partner program

Podcasts

The Buzz: Canadian cyberattacks surge, Microsoft’s AI bundle overhaul lands Friday, and OpenAI goes channel

April 27, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: Canadian cyberattacks surge, Microsoft’s AI bundle overhaul lands Friday, and OpenAI goes channel
New CDW Canada and IDC research finds Canadian enterprise cyberattacks jumped 80 percent in the past year, with cloud infection rates at a record high. Microsoft drops new agentic AI-powered 365 bundles on Thursday, May 1. And OpenAI makes a major channel hire, signalling a shift toward building a real partner program.

Channel Programs

Cisco 360, three months in: Canadian partners are responding better than expected

April 24, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Cisco 360, three months in: Canadian partners are responding better than expected
Cisco Canada’s VP of Partner Organization and SMB Sales takes stock of the first quarter of the new Cisco 360 Partner Program – including the partner feedback that caught her off guard, what “Preferred” means now that Gold is gone, and why Canadian partners should start building their adopt-and-renew practices before the incentive structure forces them to.

In The Channel

The gaps are the opportunity: Dell’s Eric Arcese on the AI Factory, VxRail’s evolution, and what’s ahead

April 23, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The gaps are the opportunity: Dell’s Eric Arcese on the AI Factory, VxRail’s evolution, and what’s ahead
Dell’s Eric Arcese joins In The Channel with a message for Canadian partners navigating the AI era: the opportunity isn’t in the infrastructure itself – it’s in the gaps around it.

Channel Programs

OutSystems’ Ben Yerushalmi on Elevate, agentic AI, and why partner work is moving to the front end

April 20, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on OutSystems’ Ben Yerushalmi on Elevate, agentic AI, and why partner work is moving to the front end
OutSystems SVP of Partners and Alliances Ben Yerushalmi joins In The Channel to discuss Elevate, the vendor’s new outcome-based partner program built for the agentic AI era. The conversation covers where partners are actually generating revenue with agentic AI today, why the services model is shifting from implementation to front-end advisory, and how OutSystems thinks about competing – and coexisting – with Microsoft, ServiceNow, and Salesforce.

Podcasts

The Buzz: Fleet goes 100 percent channel, Scale Computing revamps partner program, and N-able’s AI advice

April 20, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on The Buzz: Fleet goes 100 percent channel, Scale Computing revamps partner program, and N-able’s AI advice
Today’s channel briefing covers Fleet’s pivot to a 100 percent channel sales model, Scale Computing’s new Velocity Partner Program, and a pragmatic approach to AI monetization from N-able.

Distribution

From bank and warehouse to ecosystem orchestrator: A conversation with Frank Vitagliano

April 16, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on From bank and warehouse to ecosystem orchestrator: A conversation with Frank Vitagliano
Every few years, someone announces the end of distribution. Direct sales was going to kill it. Then e-commerce. Then cloud. Then hyperscaler marketplaces. And yet here we are. Frank Vitagliano is CEO of the Global Technology Distribution
In Case You Missed It

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

April 13, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on 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

April 10, 2026 Robert Dutt Comments Off on 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.

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.