SMB

In The Channel

Jennifer Roy on culture, scale, and what PE really looks like from inside a Canadian MSP

April 21, 2026 Robert Dutt 0
Jennifer Roy didn’t know what half the acronyms in the job description meant when she applied for her first role in managed services. Fifteen years later, she’s CEO of Nucleus Networks, operating across five Canadian cities, and one of the more candid voices in the Canadian channel on what people-first leadership actually costs you.

Distribution

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

April 16, 2026 Robert Dutt 0
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 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.

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.

Cloud

Cloud software suite provider Zoho looks to add to differentiated value – and values

March 26, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Cloud software suite provider Zoho looks to add to differentiated value – and values
Zoho, which has expanded its CRM application into a suite of over 40 applications that sells for $30 per user per month, is proud of some elements of their business and product set that they acknowledge are somewhat offbeat.

Backup

Datto Channel Ransomware Report for Canada has some warning signs for MSPs

March 14, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Datto Channel Ransomware Report for Canada has some warning signs for MSPs
Canada leads the countries surveyed in both the average ransom paid to ransomware creators and the amount of money lost to downtime from ransomware, which is hardly ideal, and something that Canadian MSPs need to work smarter to prevent.

Printing and Imaging

Konica Minolta reboots Workplace Hub as workplace of future focus, with new dealer resources

March 8, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Konica Minolta reboots Workplace Hub as workplace of future focus, with new dealer resources
Konica Minolta’s Workplace Hub has been on the market for over a year, but the company thinks that what it sees as a ‘next-gen’ product is now ready for prime time with their dealer channel, and so they featured it heavily at their Dealer Conference.

Distribution

Tech Data Canada looks to Ignite SMB sales

March 7, 2019 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Tech Data Canada looks to Ignite SMB sales
Ed Galasso of Tech Data Canada discusses Ignite, the distributor’s new program for getting closer to SMB-focused VARs and building solutions to better meet their customers’ needs.