MSP technology news headlines for the week of August 3, 2026
Proofpoint is making it easier for security vendors and MSPs to embed its threat intelligence through a new OEM program, Ingram Micro is expanding AI automation with its Xvantage Integration Hub, and ConnectWise and SentinelOne are deepening their managed cybersecurity partnership for MSPs. Meanwhile, a wave of new announcements around agentic AI, data governance and cyber resilience shows vendors continuing to build the tools partners need to secure and manage the next generation of AI-powered environments.
If you’re ready for more of this week’s MSP news and partner program updates, scroll on down!
New Proofpoint OEM program to help security providers embed trusted threat intelligence and detection capabilities
The program gives technology providers, cybersecurity vendors, MSPs and platform companies a way to integrate Proofpoint threat intelligence and detection capabilities into their own offerings.
Key quote from the press release:
“Proofpoint has supported OEM relationships for years, and the Proofpoint OEM Program now provides technology partners with a clearer, more formal way to engage with us. By making Proofpoint Active Exploits Protection available through a dedicated OEM program, we’re helping partners accelerate innovation, differentiate their products, and deliver more prioritized, explainable, and AI-ready security experiences for their customers. We’re open for OEM business today and will continue expanding the portfolio as new offerings become ready for market.” — Stan de Boisset, SVP, global channels, Proofpoint
Ingram Micro accelerates AI adoption across the global channel with new Xvantage Integration Hub and MCP Server
The XI Hub and secure MCP Server help channel partners connect AI assistants with business systems, automate workflows and make faster, data-driven decisions.
Key quote from the press release:
“The next era of business transformation isn’t about connecting more systems—it’s about connecting and actioning intelligence. With our XI Hub and MCP Server, we’re giving partners a secure, real-time way to bring AI directly into the flow of business. That means less time integrating technology and more time creating value for customers. This is another step toward making Xvantage the intelligent operating layer for the global technology ecosystem.” — Sanjib Sahoo, executive vice president and president, Global Platform Group, Ingram Micro
Prophet Security finds SOCs leave 28% of alerts uninvestigated
A survey of 250 IT and cybersecurity professionals found widespread AI evaluation in security operations alongside unresolved alert backlogs and staffing pressure.
Key findings from the report include:
- 96% of organizations are using or evaluating AI for security operations.
- Organizations leave an average of 28% of security alerts uninvestigated and 60% said ignored alerts later became material incidents.
- Among organizations using AI in the SOC, 72% reduced investigation time by at least 25%.
ConnectWise and SentinelOne announce shared strategy to advance managed cybersecurity for MSPs at Black Hat 2026
The companies plan to deepen collaboration between SentinelOne’s AI-driven Singularity Platform, ConnectWise managed security expertise and agentic operational workflows for MSPs.
Key quote from the press release:
“MSPs are being asked to protect more customers, manage greater complexity and respond to threats that move faster than traditional operating models can support. ConnectWise and SentinelOne share a vision for helping MSPs meet that challenge. By aligning our strategies, we can bring forward meaningful capabilities in the right sequence, with clear and practical value for partners at each step. We believe this partnership strengthens ConnectWise’s position as the platform of choice for MSPs delivering Managed EDR services at scale today, and as we jointly create new security service capabilities in the coming quarters.” — Manny Rivelo, CEO, ConnectWise
Commvault brings Google threat intelligence into recovery-point validation
Commvault plans to add Google Threat Intelligence data, inline file hashing and scanning to Threat Scan workflows for faster identification of clean recovery points.
Key quote from the press release:
“Businesses need confidence that the data they’re restoring is clean. By combining Threat Scan and inline scanning with Google Threat Intelligence, we’re helping customers validate recovery points faster and accelerate clean recovery when it matters most.” — Pranay Ahlawat, chief technology and AI officer, Commvault
Barracuda shows how compromised AI-enabled inboxes can accelerate BEC
Barracuda demonstrated how a compromised AI-enabled mailbox could search conversations, identify high-value targets and generate convincing internal phishing messages.
Key findings from the blog post include:
- A compromised AI-enabled inbox can search sensitive conversations rapidly.
- The account can identify likely decision-makers and approval processes from message history.
- The same context can be used to draft internal messages that are harder for recipients to recognize as fraudulent.
