Let’s review the tactical news.
Microsoft plans to allow solution providers in its Cloud Solution Provider program to transfer end customers new commerce experience subscriptions from one partner to another, providing greater flexibility and a smoother experience for partners and customers. The change applies to direct bill and indirect providers, and the transfer can only be done for CSP license and seat-based subscriptions. This update addresses a major issue that has affected some solution providers since the rollout of the NCE program.
Amazon has announced the availability of Anthropic Claude 3 Opus on Amazon Bedrock, along with Claude 3 Sonnet and Haiku. The Claude 3 models are suitable for automating tasks, creating user-facing applications, and accelerating research and development in various sectors.
D&H Distributing has increased credit limits for over 600 SMB channel partners in North America, giving them greater purchasing capabilities for larger projects and market expansion. These credit line extensions and extended financing options aim to support VARs and MSPs in areas such as AI, cloud services, security, and collaboration products. This marks D&H’s largest annual credit extension in D&H’s history, totaling $400 million for Fiscal Year 2024.
Guardz has established a strategic partnership with AI security company SentinelOne, which includes an investment from SentinelOne’s venture fund, S Ventures. Guardz and SentinelOne will collaborate on technological advancements and go-to-market strategy to empower MSPs to serve SMB clients against cyber threats.
Cynomi has raised $20 million in funding led by Canaan, with participation from Flint, S16V, and Aloniq. Cynomi’s AI-powered vCISO platform automates CISO expertise for MSPs and MSSPs, allowing them to scale their business and offer high-level cybersecurity services. The funding will also help expand their operations, enhance their platform, and deepen partnerships.
SentinelOne really does deals with everyone, don’t they? I can’t help but trip over a way to buy them. Broad distribution is good for SentinelOne but less for all their partners. Remember that trade off.
I will focus on D&H, which reminds me of the value of financial partners. The pandemic reinforced this as a significant value add, and I wanted to highlight how money is available for partners who need it and also … never be the bank.