MSP Technology News Headlines for the week of 1/12/2026
The introduction of Acronis Archival Storage leads this week’s headlines, followed by some interesting data from Workday about assessing the real value of AI. Plus, there are lots of other interesting technology stories from all over the industry. Ready for a quick rundown of this week’s MSP news and partner program updates? Scroll on down!
Introducing Acronis Archival Storage: A Long-term Data Protection Solution
Acronis Archival Storage is a long-term, compliant, and cost-efficient data storage and protection solution. It’s designed for MSPs and their SMB customers to securely retain infrequently accessed data with high durability, integrated billing, and predictable pricing.
Key quote from the press release:
“For many customers, regulations and industry best practices require data to be retained for years. With Acronis Archival Storage, MSPs can now provide their clients with long-term storage built for compliance readiness, cost predictability and ease of use. Native integration with Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud makes using archival storage effortless.” — Gaidar Magdanurov, president, Acronis
Beyond Productivity: Measuring the Real Value of AI
This Workday global study examines how organizations are capturing and often missing the real value of AI. While most employees use AI and save time, much of that time is lost to rework and misalignment. Firms must reinvest AI gains in people to unlock lasting business impact, the findings showed.
Key findings from the report include:
- Most employees (around 85%) saved time using AI tools each week. Yet a significant portion of that time — roughly 37% — was spent on correcting or reworking low-quality AI output.
- Employees spent the equivalent of about 1.5 weeks per year fixing errors or clarifying AI results. This reduced net productivity gains.
- The most successful organizations reinvested AI-related time savings into workforce development, skills training, and role redesign. This was to improve outcomes and reduce rework.
- Leaders cited workforce training as a priority. But many employees facing the highest rework burdens reported inconsistent access to training.
- AI time savings were often absorbed by increased work volume rather than employee development. This underscores the need to measure value through outcomes, not just hours saved.
Digi International Introduces Digi Ventus Managed Connectivity Solutions
Digi International’s Digi Ventus™ Managed Connectivity Solutions is a new managed cellular connectivity offering. It combines enterprise-grade hardware with white-glove services to support solution providers and MSPs. It helps expand their managed services portfolios with recurring revenue, simplified deployment, and expert support.
Key quote from the press release:
“Digi Ventus is designed to help our channel win without the large up-front cost of buying hardware and building network monitoring systems. By enabling an OpEx model to our MSPs and resellers, combined with proven managed connectivity expertise, enterprise-grade hardware, and white-glove support, we give our channel a turnkey way to deliver reliable cellular connectivity while strengthening customer relationships and growing recurring revenue.” — Tony Puopolo, president, Digi managed solutions, Digi International
Commvault Launches Unified Data Vault — Giving Cloud Developers an Easy and Unified Way to Bring Resilience to S3 Data
The cloud-native service extends Commvault’s trusted, air-gapped protection and resilience capabilities to data written using the S3 protocol. It brings S3-based application and AI data under a unified, policy-driven protection framework for enterprise-grade resilience.
Key quote from the press release:
“S3 fundamentally changed how data is stored. Unified Data Vault changes how that data is protected. For the first time, developers and data teams can write directly to a Commvault-managed S3 endpoint and instantly gain encryption, immutability, and policy control — all without agents or added complexity. It’s enterprise-grade cloud protection built for the builder.” — Pranay Ahlawat, chief technology and AI Officer, Commvault
EnGenius Unveils Cloud-managed Wi-Fi 7 Enterprise AP with 24/7 AirGuard Security
The cloud-managed Wi-Fi 7 enterprise access point delivers high-performance wireless connectivity alongside integrated, always-on AirGuard security. This helps organizations detect and mitigate Wi-Fi threats in real time.
Key quote from the press release:
“With over 20 years delivering high-quality networking solutions, we are excited to continue leading the industry by strengthening our industry-acclaimed cloud management system with an integrated high-performance wireless security solution. The ECW536S will be able to identify and prevent Wi-Fi security threats in real time without any performance degradation. We are determined to provide our customers with even stronger security tools to counter the constant, increasingly sophisticated attacks on their networks and sensitive enterprise data.” — Roger Liu, executive vice president, EnGenius Technologies
JumpCloud AI Capabilities Secure Every Identity and Unlock Enterprise Productivity
JumpCloud Inc.’s new AI capabilities will help accelerate AI adoption while ensuring compliance and control across all types of identity — human, non-human, and autonomous agents. The features enable secure, automated AI management and proactive IT enablement.
