Canalys

What Canalys does

Canalys is a B2B technology market analyst firm founded in 1998, historically renowned for its research on technology channels and smartphones. It is now operating under the Omdia brand following its 2024 merger with Ovum and other Informa Tech research brands, while retaining the Canalys Forums marque for its events business. The company is a subsidiary of Informa TechTarget, itself part of Informa PLC (London-listed); its primary operating entity is Informa Telecoms & Media Limited, registered in the United Kingdom.

The company builds subscription research products organised around five domains: Channels Analysis (regional partner ecosystem mapping across APAC, EMEA, and North America), Consumer Tech (Smartphone Horizon Service, PC Horizon Service, Connected Life Horizon), Enterprise Tech (Cloud Channels, Infrastructure, Cybersecurity), Smart Automotive (Intelligent Vehicle Analysis), and Sustainability (Sustainable Channels Analysis). It also operates the Alys Partner Assessment platform for vendor-partner evaluation and the Candefero partner community that feeds proprietary channel data into custom research. All products rely on primary analyst research augmented by shipment-tracking datasets and community feedback rather than on automated or AI-generated outputs.

Canalys monetises through three primary streams: recurring subscription access to research via client login portals, bespoke consulting projects (channel development, market entry, competitor strategy, partner program design), and the Canalys Forums events held annually in Barcelona, Scottsdale, and Bali. It also serves as a third-party auditor for hyperscaler partner award programs, notably AWS Partner Awards in 2025. The customer base spans technology vendors, channel partners/distributors/MSPs, service providers, and enterprise IT buyers, sold via direct enterprise sales relationships across offices in 12 cities across EMEA, Americas, and APAC.

Name

Canalys

Legal name

Informa Telecoms & Media Limited

Website

https://canalys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Canalys (now Omdia) is a B2B technology market analyst firm, founded 1998, providing subscription research, custom consulting, and the Canalys Forums events for technology vendors, channel partners, and service providers across smartphones, PCs, cloud, cybersecurity, and automotive.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Research Services: Subscription-based access to research reports, analysis, and market intelligence across Channels, Enterprise, Emerging Tech, and Mobility verticals. Clients access content through client login portals.
2. Custom Consulting Projects: Bespoke research and advisory services including channel development, channel management, competitor strategy, customized data, market entry, marketing solutions, partner programs, and speaking engagements.
3. Canalys Forums Events: Annual worldwide events for senior channel executives held in EMEA (Barcelona), Americas (Scottsdale), and APAC (Bali). Events offer networking, analysis sessions, and sponsorship opportunities.
4. Partner Assessment Services:

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Canalys (now operating under Omdia) is a B2B technology market analyst firm that provides subscription-based research and intelligence services covering technology channels, smartphones, PCs, enterprise technology, cybersecurity, and mobility sectors. The firm supplements its syndicated research with bespoke consulting engagements, a partner assessment platform (Alys), and annual channel executive forums across EMEA, Americas, and APAC.

Product overview

Canalys, now operating as Omdia under Informa TechTarget, offers a comprehensive portfolio of technology market intelligence products and services. The core offering consists of subscription-based intelligence services organized around key technology domains: Channels Analysis (covering APAC, EMEA, and North America regions), Consumer Tech (Smartphone Horizon Service, PC Horizon Service, Connected Life Horizon), Enterprise Tech (Cloud Channels, Infrastructure, Cybersecurity), and Smart Automotive (Intelligent Vehicle Analysis). These are complemented by Custom Solutions (consulting engagements in channel development, market entry, competitor strategy, and speaking engagements), the Alys Partner Assessment platform for vendor-partner relationship management, and Canalys Forums events across three global regions. The company provides research spanning technology channels, smartphones, PCs, cloud, cybersecurity, and automotive sectors, with a combined permissioned audience of 50+ million professionals across the TechTarget and Informa Tech network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Channels Analysis

Quantifiable outcome

• Canalys Forums connect 2,500+ senior channel executives annually with 40+ sessions and 150+ speakers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Amazon Web ServicesmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 December 2025Canalys serves as the third-party analyst evaluating AWS Partner Award submissions, providing independent assessment of customer success use cases for AWS partner recognition programs.
• AWS Partner NetworkmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2025Canalys audits AWS Partner Awards selections across dozens of categories covering consulting, technology, industry-specific, and public sector partnerships.
• Omdia (parent)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Canalys is now part of Omdia, which is part of Informa Tech. The combined entity publishes the Business SaaS 100 Ecosystems report covering the US$420B business SaaS market.
• Informa TechTargetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanalys merged with Omdia and became part of Informa TechTarget's global network. This combination offers industry-leading, global solutions enabling vendors in enterprise technology to accelerate revenue growth at scale, with a combined permissioned audience of 50+ million professionals.
• Candefero Channels CommunitycoreTechnology or IntegrationProprietary channels community providing data and feedback supporting Canalys/Omdia custom research projects. The platform enables vendors to assess channel partners at scale and engage digitally.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Euromonitor International: Euromonitor is a global market research firm providing technology and consumer electronics intelligence—competing with Canalys at the broader technology and mobility research layer.
• GfK (Niq): GfK, now part of NIQ, is a large market intelligence firm with deep consumer electronics and technology channel data—competing more broadly than Canalys with overlapping shipment tracking and channel insights.

Direct peers

• IDC (International Data Corporation): IDC is a premier global market intelligence firm for the IT and telecommunications industries with deep coverage of PC, smartphone, and channel ecosystems—directly competing with Canalys's Horizon services and Channels Analysis.
• Strategy Analytics: Strategy Analytics is a specialist research firm focused on smartphones, automotive, and consumer electronics—directly overlapping with Canalys's mobility and consumer tech intelligence services.
• ABI Research: ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm providing research across IoT, connectivity, and emerging tech—overlapping with Canalys's emerging technology and channel research.
• Counterpoint Research: Counterpoint Research is a specialist technology research firm with deep coverage of smartphones, PCs, and emerging tech markets—directly competing with Canalys's Smartphone Horizon and PC Horizon services.
• Gartner: Gartner is the largest technology research and advisory firm globally, offering Magic Quadrant and Hype Cycle research across IT, channel, and enterprise technology—directly competing with Canalys/Omdia for vendor and channel partner research subscriptions.
• Forrester Research: Forrester is a leading global research and advisory firm serving technology vendors and enterprise buyers with Wave evaluations and channel strategy research—competing head-to-head with Canalys on enterprise technology subscription research.

Emerging players

• CCS Insight: CCS Insight is a UK-based specialist analyst firm covering smartphones, IoT, and enterprise mobility with a comparable but smaller footprint than Canalys in overlapping research domains.
• TrendForce: TrendForce is a specialist technology research firm focused on semiconductors, smartphones, and PC components—overlapping with Canalys's Smartphone and PC Horizon services from a hardware/supply-chain angle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@omdiahq8895
• Xx.com/Canalys
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/27766

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Canalys