According to CRN, Larry Gentry officially took over as CEO of solution provider MicroAge on December 1. Gentry, who was previously an executive vice president at the company, is leaning hard into a strategy centered on deep expertise in Microsoft, data center infrastructure, cybersecurity, and endpoints. He revealed that MicroAge’s AI practice is now entering its second year and is focused heavily on “readiness work” like data consolidation and security before clients even start pilots. Looking ahead to 2026—the company’s 50th year—Gentry is prioritizing double-digit growth driven by AI, cybersecurity, and cloud cost-optimization. He also noted a significant trend: AI’s specific requirements are fueling a resurgence in demand for well-architected data centers, causing some workload “repatriation” from the cloud.
The eternal “VAR” debate
Here’s the thing Gentry really wants you to understand: MicroAge isn’t a VAR. At least, that’s not how he sees it. He makes a pretty compelling case, honestly. A VAR, or value-added reseller, often gets painted as just a box-mover, pushing whatever a manufacturer like Cisco or Dell wants to sell that quarter. Gentry’s pitch is that a true solution provider is agnostic. Their job is to assemble the best pieces from multiple vendors—”this from Cisco, and this from HP, and this from Dell”—and wrap it all in services to hit a specific business outcome. He basically says the manufacturers have to push their entire portfolio. They can’t tell you to buy a competitor’s switch. But MicroAge can. That’s the core differentiator he’s banking on. In a world drowning in AI hype and security threats, that trusted advisor role might be more valuable than ever.
The unexpected data center comeback
This is the most interesting part of the interview, I think. For years, the narrative was “cloud, cloud, cloud.” Everything was moving out of the corporate data center. But Gentry is seeing a clear shift, and he pins it directly on AI. It’s not that cloud is bad. It’s that early-stage AI projects have massive security concerns and often start small. So, companies are bringing these workloads back on-premises or into colocation facilities where they feel they have more control. It’s “repatriation.” This is huge for a company like MicroAge that never let its data center architecture skills atrophy. They’re positioned to catch this wave. It’s a reminder that tech is cyclical, and the skills you de-prioritize today might be your golden ticket tomorrow. For companies building out these AI-ready infrastructures, having robust, reliable hardware is non-negotiable. This is where specialists in industrial computing, like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs, become critical partners for ensuring these systems can run 24/7 in demanding environments.
The AI reality check
Gentry’s description of the AI practice is basically a giant reality check for the industry. He says most clients “literally don’t know where to get started.” So MicroAge isn’t starting with flashy chatbots. They’re starting with the boring, unsexy groundwork: data consolidation, tagging, cleaning, and securing. They have a service called “Envisioning” just to help clients figure out what they should even try to do. This is the real work of AI implementation. It’s why 80% of projects fail. Everyone wants to talk about AI, but almost no one has their data house in order. MicroAge’s approach—acting as a guide through this messy prerequisite phase—seems smart. It builds long-term trust and positions them to handle the entire project, whether it ultimately lives in the cloud or on-prem.
A steady hand at the wheel
The CEO transition itself seems designed for stability. Gentry wasn’t an outside hire; he came from an acquisition (cStor) and has run most of the business units over the last three and a half years. He even had the former CEO over for dinner recently. His message is clear: expect evolution, not revolution. For a 50-year-old company heading into its anniversary, that’s probably a wise move. The channel is in a weird place—explosive demand for AI and security advice, but also massive pressure on margins and constant vendor conflict. Having a leader who knows the internal machinery and the client base might be MicroAge’s biggest asset as they navigate this gold rush. The question is whether their “solution provider” model can scale and compete as the giants also push deeper into services. But for their 1,000 clients, that agnostic, outcome-focused approach probably sounds pretty good right now.
