Driven Tech named to CRN's first-ever AI Innovators list for 2026

What CRN's AI Innovators list covers

According to the announcement, CRN's inaugural AI Innovators list celebrates North American solution providers that have recognized the opportunities of AI and built the technology into solutions for their customers. The release says each 2026 honoree has shown dedication to creating creative and unique AI solutions that deliver valuable business enhancements.

The announcement frames the list against a broader shift in the market. It states that AI has quickly moved from an emerging technology to a strategic business imperative, with solution providers deploying it to help businesses improve customer experiences, enhance employee productivity, strengthen decision-making and uncover new opportunities for growth. As a result, the release says, the AI market has become a major catalyst for innovation across every sector of the IT channel.

Coverage of the list is available at crn.com/AIinnovators, beginning Oct. 19, according to the release.

How Driven Tech describes its approach

Driven provides managed IT and cybersecurity services designed to strengthen organizational resilience and improve operational efficiency. Its approach rests on three core pillars: Pervasive Security, Applied Intelligence, and AI-Driven Foundations. The company says it brings together leading technologies through extensive API integrations to deliver greater visibility, more effective protection, and faster threat detection and response.

In its boilerplate, Driven describes itself as a Security and AI-first technology integrator. It says it delivers advisory, professional, and managed services across cybersecurity, cloud, networking, data, and AI, and helps organizations modernize infrastructure, secure digital environments, and use artificial intelligence to improve cyber resilience, operational efficiency, and business outcomes.

What the executives said

Vinu Thomas, President and COO of Driven Tech, said the company sees AI as more than a product to sell on. "AI isn't simply another technology to resell or bolt onto existing infrastructure. It's an opportunity to fundamentally rethink how enterprises secure, modernize and operate their environments," he said. According to Thomas, that vision is what Driven was founded on and what continues to drive its investments in engineering, proprietary innovation and its Security- and AI-first platform strategy.

Jennifer Follett, Vice President, U.S. Content and Executive Editor at CRN, The Channel Company, said the honorees "are helping shape the next generation of business transformation through the imaginative use of artificial intelligence." She added that by delivering forward-thinking solutions that create value for customers and technology partners, they are pushing the industry forward and setting a high standard for innovation.

What it means for customers and partners

The recognition is an industry listing, not a product launch, and the announcement does not include performance figures or customer results for Driven. For organizations choosing an integrator, the list offers one outside signal of which North American providers CRN considers active in building AI into customer solutions. Because this is the first edition, the release gives no earlier lists to compare against.

For Driven, the listing supports its positioning as a security-first and AI-first integrator in a channel where, according to the release, AI has become a central driver of innovation.