In this roundup, we bring you the most important channel announcements of the week. From breaking news to partner programs to cutting-edge technology to industry-shaping trends, ChannelPro’s goal is to keep you informed and competitive in today’s dynamic MSP landscape.
Access the Latest Microsoft Cloud and AI Innovation with Evolved Partner Benefits
Starting January 22, 2025, Microsoft will be adding over 20 in-demand product licenses, including several Microsoft Copilot products, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and Microsoft GitHub to many of the MAICPP benefits offerings.
Key quote from Microsoft’s blog:
“Staying at the forefront of technology innovation is essential for our partners, and we’re here to ensure you have the tools and support to do just that. As part of this ongoing commitment, we are evolving the benefits packages offered through the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program.” — Julie Sanford, vice president, partner GTM, programs & operations, Microsoft
Ransomware Groups Weaponize Stolen Data to Increase Pressure on Targets Who Refuse to Pay, Sophos Report Finds
The report details how cybercriminals’ tactics include sharing the contact details or doxing the family members of targeted CEOs and business owners, as well as threatening to report any information about illegal business activities uncovered in stolen data to the authorities.
Key quote from the press release:
“Ransomware gangs are becoming increasingly invasive and bold about how and what they weaponize. Compounding pressure for companies, they’re not just stealing data and threatening to leak it, but they’re actively analyzing it for ways to maximize damage and create new opportunities for extortion. This means that organizations have to not only worry about corporate espionage and loss of trade secrets or illegal activity by employees, but also about these issues in conjunction with cyberattacks.” — Christopher Budd, director, threat research, Sophos
SaaS Alerts Adds Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to its SaaS Security Platform for MSPs
Integration provides a single pane to monitor the Microsoft 365 application suite and EDR solution.
Key quote from the press release:
“By combining Microsoft Defender with our existing support for Microsoft 365 we’re enabling MSPs to protect their clients across the cloud and their devices and be rewarded with additional revenue at the same time. This combination significantly enhances our existing security capabilities and sets the stage for additional integrations later this year.” — Jim Lippie, CEO, SaaS Alerts
Arctic Wolf Expands Cyber JumpStart Portal Program to Help Business Leaders Fast-track Their Security Journey and Improve Insurability at No Cost
With the support of its global insurance community, Arctic Wolf opens Cyber JumpStart program directly to businesses to manage cyber risk and advance insurability and business resilience.
By making a free version of Cyber JumpStart Portal available, businesses of any size can now access a comprehensive suite of cyber risk management tools designed to identify gaps in cybersecurity readiness and provide unique insights to reduce cyber risk and improve insurability.
Key quote from the press release:
“When we first launched Cyber JumpStart Portal, we solidified our partnership with the insurance brokers and carriers on the front lines of delivering insurability requirements to their clients. Based on the positive feedback and growing interest in the program, we are expanding access to businesses of almost any size, we’re inviting organizations to take the first step of their security journey to increase insurability and enhance risk management outcomes.” — Dan Schiappa, chief product and services officer, Arctic Wolf
Nerdio Announces Collaboration with Kyndryl to Bolster IT Modernization for Global Enterprises
Through planned joint activities — including solution co-creation, technical integration, and knowledge sharing — both companies are poised to unlock new opportunities and drive innovation across diverse industries.
Key quote from the press release:
“Nerdio is thrilled to collaborate with Kyndryl, expanding the reach of our modern cloud solutions, including Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, and Intune, to a wider audience. Together, we are well-positioned to address the evolving needs of businesses worldwide, offering them the agility, scalability, and efficiency required to thrive in today’s dynamic digital landscape.” — Joseph Landes, chief revenue officer, Nerdio
Zola Ransomware: The Many Faces of the Proton Family
New insights from the Acronis Threat Research Unit offer a technical analysis of a new ransomware dubbed Zola.
Key information from the report:
- Admin Privilege Prompt: The ransomware persistently prompts the user to re-run the program with admin privileges if it lacks sufficient rights, without stopping the execution.
- Kill Switch Mechanism: Zola includes a kill switch that terminates the process if a Persian keyboard layout is detected, hinting at potential origins of the Proton family.
- Disk Overwrite Loop: At the end of execution, the process creates a temporary file on C:\ and writes uninitialized data in 500 KB chunks in a loop until the disk is full, then deletes the file. This approach is likely intended to clean up slack space and complicate digital forensics and data recovery.
