Channel Brief: Comcast Acquires MSP Nitel

Microsoft is now allowing users to update to Windows 11 on older, unsupported hardware, including systems that don’t meet the operating system’s strict hardware requirements, according to Digital Trends.

Microsoft originally set these requirements, including the need for a TPM 2.0 chip and specific processor models, to ensure performance, reliability, and security. But it has now provided a manual installation option for those who want to use Windows 11 on unsupported machines.

But there's a catch. Devices that don’t meet the official minimum hardware requirements will not receive automatic updates through Windows Update, and updates will have to install them manually. These users also won’t benefit from automatic security patches or feature updates.

Microsoft has emphasized that while the operating system can be installed on unsupported devices, this is not recommended for long-term use, and users may encounter performance and stability issues, according to Digital Trends. Microsoft will also display a small watermark on the desktop and a notification in the Settings panel as a clear warning that the company does not recommend the upgrade.

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. Comcast acquires Nitel for MSP play: Comcast will acquire Nitel, a U.S. managed services provider headquartered in Chicago, from international private equity firm Cinven, the companies announced this week. The acquisition will expand Comcast Business’ presence in connectivity, global secure networking and advanced technology and enhance Comcast’s ability to serve enterprise clients. Nitel is a network-as-a-service (NaaS) provider, specializing in delivering advanced managed services and connectivity solutions to enterprise customers across the U.S. with a focus on high-performance networking, cloud services, and cybersecurity.  

2. GTT names new channel chief: Networking and security as a service provider GTT Communications has appointed Sara Seegers as senior vice president and channel partner chief for its indirect channels business in the Americas. Seegers will lead GTT’s strategic relationships with technology services distributors, selling partners, information technology consultants and other third-party distribution channels in the Americas. Seegers is an industry veteran of more than twenty years, having served in various roles throughout her career, most recently as the national vice president of the indirect partner channel at Lumen. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from Concordia University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Michigan University.

3. Armorcode, Cyera partnership: Data security firm Cyera and application security posture management (ASPM) firm ArmorCode announced a strategic partnership aimed at offering customers comprehensive cybersecurity risk management. This collaboration will strengthen customers' security postures, improve resiliency, and safeguard sensitive data across public cloud, SaaS, hybrid cloud and on-premise infrastructure.

4. Zerto Cloud Vault: Zerto, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, introduced Zerto Cloud Vault, which is delivered through select MSPs. Zerto Cloud Vault delivers enterprise-grade cyber resilience to organizations of all sizes to slash both recovery point objectives (RPOs) and recovery time objectives (RTOs). The solution is built on Zerto's technology and leverages the expertise of vetted MSP partners, including Assurestor, Converge, LincolnIT, and Verinext. These partnerships ensure tailored cyber resilience strategies that meet diverse organizational needs while maintaining compliance with state and federal regulations. 

5. Vultr, Broadcom, AMD, Juniper Networks AI training ecosystem: Cloud infrastructure firm Vultr announced this week a four-way strategic collaboration with Juniper Networks, Broadcom Inc., and AMD. Combining Broadcom’s Ethernet technologies, Juniper’s networking solutions, and Vultr’s cloud infrastructure will enable customers to access the new AMD Instinct™ MI300X GPUs and ROCm™ open software for global AI training and inference workloads. As a part of this announcement, Vultr is expanding its Chicago cloud data center region at Centersquare’s Lisle, Illinois location, which features an AMD GPU supercompute cluster, powered by ROCm open software and an ecosystem of AI infrastructure collaborators.

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