This week ChannelCon, CompTIA’s annual conference and partner summit, took center stage. If you weren’t able to make it, MSP Success has all the highlights for you, along with news from Helpt, GoTo, Hornetsecurity, and more.
CompTIA’s ChannelCon Put AI, Cybersecurity, Ecosystem Relationships In The Spotlight
A who’s who of the channel descended upon Atlanta this week for CompTIA’s ChannelCon and Partner Summit. Hot topics of discussion included AI, cybersecurity and compliance, and changing relationships in the partner ecosystem. Attendees also had numerous opportunities for education, networking, and browsing an expo hall with more than 170 vendors.
In his keynote address, CompTIA CEO and President Todd Thibodeaux (pictured above) revealed their new AI framework for developing curriculum around six key areas: security, architecture, data analytics, auto coding, prompts, and sysops. These are the areas “we think AI will have significant impacts on the job roles in our industry and our business as a whole,” he explained.
“Obviously, cybersecurity is going to be a big one and we see lots of opportunities … pen testers using AI or people that are in cyber engineering or cyber analyst roles using AI. We think that there’ll be roles for system architects, people who are specifically tasked with piecing together different AI systems to create infrastructures and applications within organizations. So we think a new AI architect job role will emerge.”
Thibodeaux said AI will likely impact data analytics more than any other field, and to some extent this is already happening. Likewise with coding.
As for the buzz around prompt engineering, he says, “I’m not sure what will happen with that, but we’re going to pay attention to it.”
Learn To Play Offense
In the cybersecurity track, numerous speakers stressed the need for MSPs to not just play defense when it comes to protecting customers, and themselves, but to learn offensive strategies and playbooks as well. “We’re at a point where we can no longer ignore the offense and say we’re defenders,” said Matt Lee, senior director of security and compliance at Pax8. “But we’re not all on the playbook. We don’t have the playbook. We’re not even doing any types of frameworks.” He encouraged all MSPs to adopt and follow a framework such as CIS or CMMC.
The message that MSPs need to play offense was reinforced by Julius Gamble, regional director for Region 4 of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In a conversation with CompTIA’s Wayne Selk, vice president of cybersecurity programs, Gamble stressed that businesses are up against large-scale ransomware efforts from both nation states and ransomware as a service attacks. “With the preponderance of artificial intelligence, it opens the aperture … where it is much easier to gain access to ransomware and then do attacks at a small to medium sized business,” he said. “What we’re seeing is these threat actors almost know the exact amount they offer as a ransomware settlement is almost palatable with what an organization can afford.”
Gamble also outlined a variety of cybersecurity services CISA provides that MSPs can avail themselves of, free of charge, such as vulnerability scans, assessments, tabletop exercises, and more. In addition, CISA personnel can be subject matter experts when MSPs hold webinars or events for their customers.
Relationships Matter More Than Ever
Relationships in the channel ecosystems were also on the docket. In a panel discussion on “The Evolving Channel Relationships,” moderator Carolyn April, vice president of research at CompTIA, told attendees that for the first time in 11 years, MSPs are enrolling in fewer partner programs.
“What really speaks to me is I think that partners are starting to really value quality over quantity,” she said. Some key data points: In 2023, 14% of MSPs were participating in 15-19 partner programs, but that number dropped to 8% this year. Similarly, 21% of MSPs were participating in 10-14 programs last year, but this year that percentage declined to 16%. Notably, 7% weren’t participating in any partner programs in 2023, but that number rose to 11% this year.
At the same time, CompTIA data found that satisfaction with those partner programs rose, she said. “What does that tell you? They’re probably working more closely because they can with fewer vendors in their portfolio and getting more out of those relationships,” she said.
Panel member Eric Pinto, senior director of channel and product strategy at SOCSoter said, “I do think that in this community people are looking for a true partnership. So if you can find vendors that are willing to partner with you, train you, educate you, and direct you towards how to sell your product, you’re better for it..”
While the year-over-year decline in partner program participation is a surprise, the general trend is not, said Rob Rae, corporate vice president of community and ecosystems at Pax8. He noted that over the past 10 years there have been signs of a diminishing value of partner programs, with MSPs more focused on support, pricing, relationships, and technology. However, he added, “I think maybe those traditional programs …. fit into more of a hardware reseller world than they do the services space. I think as vendors we’ve also learned that we have to cherish that relationship more … You cannot be a bad player in the space.”
When it comes to partner programs, “there’s no one size fits all,” said Cassie Jeppson, director of North Amera program, operations, and strategy, for Lenovo. “So the way that I look at programs is, how can we create those great experiences and how can we be most relevant for the partners and for their customers? What does our support look like when they have a question or if a device arrives and it’s not functioning properly? Those are the moments that matter and it’s about the experiences and how we overcome some of the challenges together.”
April also asked the panel what MSPs need to bring to the partner relationship for it to be successful. “Our studies show partners today are asking for all kinds of things that 10 years ago they didn’t ask for,” she noted. “They want business training, not just training on your products and services. They want you to help them figure out how to run their business better. Is that really the vendor’s role?”
