In The Channel

Canada’s data sovereignty moment: why partners who move first will own the space

Rob Falzon of Check Point Software has a candid observation: even after his company launched a dedicated Canadian data region, the phone calls aren’t coming. That, he says, is exactly the problem – and for MSPs paying attention, it’s a window.

In The Channel

The evolution of an MSP: WBM’s 75-year journey and the “curse” of the entrepreneur

WBM Technologies president JoeAnne Hardy discusses the company’s transition from a 1950s typewriter shop to a leading Canadian MSP. She opens up about the “curse” of the entrepreneur, the deliberate pivot that aligned business growth with personal well-being, and why knowing your non-negotiables is the key to navigating private equity and growth capital.

In Case You Missed It

ICYMI: Cisco compute prices jump, AWS pays MSPs cash, and farewell to ICYMI

Cisco compute prices jump April 18 in a market-wide memory squeeze that some forecasters say could last until 2030. AWS begins paying MSPs direct cash for managed services – but requires revenue tagging in place by summer. Nutanix unveils a complete agentic AI platform as Toronto’s Arctiq wins the Americas Reseller Momentum Award. And ICYMI signs off as The Buzz prepares to launch April 20.

Channel Programs

Palo Alto’s Michael Khoury on what’s actually changing for partners in the NextWave revamp

Palo Alto Networks’ Michael Khoury joins In The Channel to walk through the ground-up redesign of the NextWave partner program – from the elimination of discount caps to the new platform adoption incentives and the CyberArk identity opportunity.

In The Channel

Your tools are the threat: ESET’s Tony Anscombe on MSP supply chain risk

A 277% spike in RMM abuse. MFA bypasses through inherited VPN configurations. Attackers targeting backup infrastructure before they even start encrypting. In this second conversation with ESET Chief Security Evangelist Tony Anscombe, we dig into how the tools MSPs rely on every day have become the primary attack surface – and what the practical path forward looks like.

Identity

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

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.

Channel Programs
Identity

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

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.