ChannelBuzz.ca

Peter DiMarco, general manager of D&H Canada Things change fast in the IT channel, but for D&H Canada, the tagline continues to be BFG or built for growth. But what does that growth look like in 2026, and where is it coming from? In this edition of the podcast, we talk to Peter DiMarco, who has been leading D&H Canada for about a year, about how the company is supporting partners, investing in growth, and navigating the changing landscape. From the rise of AI and other emerging technologies to the unique challenges of running a Canadian operation with a U.S.-based parent, Peter shares insights on where partners can focus their efforts, what initiatives D&H is prioritizing, and what to expect from the distributor in 2026. This episode offers practical takeaways for anyone looking to stay ahead in the channel. We discuss:  how D&H Canada is helping partners navigate growth opportunities in the current market; the impact of operating a Canadian distributor with a U.S.-based parent in today's geopolitical and economic environment; how partners can leverage AI and other emerging technologies to drive business forward; key areas where D&H Canada is investing to support partner success; practical advice for resellers and MSPs planning for 2026; and what partners can expect from D&H Canada in terms of programs, support, and new opportunities. All that and more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.

Today is Monday, February 23, 2026. Welcome to In Case You Missed It, our weekly five-minute rundown of important channel news stories that might have flown under the radar last week. In this edition: Microsoft AI Cloud Partner benefits expanded: Microsoft has updated its AI Cloud Partner Program with new Copilot-related benefits, enhanced security and Azure credits, and additional go-to-market resources to help partners accelerate AI-enabled solutions. Palo Alto Networks NextWave Program: Palo Alto Networks has revamped its NextWave Partner Program to reward platform-based security delivery, emphasize recurring revenue, and recognize partners with specialized AI and cloud security expertise. monday.com Partner Program update: monday.com has introduced structured reseller and distributor tracks, an AI-powered Go-To-Partners marketplace, and a new AI Genius tier to support partners selling and implementing AI-enabled workflow solutions. Rocket Software IT leader survey: A new Rocket Software study shows 69% of IT leaders cite data security as their top concern and highlights the opportunity for partners to help customers modernize hybrid environments for AI readiness.

Chandreshkar LSP, managing director of Zoho Canada Zoho Canada's efforts to offer a comprehensive suite of online applications it calls a “business operating system” got a boost with the recent launch of new Payroll and Point of Sales modules designed for all of Canada's regions and regulations. In this edition of the podcast, we're joined by Chandrasekhar LSP, managing director for Zoho Canada, to discuss the company's new offerings and how Zoho views local investments as a global company. We also chat about the growth of the company's Canadian organization and the role of its in-country data centre.  But it could be the launch of a mobile-first package for solopreneurs that's the surprise star of this group of releases for both the web-based business app vendor and its partners. LSP explains the partner opportunity around Zoho Solo.

Stan de Boisset, senior vice president of global channels at Proofpoint Proofpoint is launching a major update to its global channel strategy with the debut of the Proofpoint Partner Network, a new partner program designed to improve partner profitability, predictability, and long-term growth. Replacing the Element program, the new framework introduces a three-tier structure — Select, Elite, and Elite+ — along with stronger incentives, clearer deal and renewal protections, expanded marketplace routes to market, and a greater emphasis on services and data security. In this episode, Stan de Boisset, senior vice president of global channels at Proofpoint, joins us to break down what's changing, why Proofpoint made these updates now, and what partners need to know as the program goes live. We discuss how the company is thinking about partner trust, lifecycle economics, and the role of services in building durable, scalable partner businesses.

Today is Monday, February 16, 2026. Welcome to In Case You Missed It, our weekly five-minute rundown of important channel news stories that might have flown under the radar last week. In this edition: Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins says we're in the early stage of a multi-year, multi-billion dollar campus refresh opportunity as customers look to redesign their networks for growing AI tasks. Palo Alto Networks completes its deal to purchase CyberArk for $25 billion, adding crucial identity management capabilities to its security stack. Global sovereign cloud technology spend will jump by more than 30% this year according to Gartner as geopolitical tensions stoke a desire for companies and regulators to insist that data stays close to home. Emerging networking service vendor Meter introduces former Meraki channel leader Pete Atkins as its global partner leader.