Key quote from the press release:
“The market has been selling fear of AI, pushing organizations to simply ‘detect and block’ new technologies. We believe that stifles progress. We want you to be productive with it. JumpCloud is the reason our customers can move faster than their competitors. By using our platform, AI becomes an engine driving immediate efficiency across the organization. We are enabling the natural human desire for efficiency — user-led innovation — safely, turning a corporate liability into a source of competitive advantage.” — Joel Rennich, senior vice president of product management, JumpCloud
ACW Announces 2026 Awards Program Honoring Contributions to Advancing Women in Tech Channels
The 2026 ACW Awards Program recognizes individual and corporate contributions to advancing women’s leadership and impact in the technology channel. The winners will be announced at ACWConnect Live! during the Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas on April 13.
Key quote from the press release:
“ACW’s awards program highlights the strength of leadership and impact across the channel community. By recognizing female channel leaders, dedicated ACW members and our sponsor community, we honor the collective efforts that create profound, lasting progress for women in the channel.” — Mel Kolinski, president, Alliance of Channel Women
➡️ Nominations are being accepted online.
CyRC Discovers Critical WLAN Vulnerabilities in ASUS and TP-Link Routers
The vulnerabilities could allow a nearby attacker to disrupt wireless networks by sending a single malformed 802.11 frame, causing network outages, client disconnections and repeated reboots. Patches have been released to address the flaws.
Key findings from the Black Duck Cybersecurity Research Center (CyRC) report include:
- The vulnerability in ASUS routers can make the access point unresponsive to all clients and terminate ongoing connections until manually reset.
- The TP-Link Archer BE400 suffers from a high-severity issue (CVE-2025-14631) where a malformed frame can cause repeated device reboots. This creates a sustained denial-of-service condition.
- Exploitation does not require authentication. It is effective regardless of WPA2 or WPA3 wireless security settings, increasing real-world risk.
- Patches have been provided by Broadcom, ASUS and TP-Link to mitigate the identified vulnerabilities. Users are urged to update firmware promptly.
Cork Cyber Joins the Pax8 Marketplace to Bring Unified Cyber Risk Intelligence and Financial Protection to MSPs Worldwide
Having Cork Cyber in the Pax8 Marketplace will help MSPs strengthen security outcomes for customers. It also will enable new recurring revenue streams and simplify procurement.
Key quote from the press release:
“At Pax8, we make sure the entire ecosystem – including partners, small to midsized businesses (SBMs) and our vendor partners – work well together. Cork is the ideal solution to make sure that our partners get a cyber advantage through cyber risk insights that protect everyone’s bottom line. We are confident that this collaboration and solution will bring increased benefit to Pax8 MSPs.” — Rob Rae, corporate vice president of channel and ecosystems, Pax8
Upgraded Voice Clarity and All-day Performance Define the New Jabra Perform 45 SE
Jabra introduced the Perform 45 SE, a second-generation push-to-talk headset designed for frontline teams. It delivers clearer communication, longer battery life, and improved durability. This will support fast-paced, customer-facing environments, such as retail, healthcare, hospitality, and construction.
Key improvements from the announcement include:
- Upgraded noise-cancelling microphone removes up to 93% of background noise, paired with an enhanced 10 mm speaker for clearer, more intelligible voice communication.
- Extended battery performance delivers up to 11 hours of talk time and longer push-to-talk uptime. It supports full and staggered shifts without midday charging.
- Face2Face mode automatically mutes incoming audio when the microphone boom is raised. This helps associates focus on in-person customer interactions.
- Built-in push-to-talk compatibility works seamlessly with Microsoft Teams Walkie Talkie, Zello, and Zebra Workcloud Sync for instant team communication.
- Bluetooth 5.3 with Low Energy support improves wireless efficiency and future-proofs the headset for LE Audio.
- End-user replaceable, recyclable battery and use of more than one-third recyclable materials support sustainability and extend product life cycle.
Pia Appoints James Allen as Chief Community Officer to Drive Ecosystem-led Growth
Pia, the AI-led help desk automation platform for MSPs, charged Allen with unifying its community strategy and strategic alliances, and accelerating ecosystem-led growth.
Key quote from the press release:
“The creation of this role signals our belief that community and partnerships aren’t just support functions; they’re core growth drivers. By unifying these efforts under one leader, we’re building a scalable growth engine that contributes directly to pipeline, revenue, and brand equity.” — David Schwartz, CEO, Pia
ServiceNow Security Advisory: Critical Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVE-2025-12420)
A security advisory was issued for a critical vulnerability in the ServiceNow AI Platform. ServiceNow has issued updates to mitigate the issue in hosted and self-hosted environments.
Key findings from the report include:
- The ServiceNow AI Platform had a critical privilege escalation vulnerability that could enable an unauthenticated user to impersonate another user and execute operations with the impersonated user’s permissions, potentially at scale.
- ServiceNow deployed security updates to the majority of hosted instances in October 2025 to address the flaw. It has provided updates to self-hosted customers and partners.
- The vulnerability impacted certain Store App components. Patched versions for those apps were released as part of the mitigation strategy.
