5 Channel Partner Program and MSP News Updates: 04 June 2021 -

Here are five (actually more) technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Friday, June 4, 2021. Sip up.

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Who We Serve: Content for managed services providers (MSPs), IT service providers (ITSPs), technology solutions providers (TSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs), IT consulting firms, systems integrators, VARs, independent software vendors (ISVs), and any other partner acronym that further caffeinates our already stellar SEO.

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A. What’s Brewing Today: Technology News

1. M&A - MSPs: Big MSPs remain in acquisition mode. For instance, Thrive acquired a Cisco partner to expand from the U.S. into Europe. And Fully Managed acquired a Microsoft Azure cloud partner. See more than 800 technology mergers & acquisitions listed here. Most of the deals involve MSPs, IT service providers and private equity firms.

2. M&A - Staples and Office Depot?: Staples is once again trying to acquire Office Depot's consumer business -- including the Office Depot and OfficeMax retail stores business, online presence, and the Office Depot and OfficeMax intellectual property, and all brand names. The offer is $1 billion, according to a disclosure from Staples. The MSP Twist: Meanwhile, Office Depot is still trying to sell its CompuCom MSP business unit, which struggled in recent quarters.

3. SentinelOne IPO Filing: The details are here:

4. SonicWall for Sale?: That's the rumor.

5. Executive Leadership - ServiceNow Partner: INRY, a ServiceNow partner, has hired JD Sillion as chief revenue officer, and Gayatri Nikkula as VP of human resources.

6. Conference - AWS re:Invent 2021: The is now confirmed to be a face-to-face conference, starting for late November.

B. Channel Chiefs, Partner Programs and Strategic Alliances

1. MSP Peer Groups: 7 Figure MSP has launched Core, Elite and Mastery peer groups for MSP.

The Core level consists of monthly focused sprints that address Service Delivery, Sales and Marketing, Team, and Business Management.

The Elite level includes the curriculum from the Core level, plus a live coaching with Chris Wiser and the 7 Figure MSP operations team.

The Mastery level includes Core curriculum, Elite coaching, and Mastermind bi-weekly groups calls with expert facilitation and more.

2. Vertical Market Partnership: Eccentex is now a gold level partner in the OpenText Solution Extension partner program. Combined solutions will help utilities, oil and gas, telco and transportation organizations to track and manage requests, and project tasks.

3. Partnership - MSP Automation: Collabrance, a master MSP owned by GreatAmerica, is partnering with Liongard to MSPs improve their automation, security posture and service delivery efficiencies.

4. Partner Program - Workforce Engagement: Energage has announced the Energage Partner Program.

5. Partner Program - Email Security: Inky has launched a formal channel partner program for MSPs and VARs that want to protect customer email systems from phishing attacks.