Jim DeCarlo, VP Channel Sales of Sonar, talked about the critical shift from code creation to code validation. As AI-generated code becomes ubiquitous, the primary risk to enterprises has moved from “building” to “verifying.” Deploying unverified, AI-written code without rigorous oversight is now a leading cause of data breaches and system failures, forcing senior developers to evolve into high-level auditors who prioritize security and logic over manual execution.
Jim predicts two major shifts in the technology delivery model in 2026:
- The Rise of the “Super VAR”: The market is witnessing a massive consolidation as large Value-Added Resellers acquire boutique firms to build specialized “Centers of Excellence” in areas like Kubernetes and mobile app development. This concentration of power among a few large players is creating a new dynamic where scale meets specialized expertise.
- Managed Outcomes vs. Tool Fatigue: Technology leaders are currently drowning in “tool debt,” struggling to measure productivity amidst an avalanche of software. Jim emphasized that the most successful partners in 2026 are those providing an orchestrated view of these tools, shifting the conversation away from individual licenses and toward “Managed Outcomes”—where clients pay for results rather than a tech stack.
