Channel Brief: AMD Lays Off 1K, ServiceNow Adds 150+ New Capabilities to Now Platform

AMD said yesterday that it will lay off 4% of its global staff as the company seeks to gain a stronger foothold in the growing artificial intelligence (AI) chip space dominated by NVIDIA, CNBC reported.

″As a part of aligning our resources with our largest growth opportunities, we are taking a number of targeted steps that will, unfortunately, result in reducing our global workforce by approximately 4%,” an AMD representative said in a statement. “We are committed to treating impacted employees with respect and helping them through this transition.”

AMD had 26,000 employees at the end of last year, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

AMD is the second-biggest producer of GPUs behind NVIDIA, and AI is one of its largest growth opportunities. AMD stock is down 5% in 2024, while NVIDIA shares are up 200%, according to CNBC, making it the world's most valuable publicly traded company.

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

Today’s Tech, Channel and MSP News

1. Versa adds universal SASE platform: Secure access service edge (SASE) provider Versa has introduced the VersaONE Universal SASE Platform. VersaONE works across WAN, LAN, data centers, and cloud edges, the company said. Powered by AI, VersaONE delivers converged SASE, SSE, SD-WAN, and SD-LAN products via a shared platform to securely connect all users, devices, locations, and workloads across any and all networks. This allows customers to reduce risk and improve resilience, while simplifying and lowering the costs of the IT infrastructure.

2. ServiceNow adds 150+ new capabilities to Now platform: ServiceNow this week added more than 150 new generative AI and governance innovations to its Now Platform. This includes new, expanded Now Assist capabilities that drive greater visibility and controls with an AI Governance offering for secure and compliant AI practices. Native multilingual support in Now Assist extends generative AI’s global footprint and purpose‑built solutions deliver new Now Assist use cases for configuration management, contract management, legal services, and health and safety.

3. Worklyn Partners acquires ITMS: Worklyn Partners, an investment firm dedicated to cybersecurity and IT services, has acquired Salem, NH-based IT Management Solutions (ITMS). This acquisition is Worklyn’s fifth as it builds a national network of specialized IT and cybersecurity providers, strategically expanding its reach in New England, the company said. ITMS provides comprehensive IT services—ranging from cloud and cybersecurity to business intelligence—that drive business growth and security. This acquisition strengthens Worklyn’s regional capabilities and complements recent additions, including Boston’s Harbor Networks.

4. Todyl launches online MSP collaboration community: Following the September launch of Todyl’s revamped Partner Program, the company has launched its online Todyl Community, a collaborative platform designed specifically for MSP partners. Todyl Community enables MSP partners to connect, share best practices, exchange ideas, build meaningful relationships and support each other. The Todyl team will also provide insights to increase security knowledge, optimize GTM strategies, and more. The new Todyl Community is intended to help the company’s MSP partners grow their businesses and encourages them to post, ask questions, propose ideas, and share stories.

5. Sonar joins AWS ISV Associate program: Secure coding and software security firm Sonar has announced its strengthened partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) by joining its Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Accelerate Program. Participation in the program will allow Sonar to provide joint software solutions that operate on or integrate with AWS and increase the visibility of its services to AWS customers and partners, the company said. This announcement follows several AWS partnership announcements from earlier this year, including SonarQube Cloud’s availability on AWS Marketplace and its integration with Amazon CodeCatalyst. In addition, SonarQube Cloud was certified in June by the AWS Foundational Technical Review (FTR), indicating that Sonar’s SaaS offering meets the AWS security, reliability, and operational best practices outlined within the AWS Well-Architected framework.