Channel Brief: Security Scorecard Transforms to Supply Chain Protection, Sophos Intros New Firewall Tech

The recent BLS jobs report was unexpectedly strong, and includes good news for tech employment, according to CompTIA.

All four monthly metrics tracked by CompTIA were in positive territory in September, according to the report. Some highlights:

Details are available in CompTIA’s Tech Jobs Report, which tracks with BLS data. Check it out here.

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. CrashPlan acquires Parablu: Endpoint recovery and backup firm CrashPlan has acquired Parablu to expand its backup scope beyond the endpoint, the companies said in a statement. With the acquisition, CrashPlan aims to fix a backup gap for what it calls "idea workers" – journalists, videographers, researchers, designers, engineers, programmers – and others whose daily work creates intellectual property. These roles more often work remotely and outside business hours. Their files are large, multi-version and their data often resides within web-based applications and on their computers. Backup tools originally built to be used by IT departments, like those for Oracle and SAP databases, don’t meet their needs. 

2. Security Scorecard transforms to protect supply chains: SecurityScorecard announced today its transformation from a pure-play security ratings leader to the pioneer of a new category called Supply Chain Detection and Response (SCDR). The company’s shift to SCDR reflects the evolving needs of cybersecurity practitioners and the growing threat emanating from third-party and extended ecosystem business partners.

3. Sophos introduces new hardware and software: Sophos today is launching new firewall hardware and software. These include nine new XGS Series desktop firewall appliances with double the performance and 50% lower energy consumption of previous models, Sophos said, including four fanless models. Sophos also announced updated software that integrates third-party threat intelligence to better align with industry or regulatory needs. The new additions have enhanced performance and scalability, boosted VPN performance and streamlined menus to enable seamless device upgrades while simplifying firewall management. 

4. Globant acquires Exusia for AI and cloud: IT services provider Globant last week acquired Exusia, an IT service consulting firm specializing in full lifecycle AI, data engineering, cloud migration, and analytics capabilities. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition strengthens Globant's position as a leader in AI, data engineering, and cloud solutions. Exusia's expertise in full lifecycle AI and data services, along with its partnerships with Microsoft Azure, AWS, Databricks, and Google Cloud, significantly enhances Globant’s tech stack and service offerings.

5. Former Cisco COO joins AWS: Pilar Schenk, former COO at Cisco, has announced this week on LinkedIn that she has joined AWS as the new VP of Global Sales Operations. Schenk previously worked in top positions at Dell EMC and McAfee over the past 20 years. Schenk was Cisco’s COO of strategy, planning and operations for Global Specialists before making the jump to AWS, heading up 6,000 sales specialists working across several markets including enterprise networking, cybersecurity, collaboration and more. Congratulations!

In-Person MSP and Channel Partner Events