MSP Technology News Headlines for the Week of 4/13/2026
AI keeps pushing deeper into the stack, but this week’s news shows a shifting from experimentation to operational impact. SolarWinds’ new SW1 “agentic AI teammate” is a prime example, aiming to move IT teams from reactive firefighting to autonomous, predictive operations. Across the board, vendors are rolling out platforms and partnerships designed to unify tools, reduce complexity, and turn AI into something that actually lightens the load for MSPs. Meanwhile, fresh research highlights a familiar tension: growing demand, rising costs, and the ongoing challenge of scaling efficiently in an increasingly complex environment.
If you’re ready for a rundown of this week’s MSP news and partner program updates, scroll on down!
SolarWinds SW1 Launches, an Agentic AI Teammate to Power the Next Era of IT Automation
Built on the SolarWinds Agentic Framework, Solarwinds SW1 brings unified, governed AI to how organizations observe, manage, and protect their IT systems.
Key quote from the press release:
“The organizations succeeding in this new era will be defined by how quickly they can move their IT leadership from managing complexity to driving strategy. SW1 makes that possible, by shifting teams from manual, reactive operations to intelligent, autonomous infrastructure that anticipates problems before users encounter them. This isn’t just about operational efficiency. It’s about giving your best people the room to architect what comes next, while SW1 handles the operational weight underneath.” — Cullen Childress, chief product officer, SolarWinds
Aura Business Launches Identity-Centric BYOD Security Solution Built for MSPs
New offering aims to close the unmanaged personal device gap with a privacy-first, identity-based approach.
Key quote from the press release:
“MSPs are on the front lines of unmanaged device security risk and they need a solution that is turnkey, doesn’t introduce complexity, and that employees will actually adopt. We worked directly with MSP partners to understand exactly where existing approaches to BYOD management fell short and designed a solution for them that would minimize operational complexity and support burdens.” — Jason Coville, head of Aura Business for MSPs, Aura
Splashtop Launches Unified Platform for Modern IT Operations
With autonomous endpoint management at its core, the AI-assisted, cloud-native platform unifies IT operations, security, remote support, and remote access into one streamlined experience.
Key quote from the press release:
“Today the endpoint is where IT operations and security intersect, yet most teams are still stitching together tools to keep systems secure and running. We built this platform from the ground up to reflect that reality, bringing endpoint operations, security insight, and remote workflows into one operational environment where teams can automate routine work, focus on what matters most, and act quickly. For twenty years, we’ve listened to and learned from organizations that trust us to deliver secure, high-performance remote access and support, and this launch represents an important milestone and evolution for Splashtop.” — Mark Lee, CEO and co-founder, Splashtop
Slide Launches Global Roadshow to Bring Modern Backup and BCDR Expertise Directly to MSPs
Company takes a partner-first approach on the road with hands-on sessions across the U.S. and Europe focused on real-world MSP challenges.
Key quote from the press release:
“We talk to MSPs every day about what’s getting harder – more environments to manage, more complexity, more pressure to get recovery right. But those conversations can’t just happen over tickets or calls. You’ve got to sit down together, look at real environments, and work through it. That’s what this roadshow is about.” — Michael Fass, co-founder and CEO, Slide
AI Emerges as the Key to Scaling MSP Operations as Growth Gets Harder
Kaseya’s 2026 State of the MSP Report highlights mounting growth challenges and rising operational pressures for MSPs.
Key findings from the report include:
- Acquiring new customers is the top business challenge for MSPs at 71%, outpacing cybersecurity, revenue growth, and profitability concerns.
- Rising labor, tool, and infrastructure costs are directly constraining MSP growth.
- The share of MSPs struggling to quickly demonstrate value has nearly doubled year over year.
- Difficulty in creating and maintaining consistent client documentation is increasing.
UJET Launches New Channel-Led Global Sales Motion with Google Cloud, Accelerating Agentic AI and CX Transformation in Midmarket and SMB Segments
New partnership delivers rapid deployment of Google Cloud CCaaS and Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience through AVANT’s global network of trusted advisors.
Key quote from the press release:
“This launch represents a significant expansion of our long-standing relationship with Google Cloud. Through this managed service approach, we are providing the channel with Google Cloud’s industry-leading, AI-first CX solutions, backed by world-class support and dedicated customer success resources. This motion allows small business and midmarket organizations to easily purchase and adopt the same powerful AI tools used today by the largest global enterprises.” — Vasili Triant, CEO, UJET
GTIA 2026 State of the Channel Report Highlights AI Maturity Gap and Evolving Growth Pressures
Global Technology Industry Association research finds widespread AI adoption but uneven execution as the channel balances growth, complexity, and workforce challenges.
Key findings from the report include:
- AI adoption is nearly universal across IT service providers, but maturity—not adoption—is now the key differentiator.
- 75% of ITSPs describe their businesses as AI-driven or AI-invested.
- Tech complexity is a major demand driver, with about half of ITSPs citing it as the top factor fueling growth.
