ChannelBuzz.ca: Recent Episodes
ChannelBuzz.ca
Stephen Nichols, director of solution engineering for Acronis
They can guide and shape your security practices and services, ensure you’re on the right side of regulation and governance, and help you sell higher-margin security services. Frameworks like NIST can do a lot for MSPs.
Stephen Nichols, director of solution engineering for Acronis, joins the podcast to discuss cybersecurity frameworks in relation to managed services.
We discuss:
- how to stay ahead of regulations by following a cybersecurity framework;
- what security frameworks are and how they work;
- how frameworks enable the overall customer conversation around security;
- how MSPs can operationalize their security around NIST or other cybersecurity frameworks;
- using frameworks for long-term planning with customers and can increase revenues;
- how frameworks help MSPs understand and manage risk and liability;
- dealing with customers who “opt out” of recommended security services and
- working within a framework during and after a breach.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Resources from Acronis:
- Trial: https://go.acronis.com/sp-trial
- One-on-one demo: https://go.acronis.com/demo-request
- Solutions: https://www.acronis.com/en-us/solutions/cloud/
- Promo: https://go.acronis.com/displacement-promo
Tony Anscombe, global security evangelist at ESET
Backups. Not a super-sexy topic of conversation, but when you or your clients have been breached, they can be a lifesaver. So this week, we’re having a chat with frequent podcast guest Tony Anscombe, global security evangelist at ESET, about the strategy behind backing up.
We discuss:
- how backup fits into an overall cyber-resilience plan, and even more so in the era of ransomware;
- the evolving drivers and processes of a backup strategy;
- how to think about backing up cloud-based data and applications, including service level agreements;
- the background of backup as a fundamental of managed services;
- looking at backup protection against more than just cyberthreats;
- why owning multiple customers’ backups may make MSPs and their backup providers an attractive target for attack;
- best practices for auditing and testing backups;
- how regulations and legislation impact backup strategies;
- the infrastructure for restoring data in the wake of a breach or outage and how quickly a business needs to be back up and running; and
- the ubiquitous need for a backup strategy and why that makes it a great tentpole for managed services sales.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
David Robertson, managing director and president of sales at Avaya Canada
Avaya Canada had a big year in 2023 and is gearing up for 2024.
David Robertson, managing director and president of sales for Avaya Canada, joins us on this edition of the podcast to discuss how the Canadian organization fits into the company’s overall view, innovation and investment in Canada and where Avaya’s Canadian partners fit into its goal of delivering “innovation without disruption” for customers.
We discuss:
- the opening of a new Ottawa R&D facility;
- how Canada fits into the overall picture at Avaya, and the kind of growth Avaya has seen in Canada;
- the nature of Avaya’s customer base in Canada, and Avaya Canada’s status as the company’s third-biggest revenue market;
- how customers are choosing their voice and contact centre environment in a hybrid world;
- the value that partners bring to customers in a hybrid environment;
- Avaya Canada’s results for the end of fiscal year 2023 and its goals for fiscal year 2024;
- Avaya’s differentiator as a hybrid company that “can help customers choose their journey;”
- the evolution of the role partners in the Avaya ecosystem;
- where Avaya is investing in its partners and
- how Avaya is innovating in today’s market.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Tyler Coughlan, chief country executive at Ingram Micro Canada
The new year brings new leadership at Ingram Micro Canada. The distributor has introduced Tyler Coughlan, formerly a sales leader with the company, as its new chief country executive for Canada as longtime former Canadian boss Bill Brandel heads back to the U.S. to lead go-to-market in that country for Ingram.
Both Coughlan and Brandel joins us for this edition of the podcast to discuss the leadership change, Brandel’s seven years heading up Ingram Micro Canada, and where the distributor is headed this year.
Bill Brandel, former country chief executive for Ingram Micro Canada
We discuss:
- Brandel’s new role at Ingram Micro, heading up U.S. go-to-market;
- Brandel’s thoughts on his time leading Ingram Micro Canada;
- an introduction to Coughlan and his experience with Ingram Micro;
- biggest opportunities for Ingram Micro Canada and solution providers in 2024;
- Coughlan’s early-day priorities for the distributor this year and
- why partners can expect “active engagement” from Ingram Micro Canada.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Tony Anscombe, global security evangelist at ESET
It was a banner year for ransomware, but is it going under the radar more than in years past? Is cyber security insurance a net good or evil force, and why? And why are managed services around security set to increase?
We kick off the podcast for 2024 as we’re joined by Tony Anscombe, global security evangelist for ESET, to chat about the security scene in 2023 and 2024.
We discuss
- the significant issues of the year in the cybersecurity sphere;
- trends in ransomware over the last year, including the normalization of attacks in the face of a record year for ransomware “earnings”;
- the rise in cyber risk insurance as a regular cost of business;
- how MSPs can help their customers stay on top of their security needs, and why insurance can sometimes help make the case;
- why patch management continues to be a vital issue to keep an eye on;
- best practices for meeting customers’ innovation, uptime and performance needs while also making sure updates are applied in a timely fashion;
- why Anscombe believes managed services are set for rapid growth in the security space, and his caveats around that growth;
- how often companies should be testing the cyber security savvy of all employees, and
- how AI fits into the cyber security industry, and AI’s role in making old-fashioned attacks better than ever before.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Cam Leetham, director of channel sales and alliances for ESET Canada
ESET and D&H recently inked a distribution deal to add the security vendor’s products to the distributor’s line card. It’s just ESET’s second distribution partnership in Canada, joining its longstanding agreement with Ingram Micro Canada.
Cam Leetham, director of channel sales and alliances for ESET Canada, and Michelle Biase, general manager of D&H Canada, join us on the podcast to discuss the deal and what it will mean for the companies’ Canadian channel partners.
