AI

In The Channel

Communications 101: Gareth Pettigrew on why PR has never mattered more for MSPs

April 7, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Communications 101: Gareth Pettigrew on why PR has never mattered more for MSPs
As the industry shifts from search to chat, earned media has become one of the primary ways LLMs surface information about companies – which means partners who aren’t thinking about communications are increasingly invisible. Gareth Pettigrew, who spent years in communications at Cisco and Okta, including leading Cisco’s partner communications efforts, breaks down why PR matters more now than it ever has, why it doesn’t have to be the heavy lift you think it is, and offers a practical week-by-week roadmap for MSPs ready to start – no budget or comms team required.

Identity

Okta’s Canadian bet: Data cell, 600 employees, and a plan to triple the business

April 6, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Okta’s Canadian bet: Data cell, 600 employees, and a plan to triple the business
Okta is running over 80 percent of Canadian revenue through partners and betting big on regulated verticals with a new Montreal-based data cell. Country manager Ryan Sydor talks about what that investment looks like and where it’s headed.

In Case You Missed It

ICYMI: SonicWall names the seven deadly sins, Cisco pulls deal reg, and Lenovo bets on services

April 6, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on ICYMI: SonicWall names the seven deadly sins, Cisco pulls deal reg, and Lenovo bets on services
This week’s In Case You Missed It: SonicWall reframes SMB security around seven predictable, preventable failures. Cisco eliminates compute deal registration amid rising memory costs. Lenovo evolves its partner framework toward services as hardware headwinds build. And CDW Canada delivers sobering Canadian-specific data on the state of enterprise cybersecurity.

Identity

Beyond the password vault: 1Password’s channel chief makes the case for identity security as an MSP practice

April 1, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Beyond the password vault: 1Password’s channel chief makes the case for identity security as an MSP practice
1Password’s Larissa Crandall joins the podcast to discuss why identity security has become the front door of the security conversation and what that shift means for MSPs. From the company’s evolution beyond password management to the staggering 82-to-1 ratio of non-human to human identities, Crandall makes the case that the identity opportunity is bigger – and more urgent – than most partners realize.

In The Channel

WatchGuard CEO Joe Smolarski on doubling MSP margins, the Kaseya playbook, and why Canada’s cybersecurity moment is now

March 31, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on WatchGuard CEO Joe Smolarski on doubling MSP margins, the Kaseya playbook, and why Canada’s cybersecurity moment is now
WatchGuard’s new CEO sits down for a wide-ranging conversation about why 2026 may be the year MSPs stop being commodity IT providers – and what the company’s 30-year track record, Kaseya-honed economics playbook, and new Bell Cyber partnership mean for Canadian partners.

In Case You Missed It

ICYMI: Sherweb goes global, Broadcom’s VMware reckoning arrives, and the commercial refresh just got more expensive

March 30, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on ICYMI: Sherweb goes global, Broadcom’s VMware reckoning arrives, and the commercial refresh just got more expensive
This week’s In Case You Missed It: Sherweb secures its first outside investment in 28 years and expands into the UK. Broadcom faces an EU antitrust complaint as the VCSP deadline hits. Intel and AMD both signal price hikes squeezing the commercial PC refresh. And converging data from Auvik and OpenText reveals how far AI adoption has outrun AI governance.

Pat Finerty, vice president of alliances and channels for Canada and Latin America at SAS Institute
Uncategorized

New Year’s Podcast Series: Pat Finerty of SAS Canada

February 8, 2019 Robert Dutt Comments Off on New Year’s Podcast Series: Pat Finerty of SAS Canada
SAS’s vice president of channels and alliances on why and how the analytics and AI powerhouse is building out its channel business, opportunities for solution providers, highlights of its business in 2018, and plans for 2019 in this edition of the Podcast.

Cloud

Palo Alto Networks expands Google partnership to leverage Google Cloud AI capabilities

December 19, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Palo Alto Networks expands Google partnership to leverage Google Cloud AI capabilities
As part of the enhanced relationship with Google, Palo Alto Networks will now run their Application Framework and GlobalProtect cloud service in the Google Cloud, as they believe its analytics capabilities are the best fit for these applications.

Security

eSentire strengthens threat hunting capabilities in MDR platform with acquisition of AI-focused Versive

October 23, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on eSentire strengthens threat hunting capabilities in MDR platform with acquisition of AI-focused Versive
Versive had been selling direct, so their technology is not well known in the channel, but eSentire thinks that it will further enhance their already strong threat hunting capabilities.

Networking

Cisco Canada emphasizes progress, passion and possibilities at Cisco Connect event in Toronto

October 19, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Cisco Canada emphasizes progress, passion and possibilities at Cisco Connect event in Toronto
Cisco Canada President Rola Dagher recounted Cisco Canada’s trumps over the last year, which saw Canada named as Cisco’s top theatre for growth, while also highlighting the initiative Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins launched the previous day in conjunction with Deloitte and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.