Channel Brief: HYAS Partners With ConnectWise on DNS, Veeam Acquires Alcion

Poorly designed, developed and governed AI systems can lead to systemic societal harms, personal safety risks and environmental issues -- think phantom braking issues in self-driving cars, hallucinations, incorrect advice -- these are all negative outcomes of untrustworthy AI.

In addition to individual harm, these outcomes result in corporate repercussions such as negative publicity, class action lawsuits, increased regulatory scrutiny and activist backlash.

The encouraging news is that implementing a simple framework can help to achieve trustworthy AI.

There are four essential steps and 12 characteristics that define trustworthy AI. Check it out.

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. HYAS Protect integrates with ConnectWise on protective DNS: HYAS Infosec and ConnectWise today announced the integration of HYAS Protect via ConnectWise’s Invest program to provide MSPs and IT solutions providers with protective DNS, which is now recommended by CISA and the NSA and is becoming an integral part of cyber defense standards to combat new cyber-attacks that evade traditional detection, the companies said in a statement. The ConnectWise Invent integration program is geared toward MSPs seeking to merge their solutions with ConnectWise. By embedding and integrating HYAS Protect into the ConnectWise ecosystem, MSPs will benefit from a more comprehensive and complete security posture, effectively mitigating cyber threats and operational risks.

2. DirectDefense names new product, operations leadership: DirectDefense announced this week the appointment of two new executives to the leadership team. Varun Dhingra joins as senior vice president of services product management and Melissa Cox was hired as senior director of operations. These new roles will accelerate growth, drive service innovation, and improve operational efficiency for the MSSP, the company said in a statement.

3. Zoom and Mitel team up on hybrid cloud comms solution: Zoom and Mitel this week announced a strategic partnership to deliver a hybrid cloud solution that combines Zoom Workplace and Zoom AI Companion with Mitel’s flagship communication platform. This partnership will address the growing demand for hybrid unified communications (UC) deployments with a solution that guarantees security and control for mission-critical communications to maximize business productivity. This partnership also establishes Zoom as Mitel’s exclusive UCaaS offering within its overall UC portfolio.

4. Veeam acquires Alcion for cyber resilience: Veeam announced the acquisition of Alcion, an AI-driven backup solution for Microsoft 365 that helps ensure cyber resilience by defending against ransomware, malware, accidents and outages. Combining Alcion’s AI and security capabilities with Veeam Data Cloud provides Veeam with the opportunity to enhance its solutions and provide users with better data resilience. Alcion’s team will join Veeam immediately, including Niraj Tolia, who will join as CTO. Tolia will spearhead the product strategy and engineering efforts for the Veeam Data Cloud (VDC). He will also work closely with Anton Gostev, Veeam's chief product officer, to ensure customers continue to benefit from Veeam's innovation in data resilience.

5. Keeper Security names new senior director of engineering: Keeper Security announced the appointment of James Edwards as senior director of engineering, the company said in a statement. Edwards joins Keeper Security from Delinea, where he worked as the director of software engineering for more than six years. Edwards’ proven track record and extensive expertise in software development and engineering management make him a crucial addition to Keeper’s growth. Congratulations!