Michelle Biase, general manager of D&H Canada
We discuss:
- what the new partnership means to both sides of the deal;
- why the time was right for ESET to expand its distribution footprint in Canada, and why it feels D&H was the right partner for it;
- how ESET fits into D&H Canada’s security business, and how the distributor is expanding its focus on security;
- which products will be available with D&H, and how their joint go-to-market will work;
- why smaller partners are interested in building their security business but finding it daunting, and how ESET and D&H can help;
- how security fits into just about any solution sales partners are building;
- the new types of partners ESET feels D&H will bring to the table for it and how they’re going to pursue those partners;
- how ESET will fit into D&H’s growing cloud marketplace, why cloud through the MSP community is a hot opportunity right now, and
- where the partnership goes from here.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Tony Anscombe, global security evangelist at ESET
In terms of means for launching a cyberattack, phishing is hardly new or novel, but it is on the rise in North America according to ESET’s study of attacks in the first half of 2023.
ESET global security evangelist Tony Anscombe joins us on the podcast to break down all the news found in the security giant’s extensive telemetry over the first six months of the year, and he points out that cybercriminals are really getting their campaigns together. So what can the channel community do to ensure their customers are as safe as possible?
We discuss:
- the rising tide of phishing scams in the North American market and how it shows cybercriminals are campaigning smarter than ever before;
- the role Anscombe sees AI playing in cleaning up and differentiating phishing attempts;
- why North America is an attractive market for phishers;
- the dominance of BlackBasta on the North American ransomware market and the development of ransomware-as-a-service as an ecosystem;
- what the IT channel community should be thinking about in terms of security trends and keeping their customers as safe as possible;
- the role of unpatched vulnerabilities in proliferating attacks, and the need for patch management and EDR to combat would-be attackers;
- new types of attacks taking advantage of Microsoft’s OneNote application on the heels of fixing Office VBA macro vulnerabilities;
- just how flexible cybercriminals are in changing their methods and business models in the face of changing market realities and opportunities;
- untrustworthy financial aggregation apps on the mobile front;
- why there’s been an uptick in sextortion scams; and
- why solution providers need to layer remediation on top of prevention to keep their customers as safe as possible.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Ingram Micro Canada's Bill Brandel and Lori Scarlett discuss being recognized as a Great Place to Work, forging an identity as a Canadian subsidiary of a multinational, and transforming the distributor in this edition of the podcast.
ESET’s Tony Anscombe joins us on this edition of the podcast to discuss the company’s new Threat Intelligence Services and how partners can use them to expand their security practices and improve their customers’ security stances.
Avaya Canada channel leader Ian Purdell-Lewis joins us on the podcast to discuss the company’s hybrid mantra, what it means for partners, and what parts of their CC/UC environments customers are choosing to keep on-prem.
Phil Vokins, director of channels, ISVs and cloud for Intel Canada
The digital-first mentality in business is creating opportunities for workstation-class systems to move into new roles and workloads. And Intel has new high-end workstation processors ready to take advantage of those opportunities.
In this edition of the podcast, Phil Vokins, director of channels, ISVs and cloud for Intel Canada discusses what’s new with the Xeon W processor family and the evolution of the market for workstations in Canada.
We discuss:
- the goals for the new generation of the Xeon W processor family;
- how Intel is approaching sustainability in terms of the manufacturing and operation of processors;
- how accelerators make computing better for Xeon W users;
- the workloads Intel is targeting for workstations in the current environment;
- what partners should be looking at and highlighting when offering new-generation workstations to their customers;
- how the market for workstations is evolving and emerging opportunities for workstation-class computing; and
- how a “digital-first” mentality is driving workstation demand.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Kaila Murphy, product manager at Epson
Epson is taking a less-is-more approach with its lineup of WorkForce printers for business, reducing the number of SKUs it offers and simplifying its supply chain to maximize availability.
In this edition of the podcast, we’re joined by Kaila Murphy, product manager at Epson, to discuss the move from six WorkForce printers down to two, the decision to standardize management tools, and what it all means for partners.
We discuss:
- the consolidation of the WorkForce lineup;
- why the company is focused on manageability;
- how the twin market dynamics of hybrid work and managed print services led to different needs in its business printers;
- how Epson changed its printer components to make sure inventory is reliably available;
- a new user interface for its multifunction devices;
- a dramatic increase in available total paper capacity;
- the drive towards greater reliability and higher recommended monthly volumes;
- what partners can expect from Epson for the rest of 2023; and
- why partners can expect to see more promotions and programs from Epson than they have in recent years.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Erin Smirle, director of partner architectures and managed services for Cisco Canada
Managed services has been one of the most formative changes in the channel in the last 20 years, and it’s picked up considerable momentum in the vendor and customer communities too.
Erin Smirle, director of partner architectures and managed services for Cisco Canada, returns to the podcast to talk about partners’ managed services journeys, and how Cisco supports them.
We discuss:
- how Cisco thinks about educating and enabling partners in the managed services space;
- how Cisco helps partners build out the models for managed services;
- Cisco’s own evolution in optimizing its own business for partners’ managed services;
- what it looks like for partners to build a managed service around Cisco’s technologies and platforms;
- how Cisco brings its sales teams and customer success staff to bear in partner managed services relationships;
- the Partner Managed Ready Offer Catalogue and how it helps partners build their managed services;
- Cisco Powered Services and how they help partners move up the stack in the vendor’s services partner program;
- what to expect from Cisco and from the broader market in terms of managed services in the near future; and
- just how deep customer demand for managed services is running today
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Intel brought its fourth generation of scalable Xeon processors to market earlier this year, bringing greater performance, increased focus on important workloads, and a slew of new options to the high end of its processor lineup.
