This week in the IT Channel...

Every Friday morning, IT Europa compiles a summary of the week's most significant news from the channel.

In this week's news...

Cotton joins WithSecure to drive UK channel growth

UK-based cybersecurity partner?WithSecure, formerly F-Secure Business, has appointed Samantha Cotton as Head of Channel for UK & Ireland to lead the?next phase of its channel growth.

Cotton brings over a decade of cybersecurity experience, previously holding key roles at Bitdefender, Claranet, and e92plus.

Dean P. , Regional VP at WithSecure, said: “Samantha’s experience and market knowledge makes her the ideal leader as we focus on the next phase of channel growth in the UK.”

“Good partnerships are at the heart of our business. This appointment underscores the importance we place in supporting our network of partners and providing them with the best value and highest levels of service to grow their business.”

CyberSmart: 65% of clients now expect MSPs to handle cybersecurity

New research by CyberSmart , surveying 250 UK-based MSPs, reveals that 65% of customers now expect service providers to manage both cybersecurity and IT infrastructure.?

This shift is driven by limited in-house cybersecurity resources, with 37% of MSPs noting that few customers have dedicated cybersecurity roles.

In response, 33% of MSPs have increased their security budgets, 28% have boosted regulatory budgets, and 28% have hired cybersecurity specialists, while 14% have added regulatory experts.

Jamie Akhtar , co-founder and CEO at CyberSmart said: “This change in customer expectation and need reflects a sea-change in how managed service providers need to operate.

“As IT and cybersecurity threats become increasingly intertwined, it makes sense that managed service providers would begin to offer more security services.?

“However, as previous research has indicated, MSPs themselves are vulnerable to cyberattacks. “It’s important that they - and the wider security industry - do all that they can to empower MSPs to provide the security services they are now expected to with absolute confidence.” ?

Managed Services Summit to highlight key growth strategies for MSPs

The 14th annual IT Europa Media & Intelligence Ltd Managed Services Summit in London is poised to be a pivotal event for MSPs looking to scale their businesses and enhance profitability.?

Backed by Headline Sponsor GFI Software , this year’s summit, scheduled for September 11, will focus on actionable strategies and industry insights to drive growth in the MSP sector.

Accelerating Growth

One of the standout presentations, "MSP Scale Secrets," will be delivered by Ian Luckett from The MSP Growth Hub . Luckett, a seasoned expert in business scaling, will share key strategies that MSPs can adopt to accelerate their growth.?

His presentation will cover critical areas such as optimising operations, building a strong sales pipeline, and creating a scalable business model that can adapt to evolving market demands. Attendees can expect to gain valuable insights into how to position their MSPs for long-term success while avoiding common pitfalls that can hinder growth.

MSP Market trends

Artjoms Krūmi?? from ALSO Group will present "Understanding MSP Market: Trends and Business Growth Potential," a deep dive into the current state of the MSP market.?

Krūmi?? will explore emerging trends that are shaping the industry, including the increasing demand for cloud services, cybersecurity solutions, and the growing importance of data-driven decision-making.?

He will also provide a comprehensive analysis of the business growth potential within the MSP sector, offering attendees a clear roadmap on how to capitalise on these trends to expand their service offerings and increase market share.

Boosting profitability?

Mike Walton from ITRS Opsview will focus on "Infrastructure Monitoring: Meet SLAs, Boost Profitability, Drive Growth," highlighting the critical role of infrastructure monitoring in maintaining service quality and meeting Service Level Agreements (SLAs).?

Walton will discuss how effective monitoring can not only ensure compliance with SLAs but also serve as a driver for profitability by reducing downtime, improving customer satisfaction, and enabling proactive issue resolution. This presentation will be particularly valuable for MSPs looking to enhance their operational efficiency and deliver superior service to their clients.

“Scaling MSP growth is essential in today’s competitive market. Our summit will deliver actionable insights and strategies from industry leaders, empowering MSPs to accelerate their growth and profitability,” said Will Garside, Editorial Director of IT Europa.

In addition to these insightful presentations, the summit will feature 2 keynotes, over 30 other presentations, and three panel discussions, providing a comprehensive learning experience for MSPs.?

Attendees will also have the opportunity to network with industry peers and explore the expo area, which will host over 40 stands from leading channel-focused vendors.

For more information, please visit: https://london.managedservicessummit.com/agenda

SmartCIC taps former Expereo and Brodynt director as MD

MSP SMARTCIC Global Services has named Albert Mu?oz Bosch as its new MD to boost global sales growth in the connectivity space.

Bosch (pictured), formerly with Expereo , where he led the integration of Brodynt | Now part of Expereo , a provider of managed Internet services, and oversaw rapid growth leading to its acquisition in 2021.

At SmartCIC, he will now focus on optimising team structures and improving internal processes.?

Bosch?said: “I was drawn to the business because of its disruptive approach, but also because its values align with mine.

"The team believes in customer experience, end-to-end support, and delivering outcomes across the entire value chain.”

Toby Forman , Group CEO at SmartCIC added: “We have set a strategy, built an amazing team, and the time is right to accelerate our growth.”?

Nuvola adds Bridgeworks' WAN acceleration solutions to portfolio

Nuvola Distribution Limited has signed an agreement?with?storage networking vendor Bridgeworks Ltd to enhance its portfolio with WAN acceleration solutions.

Bridgeworks' WAN Acceleration uses AI, machine learning, and data parallelisation to boost data speed and volume over wide area networks.

The partnership aims to expand Bridgeworks' sales across the EMEA region and strengthen its channel commitment.

Michael Lloyd (pictured), Nuvola CEO, said: "We recognise Bridgeworks’ offerings could specifically address the pressing issue of WAN speed, particularly with encrypted data, thereby broadening our customer reach.

“Given the sheer volume of data being transferred worldwide, our priority is to our partners to ensure that they have access to the most advanced solutions to guarantee it’s secure and timely delivery.”

Simon Marrion Business Development Manager EMEA at Bridgeworks, added: “We understand the value of having strong business partnerships, and Nuvola has comprehensive knowledge about the diverse array of different reseller partners, their categories, and operating models.”

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