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Channel catch-up: News in brief
Developments this week at Barracuda, Arrow, TD Synnex, Giacom, Durabook and MSP Finance Team
As the country melted under the third heatwave this summer, the channel wheels kept turning with acquisitions, distributors signing vendors, and some well deserved recognition for MSP advocates.
Barracuda: The move to acquire Evo Security will strengthen the vendor’s capabilities around identity security and bolster its BarracudaOne platform. The supplier has been keen to stress the advantages from the deal for its MSP channel base, which will now get access to additional security technologies.
Rohit Ghai, Barracuda CEO, stated: “In the agentic AI [artificial intelligence] era, protecting both human and non-human identities is imperative for delivering cyber resilience. Existing enterprise identity solutions are complex, costly and fail to meet the needs of MSPs that must scale to securely manage millions of identities across thousands of customer environments. We are thrilled to combine Evo Security’s partner-first innovation with our vision of BarracudaOne and offer a complete, intelligent, easy and open platform that closes this gap. As AI accelerates the speed and scale of identity-centric attacks, this combination is uniquely positioned to help organisations big and small stay ahead of these threats.”
Arrow Electronics: The distributor has been signed by ABB Electronics to handle the firm’s power supply portfolio. The two firms have an existing relationship on the electronic components side, but this marks an extension of the products the distie can get into the hands of its channel partners.
Mike Worby, head of strategic alliances at Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business in EMEA, stated: “This agreement strengthens our long-running collaboration with ABB and brings important new capabilities to our channel partners. Power protection is a vital part of any modern IT design, and the addition of ABB uninterruptible power supplies means our customers can work with a broader and more complete set of solutions.”
TD Synnex Datech: Sticking with the distribution theme, the design software side of the distie’s business is going to be working with Autodesk to deliver the vendor’s partner programme in Europe. The two firms have an existing relationship working along similar lines in North America.
“The Scale Partner Programme is a key progression of Autodesk’s channel evolution, as it transitions from traditional volume models towards more scalable, digitally driven, and partner-aligned frameworks,” said Jaap Smit, senior vice-president of Datech at TD Synnex. “Datech will help partners scale their Autodesk business more efficiently across multiple markets. By combining automation, operational support and deep Autodesk expertise, we can unlock new growth opportunities for partners while helping expand Autodesk’s reach across Europe.”
The distributor has also landed a pan-European distribution agreement with storage player Vawlt Technologies, which has a timely sovereign data solution that should appeal to partners.
Security partnership
Giacom: The channel player has added to its portfolio with a relationship struck with MSP-friendly security firm Huntress. At the same time, the vendor also appointed MSP Nordics to cover that region.
“Scaling security across regions depends on trusted relationships within those markets,” said Kevin Hallmark, head of global distribution at Huntress. “Giacom and MSP Nordics bring the relationships, regional expertise and partner-first approach needed to help us equip more MSPs to defend businesses across the UK and Nordics that remain most exposed to today’s cyber criminals.”
Durabook: The rugged mobile solution specialist has cut the ribbon on a new partner programme that promises to support its channel with enhanced benefits and a structured deal registration process.
“Durabook’s Vanguard Partner Program is an important advancement in the company’s continued investment in our partner ecosystem,” said Sasha Wang, president at Durabook Americas.
MSP Finance Team: Industry group GTIA has been sharing details of its awards with MSP Finance Team landing the GTIA Associate Member Spotlight Award. The award was given in recognition of the work done, extensively by MSP Finance Team’s co-founder Daniel Welling, to promote the managed service community over the past decade.
“Adam Morris and I have benefited enormously from the MSP community throughout our careers, so we’ve always believed it’s important to give something back,” said Welling. “Whether that’s volunteering with GTIA, hosting community meet-ups, sharing knowledge through our podcast or bringing people together at our events, it’s all about helping MSPs learn from one another and build stronger businesses.”
