ChannelBuzz.ca – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Everybody’s talking about AI, but is anyone doing it? How about doing it well? Those are among the questions that Intel of  Canada set out toanswer with a recent survey of business leaders in Canada and througout the region. And while it’s not the best possible results, the good news is there’s a lot of interest, and the building blocks are there for Canada to be successful in the next big thing.

In this edition of the podcast, we’re joined by Asma Aziz, country manager for Intel Canada, to discuss the findings of the study and of course, the opportunity for Canadian solution providers.

We discuss:

• how ready Canadian organizations are for AI;
• how Canada is leading in AI without talking too much about it;
• how business leaders are prioritizing and maximizing their AI approaches;
• why Intel sees an opportunity to turn “opportunity into scaled outcomes;”
• the biggest challenges and the biggest opportunities for solution providers to help solve them;
• the resources Intel is providing solution providers to sharpen their value creation around AI;
• why “the margin is in making AI both trustworthy and practical;”
• key steps for Canada to make right now to make the most of the AI opportunity; and
• AI and Canadian SMBs.

All this and much more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.

On many levels, AI is a natural evolution for managed service providers, who have long been focused on automating as much as possible en route to scale and profitability.

But the artificial intelligence era also presents new challenges to MSPs, and is generally changing the nature of the market in which MSPs compete. What should MSPs be looking for, and how should they be preparing for an uncertain future state today?

In this edition of the podcast, we talk to Edgar Zacharjev, general manager of RMM for Kaseya, to discuss how he sees aritifical intelligence playing out in the managed services space.

We discuss:

• the future of AI in managed services;
• the most immediate benefits of moving towards AI for MSPs;
• the challenges MSP face around issues like data privacy and compliance;
• how AI is going to redefine the competitive landscape for MSPs; and
• practical steps MSPs can take to be start building AI into their technology and operations today.

All this and much more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.

As ransomware and other attacks have become ubiquitous, so has cyber insurance as businesses try to ensure they’re covered if the worst should happen. However, insurance companies are loathed to lose money, meaning that MSPs and their customers must stay on their toes to stay protected.

In this edition of the podcast, we’re joined by Acronis’ Stephen Nichols to discuss what MSPs need to know about cyber insurance in today’s rapidly changing security and business environment.

We discuss:

• why requirements for insurance have changed so much in recent years;
• what insurance providers are looking for in terms of coverage;
• what MSPs are doing to maximize the opportunity around cyber insurance;
• what cyber insurance covers, and how that’s trending;
• the liability solution providers face, and what they can do to manage that risk best;
• how to raise the bar on the minimum security stack you require, and when to fire a customer over their security choices;
• ways to make cyber insurance as affordable as possible a product for your customers;
• the benefits of making close connections with a cyber insurance provider, and
• how do MSPs future-proof their security offerings

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

In this special bonus episode of the podcast from Ingram Micro Canada, Lenovo Canada’s Bill Tirpkos interviews Ingram’s Ayon Khan and Roger Silvestre about the relationship between the vendor and the distributor, and how Ingram adds value to Lenovo’s data centre lineup.

Tune in to find out what partners can get from the configuration centres at Ingram Micro Canada, how they help partner define and build solutions, and get access to an exclusive promotion from the distributor.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.