More headlines from Barracuda
➡️ Barracuda warns that phishing is moving into calendar invites
Sectigo automates certificate operations as SSL lifespans shrink
Sectigo Orchestration Gateway is generally available to automate certificate discovery, issuance, renewal and deployment across servers, clouds and edge platforms.
Key quote from the press release:
“Shorter certificate lifespans and sprawling, multi-vendor infrastructure have made old approaches to certificate automation harder to scale. With Sectigo Orchestration Gateway, we’re bringing full automation to certificate operations, giving customers one gateway that coordinates certificate workflows across every endpoint on their network. It’s a direct expression of Simplicity at Scale: less infrastructure to run, more certificates under control, faster time to value, and a platform built to keep pace with what’s next.” — Henry Lam, field CTO, Sectigo
Microsoft opens Project Perception public preview
Microsoft says AI is changing the speed, scale and economics of cyberattacks, requiring security systems that can continuously perceive risk, reason over context and act at machine speed.
Key facts from the blog include:
- Microsoft introduced Project Perception, an agentic security system designed to turn signals into real-time protections using AI to defend against AI.
- Project Perception coordinates red team agents to identify paths to compromise, blue team agents to investigate and evaluate meaningful risk, and green team agents to take corrective actions.
- The system is built around a new cyber stack that includes signals and sensors, security context, models, a harness, agents and actuators.
- Microsoft says Project Perception uses a multi-model architecture that combines frontier and specialized cyber models to optimize for quality, reliability, latency and cost.
Cyera launches Agent Guardian to secure the autonomous workforce
Agent Guardian and Cyera Endpoint give enterprises visibility and runtime controls for AI agents operating across endpoints, SaaS platforms, cloud environments and local devices.
Key quote from the press release:
“AI agents have become a new class of enterprise identity. But the fundamental shift isn’t that organizations have more identities; it’s that the gap between permission and execution has disappeared. Agent Guardian and Cyera Endpoint give organizations the visibility and runtime control to govern this new reality, enabling them to accelerate AI adoption without putting sensitive data at risk.” — Tamar Bar-Ilan, cofounder and CTO, Cyera
GTIA advances trusted AI, strengthens self-governance and expands global community
ChannelCon 2026 announcements include new local chapters, SMB AI adoption research, member access to CompTIA’s AI Essentials Library, a responsible IT services consortium and new standards work for managed AI.
Key quote from the press release:
“Even in the era of AI, trust, standards, and community remain the grounding elements of success. The initiatives announced this week will help the industry lead responsibly, create new opportunities for our members, and keep the IT channel at the center of helping businesses adopt and manage emerging technologies with confidence.” — Dan Wensley, CEO, GTIA
Cato Networks launches Agentic Threat Prevention to predict and mitigate AI-assisted attacks
The new capability uses autonomous agents, unified network and security telemetry, and customer-specific threat modeling to anticipate attack paths and personalize protections before AI-assisted threats advance.
Key quote from the press release:
“Yesterday’s security cannot stop today’s AI-powered attacks. Prediction is the new prevention. The only way to stay ahead of AI-powered attacks is to anticipate where they’ll go next and deploy protections before damage is done. It’s high time we level the playing field, and that’s precisely what we’re doing with Cato Agentic Threat Prevention.” — Shlomo Kramer, co-founder and CEO, Cato Networks
Zero Networks applies least-agency controls to AI agents
Zero Networks made Least Agency Enforcement available to restrict AI agent access, require human approval for sensitive actions and contain compromised agents.
Key quote from the press release:
“Least privilege works because it is simple: give people access to what they need, nothing more. We’re doing the same thing for AI agents, except now it must be automatic, because nobody has time to babysit a thousand agents by hand. If an agent gets fooled or misused, it should hit a wall almost immediately, not wander around the network looking for something valuable. That’s the bet we’re making: less freedom for the agent now, which beats explaining a breach later.” — Benny Lakunishok, CEO and co-founder, Zero Networks
Hatz AI launches Hatz Activate to help MSPs bring safe, practical AI to every client
The new rollout command center gives MSPs one place to see, invite and activate SMB clients at scale while guiding safer AI adoption.
Key quote from the press release:
“Everything we build at Hatz starts with our partners. MSPs are the most trusted technology advisors small businesses have, and they’ve been asking for a real way to bring AI to their entire client base, not one account at a time. Hatz Activate is our answer.
