Channel Brief: Trustifi Expands into LATAM, Endor Labs Names New CISO

Microsoft-backed OpenAI is planning to restructure its core business into a for-profit benefit corporation no longer controlled by its non-profit board, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The news follows the departure of several senior executives, Reuters reported.

Three top technical leaders at Microsoft-backed OpenAI quit: Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, VP Research Barret Zoph and Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew all announced their departures via X on Wednesday afternoon.

The San Francisco-based artificial intelligence startup behind ChatGPT is negotiating a new $6.5 billion financing round and updated valuation, contingent on the company upending its corporate structure, Reuters said. The company could be worth $150 billion after the restructuring, according to estimates, and CEO Sam Altman will also receive equity for the first time, the report added. OpenAI had 11 founding members, including Altman and Elon Musk, who were the group's co-chairs. Only two of the original members, Altman and Wojciech Zaremba are still with the company.

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

Today’s Tech, Channel and MSP News

1. Trustifi expands into LATAM: AI-driven cybersecurity solutions firm Trustifi is expanding across Central America, South America, and the Caribbean through its relationship with global distribution partner IG Technologies, headquartered in Miami, Florida. IG Technologies focuses on cybersecurity solutions and services, with clientele in the USA, LATAM, and beyond. Their collective LATAM (Latin America) partner base includes countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela, and Uruguay, the company said in a statement. This relationship has seen sales growth of close to 48% in the past year in the LATAM market. In addition to the LATAM customer community, Trustifi serves managed service providers and managed security services providers (MSPs and MSSPs) in the US, Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, India, the UAE, Africa, China, Japan, Cyprus, and the Philippines.

2. Endor Labs names Karl Mattson as first CISO: Software supply chain security firm Endor Labs named Karl Mattson as the company’s first chief information security officer (CISO). Mattson was previously CISO at Noname Security, which was recently acquired by Akamai. Previoiusly, he held leadership positions in the financial service sector, including serving as CISO for City National Bank and PennyMac Financial Services. He’s also been active in industry advocacy as a member of the FS-ISAC Mortgage Risk Council, President of the LA Cyber Lab, and Financial Services Sector Chief for InfraGard, the national non-profit organization serving as a public-private partnership between U.S. businesses and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a statement. He is a graduate of the FBI CISO Academy, holds Masters degrees from Boston University and Auburn University, and has been on the Adjunct Faculty at the University of Minnesota for over 10 years. Congratulations!

3. Salt Security announces integration with Google Apigee: Salt Security this week announced a new integration with Google Cloud's Apigee API Management platform. The collaboration enables customers to discover all of their APIs, including shadow and deprecated APIs, apply posture rules, uncover areas of non-compliance, and stop API-based attacks at their root, the companies said in a statement. The combined solution provides end-to-end API security, from discovery and threat detection to prevention and incident response, safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring the integrity of digital services in today’s dynamic threat landscape.

4. ControlUp, Nerdio deepen partnership on Microsoft Azure DEX: Digital employee experience management firm ControlUp and Microsoft solutions provider Nerdio announced an expanded go-to-market partnership this week at AVD Tech Fest in Amsterdam. The joint incentive will extend ControlUp via Nerdio to help customers optimize, manage, and enhance digital employee experiences within Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop environments, the companies said in a statement. This partnership offers integrated tools to enhance performance, reduce costs, and streamline Azure Virtual Desktop management, while driving adoption through coordinated sales and marketing initiatives.

5. Tercera releases Top 30 Cloud Ecosystem list for 2024: Investment firm Tercera has released its third annual listing of the top cloud ecosystems for partners, which will have the greatest potential for IT services businesses in the next three to five years. This year, according to the report, nearly 25% of the companies are new to the list. Growing momentum for AI, data management and cybersecurity led to the addition of Anthropic, Cohesity, Wiz and Zscaler to the Market Movers and Challengers. Check out more info as well as the full list here.