Episode Details

OpenText is rethinking how it reaches and serves mid-market customers, putting partners at the centre of a significant transformation in its commercial strategy.

Speaking with In The Channel at OpenText World 2026 in Orlando, Todd Cione, executive vice president and chief sales officer at OpenText, described a “radical pivot” away from a direct sales approach that has struggled to provide sufficient coverage of the mid-market.

Instead, the company is increasingly turning to regional solution providers, systems integrators and other channel partners to extend its reach and deliver customer value.

The shift is part of a broader transformation under OpenText’s new One OpenText operating model, which brings together the company’s extensive technology portfolio and partner ecosystem around customer needs. For its largest 2,400 customers, OpenText has introduced client executives responsible for coordinating internal specialists and external partners.

Cione also sees a substantial opportunity to drive organic growth by expanding adoption of OpenText technologies across its existing base of more than 120,000 customers.

But realizing that opportunity requires more than encouraging partners to cross-sell. Cione points to financial incentives, technical and commercial enablement, and simpler programs and systems as essential investments. That includes reconsidering the historically significant costs associated with some partner training.

The conversation also explores the role of OpenText’s MSP-focused cybersecurity business, opportunities to extend the company’s portfolio into smaller customers, and the challenge of creating a more consistent partner experience without losing the specialization different types of partners require. OpenText’s existing Accelerate Partner Program illustrates some of the distinct requirements of its cybersecurity channel.

Cione says roughly half of OpenText’s revenue is currently in