Kareem Sherif, sales director for enterprise and government at Intel Canada, joins us on the podcast to break down what the company’s partners need to know about the platform and the new servers and systems built around them.
We discuss:
- the highlights of what’s new in the fourth generation of Xeon processors;
- the role of specialization and accelerators in the Xeon approach;
- why Xeon is getting smarter, and it’s not all about adding cores anymore;
- the ability to add features and functionalities after purchase and how Intel On Demand works on the Xeon processors;
- what partners should be aware of in terms of the systems OEMs are bringing to market around the new processors; and
- how the market for Xeon has evolved from the server closet to a number of different roles today.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Rubo Borno, vice president, worldwide channels and alliances at AWS
Most enterprises have come a long way in recent years in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their businesses. But there’s still a long way to go in the technology industry before there will be an equal starting point for everyone. How can solution providers — especially smaller MSPs — do what’s right while doing what’s right for their business?
We sat down with Ruba Borno, vice president of worldwide channels and alliances at AWS, at AWS Candaa’s Women of Inspiration event to discuss how she sees solution providers embracing DEI, how to unlock business value through inclusion, and more.
We discuss:
- what Women of Inspiration was all about, and who was involved;
- the role and evolution of women in technology events;
- how solution providers are embracing diversity, equity and inclusion;
- examples of how partners, including some in Canada, are building their businesses by helping women forge careers in IT;
- how AWS supports partners in their own DEI efforts, and why AWS sometimes inspires its partners and sometimes is inspired by them;
- solid first steps for partners in embracing DEI in their business; and
- on a completely separate note, Borno’s thoughts on the mood in the channel in early 2023 and her advice for partner success this year.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Alex Pujols, vice president of engineering for global partner and route-to-market sales at Cisco
Vertical solutions, software-as-a-service, and other repeatable solutions have shone the light on innovation in the channel over recent years. And Cisco has seen a lot of that innovation coming from its partner base.
For the last five years, the networking giant has run the Partner Innovation Challenge, rewarding partners who’ve offered the most innovative solutions to the market. In this edition of the podcast, we’re joined by Alex Pujols, vice president of engineering for global partner and route-to-market sales at Cisco and the father of the Innovation Challenge to discuss the program’s history and future.
We discuss:
- what is the Cisco Partner Innovation Challenge and the history of the event;
- why partners adding innovation to the mix is so important to Cisco;
- how Cisco looks to support, guide and amplify innovative partner-designed solutions;
- how the challenge works and what Cisco’s looking for in judging the Innovation Challenge;
- how the challenge has grown over its five-year history;
- what partners can earn and how they typically use their winnings;
- what Pujols has learned along the way;
- how innovation “comes from everyone” in partner organizations, sometimes without the C-suite even knowing it’s happening;
- how the Innovation Challenge is expanding, adding Bold Bets and similar nation-level competitions; and
- what partners can expect from this year’s Innovation Challenge.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Bob Bonneau, country manager for ESET Canada
It’s always interesting times in security, with no shift of changing technolog approaches, vendor strategies, and attack vectors.
Bob Bonneau, country manager for ESET Canada, joins us on the podcast to take us through the security market in 2022, and what solution providers can expect from 2023.
We discuss:
- highlights of ESET Canada’s performance in 2022;
- why the company’s first-half and second-half results in Canada looked quite different;
- the continuing shift towards bundling and the cloud;
- how security services fit into the mix for ESET;
- the launch of renewal-as-a-service and how it performed in the small business sector;
- building the ESET brand in Canada;
- ESET’s priorities and goals for 2023;
- Bonneau’s channel recruitment and enablement priorities;
- the mood in the channel community in the early days of 2023;
- the biggest under-realized opportunities for partners in security right now;
- the acceleration of customers upgrading their level of security investment;
- the security trends ESET believes are going to continue to shape the industry this year;
- the increasing role of government in the security discussion, both in terms of attacks and legislation mandating more protection; and
- what partners can expect from ESET Canada over the course of 2023.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Frank Colletti, executive vice president of worldwide sales at N-able
We tackle the headwinds and tailwinds shaping the managed services marketplace on this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast, as we’re joined by Frank Colletti, executive vice president of worldwide sales at N-able.
Colletti guides us through a year that saw a lot of consolidation and scaling in the managed services space and lets us know what to expect for the rest of this year.
We discuss:
- the significant developments for N-able in 2022;
- the rising focus of MSPs on cloud technologies and the ability to help customers manage everything;
- the consolidation of MSPs and the ensuing move into the enterprise market by those now-larger MSPs;
- the headwinds and tailwinds the MSP channel is seeing right now, and how solution providers are differentiating themselves in the face of them;
- why managing the cloud will continue to be one of the fastest growth areas for MSPs this year;
- finding new adjacencies that MSPs can build into;
- why cross-selling is still so valuable for MSPs seeking growth;
- the importance of continual reinvention of managed services; and
- what partners can expect to see from N-able this year.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Zack Dickson, vice president of the partner organization and SMB sales at Cisco Canada
The New Year’s Podcast Series continues as we’re joined by Zack Dickson, vice president of the partner organization and SMB sales at Cisco Canada.
Dickson recounts Cisco’s performance in the Canadian market in 2022 and shares where the company is focused on partner opportunities for this year.
We discuss:
- highlights of the year 2022 for Cisco in Canada;
- bringing the new generation of Cisco’s partner specializations to market;
- getting the company’s channel back together in person for the first time in Dickson’s time with Cisco;
- why customers are looking to Cisco and partners for “a steady hand” in the market today;
- how partners are feeling about their business prospects in 2023;
- where partners have stepped up their game over the last two years;
- how partners are adapting their business and delivery model and delivering based on customer experience expectations;
- Cisco’s areas of focus in the early days of 2023;
- how partners are building repeatable solutions around sustainability;
- maximizing opportunity in a challenging economic market; and
- why Dickson feels now is an excellent time for every partner to “step into their differentiation.”
