agentic AI

In The Channel

Top Down Ventures closes oversubscribed C$38M Founders Fund I, with a 5.3x agentic AI exit already in the books

May 12, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Top Down Ventures closes oversubscribed C$38M Founders Fund I, with a 5.3x agentic AI exit already in the books
Top Down Ventures has closed Founders Fund I at C$38 million, oversubscribed, as the first institutional VC fund focused exclusively on early-stage MSP software and AI. Managing partner Joel Abramson joined In The Channel on announcement day to unpack the thesis, the zofiQ exit, and the market shift that has the fund bullish on the decade ahead.

Podcasts

The Buzz: Canada ranks second globally for ransomware, Top Down closes $38M MSP fund, and Barracuda maps the new email threat landscape

May 12, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: Canada ranks second globally for ransomware, Top Down closes $38M MSP fund, and Barracuda maps the new email threat landscape
Canada moves to second globally in ransomware attacks per Fortinet, Top Down Ventures closes its oversubscribed Founders Fund I at $38M Canadian, and Barracuda’s analysis of 3.1 billion emails maps where the threat is heading next.

In The Channel

On site at ServiceNow Knowledge: What building Canada’s first ServiceNow elite partner teaches you about what’s coming next

May 11, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on On site at ServiceNow Knowledge: What building Canada’s first ServiceNow elite partner teaches you about what’s coming next
In the final episode of our Knowledge 2026 series, we sit down with Steven Kiss of EY Canada – the founder of SuMO IT Solutions, Canada’s first ServiceNow elite partner, now running EY’s national ServiceNow practice – for a practitioner’s view of where the channel is actually headed.

Podcasts

The Buzz: inforcer brings shadow AI monitoring to MSPs, SUSE launches sovereign partner specialization, and Cayosoft targets the Microsoft identity migration gap

May 8, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: inforcer brings shadow AI monitoring to MSPs, SUSE launches sovereign partner specialization, and Cayosoft targets the Microsoft identity migration gap
Today on The Buzz: inforcer’s Copilot Manager gives MSPs a new lens on shadow AI, SUSE formalizes a sovereign cloud path for channel partners, and Cayosoft reframes Microsoft identity migration as a managed practice.

In The Channel

On site at ServiceNow Knowledge: ServiceNow puts its AI leader in charge of the channel and the partner model is changing to match

May 7, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on On site at ServiceNow Knowledge: ServiceNow puts its AI leader in charge of the channel and the partner model is changing to match
Recorded live at Knowledge 2026 in Las Vegas, ServiceNow SVP of Global Partnerships and Channels Michael Park talks about why the company put an AI product veteran in charge of its partner organization – and what that signals for how the channel needs to evolve.

Podcasts

The Buzz: ServiceNow bets on partners to close the gap between AI ambition and AI reality

May 5, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: ServiceNow bets on partners to close the gap between AI ambition and AI reality
At ServiceNow Knowledge 2026 in Las Vegas, partner-sourced revenue doubled year-over-year in Q1 as the company rolls out new tools to move partners from time-and-materials billing to outcome-based delivery.

In The Channel

On site at SAS Innovate: global channel chief John Carey on the shift to indirect, the TD SYNNEX bet, and the case for the transparent box

May 1, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on On site at SAS Innovate: global channel chief John Carey on the shift to indirect, the TD SYNNEX bet, and the case for the transparent box
When John Carey joined SAS Institute four years ago, his mandate was to rethink what partnering looked like for a company with a long advisory and delivery history but limited co-sell and no resell motion. Recorded on site at SAS Innovate 2026, Robert Dutt talks to the senior vice president of global channels about what he found, what he built, and where SAS’s channel goes from here.

Podcasts

The Buzz: OMERS-backed Integris targets Australian MSP First Focus, AI agents weaponized for infostealing, M365 E7 launches today

May 1, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: OMERS-backed Integris targets Australian MSP First Focus, AI agents weaponized for infostealing, M365 E7 launches today
Today’s channel headlines: OMERS-backed Integris announces intent to acquire First Focus, the largest SMB-focused MSP in Australia and New Zealand; NeuShield partners with Ontario-based Data Guards on ransomware recovery that restored 6.2TB in fifteen minutes; and ThreatDown’s ThreatLabs Europe discovers AI agent skills being weaponized to deliver the GachiLoader infostealer. Plus Sublime Security goes 100% channel, Konica Minolta’s AccurioPress C5080, Forescout’s 90-city Mission:Possible partner tour, and Microsoft 365 E7 goes generally available today.

In The Channel

On site at SAS Innovate: SAS Canada’s Ryan MacDonald on AI governance, the partner opportunity, and fifty years of trust

April 30, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on On site at SAS Innovate: SAS Canada’s Ryan MacDonald on AI governance, the partner opportunity, and fifty years of trust
What does fifty years of analytics heritage mean in a market that reinvents itself every eighteen months? Recorded on site at SAS Innovate 2026, Robert Dutt sits down with Ryan MacDonald, managing director of SAS Canada, to dig into the week’s major AI governance and agentic AI announcements, the state of Canadian enterprise AI maturity, and why the channel is SAS’s answer to the SMB opportunity.

Podcasts

The Buzz: SAS Innovate 2026 special – Viya opens to AI agents, Navigator introduced

April 30, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: SAS Innovate 2026 special – Viya opens to AI agents, Navigator introduced
A special edition of The Buzz from SAS Innovate 2026 in Washington. SAS opens Viya to external AI agents via MCP, AI Navigator gets automated discovery and lands on Azure Marketplace, and SAS’s chief operating officer gives the most candid AI ROI read of the week. Plus: Microsoft beats Q3 with 40% Azure growth and Copilot at 20 million seats with M365 E7 landing tomorrow, Lenovo acquires Phoenix Technologies’ firmware business, Auvik launches Aurora AI agents for MSPs, and Aviatrix introduces agentic AI containment through the channel.