no longer suffice. To succeed, SMBs need trusted service partners who can guide them through implementation and ensure technology delivers measurable outcomes.
That is precisely where Crayon and its partner ecosystem step in: providing the expertise, strategy, and services SMBs need to translate digital investments into real business value.
Sustainable IT business models cannot be built on software licenses alone. The market demands more—and partners who expand into services unlock additional revenue, increase customer stickiness, and create new competitive advantages.
Every Crayon partner service is built to deliver two outcomes that directly impact the partner’s bottom line:
Crayon didn’t just publish the Future of Operations – the company built around it.
Crayon’s partner services are directly informed by the most urgent and high-growth areas of SMB demand. Offerings are mapped to where SMBs currently invest and their priorities over the next two years.
The following shows how Crayon has aligned to insights drawn from the 2025 Future of Operations dataset:
| SMB Service Demand | Partner Opportunity | Crayon Service and Programs |
|---|---|---|
| 47% SMBs need cybersecurity assessments | Get ahead of cyber risk conversations and open the door to security roadmaps | 1. Cloud Security Assessments 2. Essential Eight Assessments 3. Azure Risk Mitigation Assessments |
| 45% demand cloud strategy development | Help SMBs right-size cloud for business goals and avoid costly missteps | 1. Azure Migrations 2. Cloud Cost Optimisation 3. Technology Advisory Group for Cloud |
| 43% need managed cloud operations | Deliver secure, scalable, always-on platforms that reduce SMB overhead | 1. Managed Cloud Services |
| 45% want cloud ERP/CRM implementations | Capture the ERP/CRM market with low-risk fixed-scope services | 1. Cloud ERP Implementation Services 2. Business Central SmartStart packages 3. Dynamics 365 Partner-to-Partner program |
| 49% are investing in workflow automation | Guide SMBs to get more from M365, reduce long-tail spend and optimise collaboration | 1. Power Platform integration 2. UCaaS enablement 3. Copilot Readiness and Solution Workshops and enablement |
| 67% want to improve employee experience | Help employees reduce IT support friction points in their day-to-day and improve utilisation of M365 | 1. Support-as-a-Service |
By aligning offers to real demand signals, partners are not just expanding their portfolio – they are positioning their business for strategic growth by:
Winning New Customers: Pitch aligned services that meet SMBs’ current priorities. Go beyond licensing to offer outcome-driven value that wins deals.
Strengthening Existing Relationships: Use Crayon’s services to fill capacity or capability gaps in internal teams, cover new solution domains, or deepen service coverage for existing accounts.
Unlocking Profitable New Revenue Streams: Many Crayon services are white-labelled and margin-rich. Whether it’s recurring managed services or funded migration projects, the company helps create sustainable revenue.
Saving Time and Overhead: Crayon has built, tested, and scaled these services so partners don’t have to. Enter new domains like cybersecurity or business apps without adding headcount or risk.
Explore Crayon’s services portfolio or talk to Crayon about how they can help match offers to emerging SMB service demand – and grow with confidence.
Services that drive your competitive advantage and create new revenue streams to win together.
Sales and Marketing
Business leaders don't live in the tools. They live in the outcomes. The metrics they care about most are not always limited to compliance and risk. So how do you connect data protection to the big-ticket objectives, when they're less obvious? Our in-house pre-sales expert, Michael Brooke explains.
Guides and eBooks
As SMBs mature in the Data Protection lifecycle, they need help to optimise spend, reduce the compliance burden and ensure results align to business objectives. The third installment of our Data Protection Playbook series provides practical guidance for partners on how to address emerging pressure and connect ongoing investment to measurable business value.
Training
Copilot Agents: what are they and how do they differ from AI assistants and chatbots? Our in-house Copilot expert Ksenia Turner explains the use cases and service opportunities for partners.
Blogs
Fragmented data protection systems and processes create compliance proof-gaps for SMB customers. Scott Hagenus, Director, Cybersecurity here at Crayon explains.
Sales and Marketing
Ever wonder why a pitch has some IT Managers leaning forward, while others glaze over? Michael Brooke, Cybersecurity Pre-Sales Lead offers some insight on how to tune your approach to chime with different technical mindsets.
Guides and eBooks
How can partners help their SMB customers to move from silos of security and continuity to a more cohesive, measurable and insurable data protection framework? The second edition in our Data Protection Playbook series maps out their journey, and yours.
Vendor Announcements
Copilot for Business has landed at Microsoft Ignite 2025, levelling the GenAI playing field for SMB customers. Learn all about it from our man on the ground, Andreas Bergman.
Press Release
Press Release
Blogs
As cybersecurity and continuity converge in platforms and in practice, partners need new playbooks to address modern Data Protection standards. Our in-house cybersecurity pre-sales lead, Michael Brooke explains why.
Guides and eBooks
What triggers an SMB customer to begin exploring their need for better Data Protection? The first of our four Data Protection Playbooks for partners breaks down how to position and win in the Pre-Adoption and Exploration stage.
Insights
Data Protection priorities are shifting for SMBs. Ramp up your ability to respond with curated insights, articles and resources to help you guide every customer conversation with confidence.
Partner Spotlight
In this Partner Spotlight, Acceltech Managing Director Ivy Tarrobago shares how Crayon’s responsive support enhances client outcomes and business growth.
Whitepapers
Data Protection is a must for all SMBs but how can partners align solution investment with critical business objectives? Our latest paper shows you how.
Press Release
Crayon has been recognised with a huge double win at the CRN Channel Asia awards ceremony.
Insights
All the latest insights, articles and resources on M365 Copilot, curated into one place.
Insights
SMB customers are storing greater volumes of sensitive data in more places than ever. Secure backup and recovery practices are essential to how they protect it.
Partner Spotlight
Bigfish Technology saved AU$20,000 on its annual Microsoft licensing after one call with Crayon and has since built a strong partnership that enabled Bigfish to get access to Crayon’s expertise and vendor ecosystem.
Insights
Insider risk is a subtle and continuous challenge for SMB customers. Turn it into a manageable and quantifiable aspect of their Data Protection strategy.
Blogs
From rethinking backup to governance frameworks and behavioural analytics, what's involved in building a complete Data Protection strategy for SMB customers?
Insights
We explore the evolution of Microsoft's channel strategy over the past ten years, and what can be learned by viewing it through a Value Cycle lens.
Guides and eBooks
The Microsoft Fabric Partner Guide curates our recent articles, videos and resources to accelerate Crayon partner learning.
Insights
Crayon's Tech for Good program brings partners, non-profits and NGOs together to focus on serving the greater good.
Insights
Through Crayon's social impact program, Tech for Good, our partners make a real difference to the work of over 1,000 NGOs across Asia Pacific.
MSPs and CSPs
Discover how Crayon's partner ONGC helped Ability First to secure its mission to transition young people with disabilities out of unsuitable care settings.
MSPs and CSPs
Crayon's partner, OPC worked with Ronald McDonald House to reduce its cybersecurity risk and focus internal teams on delivering happiness to seriously ill kids.
MSPs and CSPs
Explore how Crayon's partner, HumanIT worked with WEstjustice on a transformational program to support vital legal services for the community.
