Channel Brief: Dataprise Adds Cyber Chief

We usually have at least 5 Things for you in our Channel Brief, but this week is a busy one for news, so we've got 11 items, and they're all important. You'll want to read to the bottom. Today's channel market updates include news from Trustifi, Mako Networks, Dataprise, Malwarebytes, ConnectWise, Guardz, SentinelOne, Scality, SAP, Onapsis Research, Flashpoint, Beyondtrust, Blue Mantis, Pentera, Ingram Micro, Scality and High Wire Networks.

Today's news features customer wins, new products and offerings for the MSP and MSSP market, new partnerships and new distribution relationships, the threat landscape for SAP implementations, some leadership moves, an acquisition and more.

Don't forget to check out our industry Mergers and Acquisitions list, updated daily, with a data archive goes all the way back to 2020. Check out the whole thing here. 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].

A. Today’s Tech, Channel and MSP News

1. New security awareness training module - AI-enabled and cloud-based email cyber security solutions provider Trustifi is launching a new Email Security Awareness training module, a threat simulation tool that MSPs can offer to their end-customers to help train network users to recognize and avoid phishing attacks. The tool then goes a step further to provide actionable strategies, analytics, and reports that help administrators evaluate the module’s results and enhance the protection of their networks. The module and its campaigns can be conducted by the end-users’ IT department, or by the managing MSP itself, depending on the customer/MSP business model. 

2. Big customer win - Secure, cloud-managed network provider for distributed enterprises, Mako Networks has won a deal with ExxonMobil, one of the largest publicly traded energy and petrochemical companies, to provide managed network services to Exxon and Mobil-branded retail locations in the U.S. The company offers a PCI-certified, cloud-managed and carrier-independent networking solution that allows distributed enterprises to easily create secure, high-performance business networks supporting credit card transactions and digital experiences like self-service gas, self-checkout, tap-to-pay, loyalty apps and more.

3. New Cybersecurity Chief - MSP and MSSP, Dataprise has appointed industry veteran, Nima Khamooshi, as its vice president of cybersecurity.  Khamooshi will lead Dataprise’s Managed Cybersecurity business including leadership of security operations, security product development and innovations, and delivery of advanced security advisory services and consulting to clients.  Khamooshi has over two decades of cybersecurity leadership experience with leadership roles at Booz Allen Hamilton, The College Board, and Conference of State Bank Supervisors. 

4. New cyber vendor in ConnectWise platform - Malwarebytes has formed a new integration with ConnectWise, joining the MSP platform provider’s ecosystem.

5. New cyber partnership - Guardz has formed a strategic partnership with SentinelOne, an AI-powered security specialist. Guardz and SentinelOne will collaborate on technological advancements and go-to- market strategies, empowering MSPs to serve SMB clients.

6. Distribution cyber partnership - Cyber-resilient storage provider Scality has forged a strategic alliance with Ingram Micro to advance the distribution of ARTESCA, Scality’s secure, simple object-storage software for immutable backups throughout the U.S.  The relationship with Ingram Micro provides channel partners increased access to Scality’s solutions for ransomware protection, hybrid cloud, and AI. 

7. SAP big target for ransomware incidents – there’s been a 400% increase in ransomware incidents that involved compromising SAP systems and data at victim’s organizations since 2021, according to a new report from Onapsis Research and Flashpoint. Active discussions in cybercriminal forums about SAP-specific cloud and web services have increased by 220% between 2021 and 2023. 

8. Access management acquisition - BeyondTrust announced a definitive agreement to acquire Entitle, a pioneering privilege management solution that discovers, manages, and automates just-in-time (JIT) access and modern identity governance and administration (IGA) across the entire cloud escape. This strategic acquisition enhances BeyondTrust’s ability to tackle the sophisticated customer challenges of privileged access management (PAM) and cloud infrastructure entitlement management (CIEM) in today's cloud-centric landscape through unified orchestration.

9. Leadership changes - Blue Mantis, a premier provider of digital strategy and services specializing in managed services, cybersecurity, and cloud solutions, has promoted Jay Pasteris, formerly Blue Mantis’ chief information officer (CIO) and chief information security officer (CISO), to the newly created position of chief operating officer (COO). Additionally, Gary Yu, the company’s VP of Information Technology, has been named deputy CIO, VP; and Jay Martin, previously security practice lead, has been promoted to VP, Security.

10. Pentesting gap - Pentera’s new report, The State of Pentesting 2024 found that 73% of organizations report changes to their IT environments at least quarterly; however, only 40% report pentesting at the same frequency. 

11. Customer win and renewal - High Wire Networks, Inc., a managed cybersecurity and technology enablement provider, has won a $1.23 million fiber installation project for a Fortune 500 national environmental solutions provider. The new project is in addition to a recently announced $1.6 million annual contract renewal for technology managed services. The total value of the renewed contract and fiber project for the customer now totals more than $2.8 million combined.

B. In-Person MSP and Channel Partner Events