Month: September 2026

In The Channel

Okta Canada check-in: Agentic AI hits the boardroom, partner contribution doubles, and the pitch is ‘sell better, not more’

September 30, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Okta Canada check-in: Agentic AI hits the boardroom, partner contribution doubles, and the pitch is ‘sell better, not more’
Six months ago, Okta Canada’s Ryan Sydor talked about investment: a data cell, 600 employees, a plan to triple the business. At Oktane 2026, the story is demand – for agentic identity, for agent security, and for partners who can advise rather than sell. Sydor on board mandates, the Blueprint Alliance, Microsoft coexistence, and 100 per cent partner growth.

In The Channel

Okta rebuilds its channel program: the Partner Accelerator brings three tracks and a services-first bet

September 29, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Okta rebuilds its channel program: the Partner Accelerator brings three tracks and a services-first bet
Okta has unveiled the Okta Partner Accelerator, a ground-up rework of its Elevate partner program, at Oktane 2026. Laura Padilla, Okta’s head of partners, walks In The Channel through the three-track structure, the customer-outcome metrics that gate the elite tier, the expansion of partner-delivered professional services to every deal, and the AI agent security opportunity she thinks partners are still early on.

In The Channel

How financing can help channel partners navigate higher IT costs

September 3, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on How financing can help channel partners navigate higher IT costs
Rising hardware costs and customer budget pressure are making IT infrastructure deals harder to close. Mitsubishi HC Capital Canada’s Jim Moschos explains how MSPs and VARs can use financing to protect margins, manage cash flow and support multi-year technology commitments.

In The Channel

Plugable CEO Lynn Smurthwaite-Murphy on bringing Amazon-tested peripherals to the IT channel and introducing modular AI hardware

September 2, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Plugable CEO Lynn Smurthwaite-Murphy on bringing Amazon-tested peripherals to the IT channel and introducing modular AI hardware
Plugable CEO Lynn Smurthwaite-Murphy joins In The Channel to discuss the company’s evolution from a consumer favorite on Amazon to a channel-focused peripherals vendor, the strategic value of its recent Acer Gadget investment, and how its new Thunderbolt 5 AI enclosure offers MSPs a modular approach to local artificial intelligence.

Podcasts

The Buzz: TD Synnex deepens PartnerFirst, Barracuda collapses partner tracks, and AWS pushes outcome-based AI billing

September 2, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: TD Synnex deepens PartnerFirst, Barracuda collapses partner tracks, and AWS pushes outcome-based AI billing
TD Synnex adds Microsoft and Cisco data to PartnerFirst, Barracuda merges MSP and reseller tracks, and AWS pushes outcome-based AI pricing. Plus: Blumira and DNSFilter integrate, OpenAI agents breach Hugging Face, and TD SYNNEX Canada Inspire dates are set.

In The Channel

Frank Balonis on why Canadian partners need to start CPCSC prep now, and what CMMC taught us

September 1, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Frank Balonis on why Canadian partners need to start CPCSC prep now, and what CMMC taught us
Kiteworks chief information security officer Frank Balonis joins In The Channel to explain what Canadian partners need to know about CPCSC, how it differs from CMMC, and why the window to get ahead of Level 2 requirements is already closing.

Podcasts

The Buzz: KnowBe4 names Kurt Mills channel chief, CBTS launches Forge Agents, and Sublime Security integrates with CrowdStrike

September 1, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: KnowBe4 names Kurt Mills channel chief, CBTS launches Forge Agents, and Sublime Security integrates with CrowdStrike
Today’s Buzz covers KnowBe4’s new channel chief, CBTS’s push to put AI agents into production, and Sublime Security’s CrowdStrike integration, plus counter-tariffs on U.S. tech, browser security, and research on why internal AI SOC builds fail.