- Workforce and skills shortages remain a significant constraint, impacting roughly 37% of organizations.
More headlines from GTIA
➡️ The GTIA Community Discord is Open to Members, Now Available Through GTIA Member Portal
RapidScale Launches Ascend Partner Program to Empower Strategic Growth and Deliver Greater Partner Value
New program reflects the evolution of the partner ecosystem, enabling partners to expand capabilities, deepen customer relationships, and drive measurable business outcomes through RapidScale’s integrated services portfolio.
Key quote from the press release:
“The channel has been a critical driver of RapidScale’s growth, and this new program underscores our commitment to evolving alongside our partners. Building on a strong foundation, we’re introducing a more programmatic approach to partner engagement, deepening collaboration, driving long-term success and accelerating market expansion. Ultimately, we’re creating a future-ready business, enabling our teams and partners to execute with greater precision and deliver consistent, meaningful outcomes for the organizations we serve.” — Maureen Power Sweeny, chief revenue officer, RapidScale
Bitdefender Launches Powerful Email Security Solution for Businesses and MSPs
GravityZone Extended Email Security unifies email and endpoint protection to close gaps across the full attack chain.
Key quote from the press release:
“Cybercriminals continue to rely on email as a primary attack vector, requiring organizations to adopt stronger, more integrated defenses that reduce risk without adding complexity. GravityZone Extended Email Security eliminates visibility and detection gaps across the full email attack chain, delivering powerful inbox protection before and after delivery to help organizations and MSPs stay ahead as attacks evolve.” — Andrei Florescu, president and general manager, Bitdefender Business Solutions Group
Commvault Introduces Innovations to Advance Secure, Controlled Agentic Transformation in the Enterprise
Next-generation AI capabilities leverage Commvault Cloud to safely activate AI and build agentic workflows with trusted data, governance, and recovery.
Key quote from the press release:
“Every enterprise era has produced a system of record – ERP for business operations, CRM for customers, and now AI for the enterprise. If data powering AI is compromised, AI is compromised. If data can’t be recovered, AI can’t be trusted. Commvault Cloud is the system of record for AI resilience.” — Sanjay Mirchandani, CEO, Commvault
More headlines from Commvault
➡️ Commvault Expands Commvault Flex to Hitachi Vantara and NetApp for Scalable Resilience in the AI Era
Alliance of Channel Women Announces Winners of 2025 LEAD, INSPIRE and EMPOWER Awards
Six female leaders recognized for advancing channel growth and empowering women at ACWConnect Live! in Las Vegas.
Key quote from the press release:
“These awards celebrate women who are not only achieving success in their own careers but are also lifting others up and strengthening the entire channel ecosystem. Their leadership, mentorship, and commitment to empowering others embody the very mission of ACW.” — Mayka Rosales-Peterson, president, Alliance of Channel Women
Alliance of Channel Women Announces Winners of 2025 LEAD, INSPIRE and EMPOWER Awards
Six female leaders recognized for elevating channel growth and empowering and inspiring women at ACWConnect Live!.
Key quote from the press release:
“We are proud to recognize this year’s winners for the meaningful ways they lead, inspire and empower others across the channel. Their contributions not only drive progress in our industry but also strengthen the community of women who are building the future of the channel together.” — JoElla Aranda, awards committee chair, Alliance of Channel Women
The Memory Squeeze: How AI-Driven Capacity Reallocation Is Reshaping Memory Supply for Electronics Manufacturers
Global Electronics Association report finds AI demand is driving a structural shift in memory supply, tightening availability and increasing costs across industries.
Key findings from the report include:
- 62% of manufacturers report constrained availability or extended lead times.
- 82% report rising prices, including 33% citing significant increases.
- Just 14% expect conditions to improve in the next six months.
- While 94% of companies can still source memory, most face limitations that complicate production planning and increase costs.
EPOS Makes A Bigger Market ‘Impact’ With Enhanced Headset Innovation
Updated IMPACT 100 wired headset adds improved comfort, audio quality, and connectivity for hybrid work environments.
Key quote from the press release:
“The EPOS IMPACT 100 balances lightweight comfort, high-quality audio, and robust build. Its noise-cancelling microphone, versatile connectivity and extensive platform certifications make it suitable for office professionals, remote workers and anyone needing reliable communication tools for extended periods.” — Robert Moore, sales director, Americas, EPOS
WatchGuard and Halo Announce Partnership to Deliver MSP Automation from Alert to Invoice
Integration embeds WatchGuard Cloud into HaloPSA to streamline security operations, ticketing, and billing for MSPs.
Key quote from the press release:
“MSPs need security operations that fit the way they work, inside the PSA, with accurate context and minimal manual effort. Our relationship with Halo means MSPs move faster and offer stronger security with WatchGuard embedded inside the PSA they love.” — Ben Oster, VP of product development, WatchGuard
SnapLogic Announces AI Gateway and Trusted Agent Identity to Power the Era of Digital Labor
New capabilities across AI connectivity, agentic orchestration, and governance aim to help enterprises move from AI experimentation to execution.
