Managed Services

In The Channel

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

April 14, 2026 Robert Dutt 0
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.

Managed Services

IT Glue sends message to market by enhancing new ticket visibility in ConnectWise and Autotask integrations

March 12, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on IT Glue sends message to market by enhancing new ticket visibility in ConnectWise and Autotask integrations
The enhanced integrations, along with IT Glue’s new Open Platform Manifesto, are both designed to reassure the market that despite the company’s acquisition by Kaseya late last year, nothing has changed with respect to their commitment to working with all the PSA players in the industry, notwithstanding their being competitors of Kaseya.

Printing and Imaging

Strategic partnering, new technologies dominate blueprint on roadmap Konica Minolta lays out for dealers

March 6, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Strategic partnering, new technologies dominate blueprint on roadmap Konica Minolta lays out for dealers
Konica Minolta also provided an update on the state of the Canadian services business, where IT Weapons was acquired three years ago to serve as a bridgehead into the Canadian market.

Printing and Imaging

Konica Minolta continues to hammer home messaging that traditional imaging dealers must evolve businesses

March 6, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Konica Minolta continues to hammer home messaging that traditional imaging dealers must evolve businesses
Something old was new again at the Konica Minolta 2019 Dealer Conference, as the company emphasized how and why dealers need to update their business to deal with digital transformation – which has been a recurring theme at the event in recent years

Channel Programs

Palo Alto Networks emphasizes new services opportunities in major partner program overhaul

February 6, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Palo Alto Networks emphasizes new services opportunities in major partner program overhaul
This is the first major ‘tweak’ of Palo Alto Networks’ partner program since its inception, and the changes are extremely significant, and multi-faceted.

Security

Barracuda acquires Managed Workplace from Avast and will resell Avast Antivirus

February 4, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Barracuda acquires Managed Workplace from Avast and will resell Avast Antivirus
Barracuda and Avast announce a new partnership which adds the ability to resell Avast’s anti-virus solution to Barracuda’s own portfolio. Barracuda will actually acquire the Managed Workplace RMM business, which should be a better fit with their MSP business than it was at Avast. Barracuda also stated its commitment to retain the Managed Workplace presence in Ottawa, where it originally began as Level Platforms.

Backup

Kaseya adds Xtra component to Unitrends channel program to link Unitrends and Kaseya IT Complete sales

January 30, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Kaseya adds Xtra component to Unitrends channel program to link Unitrends and Kaseya IT Complete sales
Unitrends now leverages the Kaseya IT Complete suite, and will pay both higher margins on the initial sale of a Unitrends solution, and a full recurring revenue share for any Kaseya IT Complete solution that customer buys, ever.

Distribution

Alert Logic to reach agent channel community for first time through AVANT partnership

January 4, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Alert Logic to reach agent channel community for first time through AVANT partnership
AVANT, which provides offerings to over 500 agents focused on next-generation technologies, opens up an expanded route to market for Alert Logic’s SaaS services.

Backup

New Arcserve North American Channel Director Sue Fossnes looks to further ramp up support for MSPs

December 5, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on New Arcserve North American Channel Director Sue Fossnes looks to further ramp up support for MSPs
Increasing their MSP business is a major Arcserve priority, and the development of some kind of track for them within the company’s new channel program is one new enablement activity that is under active consideration.

Managed Services

OPAQ brings first channel chief on board as they focus channel strategy around service providers and MSPs

November 20, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on OPAQ brings first channel chief on board as they focus channel strategy around service providers and MSPs
Lynn Tinney takes the SVP of Channels role at OPAQ, as the company transitions its all-channel model to focus on service providers and MSPs, who they think get the best value from the platform and services they offer.