SentinelOne Launches Singularity MDR
Full-scale service provides industry’s most complete expert coverage across entire enterprise, helping companies efficiently and effectively scale their security operations to defend against modern threats.
Key quote from the press release:
“To stay ahead of attacks and ensure business continuity, today’s organizations need the peace of mind provided by round-the-clock, tailored security that combines the efficiency of innovative technology and the proficiency of seasoned practitioners. Singularity MDR is a future-forward solution that provides customers the coverage they need while maximizing ROI.” — Warwick Webb, vice president, managed detection and response, SentinelOne
Grip Security Partners with GuidePoint Security to Secure SaaS Sprawl
Partnership helps companies identify and mitigate unmanaged SaaS sprawl risks.
Key quote from the press release:
“In a world where data is everywhere and accessed from anywhere, identity has become the ultimate control point. As customers look to embrace SaaS adoption, we want to support them on that journey so that security teams can support business growth while managing risk.” — Kevin Converse, vice president of identity and access management, GuidePoint Security
Microsoft lashes out at Delta: Your ‘Ancient Tech’ Caused the Service Meltdown
Microsoft on Aug. 6 blamed Delta Air Lines for its weeklong bout of cancelations last month, claiming its aging technology caused the airline to recover far slower from the global tech outage than its rivals, CNN reported.
Key piece from the article:
“Even though Microsoft’s software did not cause the outage, it ‘immediately jumped in and offered to assist Delta at no charge.’ Microsoft employees asked Delta if they needed assistance every day from July 19 to 23, the letter said.” — Mark Cheffo, attorney representing Microsoft, said in a letter
EQT to Acquire a Majority Stake in Acronis, a Leading Cybersecurity and Data Protection Platform for MSPs and Corporate IT Departments
Key quote from the press release:
“Acronis is a strongly positioned cybersecurity and data protection software platform with a clear value proposition to managed service providers. EQT has followed the company’s journey for many years and continues to be impressed by its performance and innovative strength.” — Johannes Reichel, partner and co-head of technology, EQT’s Private Equity advisory team
Climb Global Solutions, Inc. Acquires Douglas Stewart Software & Services, Expanding Reach in North America
Climb Global Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq: CLMB) is acquiring Douglas Stewart Software & Services LLC, a separate division of the privately held Douglas Stewart Co.
Key quote from the press release:
“Today, we are continuing with our organic growth by adding scale and expertise to our North American operations along with 20 new vendor partners including Adobe, Go Guardian and Incident IQ. DSS has delivered consistent growth through a subscription-based software licensing model, built on an 85%+ retention rate for its strategic vendor partners’ offerings.” — Dale Foster, CEO, Climb
11 Financial Services Industry Trends Impacting IT Teams in 2024
Auvik‘s key findings about the financial services industry compiled data and insights from 2,000-plus IT professionals to explore the elements shaping their evolving roles and departments.
Top findings from the report:
- IT teams in the financial services sector are more likely to work an average 40-hour work week than their non-finance industry peers.
- Over 70% of IT professionals in the sector support end users who work remotely at least half the time.
- 45% of financial services IT professionals believe end-user satisfaction is the most important success metric in their work. Over 76% of them spend between 10 to 20 hours each week resolving and responding to those requests.
- More than 50% of financial services IT professionals cite security and compliance regulations as the top challenge they’re facing in 2024, followed by the shortage of skilled IT professionals (49%) and network visibility (48%).
Lumifi’s MDR Services Now Available on Microsoft Azure Marketplace
Microsoft Azure customers gain access to Lumifi’s enhanced threat detection, investigation, and response technology.
Key quote from the press release:
“With our MDR services now available on Microsoft Azure, we can give our customers the choice to enhance their security posture on the cloud platform that best suits their needs. This reinforces our commitment to providing businesses with the tools they need to protect themselves and their customers in an ever-evolving cyber threat environment.” — Grant Leonard, Field CISO at Lumifi
Fortinet Enhances Industry’s Most Comprehensive Operational Technology Security Platform to Protect Cyber-physical Systems
Updates across the Fortinet OT Security Platform include new ruggedized appliances, advanced secure networking and security operations capabilities, and expanded partnerships with leading OT vendors.
