MSP technology news headlines for the week of Nov. 2, 2026
Huntress is expanding its managed security platform with new identity threat blocking and ransomware disruption capabilities, while Auvik is bringing more automation and vulnerability monitoring to network management. Meanwhile, Guardz is teaming up with Palo Alto Networks to strengthen browser security for MSP customers, and new research from TD SYNNEX, Barracuda and DNSFilter highlights the growing gap between AI investment and revenue, rising customer expectations and the security risks of shadow AI.
If you’re ready for more of this week’s MSP news and partner program updates, scroll on down!
Huntress adds identity threat blocking and ransomware disruption to managed platform
Huntress announced managed identity threat blocking, expanded retrospective detection, automated defense drills and remote ransomware attack disruption.
Key quote from the press release:
“Defending against threats moving at machine speed requires knowing the adversary better than anyone else and anticipating their next move by continuously learning from every attack and leveraging our scale and elite security researchers to turn that intelligence into stronger protection. These innovations demonstrate how we’re bringing together unrivaled human expertise, AI, and real-world threat intelligence to protect businesses at the speed adversaries operate.” — Prakash Ramamurthy, chief product officer, Huntress
Auvik launches network automation framework and CVE monitoring agent
Auvik released an automation framework for network-device workflows and a CVE Monitoring Agent that matches managed devices against vulnerability intelligence.
Key quote from the press release:
“Autonomous IT isn’t something off in the distance. It’s something we have built pervasively into the platform. Our mission has always been to simplify the day in the life of IT teams so that they can spend less time on routine work. This points toward a future where networks can optimize and heal themselves, freeing IT teams to focus on the challenges that matter most.” — Doug Murray, CEO, Auvik
Guardz brings Palo Alto Networks browser protection to MSP-managed SMB security
Guardz integrated Palo Alto Networks Prisma Browser for Business into its MSP platform to correlate browser, identity, email and endpoint signals for small-business customers.
Key quote from the press release:
“Identity is the new center of gravity in cybersecurity, and the browser has become the primary gateway to the modern workspace. Traditional security tools operate in silos, leaving critical gaps in visibility and response. Together with Palo Alto Networks, we’re advancing a new era of identity-centric security operations, connecting signals across identity, browser, email, endpoint, and data into a unified security fabric that is powered by agents. Guardz enables MSPs to autonomously investigate, correlate, and respond to threats across the entire workspace, while giving small businesses the freedom to embrace AI securely and thrive. This is the future of cybersecurity: identity-centric, unified data fabric, and built for autonomous defense at scale.” — Dor Eisner, CEO and co-founder, Guardz
Hatz launches collaborative AI workspaces for MSPs and customers
Hatz introduced shared AI workspaces that let MSPs and customers collaborate with common context, files and tools while maintaining customer boundaries.
Key quote from the press release:
“Our MSP partners are at the center of everything we build, and Spaces is no exception. Spaces meets people where and how they already work, enabling teams to work together in one place, which unlocks a new level of productivity for the businesses our partners serve. We are proud to equip our partners with the functionality to lead that change, drive adoption across their clients and work side by side with them, all inside the Hatz platform. We look forward to helping our partners get the most out of these new capabilities as they become a seamless part of everyday AI use.” — Jimmy Hatzell, CEO, Hatz AI
Barracuda finds MSP customers want business-level cyber guidance as AI concerns rise
Barracuda surveyed 2,000 IT and security decision-makers about outsourced security use, AI concerns and the business guidance they expect from MSPs.
Key findings from the report include:
- 66% of respondents already outsource security to an MSP and another 29% are considering or evaluating it.
- 40% say an MSP’s ability to explain risks and incidents in plain business language affects provider selection.
- 59% of MSP prospects worry about AI-powered threats while only 29% say they could secure a compromised account and restore operations within hours.
TD SYNNEX finds channel AI investment outpaces revenue
TD SYNNEX surveyed more than 1,500 channel partners across 45 countries about AI investment, revenue, margins and competitive positioning.
Key findings from the report include:
- 66% of partners are accelerating AI investment but only 21% report meaningful AI revenue, a 45-point gap.
- 77% report growth and 67% report improved margins while 44% identify pricing and margin pressure as the leading scaling challenge.
- 45% say relationships and trust are the leading reason they win competitive AI deals compared with 32% who cite technical capabilities or certifications.
Lyra plans 50 AI engineers across MSP portfolio by the end of 2027
Lyra launched a program to embed more than 50 forward-deployed engineers in its MSPs by the end of 2027 to build managed AI practices for SMB customers.
