The 10 most important news of 2022

Turbulent 2022

Supply chain disruptions, economic uncertainty, IT industry layoffs, cybersecurity threats and multi-billion dollar acquisitions. As the year comes to a close, here’s a look at what’s been the most important news so far in the IT industry and channel in 2022.

COVID-19 itself may have faded as mainstream news. But several of the biggest news this year stem from the ongoing fallout from the global pandemic and its impact on the economy, the IT industry, and the channel.

Ongoing supply chain disruptions, for example, were a major challenge for the industry. Shortages of semiconductors, components, and finished systems have left IT and solution providers struggling to meet the needs of their customers. And with the IT products needed to run on-premises data centers sometimes unavailable for weeks or months, some see the supply chain issue as accelerating adoption of cloud services.

Economic uncertainty kept many IT and channel executives awake as they watched for any sign of slowing sales or shrinking customers. Many IT companies, from giants like Intel, Cisco Systems, and HP Inc. to startups and solution providers, have launched cost-cutting efforts and laid off employees.

And in a major shift in the way businesses operate, the hybrid and work-from-home practices imposed by the pandemic on millions of workers now appear to be at least semi-permanent. And that means changes, and opportunities, in the IT products and services that the channel offers.

Some of the biggest news this year involves blockbuster acquisitions that are changing the face of the IT industry and channel. Some, like AMD’s $49 billion purchase of Xilinx, the largest acquisition in semiconductor industry history, are done deals. Others, like Broadcom’s pending $61 billion deal to buy virtualization giant VMware, are in the works.

The ongoing threat of malware, ransomware, and other cyber-attacks against businesses, government agencies, and IT companies continues to be a major story, and managed service providers are a frequent target. Changes to Microsoft’s channel program and practices and their impact on partners have been in the news this year. And how the IT industry has responded to the war in Ukraine rounds out the top stories.

Here’s our look at the top 10 news stories of 2022, starting at number 10 and counting up to number 1. Take a look and see if you agree with our picks.