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Barracuda MSP's director of product management discusses the security journey for managed service providers in 2022 and previews what's to come this year in this edition of the podcast.
Shani Mahler, director of product management at Barracuda MSP
The New Year’s Podcast Series continues as we sit down with Shani Mahler, director of product management at Barracuda MSP, to discuss the year that was 2022 and the year that will be 2023.
We discuss:
- highlights of the year 2022 for Barracuda MSP;
- why security is about the journey and not just the destination;
- making the sales process easier for the company’s partners;
- the most significant issues and challenges MSPs faced over the last year;
- the rise of managed services in the enterprise space, particularly around security;
- how MSPs are feeling about their prospects for the business in 2023;
- why managed services are becoming more of a partnership with customers;
- the trends that are likely to shape the managed services business this year;
- where Barracuda MSP is focusing its business for 2023;
- the company’s goal to help partners deal with remediation for their customers; and
- the biggest underrealized opportunity for MSPs in the security space today.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Erin Smirle, director of partner architectures and managed services for Cisco Canada
Recent years have seen Cisco give managed services a lot of attention, with executives referring to the delivery mode as one of its biggest opportunity in the markets.
So what’s behind Cisco’s push towards managed services, and how are they going after the opportunity?
In this edition of the podcast, we’re joined by Erin Smirle, director of partner architectures and managed services for Cisco Canada and Enrique Villegas, routes to market lead in Americas Partner Marketing at Cisco, to discuss all things managed services from a Cisco point-of-view.
Enrique Villegas, routes to market lead in Americas Partner Marketing at Cisco
In the first of a three-part series on managed services with Smirle and Villegas, we definte the market and look at how Cisco is approaching it.
We discuss:
- how Cisco views managed services;
- why it’s become so important to Cisco, other vendors, and customers over the last two years;
- just how big the total addressable market around managed services is for Cisco and its partners;
- the nature of the customer lifecycle for managed service providers;
- the evolution of Cisco’s programs for MSPs;
- how Cisco engages with, educates and incentivizes managed services; and
- how partners can get involved with Cisco around managed services
All that and more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
During the conversation, Smirle and Villegas shared URLs for partners to learn more about its managed services programs. Current Cisco partners interested in learning more about its offerings for managed services can visit here. Solution providers interested in learning about Cisco’s partner programs can visit here.
Tony Anscombe, global security evangelist at ESET
You’re no doubt involved in keeping your customers’ important data backed up, but what about other things that could knock them offline, and out of business, temporarily or permanently? How do you help customers prepare for whatever may come their way and keep the lights on thoughout?
In this edition of the podcast, Tony Anscombe, chief security evangelist at ESET, joins us to discuss all things cyber resilience.
We discuss:
- what we mean when we say cyber resiliency;
- frameworks for figuring out what you need to cover in a resiliency plan;
- why developing resiliency plans for customers is a good opportunity for VARs and MSPs;
- what works to start a conversation with customers around resiliency;
- how building a plan opens solution providers up to more of a customer’s leadership team;
- the process for building a plan and then operationalizing that plan;
- why going over the basics — like a backup one can restore from — is crucial;
- getting the attention of the C-suite in terms that are impactful to them; and
- why the examples you point to don’t need to be specific to technology or communications.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
If you’d prefer to watch the conversation, please check out the video of the podcast embedded below.
Find out all about the channel opportunity around Microsoft Teams Rooms in this video and podcast from Ingram Micro Canada and Microsoft.
Amanda Stewart, Distribution Account Manager for North America, Microsoft Teams Rooms
Over two years since the onset of the pandemic and we’ve finally crossed the cultural chasm to video adoption. Organizations are no longer asking themselves, “is hybrid work coming?” The questions companies are now asking themselves are, What do we need to do to be ready for hybrid work? How will we measure success, And what is the right solution we need to implement to be effective?
Microsoft’s Amanda Stewart explains the opportunity for channel partners around Microsoft Teams Rooms in this video and podcast.
Check out the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0GjHIFU1UA
Bill Brandel, senior vice president and country chief executive for Ingram Micro Canada
The New Year’s Podcast Series is back, and this year, we kick things off with our annual review of the year that was and preview of the year to come with Ingram Micro Canada chief executive Bill Brandel.
2022 saw the debut of Xvantage, the distributor’s new digital platform for resellers, vendors and its assosciates.It also saw the continuation of the supply chain challenges that dominated headlines starting in 2021.
What does all of this mean for Ingram and its partners? What can partners expect from Ingram over the course of this year. Find out in this edition of the podcast.
We discuss:
- his first thoughts upon learning about the idea behind Xvantage;
- how digitization is changing the role distribution in general and Ingram Micro in specific play in the channel;
- how challenges in the supply chain evolved over the course of 2022;
- the new Canadian leadership team under Brandel and where Ingram Micro Canada will be focused in 2023;
- a couple of leadership team additions to come early in 2023;
- what solution providers can expect from Ingram Micro in 2023; and
- why he’s approaching the new year with a glass-half-full perspective.
All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Avaya Canada's Allan Mendelsohn joins us on the podcast to discuss the CRTC's new guidance for optimizing 9-1-1 calls in multi-line environments and what solution providers need to know about them.
ESET’s Tony Anscombe tells solution providers why they may need cyber insurance, what to tell their customers about the topic, and how to wrap services around insurance in this edition of the podcast.
