5 Channel Partner and MSP Updates: Tuesday 10 November 2020

Here are five (actually, more) technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Tuesday, November 10, 2020. Sip up.

Our Daily Brew

A. What’s Happening Today

1. Live Blog - ConnectWise IT Nation Connect 2020: Ongoing news updates are here.

2. M&A - Email Security & Cloud Backup: Here's why Zix acquired CloudAlly.

3. M&A - Private Equity and Work Management Software: TPG and TA Associates are acquiring Planview from private equity firm Thoma Bravo.

4. M&A - Adobe and Work Management Software: Adobe has acquired marketing workflow management software provider Workfront for $1.5 billion.

5. M&A - Smartphones: Chinese hardware giant Huawei plans to sell budget-brand smartphone unit Honor in a 100 billion yuan ($15.2 billion) deal to a consortium led by handset distributor Digital China and the government of its home town of Shenzhen, Reuters reports.

6. M&A - Web Hosting: Web.com Group has acquired Freeparking, a New Zealand-based domain name registrar and web hosting provider.

7. Funding - Cloud Directory Services: JumpCloud has raised $75 million Series E funding. The round was led by  BlackRock with participation from existing investor General Atlantic. JumpCloud develops a cloud based directory that supports a Zero Trust access model. The company plans to hire an additional 500 people over the next several years. Current headcount figures were not disclosed.

8. IT Service Management (ITSM): Jira has launched Jira Service Management...

9. Talent - IT Consulting: West Monroe, a national business and technology consulting firm, has appointed Microsoft's Rodney Clark to its board of directors. Clark is a corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Internet of Things and Mixed Reality Sales team.

10. Talent - Log Management Solutions: Graylog has hired Andy Grolnick as CEO. Grolnick succeeds Logan Wray, who is retiring.

11. Multi-Cloud Management Explained: Cisco provides multi-cloud management tips to partners here.

12. ScanSource Financial Results: The distributor's financial results for the first quarter ended September 30 were:

Revenues were about $12.7 million below analyst estimates.

13. DDoS Attacks Explained: CompTIA provides details here.

B. Channel Partner Programs, Strategic Alliances and Integrations

1. Integration - MSP Software: Atera's PSA and RMM platform for MSPs now integrates with Bitdefender's GravityZone Cloud MSP Security.

2. Partnership: Identity and Risk Management: SecZetta and LevelUP have partnered to provide clients with an enhanced scope of third-party identity and lifecycle management solutions, including a specialized focus in compliance and standards, that can strengthen identity access management and risk management programs, the two companies say.

3. Partnership - Amazon Web Services: Hitachi Vantara, the digital infrastructure and solutions subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd., has announced an expanded Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The partnership will offer Lumada industrial solutions on the AWS cloud platform. 

4. Partnership - Unified Communications: BT, the UK-based telecommunications and network provider, has launched Cloud Work provided by RingCentral. The offering spans Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) for with small, medium and large sized UK enterprises, as well as public sector customers.

5. Partner Program - Robotic Process Automation (RPA): Kryon welcomed eight new members to its Channel Partner Program in 2020. The new members are:

6. Partner program - Networking: Ananda Networks has announced details of its channel partner program. The company emerged from stealth mode in August 2020.

7. Distribution - 5G Networks: Synnex has launched a 5G Acceleration Initiative delivered via the SYNNEX Mobility Program and available to the U.S. IT channel.

C. Technology Conferences and Virtual Partner Events