It gives MSPs a repeatable way to get every client up and running with AI that is practical and safe, which is exactly what our mission demands: helping the MSPs who make SMB technology work deliver more value to the businesses that count on them.” — Jimmy Hatzell, CEO, Hatz
8×8 launches tiered partner program that rewards direct resellers for customer growth and retention
The new four-tier program rewards direct resellers for new business, customer expansion and retention, with tier-based rebates, dedicated account support and monthly performance dashboards.
Key quote from the press release:
“Most partner programs reward activity – but this one rewards outcomes. As our business – and the wider industry – have evolved, it’s clear that deep customer relationships drive true value, alongside winning new business. This program reflects that shift, with real investment behind it: dedicated channel account managers, outcome-based enablement, co-marketing support, proactive feedback loops through our Centre of Excellence.” — Emily Masterton, global head of channel, 8×8
Netskope unveils Netskope One DataSec Command Center to unify data security across every environment
The new unified control plane helps security teams discover, understand, track and protect sensitive data across AI environments, cloud, networks, on-premises systems, endpoints, email and more.
Key quote from the press release:
“Organizations have invested in more data security tools than ever, yet most teams still cannot answer basic questions such as where did the data go and what is its current state? The problem isn’t a lack of tools — it’s the massive volume of data, the signals it generates, and the lack of coordination between them. Netskope One DataSec Command Center digests all of that data and those signals, correlates and normalizes them, analyzes them, and surfaces human-understandable insights giving security teams the control plane they have been missing: a single place to see what is exposed, understand how it got there, and act on it to prevent and mitigate risks.” — Sanjay Beri, co-founder and CEO, Netskope
NetApp acquires JetStream Software to advance cyber resilience and data protection for the AI era
The acquisition expands NetApp’s recovery and mobility capabilities for VMware environments, helping customers protect workloads, reduce disruption and move to the cloud at their own pace.
Key quote from the press release:
“Data has become the foundation for business growth, AI innovation, and operational continuity. As customers look to unlock greater value from their data while strengthening protection against disruption, bringing JetStream into NetApp expands our ability to help keep their data secure, available, and ready for what comes next. This acquisition further positions NetApp as a leader in enterprise resilience and data protection.” — George Kurian, CEO, NetApp
AvePoint launches Kinetic Classification for dynamic sensitivity so enterprises can scale AI without scaling risk
Kinetic Classification and new Rapid Recovery intelligence give security teams continuous visibility into sensitive data and help prioritize restoration when incidents occur.
Key quote from the press release:
“The next wave of AI governance starts with the data itself. Our 2026 State of AI Report makes clear that organizations aren’t struggling with ambition; they’re struggling with readiness: knowing what data is sensitive, who owns it, how it changes, and whether it should be used by AI in the first place. Kinetic Classification gives enterprises a living foundation for that work, continuously interpreting sensitivity, ownership, lifecycle, and risk so organizations can govern the data their AI is already using.” — John Hodges, chief product officer, AvePoint
ProjectDiscovery makes Neo generally available with pay-as-you-go pricing
The new pricing model opens access to ProjectDiscovery’s AI-powered offensive security platform for teams of any size without annual contracts, minimum commitments or long procurement cycles.
Key quote from the press release:
“ProjectDiscovery has believed since the beginning that the most advanced security capabilities should be available to everyone, not only the best-funded security teams. Attackers already operate with autonomous capabilities at machine speed, and defenders should not have to wait for a budget cycle to get access to the same class of technology.
Outcome-based pricing is where this industry is going, and Pay-as-you-go is designed to balance outcome and cost efficiency for users.” — Rishi Sharma, CEO, ProjectDiscovery
Keepit gears up for growth in the Americas, names Thomas McCrory VP of sales
McCrory will lead Keepit’s Americas sales organization as SaaS adoption, AI growth and operational risk increase demand for protected, recoverable cloud data.
Key quote from the press release:
“The rise of agentic AI is fundamentally changing how organizations think about their data — how they use it and how they protect it. What drew me to Keepit was its unique approach: a purpose-built, vendor-independent cloud with the data sovereignty and immutability that AI deployments require. Keepit already has strong footing in the US market, and my focus is on accelerating that — making sure the organizations investing in AI today understand Keepit’s full offering and why clean, protected, recoverable data is the foundation everything else depends on.” — Thomas McCrory, VP of sales, Americas, Keepit
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.
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