Andy Marsee, general manager for the Intel Partner Alliance Late last year, Intel announced the latest revisions to its Intel Partner Alliance program, reducing the number of partner tiers and roles and aiming to make things a bit more simple. In this edition of the podcast, we're joined by Andy Marsee, general manager for the Intel Partner Alliance, to talk about what's going on in the chipmaker's partner programs.  We discuss: the background of the unified Intel Partner Alliance program and the feedback the company has received from partners over recent years; the main goals of revamping the Partner Alliance; simplifying the number of partner tiers and roles in the program and designing the transition; the expanded role of distribution in the new partner program; maximizing partner profitability under the new program; how Intel has updated its Partner Showcase so more partners can run storefronts; how the company is looking to improve the number of leads it delivers to partners; changes to MDF in ease of use and both benefits and requirements; new types of partners Intel is working with; a shift to outcomes-based messaging and marketing at Intel; the role of software development across the Intel channel community; and where Marsee sees the next steps for Intel Partner Alliance. All that and more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.

Bob Bonneau, country manager for ESET Canada ESET Canada recently celebrated a decade since the company formally opened up shop in this country, ten years that have been filled with growth in the channel and evolution in both the cybersecurity threatscape and how businesses defend themselves. Bob Bonneau, country manager for ESET Canada, joins us on this edition of the podcast to take a look back at the company's run in this country and where he sees things heading. We discuss: the theme of the first decade in Canada for ESET; the evolution of the Canadian cybersecurity landscape over the last ten years; the big milestones of ESET's first decade in Canada; how the organizational structure in Canada has changed over the years; how ESET addresses both the under-representation of women in technology and the skills gap in cybersecurity; ESET's partnership with the Calgary Flames and its role in the company's growth in the west; the rise of managed service providers in the ESET channel; being a Europe-based company and operating in North America;  whether Canadian businesses are in better shape or worse when it comes to cybersecurity a decade later; and what the channel can expect from ESET over the near future All that and more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.

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.    

The new threat group appears to be offering as-a-service attacks on companies from Latin American and Asia, but often those hosted on North American infrastructure. What can MSPs learn from this kind of attack? [...]

In this edition of the podcast, ESET's Michal Jankech discusses the opportunity for MSPs around MDR, sales models for the technology, and what makes for a good MDR partner.

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.

In this edition of the podcast, we look at the continued rise of ransomware, the mainstreaming of managed security services, and how MSSPs can stand out as we're joined by Datto's Austin O'Saben.

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.

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.

Steve Brining of Acronis joins us on the podcast to discuss the finding of its semi-annual study of the attacks that MSPs are facing off against in the battle to protect themsleves and their customers.

ESET's Tony Anscombe joins us on the podcast to discuss the role of VPNs in your clients' remote access and cybersecurity approaches, including what solution providers need to know about different classes of virtual private networks, and how to find new VPN opportunities.

In this edition of the podcast, Acronis' Stephen Nichols explains the trends driving change in the cyber insurance industry and what today's MSPs should do to ensure they and their customers are protected at a reasonable price.

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.

Acronis' Stephen Nichols explains the role of cybersecurity frameworks in designing, planning, selling and executing managed security services in this edition of the podcast.

ESET's Tony Anscombe discusses backup strategy in a managed services context in this episode of the podcast. Find out why this funadmental of managed service is still so critical and how to make sure your customers are protected and able to get back up and running after an incident.

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…

Ingram Micro's former and new country chief executives for Canada join us on the podcast to discuss Bill Brandel's seven years leading the distributor, and Tyler Coughlan's goals and priorities as he moves into the role.

Ransomware had a banner year, AI became the going concern, and patches still aren't being applied. Find out more about the cyber security scene in 2023 and 2024 in this edition of the podcast.

ESET Canada's Cam Leetham and D&H Canada's Michelle Biase join us on the podcast to discuss the companies' new partnership and how they're working to help smaller resellers build up their security business.

