In a time of economic uncertainty, here’s how you win anyway

Flexible financing strategies are out there, despite budget pressures and the need to stay competitive.

Market cycles ebb and flow, but 2025 is presenting a unique mix of challenges and hesitations for small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) and managed service providers (MSPs). Budget pressures, shifting guidance from vendors and global factors like tariffs and inflation are making technology investments harder to time. Still, one thing hasn’t changed: businesses rely on IT to function, compete and grow. That’s why having a financial strategy—one built for flexibility and resilience—matters more than ever.

While some organizations are taking a “wait and see” approach to spending, the technology industry is doing anything but that—it’s progressing at a rapid rate, quickly replacing aging infrastructure with new software and hardware. MSP spending in the channel is predicted to grow 13% year over year in 2025, which is equivalent to US$595 billion globally. Yet about 35% of partners are reporting that their SMB customers are not aware of critical upgrades, such as the Windows 10 deadline, or have no plans to upgrade.

With Windows 10 update and many other software and hardware tech upgrades on the horizon, keeping your technology current is more crucial than ever.

This gap between need and action is where Ingram Micro Financial Services (IMFS) can make a measurable difference.

Built to change with your business

Traditional financing models don’t reflect today’s business realities. Many lenders offer a one-size-fits-all approach: finance the product, offer a fixed term and move forward. But that doesn’t work in a market this fluid.

IMFS takes a different approach. Everything starts with a conversation about the customer's goals, current assets, balance sheet pressures and long-term plans. From there, the team builds tailored financing strategies using a toolkit of dozens of structured options and a global network of hundreds of funders. Whether it offers deferred payments, negative interest structures or asset monetization, the focus is always on the customer and will always be based on flexibility, customization and control.

With IMFS’ ability to tailor financing models specifically for MSPs and SMBs, businesses gain access to new revenue opportunities without tying up capital or straining credit lines. This isn’t about stretching budgets but focusing on making every dollar count. IMFS empowers companies to maintain a global network of flexible financing capabilities beyond the limits of traditional financing.

Global execution meets flexible financing

Viadex, a U.K. and U.S.-based global solution provider and Ingram Micro Trust X Alliance partner, recently worked with IMFS to solve a unique infrastructure challenge for a major European telecommunications and data center provider.

As the client transitioned from legacy colocation and MPLS services to a future-focused model centered on managed hosting and private cloud solutions, they required a complex, end-to-end infrastructure deployment spanning three continents. This global rollout demanded not only deep technical and logistical expertise but also a highly flexible financial model to support multi-region implementation.

With Viadex’s experience in managing and delivering infrastructure at scale across international markets, and IMFS’s ability to craft tailored financing solutions, the relationship enabled a truly turnkey outcome. Leveraging IMFS’s financing capabilities, Viadex offered the client a 36-month payment plan—structured without the need for asset-backed lending or vendor-attached financing, a critical requirement for the client.

“In many global deployments, clients are looking for more agile financial options that aren’t tied to the equipment or constrained by vendor terms,” said Brian Dunleavy, chief commercial officer at Viadex. “That’s exactly where the IMFS team came in. Their flexibility and creative approach helped us deliver the solution our client needed, exactly how and where they needed it.”

Forward motion through unpredictable markets

It’s no secret that vendor guidance can have a ripple effect on the market—delayed AI adoption, software refreshes and more. This has also created space to make smarter decisions by giving partners options like:

• Deferred payment structures: payments are delayed until 2026, allowing budgets to stabilize

• Sale-leaseback programs: opens up capital from existing IT assets

• Global financing reach: supports cross-border deals in hundreds of countries

• End-user financing: shifts the credit load off the partner and onto enterprise buyers, making deals scalable and repeatable

  
  

Benefits are in use right now with cases ranging from infrastructure deals before tariff impacts to working with funders across multiple countries to create a unified, scalable solution that sends competitors packing.

As 2025 continues to unfold, we may face more unpredictable markets. However, with the right partner, SMBs and MSPs don’t have to hit “pause.” They can continue to move forward strategically and confidently with options they may not have even realized.

In times full of “no,” IMFS helps businesses say “yes” to the future.

Find your perfect financial solution.

John Mayer is an experienced global senior executive with over 45 years of leadership experience spanning 19 successful startups and major corporate divisions, including new ventures and Fortune 100 and 500 organizations. He brings deep expertise across multiple industries, with a successful track record in building global financing arms, IT services companies and high-performing sales organizations. As a subject matter expert, John has led businesses from concept through growth and profitability in both commercial and government sectors.

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