Channel Brief: Workday Cuts 1,750 to Focus on AI Push

It's that time of year again, folks!

ConnectWise announced today that  IT Nation, a global community of peers, thought leaders, and experts dedicated to elevating the IT ecosystem to new heights, launched its 2025 PitchIT accelerator program, a worldwide competition dedicated to incubating growth among ConnectWise’s startup integration partners in the MSP space.

Now in its seventh year, ConnectWise PitchIT has attracted over 150 participants, with this year’s competition set to be the largest yet. 

Here’s how it works: 

Get your pitches ready, and best of luck!

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. Workday layoffs: HR software platform Workday announced it is laying off 1,750 employees, or 8.5% of its workforce, AP reported. The company said the layoffs will help it focus on long-term growth with a particular focus on AI automation. In a memo, CEO Carl Eschenbach said that “the increasing demand for AI has the potential to drive a new era of growth for Workday.” These layoffs will not impact the company's plans to invest in new locations and hire new employees elsewhere in the company. Workday estimates it could incur up to $270 million in severance payments, employee benefits, and other costs, with all affected employees to be offered a minimum of three months of pay, with more depending on tenure.

2. Mako Networks names new CRO: Secure networking company Mako Networks has named Jon Kelly to the role of chief revenue officer, the company said in a statement. Kelly spent part of his career at ExxonMobil before founding Canary Compliance, a SaaS company specializing in IoT connectivity and software for petroleum fueling equipment, where he served as CEO. Following Canary’s acquisition by Titan Cloud Software, Kelly served as Titan’s SVP of business development. In his new role at Mako Networks, Kelly will spearhead sales, marketing and customer success. Congratulations!  

3. Sherweb intros two new Check Point security solutions: Sherweb is launching two new cybersecurity solutions in collaboration with Check Point Software Technologies. Sherweb’s MSP partners now have access to Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration (formerly Avanan) and Check Point Harmony SASE (formerly Perimeter 81) in the Sherweb marketplace.

4. Acronis names new country manager, Canada: Acronis has appointed Stephen Nichols as country manager for Canada. Previously, Stephen was Acronis’ Director of Solutions Engineering. He was promoted to the role of Country Manager as part of the company’s commitment to growing the business and expansion in the region. In this new role, Nichols will manage all business operations, including expansion initiatives within the region, to deliver a tailored approach to the service provider community in Canada. Nichols joined Acronis in 2019 as the director of solutions engineering. Nichols also played a key role in executing technical pre-sales and post-sales activities, supporting all stages of the sales cycle through webinars, events, speaking engagements, and other initiatives to drive partner participation. Congratulations!

5. WatchGuard joins AWS ISV Accelerate program: Cybersecurity firm WatchGuard Technologies today announced that it has joined the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Accelerate Program, a co-sell program for AWS Partners that provides software solutions that run on or integrate with AWS. The program helps AWS Partners drive new business by directly connecting participating ISVs with the AWS Sales organization. WatchGuard's platform is now available in the AWS Marketplace, the company said.

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