5 Channel Partner Program and MSP News Updates: 13 May 2021

Here are five (actually, more) technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Thursday, May 13, 2021. Sip up.

What’s In Our Daily Brew?

A. What’s Brewing Today: Technology News

1. Datto Quarterly Financial Results: The MSP software and technology provider announced Q1 of 2021 financial results. Details include:

Datto's Q1 2021 earnings generally met Wall Street's expectations, and revenues exceeded expectations, according to SeekingAlpha.

2. MSP Software - Corporate Culture: Liongard has been name one of Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces for 2021. The MSP automation software provider was also honored for Medium-sized businesses with 50-99 employees.

3. MSPs - M&A Advisor: Cogent Growth Partners, a buy-side advisor and intermediary for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the IT services sector, remains active on the dealmaking front. Indeed, Cogent announced the successful closing of WorkSmart’s second acquisition of the year and its fifth acquisition working with Cogent Growth Partners.

For WorkSmart's latest acquisition, Cogent identified LAN Systems, a full services IT support firm located in Berkeley Lake, Georgia, as a potential acquisition candidate for WorkSmart. Cogent then served as the intermediary, assisting both companies in due diligence, deal negotiation and transaction completion. Financial details of the deal, which closed in February 2021, were not disclosed.

4. MSP - Legal Services: Frontline Managed Services has expanded to Hawaii and opened a contact center in Honolulu to support its 24/7 IT Help Desk service for law firms worldwide. The Honolulu center, which aims to onboard 20 specialists in full-time positions, also serves as a bridge to Frontline Managed Services' growing operations in Goa and Hyderabad, India.

5. MSP Software - Business Analytics:  BeeCastle has launched analytics features within the company's software activity dashboards.   The new BeeCastle features provide a structured and data-driven go-to-market strategy for MSPs, the company asserts.

6. PSA Software and Channel Revenue Management: CloudBlue, owned by Ingram Micro, has launched CloudBlue Rev, a solution that "simplifies and streamlines channel revenue management to enhance efficiency, save time and increase profitability." CloudBlue Rev, based on recent HarmonyPSA acquisition, supports unify quoting, provisioning, billing and reconciliation. The software is available now in the United Kingdom with planned rollouts across the world.

7. Private Equity - Government IT Services: Insight Partners has invested $290 million into CivicPlus LLC, a provider of websites and other technology to local governments, The Wall Street Journal reports.

8. Partner of the Year: Cradlepoint, a provider of cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network edge solutions, has named Granite Service Provider Partner of the Year.

9. Talent - IT Services: UPSTACK has hired IT channel veteran Paula McKinnon as VP of vendor relations. McKinnon oversees UPSTACK’s relationships with technology services vendors directly and through master agent distributors. She leads UPSTACK’s vendor management strategy, including recruiting, negotiating contracts and onboarding service providers to the UPSTACK technology platform.

10. Supply Chain Security and Cyberattacks: Cisco Systems clearly explains how supply chain cyberattacks work in this blog.

11. PC and Printer Security: HP Inc. has introduced HP Wolf Security, an integrated portfolio of "secure by design" PCs and printers, hardware-enforced endpoint security software, and endpoint security services to protect customers from cyber threats, the company says.

B. Channel Partner Summits, MSP Conferences and Virtual Events Calendar