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Channel catch-up: News in brief
Developments this week at TD Synnex, Insight Enterprises, Kite Distribution, Cynomi, Fortinet and Confluent
The week has seen a mix of distributors adding to their vendor rosters, the launch of fresh partner programmes and signs of continued investment in indirect models.
TD Synnex: The distributor has announced the availability of certified refurbished PCs from HP. Partners can order the Renew Solutions products in the same way they would new devices, and the laptops and PCs are covered by the vendor’s warranty.
James Reed, managing director of endpoint solutions for the UK and Ireland at TD Synnex, said: “SMBs [small and medium-sized businesses] want to embrace the circular economy just as much as enterprises, and the availability of HP Renew Solutions from TD Synnex enables partners to meet all their customers’ demands for more sustainable IT products that will help them to run their business efficiently. Having the backing of a one-year manufacturer’s warranty makes all the difference. It means that partners can offer – and end-user customers can buy – refurbished HP laptops and PCs with complete confidence.”
Insight: The channel player announced Q2 numbers for the six months ended 30 June, indicating that hardware sales had increased during the period. Consolidated net sales decreased 3% to $2.1bn, compared with Q2 2024, but hardware sales improved by 2%. Gross profit decreased 2% to $442.3m.
“Our results in the second quarter met our expectations as we navigated a challenging environment driven by the partner programme changes,” said Joyce Mullen, president and CEO of Insight. “Compared to our plans, we executed well. Our hardware business delivered year-over-year growth for the second consecutive quarter, and we achieved strong profitability milestones: gross margin of 21.1% and adjusted earnings from operations margin of 6.2% are both second-quarter records.”
Kite Distribution: The channel player has announced a relationship with DigiCert, with the distie adding the vendor’s digital trust platform onto its line card. “At Kite Distribution, we pride ourselves on identifying and partnering with cyber security leaders that deliver trusted, high-impact solutions,” said company director Dave Marshall. “Adding DigiCert to our portfolio reinforces our commitment to helping partners and customers build digital trust at scale.”
In response, Neill Burton, EMEA vice-president of channels and alliances at DigiCert, said Kite would widen its routes to market. “Their strong partner ecosystem and expertise in cyber security, and particularly PKI, make them a valuable partner as we expand our digital trust solutions across the UK and Ireland,” he said.
Partner programme
Cynomi: In light of the recent successful funding round, the vendor is investing in its channel commitment, launching its Elevate partner programme to support growth. The firm recently completed a $37m Series B funding round and is keen to get in front of more managed service providers.
“With our recent Series B investment, we are uniquely positioned to invest even more in the success of our partners,” said David Primor, co-founder and CEO of Cynomi. “Elevate is more than just a partner programme, it’s a growth engine that enables our partners to scale their cyber security offerings, differentiate their services and unlock new value streams with speed and confidence. Our partners already report exceptional margins. Leveraging the tools available in the new programme will boost their profitability even further. This is just the beginning of what we’re building to support our growing partner ecosystem.”
Fortinet: On the topic of partner programmes, the security vendor has shared the progress of its Fabric-Ready Technology Alliance Partner Program, which has surpassed 3,000 integrations across more than 400 technology partners. That milestone is being seen as evidence of the success of the programme and the commitment of Fortinet to its partner community.
“Fortinet’s Open Ecosystem is among the largest in the cyber security industry, enabling customers to integrate the Fortinet Security Fabric with their existing and future technologies,” said Neil Prasad, vice-president and head of global technology alliances at Fortinet. “With more than 3,000 integrations, we are helping organisations strengthen their overall security postures, improve the effectiveness of their security operations and accelerate their digital journey with confidence.”
Confluent: The data streaming specialist has indicated it is spending $200m over the next three years to support partner growth. That investment includes increasing the products and services partners can offer, joining solutions and go-to-market plans, and deeper integrations with partners.
“Data streaming is the lifeblood of AI and the foundation for the next wave of transformative applications,” said Kamal Brar, senior vice-president of worldwide ISV and APAC at Confluent. “The opportunity ahead is massive, and we believe it will be defined by those who can move and build together. We invite technology leaders, integrators and domain experts to join us in helping organisations harness real-time data to innovate faster, operate smarter and stay ahead of the curve.”