Pinto said MSPs need to invest time in understanding the product and the value it brings the end customer.
Jeppson agreed. “If we are going to invest the time in with you, then we’re asking for you to make those commitments and invest the time with us so that it’s profitable and beneficial for us together.”
Helpt Receives $850,000 Seed Investment to Accelerate Growth
David Sohn, co-founder of Helpt, a U.S.-based 24/7 technical call answering and service desk solution for MSPs, arrived at ChannelCon flush with cash after receiving $850,000 in seed funding this week from Dealbrook Holdings II. Dealbrook is led by a seasoned investor with a track record of backing successful startups in the managed service and IT space who will join Helpt’s board of advisors.
MSP Success caught up with Sohn at ChannelCon to find out how he plans to use the money to grow Helpt, which he co-founded with Matthew Pincus in 2022 with some SAFE (simple agreement for future equity) funding.
“We need to focus on our sales and marketing efforts, as does everybody in the channel … so that’s where a good portion of the money’s going to go,” Sohn said. “The other thing is development. Our agents work with a customized set of tools that we’ve created for them.” He explained that Helpt’s agents use a platform that allows them to switch between the tools their MSP clients use, such as Syncro, Autotask, IT Glue, etc. “But we could get some more synergies through a little bit of help with development.”
With the investment earmarked for sales and marketing and development, Sohn says they can direct their positive cash flow into staffing to support their growth.
Products
Hornetsecurity’s New 365 Total Backup for Microsoft 365 Supports Microsoft Planner
Email cloud security provider Hornetsecurity’s enhanced version of 365 Total Backup solution for Microsoft 365 now includes backup and recovery support for Microsoft Planner. The free update is available for customers on both its 365 Total Backup products and 365 Total Protection (Plans 3 and 4). The broader scope of protection supports GDPR compliance and adds to the existing backup and recovery functionality across essential M365 applications, including Mailbox, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams.
Other key features of the upgrade include a granular restore option, which empowers administrators to choose multiple restore points, and a new “Four-Eye Approval” feature, which enables a second approval step for any data deletion or changes to retention settings. This functionality is available both during the initial onboarding process and after a tenant has been established. Administrators will be able to specify whether all administrators can approve deletion requests or if only designated administrators are permitted to do so to ensure an additional level of security and accountability in managing data retention policies.
Veeam Data Cloud Adds Microsoft 365 Backup Storage Capabilities
Veeam, a launch partner for Microsoft 365 Backup Storage, announced the next generation of Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365. Built on Microsoft Azure, Veeam Data Cloud provides backup-as-a-service (BaaS) for Microsoft 365.
Microsoft’s new backup technology is embedded inside Veeam’s backup service for Microsoft 365, combining the new high-speed backup and recovery capabilities with Veeam’s restore and eDiscovery options.
In addition, as part of a five-year strategic partnership, Veeam is developing future solutions with Microsoft integrating Microsoft Copilot and Azure AI services to enhance data protection for Microsoft 365 and Azure.
Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 with Microsoft 365 Backup Storage will be available in early August. Three packaging options (Express, Flex, and Premium) are available.
WhatsApp Now Available With GoTo Connect
IT management, support, and business communications platform GoTo has added the WhatsApp messaging platform to GoTo Connect’s customer engagement channel. The customer engagement channel centralizes conversations across channels including SMS, webchat, social media, and GoTo Connect phone system into one platform.
Partnerships and Alliances
The ASCII Group Adds BreachBits To Its Vendor Benefits List
Security and compliance startup BreachBits is partnering with The ASCII Group to provide exclusive benefits to its members. The ASCII Group is a membership-based community of independent North American MSPs, MSSPs, and solution providers. BreachBits’ BreachRisk platform leverages AI and automation to provide scalable cyber risk assessments from an attacker’s perspective.
Blumira Partners With Trava Security
Blumira, a security and operations platform, and Trava Security, a provider of compliance and cybersecurity advisory services, have announced a strategic partnership that will combine Blumira’s automated threat detection and response capabilities with Trava Security’s vCISO and compliance services.
People
John Harden, director of product management at Auvik and vice-chair of CompTIA’s SaaS Ecosystem Advisory Council, is the 2024-25 CompTIA Community Member of the Year. The honor, announced at ChannelCon this week, recognizes Harden for his impactful service and leadership within the association and the industry.
SentinelOne named Alex Stamos as chief information security officer. Stamos, a seasoned professional in the cybersecurity field, joined SentinelOne as Chief Trust Officer in 2023 through the acquisition of the Krebs Stamos Group. His extensive experience includes serving on the Aspen Institute’s Cyber Security Task Force, the DHS Cybersecurity Advisory Committee, the Bay Area CSO Council, and the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also on the advisory board of NATO’s Collective Cybersecurity Center of Excellence and continues to teach cybersecurity and policy at Stanford University.
