Year: 2026

In The Channel

Do or do not: SonicWall’s Michael Crean on what MSPs keep getting wrong on security

April 29, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Do or do not: SonicWall’s Michael Crean on what MSPs keep getting wrong on security
SonicWall’s 2026 Cyber Protect Report frames SMB security failures as seven predictable, preventable sins. In The Channel sat down with SVP Michael Crean – who built one of the early SOC-as-a-service MSSPs before SonicWall acquired it – to dig into what the framework actually means for partners.

Podcasts

The Buzz: Google Cloud launches Partner Network, Microsoft and OpenAI alter revenue share, and Guardz highlights non-human identity threat

April 29, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: Google Cloud launches Partner Network, Microsoft and OpenAI alter revenue share, and Guardz highlights non-human identity threat
Today on The Buzz: Google Cloud targets Microsoft with a new partner program, OpenAI and Microsoft revise their partnership terms, and Guardz releases its 2026 MSP Threat Report.

In The Channel

Networking is not sexy until it doesn’t work

April 28, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Networking is not sexy until it doesn’t work
When the founders of the SD-WAN market started over, they had a specific problem in mind. What they built next may be exactly what the AI era demands from the network.

Podcasts

The Buzz: AI job cuts top 100,000 for the year, Keeper Security targets phishing at the credential level, and Pia brings zero-touch service desk to Microsoft Teams

April 28, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: AI job cuts top 100,000 for the year, Keeper Security targets phishing at the credential level, and Pia brings zero-touch service desk to Microsoft Teams
More than 100,000 tech jobs have been eliminated industry-wide in the first four months of 2026, with AI cited as a direct cause in nearly half of the cuts. Keeper Security launches real-time phishing defence at the point of credential entry. And Pia’s new Teams-native application brings zero-touch ticket resolution to MSP service desks.

In The Channel

Not a concept, not a pilot: GTIA’s Innovate Awards are looking for AI that’s earning its keep

April 27, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Not a concept, not a pilot: GTIA’s Innovate Awards are looking for AI that’s earning its keep
The inaugural GTIA Innovate Awards aren’t looking for AI pitches or proof-of-concepts. They’re looking for IT service providers who have deployed AI in production and can prove it’s generating revenue or saving money. In a channel where 98% claim to use AI but few have a formal strategy, the bar is both a competition requirement and a mirror.

Podcasts

The Buzz: Canadian cyberattacks surge, Microsoft’s AI bundle overhaul lands Friday, and OpenAI goes channel

April 27, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: Canadian cyberattacks surge, Microsoft’s AI bundle overhaul lands Friday, and OpenAI goes channel
New CDW Canada and IDC research finds Canadian enterprise cyberattacks jumped 80 percent in the past year, with cloud infection rates at a record high. Microsoft drops new agentic AI-powered 365 bundles on Thursday, May 1. And OpenAI makes a major channel hire, signalling a shift toward building a real partner program.

Channel Programs

Cisco 360, three months in: Canadian partners are responding better than expected

April 24, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Cisco 360, three months in: Canadian partners are responding better than expected
Cisco Canada’s VP of Partner Organization and SMB Sales takes stock of the first quarter of the new Cisco 360 Partner Program – including the partner feedback that caught her off guard, what “Preferred” means now that Gold is gone, and why Canadian partners should start building their adopt-and-renew practices before the incentive structure forces them to.

Podcasts

The Buzz: Acronis launches GenAI Protection, Everpure CEO warns of sustained RAMageddon pricing, and Cisco’s quantum networking milestone

April 24, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: Acronis launches GenAI Protection, Everpure CEO warns of sustained RAMageddon pricing, and Cisco’s quantum networking milestone
Acronis launches GenAI Protection, giving MSPs a billable way to govern shadow AI across client environments. Everpure CEO Charles Giancarlo publishes an open letter warning of 70-percent average price increases driven by AI-fuelled semiconductor demand – with multi-year disruption likely. And Cisco announces a working Universal Quantum Switch prototype that routes quantum information between incompatible systems without destroying it. Three stories worth your attention to close the week.

In The Channel

The gaps are the opportunity: Dell’s Eric Arcese on the AI Factory, VxRail’s evolution, and what’s ahead

April 23, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The gaps are the opportunity: Dell’s Eric Arcese on the AI Factory, VxRail’s evolution, and what’s ahead
Dell’s Eric Arcese joins In The Channel with a message for Canadian partners navigating the AI era: the opportunity isn’t in the infrastructure itself – it’s in the gaps around it.

Podcasts

The Buzz: HPE expands channel software push, AvePoint highlights AI governance gap, and ESET tracks cyber insurance influence

April 23, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: HPE expands channel software push, AvePoint highlights AI governance gap, and ESET tracks cyber insurance influence
HPE doubles its software channel team amid hardware cost pressures, new research points to governance as the main hurdle for AI monetization, and ESET reveals how cyber insurance is changing SMB security outsourcing.