Channel Brief: Channel Program, RocketMSP, ePlus, More

Grab a cup of your favorite morning beverage and check out the return of our regular market briefing for managed services providers (MSPs), IT service providers (ITSPs), technology service providers (TSPs), cloud service providers (CSPs) cybersecurity consultants, systems integrators, VARs, independent software vendors (ISVs), and distributors.

Scroll down for a quick view of upcoming in-person channel and MSP events at the bottom of this post (while we spiff up our industry calendar behind the scenes. It will return!)

And please send your news tips, information, and industry chatter to editorial director [email protected].

Sip up.

A. Today’s Tech, Channel and MSP News

1. Tracking MSP spending - Channel Program’s new Vendor Contract Management Platform is making its debut this week at Schnizzfest in Phoenix, Arizona. Channel Program CEO Kevin Lancaster calls it the next evolution of the company’s Navistack platform. The platform gives MSPs a place to enter their vendor contract start and end dates and their vendor pricing. Then MSPs can use the tool to track their spending. 

2. A podcast acquisition - Channel Program also announced the strategic acquisition of RocketMSP, which brings MSP podcaster Steve Taylor onboard with the Channel Program team. Taylor is the man behind the popular MSP YouTube channel that explains vendor technology in easy-to-understad language. 

3. And a data center services acquisition - ePlus, Inc., a publicly held holding company for IT service and solution providers, has acquired certain assets of Denver-based PEAK Resources. PEAK provides professional services, data center, networking and cybersecurity products and solutions. 

4. Partnership of giants - Insight Enterprises , a global solutions integrator focused on digital transformation, has entered into a new global agreement with Microsoft that includes a multi-year Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment and a new strategic partnership framework.

5. New CMO for SolarWinds - Secure observability and IT management software provider SolarWinds has named Brian Goldfarb as chief marketing officer. He most recently served as CMO of cybersecurity firm Tenable, where he led the marketing team while helping grow the company’s revenue by nearly 50%.

6. The 2023 M&A Market - The total M&A market dropped 15% to $3.2 trillion in 2023, the lowest level in a decade, as dealmakers grappling with high interest rates, regulatory scrutiny, and mixed macroeconomic signals had to be more selective about which deals to pursue, according to a Bain Here’s & Company report. The report said the biggest obstacle to dealmaking was the gap between valuations. At 10.1 times, overall strategic deal multiples were the lowest in 15 years. Looking ahead, many of the assets that didn't come to market last year will fuel active dealmaking in 2024, according to the Bain & Company's sixth annual Global M&A Report.

B. In-Person MSP and Channel Partner Events