Epson Americas product manager Kaila Murphy joins us on the podcast to discuss how the print market has reacted to the move to hybrid work, supply chain challenges, and much more.
Find out what makes an ecosystem partnership work, and how it delivers value for partners and customers alike, as we’re joined by Avaya’s Adam Seens and Calabrio's Dave Hoekstra in this edition of the podcast.
Virtual agents, the experience economy, and why every customer interaction needs to be a birthday party, as Avaya’s Steve Brock joins us on this edition of the podcast.
ViewSonic Americas president Jeff Volpe joins us on the podcast to discuss the changing nature of the market for displays and visual solutions and what it all means for the channel as ViewSonic turns 35.
Barracuda MSP's Olesia Klevchuk joins us on the podcast to discuss the company's latest study of the state of spear phishing and how solution providers can help their customers steer clear of targeted email attacks.
In this edition of the podcast, ESET's Tony Anscombe analyzes the cybersecurity ramifications of the war in Ukraine, from what's happening on the electronic battlefield to why security awareness training is more important than ever.
ESET Canada boss Bob Bonneau joins us on the podcast to discuss the security vendor's new brand, its approach to bundling products, its new Canadian headquarters and much more.
Hear about what goes into a successful multi-cloud deployment from the pros who helped make it happen for Intel in this special bonus podcast, and find out how to register for a chance to win a $50 Best Buy Gift Card just by learning more.
Intel’s Eric Chong explains the newest reference architecture for computer user experience and what it means for solutions providers in this podcast edition.
Cisco’s newest specialization offers partners up to 7 percent rebates when they return customers’ used gear for reuse or recycling. Find out more about how it works and why Cisco thinks it will be a very broad opportunity in this edition of the podcast.
Find out the answer from Intel's IT team experts in this quick excerpt from the third video in Intel's Path to Cloud series.
Epson's Tim Anderson joins us on the podcast to discuss the impact the pandemic has had on the market for scanners, how Epson innovates, and where partners can add value in document management solutions.
Phil Vokins, Intel Americas’ director of cloud services, joins us on the podcast to talk about the chipmaker’s Path to Cloud video series and what VARs and MSPs need to know about two of the dominant cloud models.
Field Effect's Toby Nangle joins us on the podcast to discuss the great opportunity around securing SMB customers and why some managed service providers still find building security services frustrating.
Intel's Eric Chong discusses Intel's remote management technology for endpoint devices and how it can benefit managed services providers in this edition of the podcast.
Barracuda MSP's senior director of product management joins us on the podcast to discuss the highlights of 2021 at Barracuda and in the channel, and offer his thoughts on what to expect this year.
Frequent podcast guest Tony Anscombe joins us to break down the security issues of the last third of 2021 and offers his thoughts on how big-picture security issues may play out this year.
Avaya Canada’s managing director discusses the company’s transition to a software and services model, and how that’s served its partners in a busy second pandemic year in this edition of the podcast.
Field Effect's global channel leader shares the results of year one of its partner program and offers hints on what's to come as it continues to grow this year.
Netskop Canada's new country manager joins us on the podcast to talk about the company's growth in Canada over 2021 and what we can expect from 2022.
Cisco Canada channel discusses his first year with Cisco, the rise of the hybrid workplace, new business model priorities for Cisco and partners alike, and previews where things are headed this year in this edition of the podcast.
Ingram Micro Canada director of cloud Jason Prashad joins us on the podcast to discuss a big 2021 in the market and why he's expecting "hyper-growth" in 2022.
Field Effect's Toby Nangle discusses premium security services and why MSPs need to secure their own air masks before helping others in this edition of the podcast.
Kaspersky Canada's Jim Chalmers and Greg DeLeemans walk us through the changing cybersecurity landscape in 2021, and explore what forces will shape security this year in this edition of the podcast.
Jimmy Hatzell of Barracuda MSP's Skout XDR business joins us on the podcast to talk about how MSPs can tackle security threats with the help of the experts, and why security services make MSPs more sticky.
Between a change in ownership for Ingram Micro, a changing competitive landscape in distribution, and a global supply chain crisis, 2021 was an eventful year for Ingram Micro Canada. Find out more in this edition of the podcast.
Rob Cataldo, managing director of Kaspersky North America, joins us on the podcast to explain the company's new facility in Fredericton and what it means to Kaspersky, its partners, and its customers.
In this edition of the podcast, we break down the security challenges and opportunities around Microsoft 365 with Guillaume Boisvert, director of product innovation at Sherweb.
ESET's Tony Anscombe joins us on the podcast to discuss EDR and how solution providers can craft the best security services for their customers.
Phil Vokins, cloud services director for Intel Americas, joins us on the podcast to discuss the chipmaker’s Path to Cloud video series, all things cloud security, and what solution providers can learn from it.
Intel's Eric Chong shares how Intel's stack of performance, security, stability, and manageability features for business present benefits to end-users and MSPs alike in this edition of the podcast.
Cisco Canada’s Eric Thibault and Wayne Cuervo join us on the podcast to discuss the company’s Fast Future Innovation Awards and how they aim to kickstart the solutions to Canadian companies’ biggest challenges.
ESET Canada’s Keir Humble walks us through what’s in it for customers with the company’s new Protect Complete bundle in this edition of the podcast.
Kirk from Microsoft and Devlin from Intel are joined by two Microsoft Windows Server specialists on the final edition of our special podcast series.
Based on a discussion between:
- Louis Brunetto, Distribution Account Executive, Lenovo
- Aaron Rothfuss, Sr. Strategic Sales Leader, Lenovo
- Kirk Sinclair, Partner Sales Executive, OEM team (DPSS), Microsoft Canada
- Devlin Norris, Distribution Account Executive, Intel Corporation
Lenovo is one of the biggest partners selling ROK in the Canadian market. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at their role, their offerings, and how resellers can benefit from partnering with them.
