ChannelBuzz.ca

Asma Aziz, country manager for Intel Canada 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.    

Edgar Zacharjev, general manager of RMM for Kaseya 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.    

Tony Anscombe, global security evangelist at ESET ESET’s theat intelligence team has discovered a new threat actor it has dubbed GhostRedirector, that takes advantage of unpatched versions of IIS to offer manipulated Google search results as a service. While its targets are largely in Brazil, Thailand, and Vietnam, it includes servers that are hosted by third parties in North America. In this edition of the podcast, Tony Anscombe, security evangelist at ESET, joins us to discuss the new attack, and what MSPs need to be thinking about when they’re hosting or administering servers on behalf of customers. We discuss:  the nature of the attacks and how they targeted; who was behind the attacks; the motivations behind the attacks; how the attackers went after servers running MSPs’ and hosters’ environments; what MSPs and hosters can learn from these attacks, and how they can make sure their infrastructure isn’t used in attacks like this; how ESET makes the determination of a new attack group; how ESET finds new attacks, and what it does with the information once it’s discovered a new attack. All this and much more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.    

Michal Jankech, vice president for enterprise, SMB, and MSP at ESET A couple of months ago, at its ESET World event in Las Vegas, security vendor ESET announced it was launching an edition of its Managed Detection and Response, or MDR, product for MSPs, entering the fray for one of the hotter areas of security technology in the channel. Recently, ESET’s Michal Jankech, vice president for enterprise, SMB, and MSP at ESET, visited the company’s Toronto-area Canadian headquarters, and ChannelBuzz.ca had a chance to sit down with him for half an hour to discuss the product, the market, and the opportunity. We discuss: why channel partners are so important in delivering MDR services to customers; how the MSP edition of its MDR offering differs from the regular version in terms of technology and licensing; the profile of the MSPs ESET is working with; how the MDR product works from detection through to response; the types of threats MDR is best at handling; moving from traditional security approaches to MDR as an MSP; the market opportunity for MDR and what makes it attractive for MSPs; why the vast majority of MDR rollouts will be managed by channel partners; possible sales models for the technology for partners; and what gets him excited about the state of the industry. All this and much more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.    

Benjamin Jones, operations director for SaaS Alerts (left) and Chip Buck, co-founder and chief Technology Officer of SaaS Alerts (right) SaaS and cloud-based apps are key to businesses of any size, and the proliferation of apps outside of the data centre presents unique challenges to MSPs managing their clients’ infrastructures. In this edition of the podcast, we take a look at the threatscape for SaaS apps, as defined by SaaS Alerts’ annual SASI Report. We’re joined by Chip Buck, co-founder and chief Technology Officer of SaaS Alerts, and Benjamin Jones, operations director for SaaS Alerts, to discuss the findings of the company’s annual SaaS Application Security Insights report, diving deep on many aspects of the SaaS security scene. We discuss: details on the purpose and role of the SASI Report; the shift away from password spraying towards more targeted attacks like token harvesting and man-in-the-middle attacks; surprises in the data gathered in terms of geographical origin points of attacks; the rise of phishing-as-a-service; the risks around guest accounts for SaaS apps; the benefits and risks of using OAuth; managing the balance between collaboration and security; managing alert fatigue and recognizing the right alerts at the right time; some of the biggest or most attacks that SaaS Alerts blocked over the course of last year; a spike in the number of critical alerts coming from Slack; other major applications that are reporting more alerts than ever; what MSPs should be focused on and thinking about in front of their customers; how MSPs can maximize their profitability; flying-under-the-radar security gaps that deserve more attention; why attack dwelling times inside the network are on the rise; and one thing every MSP leader should do right now. All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast. You can find the results of the 2025 SaaS Application Security Insights Report here.    

Austin O’Saben, product marketing manager at Datto, a Kaseya company Ransomware groups continued to wreak havoc, and managed security services became table stakes for many solution providers. In this edition of the podcast, we’re joined by Austin O’Saben, product marketing manager at Datto, a Kaseya company, to discuss some of the security trends of the last twelve months. We discuss: the rise in the number of active ransomware groups; the types of security vulnerabilities attackers are going after today; how MSPs can stand out in an increasingly crowded market for managed security services; and how Datto helps MSPs develop a competitive advantage. All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.    

