5 Channel Partner and MSP News Updates: Monday 21 December 2020 -

Here are five (actually, more) technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Monday, December 21, 2020. Sip up.

Our Daily Brew

Who We Serve: Content for managed services providers (MSPs), IT service providers (ITSPs), 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.
Frequency: Every business morning.
Reaching the Barista: Send news, tips and rumors to [email protected].

A. What’s Happening Today

1. Passings - Gartner Founder Gideon Gartner: The Wall Street Journal offers this extended look Gartner Inc.'s founder and the father of IT industry research. Gideon Gartner died on December 12 amid complications from Alzheimer's disease.

2. Cisco Partner Program Evolution: In case you missed some of the details, Marc Surplus shared some perspectives here. Fast forward to present day, and here are some updates on Cisco's Integrator Role.

3. Managed Services - SD-WANs: Granite Telecommunications has unveiled Granite Guardian FlexEdge, a managed network solution that combines firewall, SD-WAN, session border controller (SBC), cellular data router and more in a single solution, the company says.

4. Managed Services - Internet of Things: Verizon Business has launched IoT Managed Services, to help customers "manage the intricacies of preparing, deploying, managing, and maintaining an IoT solution."

5. Talent - Avaya Services: Avaya has hired NTT and SAP veteran Tony Alfano in the newly created role of senior VP, global services.

6. Apple Stores - Temporary Closures: Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Apple has temporarily closed roughly 100 retail stores across California, Mexico, Brazil and the United Kingdom, 9to5 Mac reports.

7. Startups: Symend, a software as a service (SaaS) solution that engages at-risk customers with empathy, has joined the Microsoft for Startups program. The global program helps B2B startups scale through access to its ever-expanding partner network, commercial marketplaces and enterprise sales team, the companies say.