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...

Workflow specialist Tines ramps up channel partner effort

Secure automated workflows company Tines , which has the likes of Mars, McKesson , and Dropbox , among its customer roster, has launched its first channel programme for partners.

In 2023, Tines said it doubled the number of partners in its ecosystem, 90% of new customer deals involved partners, and 35% of net new revenue was sourced from partnerships.

It already has GuidePoint Security, Trace3, Evotek, and Kudelski among its partners, but now wants more. “By focusing on these partnerships and creating an ecosystem of experts who understand Tines, together we can make it easier for our customers to focus on what matters most,” said Charlie A. (pictured), head of partnerships at Tines.

The Tines Channel Partner Program is designed to deliver the financial, technical, business, and go-to-market support partners need to help customers transform their workflows.

The programme will segment the firm’s channel partner ecosystem into three tiers, Verified, Select, and Growth, based on the investment they make in Tines and shared customers.

“Given that workflow automation is a top priority for GuidePoint Security customers, we anticipate further growth and evolution in this space. This channel partner programme launch marks the next phase of an exciting journey for the Tines team,” said Mark Thornberry , SVP for vendor management at GuidePoint Security .

Tines said it had also rolled out new product and technical certifications, so that hundreds of engineers in the Tines partner community are equipped for the Tines platform and to support customers.

Tines was founded in Dublin, Ireland, and also has offices in Boston and San Francisco in the US.

Evergreen expands in UK MSP market with Digital Origin buy

Evergreen , a group of managed services firms, has further penetrated the UK MSP market by acquiring Milton Keynes's IT company Digital Origin Solutions Limited , marking its second venture in the region.

This move is expected to foster growth and innovation for Digital Origin, benefiting from Evergreen's experience in managing over 80 IT services acquisitions.

Sydney Hockett (pictured), VP of M&A at Evergreen, said: "Digital Origin fits well with Evergreen's strategic vision and values and will be an integral part of our UK expansion."

James Evans , CEO at Digital Origin, added: "This deal represents the next pivot point in a journey that Digital Origin started back in 2018.?We now have the rocket fuel required to take us and our clients forward as we traverse the digital Agora and next leg of our evolution.”

Knight Corporate Finance acted as exclusive advisors to Digital Origin and the transaction.

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Logpoint unveils new MSSP channel programme for wider opportunity

Logpoint has rolled out two new distinct partner programmes for channel partners and managed security service providers. The aim is to provide “clarity, simplicity, and increased value” for partners, said the vendor.

Logpoint offers threat detection and investigation response (TDIR) and compliance solutions to help end-users fend off cyber attacks and meet regulatory demands.

“The threat landscape is changing with more pressure on organisations in the mid-market, as they face more sophisticated threats and need help establishing adequate defences,” said Antti Vilhunen (pictured), Logpoint regional director for Northern Europe. “We’re seeing an increased move in that segment towards MSSPs, offering extensive cyber security skills and advanced threat intelligence technologies to help improve the security posture and manage risk.

“Our new MSSP Program empowers them to capture opportunities and thrive in today’s cyber security landscape, delivering the tools, resources, and support they need.”

The new programme aims to help MSSPs “achieve immediate success” with customers through:

Starter Pack: The MSSP programme will come with a dedicated starter pack, which includes Logpoint Director – a platform that allows MSSPs to easily operate and manage large and multi-tenant deployments – offering support, training resources, onboarding assistance, and ongoing enablement opportunities to maximise success.

Flexible Commercial Models: Logpoint offers MSSPs two flexible commercial models to suit varying business needs. The first model involves subscription assignments to customers, with a subscription for each end customer managed through Logpoint Director. The second model focuses on consumption with quarterly reporting and specific pricing structures tailored to consumption levels, providing flexibility and scalability.

Predictable Pricing: MSSPs can benefit from Logpoint’s predictable pricing model, based on nodes as opposed to data volumes, ensuring greater certainty for MSSPs while they scale and capture new business opportunities.

“In addition to our MSSP Program, we’re delighted to introduce an improved Channel Partner Program, offering generous margins in a simple and clear structure, reinforcing our commitment to channel partners,” said Vilhunen. “We have partners across many different regions. We understand that each region has its distinct challenges and opportunities, which the new programme reflects.”

Tech Channel Ambassadors spearhead industry effort to bridge skills gap

A newly established Community Interest Company (CIC), led by former Nuvias UC executive Ian Kilpatrick , is on a mission to address the skills gap in the IT sector and foster diversity.?

The Tech Channel Ambassadors (TCA) is designed to spotlight IT career opportunities for students, career switchers, and those re-entering the workforce, aiming to fill an estimated 100,000 job openings in the UK's IT channel.?

The TCA is rallying the industry — including vendors, distributors, and service providers — to support this initiative as part of their ESG strategies.?

To bring this vision to life, TCA is mobilising younger industry professionals to visit schools as ambassadors, showcasing the IT channel as a vibrant career path and directly engaging with students.?

The organisation promises comprehensive support in content, delivery, and engagement, with a particular focus on inclusivity, reaching out to underrepresented groups such as LGBTQ+, BAME, neurodiverse individuals, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.?

In addition to Kilpatrick, the leadership team behind the CIC includes?Crayon MD Hayley Mooney ; Distology CEO Hayley Roberts ; Westcoast Limited Executive Director Alex Tatham ; Rubrik 's Director of Channels and Alliances Lisa Roberts ; Rebecca Monk , Chief People Officer, Softcat ; and STEM champion Wendy Shore , EA to the Chief Revenue Officer, AssetLogic .

"We need more people in the IT industry, particularly women, and feedback is saying to get youngsters interested in the industry as early as possible - from primary school level," stated Kilpatrick.?

"We have had a shortage of talent for decades and there is a continual stress point with companies paying money to hire and retain talent, followed by churn and then repeating the cycle. This impacts remuneration at all points in the business chain which then negatively impacts growth and profits.?

"What we need is a channel-wide strategy that goes down to schools and up to government and NGO levels. We have to make the message heard that our industry is an area where you can do great things.?

"As a multi-billion-pound industry – including vendors, distributors, VARs, SIs and service providers – we have all the capabilities to address the awareness and inclusiveness issues to resolve this."

Kilpatrick asserts that to effectively raise awareness about career opportunities, the channel must extend its reach beyond universities to include schools at Key Stage Two, Three, and Four levels.

"We have seen that students often self-exclude because they say they are not great at maths and science, but you don't have to excel at those subjects to get into the channel," added Kilpatrick. "There are huge career prospects around sales, marketing, customer experience, logistics, and way more. The possibilities are endless. They just need to know this."

The TCA plans to collaborate with school career advisors, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), government entities, and NGOs to expand its network and increase awareness.

Synaxon boosts UK team with key hire

Channel services group SYNAXON has strengthened its UK team by appointing Anthony Hampson as Account Executive, aiming to sustain its growth.?

With seven years of experience in IT distribution, Hampson (pictured) aims enhance partner relationships and drive new partnerships.?

He will support partners with Synaxon's key services: the Synaxon Hub, the EGIS procurement platform, and Synaxon Managed Services.

Synaxon Hub MD Miguel Rodriguez said: “Anthony’s experience working closely with partners means he has an understanding of their needs, and how Synaxon’s services can help them to grow, develop and thrive.”

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