Today’s headline news for Canadian IT solution providers:
- SonicWall is making its Gen 8 security platform available in virtualized environments for the first time with the launch of the NSv XS, a subscription-based virtual firewall purpose-built for MSPs and MSSPs delivering managed security to small and distributed environments. The NSv XS supports VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, KVM, AWS, Azure, and Proxmox and ships in three service tiers designed around recurring revenue models. The top tier adds co-managed security from SonicWall’s SonicSentry NOC team plus embedded cyber warranty coverage through Cysurance. SonicWall’s 2026 Cyber Protect Report found high and medium severity attacks surged 20.8% last year, and with 52% of enterprises now running most of their infrastructure in the cloud, the NSv XS is explicitly designed to close that gap.
- Huntress and specialty insurance firm Acrisure have launched a new cyber insurance program offering eligible organizations access to Cyber or Tech E&O policies with no deductible and a streamlined application process. Organizations running qualifying Huntress Managed EDR and ITDR solutions may benefit from simplified underwriting – demonstrating active security posture translates to better insurance terms. The two companies are positioning the program as a response to growing AI-driven cyber threats and an alternative to the traditionally complex process of securing adequate cyber coverage.
- Intruder has released its 2026 Attack Surface Management Index, based on anonymized data from 3,000 customers. The headline number: 26% of organizations have exposed MySQL databases, a known target for ransomware and data extortion. Midmarket companies in the 5,000-10,000 employee range take an average of 56 days to remediate exposures – nearly four times slower than small enterprises. Banks closed gaps in an average of 11 days; insurance and pharma firms averaged more than 40. The report frames this against the emergence of autonomous AI models capable of independently discovering zero-day vulnerabilities – which makes a 56-day remediation window a meaningful risk.
- ThreatDown has launched identity threat detection and response for MSPs, adding credential-based attack detection to its managed security stack. ITDR joins ThreatDown’s existing endpoint protection capabilities as attackers increasingly target identity infrastructure rather than devices directly.
- Cycode has announced new capabilities for AI-driven development, declaring “shift left is dead” and repositioning its application security platform around the AI development lifecycle. The move reflects a broader rethinking of where security fits as AI-generated code accelerates development velocity and introduces new risk vectors.
- Toronto-based MSP roll-up AYCE Capital has acquired a cybersecurity advisory firm to anchor a portfolio-wide center of excellence in vCISO and managed security operations. The move signals a push to build differentiated security capabilities across its MSP portfolio rather than sourcing them piecemeal.
- MSPAlliance has launched new service lines under its Cyber Verify program, expanding the compliance and assurance framework available to managed service providers. The additions give MSPs more structured pathways to demonstrate security and operational maturity to enterprise and regulated-industry clients.
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Welcome to The Buzz from ChannelBuzz.ca, I’m Robert Dutt, today is Wednesday, May 13, 2026, and here’s what’s happening in the channel today.
SonicWall yesterday announced the NSv XS, a new virtual firewall extending its Gen 8 platform to cloud environments, with managed service providers and MSSPs as the primary target. The product allows partners to deploy firewall security wherever customer workloads run – public cloud, private cloud, branch offices, and distributed infrastructure – under a management model designed for multi-tenant operations. According to SonicWall, the NSv XS carries the same Gen 8 security engine found in its physical appliances into a lightweight virtual form factor, which the company says closes a growing gap as customer environments increasingly span both physical and cloud boundaries that legacy appliances can’t follow. The announcement is a practical one for the channel: a cloud-native firewall with the Gen 8 engine that can be managed centrally simplifies both the sales conversation around security coverage and the operational overhead of delivering it across heterogeneous customer environments.
Also yesterday, Huntress announced a partnership with insurance firm Acrisure to connect cybersecurity posture directly to cyber insurance outcomes for eligible organizations. Under the program, customers running the Huntress managed security platform can access Cyber and Tech Errors and Omissions policies through Acrisure with no deductible – with policy terms tied to the customer’s verified security posture rather than a generic underwriting baseline. According to Huntress, the program is built on the premise that organizations that have actually deployed layered security controls should not be underwritten at the same rates as those that haven’t. The arrangement is worth watching for solution providers who have been looking for cyber insurance integrations that go beyond co-marketing – this one appears to operationalize the connection between managed security delivery and insurance terms in a way that could strengthen both the MSP’s value proposition and the client’s risk profile.
Intruder rounded out a busy Tuesday by releasing its 2026 Attack Surface Management Index, drawing on anonymized data from 3,000 organizations to assess how quickly companies are identifying and closing their exposed attack surfaces. The headline finding: more than one in four organizations still have MySQL databases exposed and accessible from the internet – a foundational configuration risk that the report says reflects a broader struggle to maintain visibility over sprawling and distributed infrastructure. According to Intruder, the data shows that human remediation is falling further behind the pace of automated exploitation, a trend the company calls the “Mythos Era” – a period in which attacker tooling has measurably outpaced defender workflows. The report gives solution providers a concrete, data-backed framework to bring into client conversations, particularly for customers still relying on point-in-time scanning rather than continuous monitoring.
In Brief –
ThreatDown yesterday launched an identity threat detection and response platform, extending its security stack to cover credential-based attacks across Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, and Active Directory.
Cycode is declaring “shift left is dead,” releasing new agentic development lifecycle security capabilities designed to protect AI-driven software pipelines from code generation through deployment.
Toronto-based AYCE Capital yesterday announced the acquisition of a cybersecurity advisory firm to anchor a portfolio-wide security center of excellence.
MSPAlliance last week added Service Lines to its Cyber Verify platform, letting MSPs map audited controls directly to the services they deliver for cleaner, client-ready compliance reporting.
Full details and links in the show notes or the blog post.
Later today on In The Channel, we’re sitting down with Steve Petryschuk from Auvik to dig into their 2026 IT Trends Report and what the data reveals about the gap between AI ambition and AI maturity in managed services.
And if you haven’t heard it yet, yesterday’s episode is a good one – Joel Abramson from Top Down Ventures joins me to discuss the close of their C$38 million MSP-focused founders fund and why they believe managed service providers are the primary delivery vehicle for AI to the small and mid-market.
That’s how we’re seeing the headlines today. I’m Robert Dutt for ChannelBuzz.ca, thanks for listening. Have a great day.
