Articles by Robert Dutt

About Robert Dutt
Robert Dutt is the founder and head blogger at ChannelBuzz.ca. He has been covering the Canadian solution provider channel community for a variety of publications and Web sites since 1997.
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In The Channel

How financing can help channel partners navigate higher IT costs

September 3, 2026 Robert Dutt 0
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.

In The Channel

Is technology expense management the MSP practice you haven’t considered?

August 27, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Is technology expense management the MSP practice you haven’t considered?
Technology expense management doesn’t show up on most MSPs’ radar – but according to Jason Wieser, SVP of channel sales at Calero, it probably should. In this episode, Wieser makes the case for TEM as a genuine recurring revenue practice, and explains why SaaS sprawl has become the front door into the conversation.

In The Channel

Red Hat’s Kennedy on why the swim lanes are gone – and what the partner program looks like now

August 26, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Red Hat’s Kennedy on why the swim lanes are gone – and what the partner program looks like now
Red Hat’s Kevin Kennedy says the era of clearly defined partner swim lanes is over – and the company’s partner program has had to fundamentally rethink how it rewards partners to match the way business actually gets done.

Podcasts

The Buzz: ePlus buys Daymark, Cohesity expands Aspire partner program, and Exclaimer builds an MSP lane

August 26, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: ePlus buys Daymark, Cohesity expands Aspire partner program, and Exclaimer builds an MSP lane
ePlus acquires Daymark Solutions for its Microsoft cloud push, Cohesity adds specializations and rebates to its Aspire partner program, and Exclaimer debuts MSP Connect with PSA integrations. Plus, IBM deploys thousands of AI agents and CrowdStrike warns on frontier AI threats. Here’s your Wednesday, August 26 channel briefing.

In The Channel

Cisco brings sovereign infrastructure to Canada with air-gapped portfolio

August 25, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Cisco brings sovereign infrastructure to Canada with air-gapped portfolio
Cisco has launched its Sovereign Critical Infrastructure portfolio in Canada, giving government, financial institutions, and healthcare providers a new option for air-gapped, on-premises deployment. Cisco Canada president Raj Juneja says the offering is open to the full partner ecosystem, with certifications consistent with existing portfolio requirements.

Podcasts

The Buzz: Cisco Canada launches sovereign critical infrastructure, ScanSource buys MicroAge for $220.5 million, and ESET Canada names cybersecurity scholarship winners

August 25, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: Cisco Canada launches sovereign critical infrastructure, ScanSource buys MicroAge for $220.5 million, and ESET Canada names cybersecurity scholarship winners
Cisco Canada launches its Sovereign Critical Infrastructure portfolio with Bell as lead partner, ScanSource acquires MicroAge for $220.5 million to augment partner services, and ESET Canada names three Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship winners. Plus CrowdStrike expands Project QuiltWorks to SMBs, Palo Alto Networks and NTT Data sign a $1 billion pact, and Auvik promotes Daniel Ochoa to CRO.