Cross Channel: Government Tech Plans, A Changing Channel And Fortinet’s MSSP Programme

Welcome to Cross Channel, a weekly round up of the most pertinent stories from our sister site ChannelBiz, where you can find out all the latest developments, views and strategies from the world of the channel.

Channel Welcomes Government’s UK Tech Plans

Key channel firms have reacted positively to the Government’s plans to offer more than four million free digital skills training opportunities to millions of people, charities and businesses by 2020.

As part of its UK Digital Strategy, the government says it will create five international technology hubs in emerging markets to provide British business with a “global competitive edge”.

“This new digital strategy demonstrates the government’s recognition that new technologies must be embraced if the public sector is to stay relevant in a tough political and economic landscape,” said Guy Beaudin, public sector business development director at Insight UK.

Read the full story

Fortinet Launches New Programme for MSSPs

Fortinet has launched a new programme for MSSPs (Managed Security Service Providers). The vendor says it will offer tools, expertise, training and support to help its partners develop and expand their managed security service offerings.

“Facing an increasingly hostile threat landscape, businesses of all sizes are struggling to ensure the security of their sensitive data and technology investments. These challenges are driving many organisations to seek out security service providers that have the technical expertise and advanced security offerings that can meet their unique business requirements,” said Stephan Tallent, senior director, managed security service providers at Fortinet.

“Fortinet’s new MSSP Programme reinforces our ongoing investments and continued dedication to the success of our MSSP partners and the security of their customers.”

Read the full story

Channel undergoing drastic shift in face of change

The channel is in a state of flux, according to new research. Most channel partners (71 percent) surveyed by analyst firm Canalys believe they are in a state of transformation, with nearly half (45 percent) admitting to rapidly revamping their businesses to take account of industry change.

The research, commissioned by Citrix, shows industry buzzword digital transformation is high on the agenda, with most partners acknowledging that their firms are going through a period of transition.

Despite all this uncertainty, 88 percent expect their 2017 revenues to grow compared with last year, with 84 percent forecasting profit growth in the same period as well

Read the full story