ESET global security evangelist Tony Anscombe joins us on the podcast to discuss the company's research into cybercrime trends for the first half of 2023.

Ingram Micro Canada's Bill Brandel and Lori Scarlett discuss being recognized as a Great Place to Work, forging an identity as a Canadian subsidiary of a multinational, and transforming the distributor in this edition of the podcast.

ESET's Tony Anscombe joins us on this edition of the podcast to discuss the company's new Threat Intelligence Services and how partners can use them to expand their security practices and improve their customers' security stances.

Avaya Canada channel leader Ian Purdell-Lewis joins us on the podcast to discuss the company's hybrid mantra, what it means for partners, and what parts of their CC/UC environments customers are choosing to keep on-prem.

Intel Canada channel chief Phil Vokins joins us on the podcast to talk about what's new in Intel's workstation Xeon processors and partner opportunity in the workstation space.

Epson's Kaila Murphy explains the decision to reduce the number of printers in its WorkForce lineup and what it means for partners in this edition of the podcast.

Cisco Canada's Erin Smirle returns to the podcast to share her thoughts on the momentum of managed services in the channel and how Cisco supports partners in furthering their own managed services journeys.

Intel Canada's Kareem Sherif walks us through what's new in the latest generation of Xeon processors on this edition of the podcast.

AWS global channel chief Ruba Borno chats women-in-tech events, why channel partners can grow by embracing DEI, and much more in this edition of the podcast.

Cisco's Alex Pujols joins us on the podcast to discuss the Partner Innovation Challenge, how he sees partners adding value, and how Cisco is supporting those efforts.

ESET Canada's country manager discusses the company's performance in 2022 and what solution providers can expect in 2023 in this edition of the podcast.

N-able EVP Frank Colletti discusses the headwinds and tailwinds shaping the managed services market in 2022 and into 2023 on this edition of the podcast.

Cisco Canada channel chief Zack Dickson on the return of Partner Summit last year, building solutions around sustainability, and why partners need to embrace their differentiation on this edition of the podcast.

Barracuda MSP's director of product management discusses the security journey for managed service providers in 2022 and previews what's to come this year in this edition of the podcast.

Find out why Cisco is so bullish on managed services and what it's doing to maximize the opportunity for partners in this edition of the podcast.

ESET's Tony Anscombe outlines what all goes into a cyber resilience plan and how solution providers can build them for customers in this edition of the podcast.

Find out all about the channel opportunity around Microsoft Teams Rooms in this video and podcast from Ingram Micro Canada and Microsoft.

Ingram Micro Canada country chief executive Bill Brandel reviews the year that was 2022 and gives his thoughts on what's to come for the channel in 2023 in this edition of the podcast.

Avaya Canada's Allan Mendelsohn joins us on the podcast to discuss the CRTC's new guidance for optimizing 9-1-1 calls in multi-line environments and what solution providers need to know about them.

ESET's Tony Anscombe tells solution providers why they may need cyber insurance, what to tell their customers about the topic, and how to wrap services around insurance in this edition of the podcast.

Epson Americas product manager Kaila Murphy joins us on the podcast to discuss how the print market has reacted to the move to hybrid work, supply chain challenges, and much more.

Find out what makes an ecosystem partnership work, and how it delivers value for partners and customers alike, as we're joined by Avaya's Adam Seens and Calabrio's Dave Hoekstra in this edition of the podcast.

Virtual agents, the experience economy, and why every customer interaction needs to be a birthday party, as Avaya's Steve Brock joins us on this edition of the podcast.

ViewSonic Americas president Jeff Volpe joins us on the podcast to discuss the changing nature of the market for displays and visual solutions and what it all means for the channel as ViewSonic turns 35.

Barracuda MSP's Olesia Klevchuk joins us on the podcast to discuss the company's latest study of the state of spear phishing and how solution providers can help their customers steer clear of targeted email attacks.

In this edition of the podcast, ESET's Tony Anscombe analyzes the cybersecurity ramifications of the war in Ukraine, from what's happening on the electronic battlefield to why security awareness training is more important than ever.