- Kaseya: FedRAMP Certification ‘Not Only Important But Critical’
- Ingram Micro Pulls the Trigger on its IPO Filing
- Bellini Capital-Backed ConnectSecure CTO: ‘Cybercriminals Targeting Cloud’
- Sonar’s Jim DeCarlo: ‘Less Complexity, More Profitability’
Each week MSSP Alert brings you to the top cybersecurity news for MSSPs and MSPs. But we know that as business professionals there’s more to your operation than cybersecurity news. That’s why each week we also bring you a round up of the important business news in the channel for service providers and other channel partners.
This week we’ve got an interview with a Kaseya executive about the company’s investment in FedRAMP certification – something the MSP tools platform believes will be critical for MSPs in the years ahead. We’ve also got coverage of distribution giant Ingram Micro filing an S-1 statement indicating its intention for an initial public offering. The filing provides insight into Ingram Micro’s financials during the time it has been a private company.
In addition, we’ve got coverage of Bellini-Capital vulnerability testing company ConnectSecure’s new services for Microsoft 365. Plus, there’s coverage of Sonar’s new channel chief and his perspective on why channel partners are flocking to the idea helping customers ensure their code is clean.
Kaseya: FedRAMP Certification ‘Not Only Important But Critical’
MSP platform vendor Kaseya has begun the complex path to pursuing FedRAMP certification status in a move that it hopes will help MSPs and other customers attract and expand their cloud business from federal Department of Defense (DoD) contractors.
Kaseya is making a multi-million investment to seek FedRAMP certification because it is a critical step in growing the businesses of their MSP customers, the company said in an October 1 announcement. Kaseya provides AI-powered cybersecurity and IT management software and services for MSPs and partners.
“It is not only important, but it is critical and required for any MSPs that want to service the 80,000+ DoD supply chain contractors in the defense industrial base (DIB)", Max Pruger, general manager of Kaseya’s Audit and Compliance Suite, told ChannelE2E.
FedRAMP, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, was established in 2011 to provide specific, strict rules and security standards for the adoption and use of vendor-provided cloud services by the federal government. FedRAMP created secure and protected processes that allow federal agencies to use modern cloud technologies while carefully protecting federal data. The FedRAMP Authorization Act was signed into law in December of 2022 as part of the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act.
Ingram Micro Pulls the Trigger on its IPO Filing
Global technology distributor Ingram Micro, which has been owned by a private equity firm since 2021, is taking a new business direction by filing for an IPO under its owner, Platinum Equity.
Ingram Micro, which works heavily with MSPs and partners, filed a Form S-1 IPO document with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 30, making its return to public stock markets a reality after several years of discussions and speculation.
In a statement about the IPO, Ingram Micro said that pricing for the IPO shares and the number of shares being offered have not yet been announced. The S-1 IPO form is officially listed for common stock of Ingram Micro Holding Corp.
“The offering is subject to market conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size, price or other terms of the offering,” the company said in its statement. Ingram Micro said it intends to list its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “INGM.”
Bellini Capital-Backed ConnectSecure CTO: ‘Cybercriminals Targeting Cloud’
ConnectSecure, a vulnerability management platform for MSPs backed by Bellini Capital, is launching a Microsoft 365 (M365) Assessment Module that aims to help MSPs gain deeper insights and visibility into Microsoft 365 configurations.
Microsoft 365 is the most widely used productivity suite used by business, and many MSPs have standardized on Microsoft technology for their customers.
Shiva Shankar, co-founder and CTO of ConnectSecure, told ChannelE2E that a lack of visibility into M365 configuration settings presents a critical security risk for many organizations today, which is why the new assessment module was created.
“This concern is especially pressing for MSPs, who are responsible not only for safeguarding their clients’ infrastructures but also for maintaining their own reputations,” said Shankar. “With cybercriminals increasingly targeting cloud environments, it is vital that MSPs take a proactive approach, identifying and addressing vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.”
Sonar’s Jim DeCarlo: ‘Less Complexity, More Profitability’
Jim DeCarlo, clean code solutions vendor Sonar's new VP of channel for the Americas, has been dreaming of a role like the one he's recently occupied for his entire career.
After 25+ years with stints at Cisco, VMware and other legacy vendors with very mature channel businesses, DeCarlo said he's beyond excited to take what he's learned and apply it to a brand-new program.
"There is this recurring theme about complexity being the opposite of profitability. So, if we can figure out how to come up with a partner program that really focuses on simplicity and strips away some of the complexity, that is the ideal," DeCarlo told ChannelE2E. "Our partners already know what to do. They know how to make money and establish a value-added approach in the marketplace. So, coming to Sonar as the world's leading solution for clean code, the end goal is to help developers bring code to market faster but do it in a higher quality and more secure way," he said.
Sonar has been around since 2008 and has 400,000 organizations already using the technology, DeCarlo said, which the company has accomplished without a channel go-to-market strategy. Coming into the company and being able to build exactly the kind of program he'd always envisioned was a dream come true.