Key quote from the press release:
“Enterprises don’t have a shortage of AI models or agents. They have a shortage of execution. The real challenge is operationalizing AI as digital labor inside business processes. With this expansion of our platform, we’re enabling organizations to turn AI into real work. The companies that win won’t be the ones with the best models. They’ll be the ones that harness them first.” — Jeremiah Stone, chief technology officer, SnapLogic
Trustifi Unveils AI-Powered Security Training Videos
New feature enables MSPs to turn real phishing attacks into customized training videos to strengthen end-user awareness.
Key quote from the press release:
“Attackers now use AI to generate highly believable, targeted emails at scale. With our AI-driven SAT flow, MSPs can fight AI with AI by turning real attacks into simulations and user training in a single click. This allows them to clearly differentiate their services, strengthen customer relationships and continuously reduce risk across their client base.” — Maor Dahan, chief technology officer, Trustifi
ESET Finds SMBs Leveraging Cyber Insurance to Strengthen Resilience
2026 SMB Cyber Readiness Index highlights how insurance is shaping security practices and response strategies across small and midsize businesses.
Key findings from the report include:
- SMBs increasingly adopt cyber insurance following incidents, with 95% of U.S. and 92% of Canadian businesses experiencing multiple incidents carrying coverage.
- Insurers are influencing security posture, with 55% of insured U.S. SMBs required to implement specific controls such as continuous monitoring or MDR.
- Phishing, lack of security monitoring, and unpatched vulnerabilities remain the leading causes of breaches despite growing concern over AI-driven threats.
- Cyber insurance is reshaping outsourcing trends, with many SMBs turning to insurers or MDR providers for security services.
- 82% of SMBs believe cyber warfare and global conflict pose a real business threat, reflecting heightened awareness of interconnected risks.
Axonius Delivers AI-Powered Remediation Across Industry’s Broadest Set of Asset Classes and Environments
Company expands Axonius Asset Cloud with AI-powered remediation, cyber-physical asset visibility, and verified asset data.
Key quote from the press release:
“Security environments have grown more distributed, more dynamic, and more complex, and when teams can’t fully understand their environment, they simply cannot act. Findings pile up because the data isn’t trusted, ownership isn’t clear, and entire asset classes aren’t even in the picture. Today we’re closing all three gaps – with Axonius AI that drives remediation in Axonius Exposures, built on a platform that now covers cyber-physical environments. This delivers the single-source verified asset data that enables strategic security decisions – human and agentic – to be built and actioned on trusted data.” — Joe Diamond, president and interim CEO, Axonius
Cork Cyber Tackles the ‘Dirty Data’ Problem Undermining MSP Cyber Programs with New Automated Mapping Feature
New capability aims to eliminate data inconsistencies across MSP security stacks by automating asset mapping and reconciliation.
Key quote from the press release:
“The automation journey at Cork is about moving from simple observation to active remediation. Asset Analysis is the brain that identifies the ‘Zombie Assets’ and ‘Whitespace’ that lead to breaches. By delivering instant, automated reconciliation across an entire fleet, we’re eliminating manual effort, improving consistency, and helping partners prevent issues before they turn into incidents, which saves time and reduces risk.” — Marcus Recck, head of product and engineering, Cork Cyber
Panasonic Connect Launches TOUGHBOOK 56
Latest semi-rugged laptop update focuses on modular flexibility, improved performance, and expanded connectivity for mobile workers.
Key highlights from the press release include:
- The TOUGHBOOK 56 introduces updated processing performance designed to support demanding field applications.
- A modular design allows users to customize ports, expansion areas, and functionality to fit specific workflows.
- Enhanced connectivity options support hybrid and mobile work environments, including expanded wireless capabilities.
- The semi-rugged form factor balances durability with portability for professionals working in varied conditions.
- Security and manageability features are built in to support enterprise and government deployment requirements.
Keeper Security Launches Enterprise-Grade Approval, Governance, and Real-Time Visibility for Endpoint Privilege Management
New enhancements add centralized approval workflows, stronger governance controls, and expanded visibility into endpoint privilege activity.
Key quote from the press release:
“Privilege management is most effective when governance is built into every elevation. Security teams need structured approval paths, strict time controls and immediate visibility into what’s happening across their endpoints. The enhancements to Keeper Endpoint Privilege Manager strengthen that control layer. Elevation becomes deliberate, bounded and fully auditable. That’s how you reduce standing privilege and operate confidently at enterprise scale.” — Craig Lurey, CTO and co-founder, Keeper Security
As ChannelPro’s online director and tech editor for over a decade, Matt Whitlock has spent years blending sharp tech insight with digital know-how. He brings more than 25 years’ experience working in the technology industry to his reviews, analysis, and general musings about all things gadget and gear.
Images: Slide, GTIA, Bitdefender, Global Electronics Association, EPOS, Trustifi, Panasonic