- The issue carries a high severity with a CVSS 4.0 base score of 9.3 (critical) due to its potential for remote exploitation without authentication. It also has a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Armis Launches New Partner Program, Expanding Its Reach to Help Global Organizations Enhance Cyber Resilience
The cyber exposure management and security company redesigned, partner-first initiative expands global reach for its Armis Centrix cyber exposure management platform. It empowers partners with flexible routes to market, resources, incentives and support to streamline security operations and strengthen defenses.
Key quote from the press release:
“Global enterprises don’t just need tools; they need a unified ecosystem of trusted partners to navigate an increasingly volatile threat landscape. At Armis, our partners are the primary engine of our growth and the cornerstone of our global strategy. By evolving our partner program, we are doubling down on this collaborative foundation to accelerate our reach and deepen our impact.” — Alex Mosher, president and chief revenue officer, Armis
Dell Cyber Resilience Insights: Confidence-capability Gap in Organizational Preparedness
Dell’s Cyber Resilience Insights research explores how organizations around the world approach cyber resilience in an era of evolving threats, multicloud complexity and generative AI. The study revealed a significant gap between confidence in readiness and actual recovery capability. It also highlighted the importance of continuous optimization across secure, detect, and recover practices.
Key findings from the report include:
- Nearly all organizations reported having a cyber resilience strategy in place. However, a majority did not effectively contain and recover in their last test or incident. This demonstrates a critical confidence-capability gap.
- Over 60% of respondents said leadership overestimated their readiness for a major cyber event. This overconfidence may impede necessary investments and planning.
- Strengthening backup protection still was a priority. About half of the respondents acknowledged that backup data is not as secure as it should be. This is a key vulnerability for recovery.
- Organizations with mature cyber resilience strategies — those continuously optimized with predictive analytics, automation and real-time insights — were nearly three times more likely to recover successfully from incidents than less mature peers.
Keepit Strengthens Global Channel Leadership With Consolidated, Partner-first Team
The strengthened global channel organization is anchored by experienced leaders across regions. They seek to accelerate partner-led growth and reinforce the company’s commitment to a partner-first, 100% channel-driven model.
Key quote from the press release:
“At Keepit, being partner-friendly isn’t just a slogan; it’s our culture. All functions across the company empower partners with the tools, knowledge, and support they need to succeed, while building relationships based on trust and generosity, not transactions. Our mission is simple: Make unlimited SaaS data protection accessible everywhere through simplicity, independence, and a culture of partnership.” — Jan Ursi, global vice president of channels, Keepit
GTT Unveils AI-powered Configure-to-Order Capabilities Set to Transform the Channel Partner Sales and Customer Management Experience
The capabilities were designed to simplify and accelerate quoting, ordering, and customer management for channel partners. It leverages automation and intelligence to improve speed, transparency, and efficiency across the sales lifecycle.
Key quote from the press release:
“The GTT EnvisionDX channel partner experience is focused on ease, speed and transparency, eliminating long-standing industry challenges of manual processes, lack of data and delayed quoting. GTT’s valued partners now have access to a secure, dedicated digital gateway that will empower them to efficiently serve and manage shared customers with full visibility and autonomy.” — Sara Seegers, senior vice president, channel sales, Americas, GTT
WatchGuard Open MDR Gives MSPs a Faster Path to Enterprise-grade, High-margin Managed Security Services Across Existing Customer Environments
WatchGuard Open MDR delivers rapid response across both WatchGuard and third-party security environments. It enables MSPs to scale security delivery without forcing tool migrations or added complexity.
Key quote from the press release:
“Open MDR represents the culmination of our MDR vision — to provide a complete, single MDR solution. It allows partners to deliver consistent, high-quality managed security without forcing rip-and-replace decisions or operational complexity.” — Andrew Young, chief product officer, WatchGuard Technologies
Mitel Announces Enhanced Global Partner Program to Drive Shared Success in the Hybrid Communications Era
The program will help partners capitalize on accelerating demand for hybrid communications. This provides a clearer, more streamlined framework focused on long-term customer value, partner profitability, and shared success across SMB, midmarket, and enterprise segments.
Key quote from the press release:
“More than 68% of businesses have used their current communication systems for over seven years, 60% will refresh those solutions within the next three years, and 92% of modernising organizations are choosing hybrid approaches. Mitel’s enhanced Global Partner Program is designed to capitalize on these emerging trends in the market, strengthening the way we succeed together. It is shaped by partner and customer feedback, focusing on long-term customer value, clear program expectations, meaningful rewards, and support that fosters long-term success. This next phase streamlines engagement and reinforces partner profitability.” — Eric Hanson, chief marketing officer, Mitel
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: Acronis, EnGenius, ACW, Jabra, Pia, Dell, GTT