What is the value of Lenovo ROK for channel partners? Lenovo’s ROK offering provides the most advantages for any customer or partner who’s deploying Lenovo servers. The three biggest reasons for this are:
Ease of ordering Lenovo can pre-configure solutions for you, which means it drops off at your customer site already configured with winders server 2019 installed.
Receiving a tuned image When you receive the image, and if you decide to do the install yourself, Lenovo will have already tested and added their own drivers, not the out of the box windows drivers.
Fully stocked and cost effective Lenovo works closely with Microsoft worldwide to ensure that they have best of class pricing and best of class availability on their products.
Lenovo offers unlimited support for the duration of your contract, however long that may be, no matter how many hours of support you need.
And Lenovo provides one point of contact for support, which is very convenient. Their ESS support team is based in Raleigh, NC, making it easy to get level 1 through level 3 support.
What are the performance benefits with Lenovo & Intel’s 3rd Gen Xeon?
Intel’s 3rd gen Xeon is being released now with Lenovo. There are major performance benefits with the Optane persistent memory. Optane can take common workloads and configurations and remarkably improve performance.
It’s based on 3D Xpoint, an architecture that Intel developed for almost 10 years before hitting the market. With it, even legacy storage devices and old applications get a significant boost.
Tips from Lenovo for software partners Make sure you have the right licenses Old licenses might not work in a new environment. As a solutions provider, Lenovo has specialists that understand all of the Microsoft licensing who can guide you.
Be sure to count your VMs For a setup with multiple VMs, getting a license for Windows Server Datacenter Edition makes the most sense. It future-proofs you, allowing room to add more without the need to establish another new license for each new VM. Not only that, it allows you to utilize more technologies with more power and more functionality, including unlimited Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, unlimited OSEs/Windows Server Containers with Hyper-V isolation, and Software-defined networking and storage.
Volume of Server deployments in SMB Currently, high volume racks and towers are moving the most, such as Think System, SR630s, SR650s, and SR250s. SR630 in particular is an excellent SMB box because it’s not overkill, and it’s just powerful enough to be versatile.
Promos & benefit programs for resellers The Lenovo Infrastructure Solution Group partner program rewards partners for selling and engaging with them. Additionally, as an Intel Partner Alliance member, you will accrue points for all Lenovo servers that you ship through Ingram as well.
You can double dip on all of these programs, meaning that you can gain points from Ingram, Intel, Lenovo, and Microsoft at the same time. Ask your Ingram team how you can take full advantage of all the benefits available to you.
If you’re interested to know more, contact Ingram today and get all the help you need to get started.
An in-depth discussion between:
- Kirk Sinclair, Partner Sales Executive, OEM team (DPSS), Microsoft Canada
- Delvin Norris, Distribution Account Executive, Intel Corporation
- Ryan Leyden, Product Specialist, Dell Technologies
Dell’s 15th gen PowerEdge servers take full advantage of Intel’s 3rd gen Xeon scalable processor. There are three features that make them stand out over previous iterations.
Firstly, they’re purpose-built for AI and next-generation workloads that require more computing horsepower.
Second, they’re more secure. Security is a major issue these days, so Dell has addressed this by tightening up security as much as possible on their 15th gen PowerEdge.
And thirdly, they provide automated systems management. Getting servers to scale with your organization has been a challenge for many. Dell has made deployment simple, and human error all but eliminated with this new system.
Dell also factory pre-installs the operating system, Windows Server 2019, and then builds a complete delivered solution.
Value advantages for resellers with a fully stood up Dell server Dell offers what they term ‘mass customization’. Dell ships exactly what you need directly to your end customers to avoid the timely process of hardware integration. To take it step further, they provide you with the OEM license for Windows Server pre-installed, so you don’t even have to worry about the operating system step.
Dell’s Current Top-Selling Server The R640 is Dell’s mainstream server. In the 15th generation, they’ve added an access line, and a lot of differentiation through Intel’s powerful new 3rd gen Xeon that enables a light experience for users with intensive needs.
Tailor-Made: Dell’s Aggressive Discount Program Tailor Made offers upfront discounts on custom servers (and even low-end storage and IDPA products) across the board. That means no matter what configuration you choose, you’ll get the same percentage right off the top of the total price. For resellers, this is an excellent opportunity.
This actually stacks to the registration too. If you’re in a competitive situation against another vendor, it’s easy to use the Tailor Made program to get a competitive out-the-door price.
Additionally, Dell provides a complete support solution by connecting you with their Microsoft engineering team for any software related issues.
To get started, simply reach out to grant.sicat@ingrammicro.com and let him know what you need. Alternatively, if you want to go through the configuration yourself from start to finish, you can use the online solutions configurator which is available through the partner portal.
Intel’s Points Program The Intel Partner Alliance gives you points for every Dell product you buy with Intel inside. These programs can make you more competitive in highly competitive bid situations, so knowing how to leverage them is important.
Sign up at Intel.com/reseller, and you’ll also have access to Intel’ solutions marketplace, a very valuable partner resource.
Leverage Ingram Micro as your distributor Ingram is a great aggregator for point programs. If you’re making your purchases through Ingram Micro, they can help deliver your orders while making sure you’re getting all of the points you’re eligible for.
You can even bring Ingram’s Mike Robertson on sales calls directly.
Get in touch with Ingram Micro today to find out more about how you can leverage all of the reseller benefits available to you.
