Channel Brief: Dell Layoffs Cut 12.5K Workers, AVANT Acquires CX Effect

Howdy, folks -- happy Wednesday. For those of you at Black Hat, BSides and DEF CON this week, you can check out all the CyberRisk Alliance coverage at scworld.com/blackhat.

Here's what else caught my eye today: Dell this week announced another massive layoff as the company reorganizes sales and marketing to emphasize AI and data center technologies. In executive news, channel veteran analyst Tiffani Bova has joined The Futurum Group as chief of strategy and research.

Tech Mahindra will integrate Horizon3.ai's NodeZero platform into its cybersecurity suite. Grip Security and GuidePoint Security team up to tackle identity security, ColorTokens makes three new leadership appointments as it expands in the APAC region and technology specialty distributor (TSD) AVANT has acquired CX Effect, another TSD, that specializes in customer experience and AI solutions.

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. Dell Lays Off 10% of Workforce, Reorgs Sales Teams to Focus on AI: In an internal memo Monday, Dell told employees it is reorganizing its sales teams to emphasize AI products and data center sales, which are in demand as AI firms look to train their latest models, as Bloomberg, PC Magazine and others reported. While Dell has confirmed the layoffs, but hasn't said exactly how many employees are losing their jobs. SiliconAngle reported that number at roughly 12,500 Dell employees primarily in sales and marketing, according to an unnamed source. "We are getting leaner," says the internal memo from Dell's Bill Scannell and John Byrne. "We’re streamlining layers of management and reprioritizing where we invest." One former Dell employee, Ian Armstrong, who previously worked on the company's UX design team for eight years, said on LinkedIn that the layoffs were a "bloodbath" and noted that Dell has laid off 24,500 staff in the past 15 months.

2. ColorTokens Aims for APAC Growth, Names New Leadership: Enterprise networking security company ColorTokens Inc. is making no secret of its growth ambitions in Asia Pacific (APAC) with a target of increasing customers by 40% year over year and the establishment of a 100% partner-driven go to market program. The firm is bringing on experienced leadership in the region to set itself up for sustained expansion, according to a statement this week. Satyen Desai has been named vice president of the Asia Pacific region, Benjamin Ong is regional sales director for the ASEAN region and Daniel Churches is sales director for the ANZ region. Satyen will report to Jagdish Mahapatra, who joined ColorTokens as the chief revenue officer last year after roles at McAfee, CrowdStrike and Cisco.

3. Tech Mahindra Integrates Horizon3.ai Threat Detection, Pentesting and GRC: Tech Mahindra will integrate Horizon3.ai's NodeZero platform into its cybersecurity suite, the companies said in a statement. The partnership will deliver integrated threat detection, AI-powered pentesting, and governance, risk and compliance (GRC) insights with Tech Mahindra's cybersecurity services. The partnership enables Tech Mahindra to leverage Horizon3.ai’s NodeZero autonomous penetration testing platform to uncover exploitable vulnerabilities and validate security measures across on-premises, cloud and hybrid network infrastructures.

4. Grip Security and GuidePoint Security Team up on Identity Security: SaaS identity risk management firm Grip Security has announced a strategic partnership with security services and solutions provider GuidePoint Security manage and mitigate shadow SaaS risks. GuidePoint’s expertise in identity governance and cloud security and Grip’s identity risk management solution will enable wider advisory services and tools to effectively mitigate risk and enforce strong IGA policies, the companies said.

5. Avant Acquires CX Effect for CX and AI: Technology services distributor (TSD) AVANT has acquired CX Effect, LLC, a specialty TSD focused exclusively on the growing business, sales, and service opportunities around customer experience (CX) and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. The acquisition brings more than 40 new CX and AI vendor relationships and a wealth of sales enablement capabilities. Along with AVANT's deep bench of sales engineers and resources, arguably creates the largest portfolio of CX and AI vendors and experts in the industry, the companies said. Andrew Pryfogle, founder and CEO of CX Effect, and his business partner, CX Effect’s Chief Revenue Officer Bob Maute, will join the AVANT team as part of the acquisition. Pryfogle will now focus on market development and Maute will focus on vendor business development.

6. Futurum Group Appoints Tiffani Bova to Chief Strategy and Research Officer: Tech research, media and advisory firm The Futurum Group has appointed channel veteran Tiffani Bova to the role of chief strategy and research officer. Bova is a highly respected analyst and sales and customer experience thought leader who has served as a Gartner Distinguished Analyst and Research Fellow, advising her clients on indirect channel strategy, go-to-market and sales transformation. Prior to joining The Futurum Group, Bova served as SVP, global growth evangelist at Salesforce. At The Futurum Group, Bova will run the research and strategy organization and will develop and scale its data and intelligence platform, according to a statement. She will also lead the team’s efforts within the technology and telecom channels. Congratulations!