Channel Brief: Proofpoint Ponders IPO, Dragos Acquires Network Perception

Hurricane Helene's deadly impacts continue to reverberate -- hundreds are still missing, over 100 are dead and that number is expected to increase as rescue and aid operations continue.

According to Fast Company, current estimates of the total damage and economic loss range from $145 billion to $160 billion.

"Several industries will be impacted as a result as well, but perhaps none more so than the semiconductor field. Among the many towns devastated by Helene was Spruce Pine, North Carolina, which is a key supplier of a critical material used to make chips," Fast Company said. You can read the full article here.

What does this mean for the industry and consumers? Well, it's not good.

Two mines in Spruce Pine represent the world's main source of pure quartz, which is a critical ingredient in the chipmaking process. Pure quartz is used to produce silicon wafers, which are the base for all semiconductors and power everything from laptops to cell phones, not to mention AI systems, Fast Company said.

The obvious focus right now is on saving lives and ensuring the health and safety of the people impacted, so the impacts may not be fully understood for a while. Stay tuned.

As always, drop me a line at [email protected] if you have news to share or want to say hi!

Grab your coffee. Here's what you need to know today.

Today’s Tech, Channel and MSP News

1. Proofpoint explores (another) IPO: CNBC reported that privately-held cybersecurity firm Proofpoint is exploring tapping external investors for pre-IPO financing and considering mergers and acquisitions of smaller cyber companies as it seeks a return to public markets in 2026, according to CEO Sumit Dhawan.

2. Keepit Security appoints new chief product officer: SaaS data backup and recovery firm Keepit announced Michael Amsinck as its new chief product officer. With a strong background in product development and leadership, Amsinck brings a wealth of experience and insight and years of experience from leadership roles at Cision, Brandwatch, and Falcon.io, with responsibility for overseeing large teams and ensuring alignment across sales, marketing, product and engineering. Congratulations!

3. Sumo Logic expands into South Korea with AWS availability zone: SaaS log analytics company Sumo Logic is expanding into South Korea through a new AWS Availability Zone in Seoul, the company said in a statement. This will enable organizations and existing customers in the region to fuel DevSecOps practices through log analytics. In collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the new deployment will support the region's data compliance requirements and customers' growing need for data locality.

4. Dragos acquires Network Perception: OT cybersecurity firm Dragos has acquired Network Perception, which makes a network visualization tool for OT networks. The acquisition will bolster the Dragos Platform by adding OT network visibility along with compliance and segmentation analysis and reporting capabilities, the companies said in a statement.

5. Cavell launches channel partner identification platform: Research and consulting firm Cavell launched its AI-powered platform, Channel Insights, to help IT and telecom companies better identify and nurture channel partnerships. The new platform uses AI for comprehensive data gathering and insights for targeted analysis into potential channel partners using data from various sources, including partner websites, LinkedIn, vendor databases and other public sources. Subscribers simply log in, filter searches through options such as IT services offered, vendors in portfolio, company size and locations to find new partners. The process is completely automated but is supplemented by human quality checks to ensure the most up-to-date, error-free data for better business decisions.