Ready for a quick rundown of this week’s industry happenings and key channel headlines? Scroll on down!
Proofpoint and Ingram Micro Team to Radically Simplify and Accelerate Sales Cycles for Partners
Channel partners benefit from an unparalleled agile procurement process to strengthen their business opportunities and close deals faster
Key quote from the news release:
“Proofpoint’s integration with Ingram Micro’s Xvantage platform expedites and simplifies the entire sales cycle process, providing our partners a frictionless way to grow their business. As the first security SaaS company to fully embrace this level of automation and self-service, we are transforming the way our channel partners can deliver our protection to SMBs. This expanded relationship underscores our commitment to a partner-first approach, empowering our partners to scale with velocity and efficiency.” – Joe Sykora, senior vice president, Global Channel and Partner Sales at Proofpoint
Sophos MDR Tracks Two Ransomware Campaigns Using “Email Bombing,” Microsoft Teams “Vishing”
Sophos MDR identifies a new threat cluster riffing on the playbook of Storm-1811, and amped-up activity from the original connected to Black Basta ransomware.
Key information from the blog post:
This report details the tactics of the two threat clusters, which both follow versions of the same attack pattern: email bombing and fake tech support social engineering with the delivery of malware, the exploitation of legitimate services through Microsoft’s Office 365 platform, and efforts to deploy command and control and data exfiltration tools.
iVerify Launches New Partner Program for MSPs and MSSPs to Address Critical Mobile Security Gaps
Program enables managed service providers to deliver enterprise-grade mobile security solutions to protect against rising mobile threats
Key quote from the news release:
“Mobile devices represent an increasingly critical attack vector for enterprises, yet hundreds of millions of devices connected to corporate networks remain unprotected. This new program will help us expedite the delivery of our technology to mobile devices around the world through trusted partners as well as deliver increased revenue opportunities and support services.” – Danny Rogers, CEO, iVerify
Logitech Unveils Rally Board 65 and Logitech Spot
New solutions for collaboration and employee wellness
- Rally Board 65: A digital cocoon that drastically simplifies how you meet and collaborate. The all-in-one video conferencing board solution is purposefully designed for open flexible spaces and traditional rooms to offer an intuitive experience in any space without compromising on functionality or privacy. Its AI-powered features across audio and video further enhance the user centricity of the solution.
- Logitech Spot: An occupancy and environmental sensor that can be easily deployed throughout the workplace to deliver insights on space utilization, air quality, and energy efficiency to improve the in-person and hybrid experiences in a well-rounded and comprehensive manner that accounts for employee wellness.
TEKsystems Releases State of Digital Transformation Report
The report surveys 855 IT pros’ differing perspectives on topics like AI investment, skills, and ROI of digital projects
Key points from the report:
- Leaders are cautiously optimistic about spending in 2025: Economic uncertainty continues to impact budgets, with 23% of organizations citing it as a challenge, with varying levels of expected ROI.
- Can the cloud keep up to fuel AI success?: One in 5 organizations has already scaled genAI to multiple units or enterprise-wide, and while AI is making all the headlines, the cloud is working hard in the background. Now, cloud computing power and its ability to “keep up” is being brought into question.
- Tech employees are front and center again: Nine out of 10 organizations report they don’t have the talent necessary to drive successful digital transformation projects, and nine out of 10 organizations face significant skills gaps in areas like AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity.
Impartner Partner Relationship Management platform now available in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace
Microsoft Azure customers worldwide now gain access to Impartner’s Partner Relationship Management (PRM) platform to take advantage of the scalability, reliability, and agility of Azure to drive partner program growth and enhance business strategies.
Key quote from the news release:
“We’re excited to make Impartner’s PRM available in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, enabling businesses to manage and grow their partner ecosystems more effectively. By combining our advanced platform with Microsoft cloud infrastructure, we’re helping companies streamline operations, strengthen partnerships, and drive growth. This integration opens up new possibilities for businesses to scale efficiently and innovate with confidence.” – Ryan Knapp, global head of partnerships, Impartner
Proofpoint and Ingram Micro Team to Radically Simplify and Accelerate Sales Cycles for Partners
Channel partners benefit from an unparalleled agile procurement process to strengthen their business opportunities and close deals faster
Key quote from the news release:
“Proofpoint’s integration with Ingram Micro’s Xvantage platform expedites and simplifies the entire sales cycle process, providing our partners a frictionless way to grow their business. As the first security SaaS company to fully embrace this level of automation and self-service, we are transforming the way our channel partners can deliver our protection to SMBs. This expanded relationship underscores our commitment to a partner-first approach, empowering our partners to scale with velocity and efficiency.” – Joe Sykora, senior vice president, Global Channel and Partner Sales at Proofpoint
Xona Launches Industry-Leading Secure Access Management Platform to Safeguard Critical Infrastructure
New solution from Xona claims to simplify securing access and preventing up to 100% of insecure user endpoints from connecting to critical infrastructure
Key quote from the news release:
“Many operational environments continue to rely on outdated access solutions, leaving critical systems exposed to insecure endpoints. Mitigating these risks is a foundational step in strengthening the security of critical systems. Industrial enterprises should consider solutions like Xona’s secure access platform, specifically designed to address this security challenge for OT and IT teams.” – Jonathon Gordon, directing analyst, Takepoint Research
Guardz Introduces New “Ultimate Plan” to Redefine MSP Cybersecurity with AI-Native Unified Detection and Response Featuring SentinelOne EDR
The new offering combines Unified Detection and Response capabilities from Guardz with embedded SentinelOne endpoint protection, simplifying best-in-class cybersecurity automation for MSPs
Key feature from the announcement:
- Leaders are cautiously optimistic about spending in 2025: Economic uncertainty continues to impact budgets, with 23% of organizations citing it as a challenge, with varying levels of expected ROI.
