5 Channel Partner Program and MSP News Updates: 09 September 2021

Here are five (actually, more) technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Thursday, September 9, 2021. Sip up.

What’s In Our Daily Brew?

A. What’s Brewing Today: Technology News

1. Talent - MSP Software: Atera has named Lior Torem as CFO, and Oren Elimelech as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The The executive appointments surface after the MSP software provider raised $77 million in funding. Take a closer look, and you'll noticed that Torem has IPO experience...

2. Talent - Vertical Market MSP: Apogee, an MSP in the higher education market, has hired Scott Drossos as CEO. He succeeds Apogee founder Charles Brady, who transitions to chairman. Drossos previously held key executive posts at InterVision Systems and Infiniti Consulting Group.

3. Talent - Augmented Reality and Field Services Support: CLEVR, a low-code and no-code Software-with-a-Service provider, has hired Kay Lankheet as lead for the newly created business unit and the launch of CLEVR Field Services Manager (FSM). This new software solution is "designed to dramatically cut costs, shrink the carbon footprint and tackle staffing challenges for companies that dispatch skilled technicians to customers' homes," the company says.

4. Talent - VMware: The virtualization and cloud software provider has named company veteran Kit Colbert as chief technology officer (CTO).

5. Private Equity and Business Process Outsourcing: The Carlyle Group is considering a sale of its outsourcing business VXI Global Solutions, Bloomberg reports.

6. Ransomware Response Services: Commvault has launched Ransomware Protection and Response Services. The services help to harden customers’ Commvault solutions from an attack; review the state of their data protection solution over time; and help them recover critical data if an attack occurs, Commvault says. The Commvault announcement did not mention whether the services are available via MSPs and resellers.

7. Microsoft 365 Data Protection: Hornetsecurity has released 365 Total Protection Enterprise Backup, which covers all aspects of email and data security for Microsoft 365, Hornetsecurity asserts.

8. Consumer Cybersecurity: Acronis has rebranded True Image as Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office (formerly Acronis True Image). The solution includes backup and anti-malware capabilities.

9. Oracle Cloud Training: Oracle will offer Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) training and OCI certification testing for free worldwide, the company says.

10. Research - Small Business Optimism and Concerns: Fully 68 percent of small and medium businesses predict their business will be better off in a year versus now. However, 50 percent of those SMBs mentioned endpoint vulnerabilities as a business risk, according to Small Business Recovery Survey results rom Verizon.

B. Channel Chiefs, Partner Programs, Integrations and Strategic Alliances

1. Integration - MSP Software: The Webroot business endpoint protection platform, from OpenText, now integrates with N-able's N-central RMM (remote monitoring and management) software for MSPs.

2. Integration - IAM and ITSM: One Identity’s Identity Manager now integrates with ServiceNow. End-users can make identity-related requests through a familiar service catalog, either in Identity Manager or in ServiceNow, the two companies say.

3. Microsoft Azure Expert MSP: Core BTS has been recognized as a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Service Provider.

4. Microsoft Cloud and SMB Partner: Options Technology, a cloud-focused MSP that supports financial services customers, has achieved Microsoft Gold Partner Status in the Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions competency. Options previously achieved Microsoft's Cloud Productivity Gold Partner and Cloud Platform Gold Partner Status. Private equity firm Abry Partners has backed Options since January 2020.

5. Partner Program: Nebulon, which develops server-embedded infrastructure software delivered as-a-service, has launched the Nebulon smartPartner program.

6. Partnership - Video Conferencing: Avocor has launched all-in-one video conferencing and digital whiteboarding devices for Google Workspace users.

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