Key quote from the press release:
“As more operational infrastructure becomes connected, the attack surface increases, leading to greater cyber risk. Traditional information technology (IT) security tools are ineffective and worse, cannot even be deployed in an operational technology (OT) environment. Fortinet has been building an industry-leading OT security platform for 20-plus years, and … we are proud to announce many enhancements across the platform.” — John Maddison, chief marketing officer, Fortinet
Fortinet also announced it is acquiring Data Security Company Next DLP.
Rubrik Partners with Mandiant for Cyber Resilience and Accelerated Incident Response Recovery
Mandiant Threat Intelligence feeds now integrated directly into Rubrik Security Cloud, clean room recovery on Google Cloud, and incident response team collaboration.
Key quote from the press release:
“This partnership will enable organizations leveraging Rubrik’s backup solutions to identify threats in their backups powered by Mandiant’s industry leading threat detection and intelligence. Together, we can help organizations before, during, and after cyber attacks to ensure businesses can respond quickly and get back up and running as soon as possible.” — Steve Elovitz, director, Mandiant Consulting
IONIX Launches Global Partner Program to Address Growing Market Demand for Attack Surface Management Solutions
Launch of multitenant management portal to enhance partner and managed service operations.
Key quote from the press release:
“… The interest I am seeing from potential partners has been phenomenal. I’m confident that we have built the best program processes and tools to support our partners on this mutual journey to success.” — Gilad Friedman, vice president of global channels, IONIX
Salt Security Reinforces Market Leading API Platform with Groundbreaking Innovations
Enhanced API features equip organizations with comprehensive visibility, enhanced posture governance, and revolutionary AI-Powered threat detection across API ecosystem.
Key quote from the press release:
“Growing API ecosystems are making it increasingly challenging for companies to effectively monitor and track all activity within their API ecosystems, and quickly identify malicious intent. At Salt, our mission is to provide organizations with the most comprehensive API security. An offering that not only provides rapid threat detection but also provides organizations with the means to proactively improve their posture to plug security gaps before they can be exploited. Our latest platform innovations build on this, providing customers with additional visibility into their API traffic and the AI-powered insights required to quickly mitigate threats.” — Roey Eliyahu, CEO, Salt Security
Devicie Joins the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association
Devicie, a leader in optimized Microsoft Intune deployment and maintenance solutions now is a member of the ecosystem of ISVs and MSSPs that have integrated their solutions with Microsoft Security technology to better defend mutual customers against a world of increasing cyber threats.
Key quote from the press release:
“Shared intelligence and tightly integrated solutions help everyone be more prepared against attack vectors. That’s what MISA is all about, and that’s why it was so important that Devicie joined this collective fight against security threats. Aligning efforts with MISA is a logical next step for us as Devicie is a member of Microsoft for Startups Pegasus Program and available in the Microsoft Commercial Marketplace.” — Colin Britton, COO, Devicie
Critical Start Unveils Cyber Range: A New Approach for Cybersecurity Training and Evaluation Curated from Thousands of Real-world Cyberattacks
The innovative free capability is part of the production Critical Start Cyber Operations Risk & Response (CORR) Platform designed to revolutionize cybersecurity training, testing, and evaluation in a safe, controlled environment.
Key quote from the press release:
“In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, organizations need a safe space to hone their cybersecurity skills and test their defenses. Our Cyber Range provides that environment, enabling companies to move beyond simple demonstrations to hands-on, realistic scenarios that truly prepare them for real-world cyber challenges.” — Chris Carlson, chief product officer, Critical Start
Rewst Raises $45M to Accelerate Platform Innovation and Community-led Growth
The round, which brings the total raised in the last 12 months to $76 million, will be used to accelerate the pace of innovation for its market-leading RPA platform and invest in community, education, and support to help MSPs drive optimal business value from automation.
Key quote from the press release:
“Even with these numbers, the MSP market is so large that we are still in the early adopter phase. These early adopters are using automation as a competitive edge against their peers.” — Aharon Chernin, Rewst’s founder and CEO
Service Leadership Q2 Data Report Reveals Slowing Managed Service Revenue Growth Worldwide, but MSP Profitability Remains Strong
Service Leadership Inc., a ConnectWise solution, shared significant insights into the global managed service provider (MSP) industry and has determined that managed service revenue growth has slowed down to pre-Covid levels, but MSP profitability has remained at historic highs.
Key statistics from the press release:
The average adjusted EBITDA for MSPs worldwide increased to 14.1%, the highest in eight quarters. Private equity (PE) backed MSPs also achieved their highest level in eight quarters, with an impressive 18.7% adjusted EBITDA.
Image: iStock