Key quote from the press release:
“The hardest part of AI isn’t the technology. It’s the last mile. Someone has to sit with the business, understand how orders actually come in or how invoices actually get approved, and build something that holds up in production. Our MSPs have been doing that for decades. We’re giving them the engineers to do it with AI.” — Dakota Ferguson, CEO, Lyra Technology Group
DNSFilter finds one in five organizations hit by shadow AI incidents
DNSFilter combined a 400-person North American survey with network telemetry to measure shadow AI use, governance gaps and security incidents.
Key findings from the report include:
- 40.3% say their next security dollar will go to AI governance while 43% learn about employee AI access only after the fact or never.
- 46.1% report that an employee connected an unapproved AI tool and 20.1% report a resulting security incident.
- DNS telemetry recorded 3.4 billion generative AI requests from more than 43,000 North American organizations in August 2026.
Cynet adds shadow AI visibility and identity protection to attack-path platform
Cynet added beta capabilities for AI-tool discovery and identity-risk analysis to its multi-tenant attack-path management platform.
Key quote from the press release:
“Organizations are adopting AI faster than many security teams can gain visibility into its use, while compromised identities remain a persistent threat. Shadow AI tools and compromised identities aren’t isolated problems. They’re steps in an attack path. Cynet now brings AI visibility into the same platform that already sees endpoints, identities, networks, email, SaaS and cloud, helping security teams and partners understand how risks connect and where to act.” — Jason Magee, CEO, Cynet
Sophos updates firewall portfolio and adds standalone NDR for MSPs
Sophos released Firewall v23 and new XGS appliances while announcing standalone network detection and response and expanded MSP management APIs.
Key quote from the press release:
“AI is raising the stakes for the network. Organizations need to support more encrypted traffic, applications, and automated activity while defending against attacks that can move faster and exploit gaps at greater scale. Customers should not have to choose between enabling innovation and strengthening protection. This launch helps organizations keep pace with growing network demands while turning network visibility and intelligence into faster, coordinated defense through Sophos Fusion.” — Daniel Cole, senior vice president of product management, Sophos
Platform9 launches U.S. partner program offering margins up to 30%
Platform9 launched a U.S. channel program with no tiers, margins of up to 30% and partner-led migration, implementation and managed-services opportunities.
Key quote from the press release:
“Partners shouldn’t have to navigate complicated tiers or opaque rules to build a profitable business with a technology vendor. We’re taking a fundamentally different approach: we’re giving partners a clear economic model that helps them create new revenue opportunities as interest in private cloud accelerates.” — Rich Phillips, vice president of sales, Platform9
HP names Emma Walmsley CEO, effective Jan. 4
HP appointed former GSK chief executive Emma Walmsley as CEO effective Jan. 4, 2027, with interim CEO Bruce Broussard set to become board chair.
Key quote from the press release:
“HP is an iconic company with a defining role in shaping the future of work on a global scale. I’m excited to join the team and, together, move forward with clarity and conviction. We will focus on harnessing the power of the AI era and putting HP’s creativity and innovation to work to unlock new sources of growth and deliver lasting value for our customers, shareholders, partners and people.” — Emma Walmsley, incoming CEO, HP Inc.
Nutanix expands Elevate Partner Program with new incentives, services opportunities and AI tools
The FY27 program adds systems integrators, new referral incentives, verified services opportunities and planned AI-powered partner tools designed to help partners grow across the customer lifecycle.
Key quote from the press release:
“Enterprise customers are looking for ways to modernize their IT environments without the cost and disruption of replacing existing infrastructure. The enhancements to the Nutanix Elevate Partner Program give Edge Solutions greater flexibility to help customers accelerate hybrid cloud adoption and make the most of their existing technology investments. Together with Nutanix, Edge Solutions can help customers use the Nutanix Cloud Platform to simplify operations, prepare for enterprise AI, and gain greater choice in how and where they run their workloads.” — Jay Waggoner, president, Edge Solutions
Keeper brings zero-trust privileged access management to air-gapped and critical infrastructure environments
Self-Managed Keeper gives government agencies, critical infrastructure operators and highly regulated organizations a self-hosted option for credential, secrets and privileged session management without external cloud dependencies.
Key quote from the press release:
“For organizations operating in disconnected or highly restricted environments, dependence on external cloud connectivity can create unacceptable operational risks. Self-Managed Keeper brings enterprise-grade privileged access management to these environments while enabling organizations to maintain complete control over their security infrastructure.” — Craig Lurey, CTO and co-founder, Keeper Security
Matt Whitlock is ChannelPro’s tech editor, bringing more than 25 years of technology industry experience and a practical perspective on the tools and trends shaping the IT channel. A seasoned editor, podcast host and event moderator, he covers hardware, cybersecurity and emerging technologies with a focus on what they mean for IT service providers. Through product reviews, analysis and industry conversations, he helps MSPs and MSSPs separate useful innovation from marketing hype, with a little humor along the way.
Images: Guardz; Barracuda; TDSYNNEX; DNSFilter; Nutanix
