The Week's Top 5: Telarus Hires, T-Mobile's AT&T Criticism, More

Malwarebytes and Telarus headlined several companies announcing a personnel change this week.

Three of the top five traffic-generating, new articles on the Channel Partners website featured companies hiring employees. The master agents are continually bombarding the news wire with new appointments, and the vendors are following suit. Malwarebytes snagged an influential AT&T Cybersecurity leader to lead its channel.

We also enjoyed a little bit of drama from T-Mobile’s CEO, who appears to be ecstatic about the progress of his company’s Sprint purchase.

We like to compile our top stories to share at end the end of each Friday. Check out our weekly wrap below to see what’s hot in the world of channel — and telecom and IT as a whole.

5. Onfido Unveils International Partner Program for AI-Powered Identity Verification

Onfido provides tools, technical guidance and support in its new partner program.

The global identity verification provider has been developing its channel in the last year, and it got partner feedback to determine its program’s makeup. The four-tier program offers joint-marketing initiatives for the purpose of increasing customer acquisition and retention.

Members will integrate the vendor’s services into tool kits for fraud prevention, user experience and compliance.

Edward Gately has the scoop.

4. Telarus Hires Windstream, West UC Alums

We’d be sitting comfortably if we earned a dollar for every former Windstream employee we wrote about.

Utah-based Telarus hired two senior partner development managers that collectively cover five states. They’ll work to recruit new partners and equip them with Telarus’ two fastest growing technologies — cybersecurity and cloud contact center. Bridget Kang, who will manage Midwest partners, worked at Windstream for four years.

I wrote about the master agent’s new employees.

3. T-Mobile CEO Blasts Verizon, AT&T 5G Plans After Sprint Merger Clears

Talk about spiking the football.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere contrasted his company’s 5G strategy to rivals Verizon and AT&T. The gist of his argument is that his competitors don’t use midband spectrum as much as T-Mobile does (although he managed to be far more inflammatory with his words).

Legere made the boast days after the U.S. Justice Department cleared T-Mobile to purchase Sprint. Sprint had set itself apart with its focus on midband. The merger, which requires more regulatory and legal hurdles, passed through the DOJ on the condition that the companies sell assets to Dish Network, which will become the fourth major U.S. wireless carrier.

We recapped the latest M&A news.

2. Malwarebytes Gets LaPeters from AT&T Cybersecurity

Mike LaPeters found another opportunity to help a “growth stage” security company.

LaPeters, who had been leading AlienVault’s channel and subsequently AT&T Cybersecurity’s channel, will serve as Malwarebytes’ channel chief. He resigned from his position as AT&T Cybersecurity’s assistant vice president of worldwide channels a week ago.

LaPeters said he’ll be building Malwarebytes’ channel program “from the ground up” and working with MSPs and MSSPs.

Learn why LaPeters made the move.

1. Channel People on the Move: Intelisys, PlanetOne, Nextiva, More

The master agent community continued its hiring spree.

Intelisys, PlanetOne, Telarus, CNSG and TBI all announced new employees last month, and Craig Galbraith assembled a gallery recapping the news. Vendors got in on the action, including the aforementioned Malwarebytes.

Check out our July personnel gallery.