Resources at Ingram Micro steve.chang@ingrammicro.com
chris.pearson@ingrammicro.com
Based on a comprehensive discussion between:
- Kirk Sinclair, Partner Sales Executive, OEM team (DPSS), Microsoft Canada
- Craig Tullett, Vice President Device Sales, Microsoft Canada
- Mike Hilton, President, HPE Canada
- Denis Gaudreault, Country Manager, Intel Canada
In this special Executive Edition of Windows Server Explained, Kirk asks key questions to some of the most knowledgeable executives in the industry. Here’s a brief summary.
Windows Server 2022: Exciting New Features Windows Server 2022, which now has general availability, builds on the capabilities of Windows Server 2019. It’s not a complete rebuild, meaning that the vast majority of applications and workloads for 2019 users will be fully compatible.
Firstly, Windows Server 2022 includes hybrid capability with Azure that allows you to extend your datacenter into the cloud. The hybrid capabilities are built right in, making it a big step forward.
The second overhaul is for security. There’s a whole gamut of increased capability, built in multi-layer security that protects the data and apps for virtually every level of the business, starting right with the operating system.
The third is around more secure remote working. It provides tools for administrators to allow remote work and access to data and apps seamlessly and securely.
Lastly, it has a modernized infrastructure with more flexibility for app creation, app deployment, and containerization.
HPE GreenLake HPE GreenLake offers a highly flexible infrastructure as-a-service for modern workloads. It operates on-prem while delivering cloud compatibility across the board. It runs on a consumption-based structure at the edge, within your datacenter, and in colocations.
What makes this particularly valuable for partners is that the backend costs are all usage based, allowing you to easily pass them down to your customers. When using it as a managed service, you can rely on HPE for support, providing a mostly hands-off approach.
GreenLake also offers the ability to adapt to macroeconomic changes. If suddenly your workforce needs to work remotely and you need to shut down components of your infrastructure, you can reap savings from doing that as long as you have consumption-based IT in all locations.
On the other hand, although some customers may not need so much capacity today, the ability to respond quickly to market demand or business demand and not worry about supply chain issues offers a major advantage.
Windows Server 2012 End of Service GreenLake provides an excellent solution to the upcoming end of service for Windows Server 2012. GreenLake allows you to transfer workloads to it to use on a consumption basis, reaping the benefits of Azure and Azure Stack HCI or Azure Stack Hub, and then retain the workloads that you can’t quite upgrade yet how they are.
Intelligent Edge Intelligent Edge refers to incorporating AI at the edge to reduce the gravity of your data. It also aids in management and decision making so that you don’t have to micromanage. Not only that, it provides a modern, fully interconnected cloud experience.
It’s a big step for digital transformation and automation, and it’s something that partners can use as another selling point for customers who will no doubt be looking to deploy intelligent edge moving forward.
Conclusion For partners, the best value prop here is to ask your customers to consider all the advantages of the cloud, and then to imagine that they could have all of those perks with their infrastructure too. That’s what GreenLake provides.
Ingram Micro is the key piece in the ecosystem, because they aggregate all of the partner programs, terms and conditions, and technical side of things. They simplify the process, offer guidance, and provide support.
Get in touch with Ingram today to discuss the advantages of being a partner and get prompt answers to any questions you might have.
Based on a conversation between:
- Kirk Sinclair, Partner Sales Executive, OEM team (DPSS), Microsoft Canada
- Devlin Norris, Distribution Account Executive, Intel Corporation
On-premise servers still represent a large portion of the data share out on the marketplace. However, the advent of hybrid and cloud solutions has brought about a new ecosystem, dominated by Microsoft products such as Windows Server, Azure, and Windows Admin Centre.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at on-premise versus hybrid servers, the latest hardware options, the advantages of Windows Server Datacentre Edition, and how partners can seize some very profitable opportunities.
On-prem servers vs hybrid and cloud computing
Despite the growing prominence of cloud computing, there’s still a lot of opportunities, particularly in the SMB channel, for on-premise servers. They’re provisioned locally, offering a higher level of control and physical security.
With Azure, Windows Server, and Windows Admin Centre, there’s a lot of opportunity across the board—particularly when combined with the latest and greatest hardware.
The advantages of hybrid servers
Many of the factors that pushed companies to adopt cloud solutions throughout the pandemic are now pushing users toward hybrid. It offers the best of both worlds, an on-premise system that you have control over, and all the advantages of cloud computing. Plus, there are workloads that you simply cannot do on-premise, such as disaster recovery or off-site backup. If a specific location were going to be compromised, an outside solution would be absolutely essential.
Windows ecosystem plays incredibly well into this solution. Windows Server, for example, can be on-premise or in Azure. It can all be managed through Windows Admin Centre, which is free. This combined with the right hardware provides a comprehensive solution, something on-premise vendors should take interest in.
Server refresh
Azure offers a simplified server migration using the cloud that allows you to take data from the old server, upload it on azure, and then redeploy on-prem.
All that takes place through Windows Admin Centre. This presents a big opportunity for reseller partners. You can charge for everything within the stack, but you don’t necessarily have to pay for the tool.
And if you’re going to be refreshing your systems, it’s an ideal time to consider new hardware. Intel® just released their 3rd gen of the Xeon® scalable processor which is optimized for today’s workloads. The new Intel® Xeon® 3rd Gen scalable processor provides both core density and unique features like AI and crypto accelerators for deep learning and AI inference.
Dell, HP, Lenovo, and other Ingram Micro vendors offer a complete solution with state-of-the-art hardware and ongoing support.
Windows Server Datacentre 2019
Having a data centre presents the opportunity for organizations to add a server with additional hyperconverged infrastructure. Storage Spaces Direct takes advantage of Optane, and you can write in any additional cycles needed for that processor.