Geoff Thompson, vice president of managed services strategy and development at Barracuda Geoff Thompson joined Barracuda as vice president of the company’s managed services strategy and development in 2024, and is setting the course for the security vendor in the rapidly growing field of managed security services. In this edition of the podcast, Geoff joins us to talk about his new role and the opportunity partners are seeing around managed services. We discuss: what he’s been focusing on in his first few months leading Barracuda’s MSP business; the biggest opportunities and challenges for MSPs in the security space; where Barracuda is looking to add value for MSPs; Barracuda’s bundling strategy and how it works for MSPs; how Barracuda is innovating at a technical level; and what MSPs are facing in terms of trends in the marketplace. All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.    

Santiago Pontiroli, lead security researcher with Acronis’ Threat Research Unit (TRU) The security threatscape is an always-shifting environment, and 2024 and 2025 have certainly been no exceptions to those rules. To take a look back at some of the biggest security trends that shaped 2024, and a preview of what to expect the rest of this year, we’re joined on the podcast by Santiago Pontiroli, lead security researcher with Acronis’ Threat Research Unit (TRU) on this edition of the podcast. We discuss:  what the Threat Research Unit does; dominant trends in the security space for 2024, and where Acronis sees them going in 2025; surprises and new developments in the security space that are likely be of concern this year; the role of AI in modern targeted cyberattacks; the threat of triple extortion; the escalating nature of cyberattacks as part of broader geopolitical tensions; how to adapt to a more modern approach to security protection; how to protect yourself against the attacks of today, and the attacks of tomorrow; and good news in the security world for 2025. 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

Steven Brining, cybersecurity evangelist at Acronis The only thing that stays the same in the security world is that it’s constantly changing, and attack vectors are always evolving. Whether it’s the number of email phishing attacks skyrocketing or the emergence of new ways of attacking unexpecting users through QR codes, MSPs are well-served to keep their heads on a swivel for what’s next. In this edition of the podcast, Steve Brining, cybersecurity evangelist at Acronis, joins us to discuss the findings of their first-half study of the attacks they’re seeing in the wild and focus on what MSPs need to know about the state of security today. We discuss: the top cybersecurity threats and trends of the first half of the year, as applied to managed service providers’ businesses; the top three targeted countries, which weren’t what you’d think of; the rise of publicly reported ransomware attacks; the role of artificial intelligence in attacks; the massive growth in email-based attacks; top vectors for attacks on MSPs; the benefits of a zero-trust architecture for MSPs; how MSPs can keep themselves and their customers safe now and into the future, and the rise of “quishing” as an attack vector. 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 The virtual private network is a tried-and-true part of many companies’ approach to both remote access and security. So what do solution providers need to know about VPN technology today? How can you recommend and implement the best solutions for your customers, and make sure they are secure and stay secure? And how can you find some new business around VPNs? Tony Anscombe of ESET joins us for this edition of the podcast to discuss these issues and more. We discuss: the difference between consumer and enterprise-grade VPNs; VPNs are privacy tools versus tools for remote access to corporate networks; the relationship between RDP and VPN; what MSPs and other VPN administrators need to think about in terms of securing their installation; why securing the VPN is so important; why VPN credentials are a risk for social engineering attacks; decision points for customers on what type of VPN to recommend for customers; what to look for in a VPN solution, be it hardware or software; what to train customers’ VPN users on, including the basics of cyber hygiene; the fact that VPNs don’t mean whatever users do is secure by default;  why patching is so important with VPN solutions and why customers with public RDP are low hanging fruit in terms of business opportunities. All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.    

Stephen Nichols, director of solution engineering for Acronis 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.    

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.    

Bill Brandel, country chief executive for Ingram Micro Canada Ingram Micro Canada was recently certified a Great Place to Work, and in this edition of the podcast, we take a look at what that means and how it’s measured. Lori Scarlett, director of human resources at Ingram Micro Canada We’re joined by Lori Scarlett, Ingram Micro Canada’s director of human resources and Bill Brandel, country chief executive, to discuss GPTW, ESG, some of the things Ingram Canada does differently, creating a Canadian identity within a multinational corporation, and much more. We discuss: what Great Place to Work is, what they measure and how they measure; what being certified means to Ingram Micro Canada; the role of environment, social and governance (ESG) in employee satisfaction; how Ingram Micro Canada approaches ESG as a subsidiary; some of the things Scarlett and Brandel are most proud of when it comes to the culture at Ingram Micro Canada; and how Ingram Micro Canada tackles transformation as an organization. All this and much more are in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.