The Next Era of Technology Advising: Turning Trust into Better Business Outcomes

Technology advisors can build on trusted customer relationships to help businesses make better decisions across a wider range of needs. At Thrive 2026, leaders from Renodis, Savvy Technologies, and Bluewave shared how they expand into adjacent categories, invest in the expertise to serve clients well, and move from selling individual solutions toward broader, outcome-focused advice. Advisors already know that customer trust can open doors beyond the initial engagement, but the real opportunity is to help customers make sense of what comes next. Organizations are weighing decisions across energy costs, customer experience, security, and AI. They may know what they want to improve without knowing which tools fit, how a choice could affect other systems, or what to do after choosing. Advisors who understand a customer’s business can connect those decisions to meaningful outcomes—and help the customer move forward with confidence. At Thrive 2026, AppDirect CIO Emanuel Bertolin spoke with three leaders from technology advisory firms about how they’re growing their businesses and supporting customers: Bill Frohriep, Chief Revenue Officer at Renodis, Donna Kruse, CEO of Savvy Technologies, and Seth Penland, Founder and CEO of Bluewave. Each leader described a different path to broadening an advisory business, but a common starting…