You can also take advantage of virtualized networking, so if space is an issue and you want to get more out of a stack, software can help accomplish that for you. This allows both partners and customers to gain more value from their systems.
Conclusion
The demands on systems and workloads have changed dramatically over the past several years, and that trend is going to continue. Now is the time to refresh old systems and adopt a hybrid platform. Use the resources below to learn more, or get in touch with Ingram’s specialist Steve Chung today.
Ark.intel.com
Expertzone.microsoft.com
Michael Slater, director of presales and partner enablement at Sherweb
It’s tough to find talent out there for everyone, and solution providers are no exception.
In fact, finding key technical talent has been a challenge for solution providers long before The Great Resignation. And it certainly hasn’t gotten much easier.
In this edition of the podcast, we’re joined by Michael Slater, director of presales and partner enablement at Sherweb, to discuss the current hiring and staffing environment, and get his advice on what works to help solution providers solve these problems.
We discuss:
- the challenges solution providers are seeing in terms of staffing their most-important roles in the face of staffing shortage and more global competition for talent in a work-from-home world;
- how hiring has changed at MSPs over the years, from the days of hiring somebody’s little brother or sister fresh out of school;
- what’s working to bring people on board right now, including what’s worked for Slater;
- why you need to be looking for talent in all the wrong, or at least unusual, places;
- why presenting your company’s culture can help you find talent, particularly smaller MSPs;
- why you should be collecting resumes, even when you aren’t actively hiring today;
- what Slater has learned from hiring during the pandemic-induced shortage of job-seekers;
- how Sherweb is supporting partners in their need to get more people and bring more talents to bear for customers with a focus on partner enablement; and
- what Slater expects to see in the staffing space in the near future — the challenges with retention, and the challenges with hiring
All this and much more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Jeff Volpe, president, ViewSonic Americas
In this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast, we’re joined by Jeff Volpe, president of ViewSonic Americas to discuss a couple of big journeys: the journey of the company from the monitor vendor of yesterday to a much more solutions-focused crafter of AV and collaboration offerings, and surrounding that, the journey that ViewSonic and its channel have been on through the onset of the pandemic through to the ongoing rise of the hybrid workplace, and beyond.
We discuss:
- ViewSonic’s journey with the channel over the last 18 months of the pandemic;
- the explosion of display demand as the world moved to work-from-home;
- how ViewSonic has evolved from a desktop monitors vendor towards a display and collaboration solutions provider;
- how ViewSonic bridges the gap between IT and AV channels;
- the trends that will shape the display and AV markets out of the hybrid workplace movement;
- Volpe’s advice to solution providers on helping their customers rearchitect for hybrid workplace and thoughts on finding opportunities; and
- how ViewSonic’s partner programs and channel enablement mechanisms are changing to meet the changing needs of partners. (Find out more about the ViewSonic partner program here.)
All this and much more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
Over the next six weeks, we’ll be presenting a series of podcasts produced by Ingram Micro Canada and their friends at Microsoft and Intel, along with other key vendor partners, presenting opportunities for solution providers around Microsoft Windows Server.
Through this series of thought leadership podcasts, VARs and MSPs will learn about key ways to grow their business in the cloud and on-premise.
This week, we get things started with a brief teaser podcast featuring Microsoft Canada’s Kirk Sinclair and Intel’s Devlin Norris, and we get things going next Thursday with the same two experts going more in depth.
You can watch a video version of this podcast here.
Or you can listen to the whole series of podcasts, and watch videos of the conversations, on Ingram’s Server Explained website.
Our recent guest podcast on Ingram Micro’s Device-as-a-Service offerings was also part of the same series.
Kaila Murphy, product manager at Epson
Like so many other things in the business world, how users print has been changed dramatically by the COVID19 pandemic and the ensuring move towards more flexible “hybrid” workplace concepts.
What does it mean to VARs, and especially to managed service providers, when many of the print devices they have to service and manage are now located in people’s homes and not centrally in an office? And how is this shift changing the kinds of printers people buy in the first place? What’s a partner to do to help customers meet their changing print needs with security and manageability built in?
On this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast, we’re joined by Kaila Murphy, product manager for business inkjet at Epson Americas, to break down the trends that are shaping the business printing world.
We discuss:
- what printings look like in the hybrid workspace;
- why the move from centralized print to distributed print may be permanent;
- the continuing growth in prominence of A4 printing;
- how Epson’s product lineup maps to those trends;
- what these trends mean to channel partners offering managed print;
- how does managing the print fleet look in the hybrid workplace; and
- the big lessons learned of the pandemic experience in the printing market — creativity and adaptability.
All this and much more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.
In this podcast episode, panellists from Intel, Microsoft and the Ingram Micro Financial Solutions team discuss the latest trends in leasing devices, also known as Device-as-a-Service (DaaS). The team explores key opportunities and solutions from a reseller perspective and provides answers to questions about the leasing program.
Lana King, vice president of partner programs, training, and enablement at Mitel
Last month, Mitel rolled out a couple of new programs for channel partners, a new program for master-agent partners, and another that provides a partner-led path for cloud-focused partners.
In this edition of the podcast, we discuss the development and launch of Mitel’s Velocity and Amplify programs with Lana King, vice president of partner programs, training, and enablement at Mitel, and we tackle a lot of other partner-centric questions along the way.
We discuss:
- how Mitel differentiates itself in terms of channel programs;
- the biggest challenges of the hybrid market today, and what customers are looking for in a partner;
- how partners are succeeding in getting closer to their customers;
- the new Velocity and Amplify partner programs, the thinking that led to their introduction, and how it fits in with the shift to the cloud for partners and customers alike;
- how the development and testing process of the new programs has gone; and
- what else is coming up in terms of partner programs from Mitel.
All this and much more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.