8 Channel People Making Waves This Week at Cisco, AppDirect, Kaseya, Proofpoint, More
Schneider Electric bought the rest of Aveva in a recent acquisition worth nearly $11 billion.
February 24, 2023
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U.S. power grid attacks, including cyberattacks, are likely to increase this year as malicious actors are realizing just how vulnerable and exploitable the grid truly is.
That’s according to Paul Hafen, cybersecurity expert at Impero Software Solutions. The company provides cybersecurity to the public sector, including school districts, as well as secure remote connect from device to device.
“What’s been of interest to me over the years is what more organized groups are able to do,” Hafen said. “We’ve heard a lot about Ukraine lately and there was an attack years ago on the grid that took them down. And that was attributed to Russia. These people are what we call advanced persistent threats (APTs).”
Learn why these attacks are more than merely crippling a military installation or a power grid.
Aveva says its acquisition last month by Schneider Electric will accelerate its switch to a subscription-only business model.
Schneider Electric has owned 60% of Aveva since a reverse takeover in 2017. The recent acquisition saw the French firm buy the rest of Aveva in a deal worth nearly $11 billion.
Now Aveva says it want to become “the leading provider of software and industrial software applications and data platforms.”
Kerry Grimes is head of global partners at Aveva. He made waves when he said the company was transitioning to a subscription-based and hybrid cloud business model.
“Our customers will have the option to pay for our software on a recurring basis and have access to updates and support,” he said.
Learn how the Schneider acquisition will provide the necessary resources and support to transition to this model.
Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) is buying private cellular network technology provider Athonet with the goal of strengthening its private 5G network play.
HPE announced the acquisition of Italy-based Athonet, which has been delivering 4G and 5G mobile cores since its inception in 2005. HPE plans to integrate Athonet’s software with its own to give enterprises an option to deploy Wi-Fi and private 5G services into one single monthly subscription. It will also ultimately integrate Athonet with its Aruba networking portfolio, executives said. HPE’s GreenLake cloud services platform will deliver the offering.
“Given HPE’s Wi-Fi and security assets – like Aruba – I’d say this makes a clear play to simplify management for key enterprise digital assets. And this is the kind of issue that enterprises are often bringing up to us,” Omdia chief analyst of enterprise services Camille Mendler told Channel Futures.
Discover more about HPE’s long-term integration plans.
Cisco has launched its Webex Suite Named User (NU) on AWS Marketplace, expanding its catalog of software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings with the cloud giant that are available to partners. This comes as Cisco continues to access additional routes to market for products and services.
Kristyn Hogan is vice president, global collaboration partner sales at Cisco.
Hogan made waves when she said that the company has “been on a real mission the past few years at Cisco from a route-to-market lens. We’ve been taking a lot of leaps forward across different routes to market, AWS being one of them. AWS is really listening to our customers and meeting them with our products.”
Learn how Cisco Webex Suite Named User on AWS Marketplace gives users multiple options for providing more services, accelerating wins and growing deal values.
Proofpoint has launched its new Element Partner Program that aims to drive channel sales, enhance customer relationships and bolster additional revenue streams.
The new partner program allows thousands of Proofpoint MSPs, MSSPs, distributors and VARs to tap into the company’s growing cybersecurity and compliance platform portfolio to build their business and increase revenue.
Joe Sykora is Proofpoint‘s senior vice president of global channel and partner sales.
“Our partners want to be supported in their respective routes to market, whether it be VARs and direct reselling, or MSSPs offering services. For example, to achieve elite or specialized status, our partners need to go through training and labs. Some of them would like sales enablement, marketing or training support. And yet others don’t necessarily have a large staff to and need more support for labs and demo centers. And Element offers all of this.”
Find out more about the two tiers offered by the new partner program.
The long-expected sale of TBI to AppDirect has garnered celebrations from those involved in the deal and those who will participate in the combined company. It’s another story, however, for the employees the company left behind.
For TBI owner Geoffrey Shepstone and many members of his senior leadership team, the acquisition made waves because it meant a large payout and a job at AppDirect going forward. But for the dozens of TBI employees laid off prior to the acquisition, their exit reportedly came as a shock.
Learn more about the layoffs and why many former employees felt blindsided.
Channel Futures’ 2023 Channel Influencers cover the gamut. This year’s honorees come from across the channel — from MSPs to technology service distributors and from industry veterans to next-gen trailblazers.
Our Channel Influencers of the Year, Aryaka’s Craig Patterson and Kaseya’s Fred Voccola, are both driving growth in their respective companies, each in his own individual style. Patterson is known for his team building and Voccola is known for his deal making. For an in-depth look at their accomplishments, download our digital here.
And scroll online to learn about the more than four-dozen honorees who made the list.
Channel Futures’ 2023 Channel Influencers cover the gamut. This year’s honorees come from across the channel — from MSPs to technology service distributors and from industry veterans to next-gen trailblazers.
Our Channel Influencers of the Year, Aryaka’s Craig Patterson and Kaseya’s Fred Voccola, are both driving growth in their respective companies, each in his own individual style. Patterson is known for his team building and Voccola is known for his deal making. For an in-depth look at their accomplishments, download our digital here.
And scroll online to learn about the more than four-dozen honorees who made the list.
Channel people at Cisco, AppDirect, Kaseya, Proofpoint and more are among the individuals making waves this week. Channel Futures’ Channel People Making Waves showcases those who have made an impact over the last seven days. (See our slideshow above.) It’s also a recap of the most-read stories on our website.
Power grid attacks are likely to increase in the years ahead. They will not only have adverse effects on infrastructure but may do harm to people as well. Senior news editor Edward Gately explores more of that in a special edition of the Gately Report.
Also, Cisco recently launched its Webex Suite Named User (NU) on AWS Marketplace. This expands the company’s SaaS offerings with the cloud giant. It’s part of a real mission at Cisco to better develop a route-to-market lens. Learn how this partnership grows deal values, according to Cisco.
Finally, our roundup wouldn’t be complete without a layoff story. This one involves the sale of TBI to AppDirect. Learn why employees at TBI felt completely blindsided.
And that’s a wrap. If you didn’t catch our previous edition, you can find it here.
Want to contact the author directly about this story? Have ideas for a follow-up article? Email Claudia Adrien or connect with her on LinkedIn. |
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