- Can the cloud keep up to fuel AI success?: One in 5 organizations has already scaled genAI to multiple units or enterprise-wide, and while AI is making all the headlines, the cloud is working hard in the background. Now, cloud computing power and its ability to “keep up” is being brought into question.
- Tech employees are front and center again: Nine out of 10 organizations report they don’t have the talent necessary to drive successful digital transformation projects, and nine out of 10 organizations face significant skills gaps in areas like AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity.
Global Data Traffic Volume Hits New Record-Breaking High at Internet Exchanges
Traffic throughput has doubled since 2020, and increased 15 percent in 2024 to hit a record high of 68 exabytes
Key information from the announcement:
DE-CIX, the world’s leading Internet Exchange (IX) operator, has revealed another record-breaking milestone in the amount of global data traffic being exchanged at its locations in 2024. More than 3,400 connected networks exchanged over 68 exabytes of data traffic at DE-CIX’s locations around the world, corresponding to an increase of around 15 percent compared to the previous year: In 2023, this figure stood at 59 exabytes.
VARs Poised to Thrive in the $30B Cloud Networking Market with Aviatrix’s New Channel Partner Program
Aviatrix today announced the launch of its new Aviatrix Channel Partner Program, designed to empower channel partners to tap into the booming $30 billion cloud networking market.
Key information from the news release:
The Aviatrix Channel Partner Program features aggressive and competitive financial incentives for channel partners, helping them maximize profitability while delivering exceptional value to their customers. With comprehensive enablement and support, Aviatrix is committed to equipping its partners with the necessary training, certifications, and resources to accelerate their time to revenue (TTR) and thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Core components partners can expect include:
- Dedicated senior channel managers
- Key marketing resources and support, as well as sales enablement resources
- Access to the Aviatrix Certified Engineer (ACE) program which offers a variety of courses for continuing education for cloud networking professionals
- Multiple tiers that unlock additional benefits for partners as they progress, rewarding them with deal registration options that offer higher margins and price protection
Rocket Software Introduces Phishing-Resistant Solution for Secure Host Connectivity
New terminal emulator extends multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and other authentication best practices to support mainframe security and compliance with emerging regulations
Key quote from the news release:
“Rocket Secure Host Access offers centrally managed, high-availability host application access that can be deployed in the cloud or on-premises to help secure and safeguard applications while assisting the organization to comply with regulation standards with minimal additional effort. By protecting mainframe data every time users log into their host application—often thousands of times a day—organizations can achieve their compliance goals and improve their security posture.” – Puneet Kohli, president of application modernization, Rocket Software
Let’s Encrypt Endorses Red Sift as Its Recommended Certificate Monitoring Service
Let’s Encrypt users will gain access to Red Sift Certificates Lite, a free service designed to help monitor certificate expirations and prevent PKI-related downtime.
Key quote from the news release:
“Millions of people rely on Let’s Encrypt to secure their website connections and that number is growing since our service is free and automated. Certificates Lite, the new service from Red Sift, is intended to improve the options available to individuals and organizations for monitoring certificates, including and beyond expiration notices.” – Josh Aas, executive director, Let’s Encrypt
Exclaimer announces Chili Piper integration to simplify scheduling and optimize email signatures
Increasing lead engagement with smart scheduling solutions
Key quote from the news release:
“This integration with Chili Piper is a major step forward for businesses looking to improve their GTM strategies. By helping teams eliminate scheduling issues and enabling faster, more meaningful connections, we’re giving our customers another way to succeed in today’s business landscape.” – Rob Singer, chief executive officer,Exclaimer
Cresta Unveils AI Analyst, Empowering Organizations to Uncover Insights From Customer Conversations at Unparalleled Speeds
Building on their recent voice virtual agent launch, Cresta adds new agentic AI capabilities to enable businesses to ask questions in natural language and unlock new insights from customer conversations
Key information from the announcement:
AI Analyst allows business leaders to ask questions about customer conversations in natural language, providing them with clear, structured answers that surface key findings, an explanation of reasoning, and links to supporting evidence. With this information, Cresta customers are armed with the latest data-backed insights to drive change at scale.
With AI Analyst, customers can:
- Save time and money by reducing reliance on in-house and external analyst teams to review customer conversations.
- Get answers to questions in minutes, not weeks or months, so they can make data-driven decisions based on the latest information.
- Act on those answers with coaching, quality management, real-time guidance, virtual agent automation – all within the Cresta platform.
