Cisco has introduced the Cisco 360 Partner Program, a revamped channel framework designed to align partner incentives and capabilities with customer needs in the AI era. The new program moves beyond traditional resale metrics to focus on customer outcomes across the full technology lifecycle, including adoption, expansion and ongoing services. The changes are intended to help partners capture more recurring revenue while supporting customers as they modernize networks, security and infrastructure for AI-driven workloads.
The program introduces simplified roles, clearer specializations and updated incentives tied to customer success rather than transactional volume alone. Included in the offerings are the Cisco Partner Incentives (CPI), Partner Value Indexes (PVI), distributor development fund and an enhanced Cisco AI assistant. Cisco also emphasized closer collaboration with partners in shaping the program, reflecting feedback that legacy partner models were not well-suited to software-driven and AI-centric environments.
The update comes as enterprise vendors reassess channel strategies to keep pace with AI adoption and consumption-based IT models. For Cisco partners, the Cisco 360 Partner Program signals a shift toward deeper engagement across design, delivery and optimization, positioning the channel as a central player in helping customers operationalize AI at scale.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 26, 20260 comments
Cognizant has partnered with Typeface to help enterprises modernize marketing operations through agentic AI orchestration, combining Cognizant’s consulting and delivery capabilities with Typeface’s marketing expertise. The partnership is focused on enabling marketing teams to coordinate multiple AI agents across the campaign lifecycle, from ideation and content generation to personalization, deployment and performance optimization. The approach is intended to help enterprises move beyond isolated AI tools toward orchestrated systems that operate within established brand, data and governance frameworks. The partnership will offer solutions that integrate with existing enterprise systems, such as CRM, CMS, and CDP platforms, and aims to help organizations move away from fragmented workflows toward a marketing operating model built for the AI era.
The announcement reflects growing pressure on large organizations to scale personalized marketing while maintaining consistency and compliance. By pairing agentic AI with enterprise consulting and integration services, Cognizant and Typeface are targeting that gap. For CMOs and IT leaders, the partnership highlights how agentic AI is increasingly positioned as a coordination layer that connects creativity, data and execution across complex marketing environments.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 26, 20260 comments
ConnectWise has announced its acquisition of zofiQ, a company focused on AI-powered automation, in a move designed to strengthen ConnectWise’s platform for managed service providers and IT solution firms. The acquisition is expected to bring zofiQ’s agentic AI technology into the ConnectWise PSA workflows, enabling more autonomous handling of routine IT operations, service workflows and decision support. The addition of zofiQ has already helped MSPs achieve up to a 30 percent margin improvement with skill redirection towards higher-value work. The goal is to help partners reduce manual effort while scaling services without adding headcount.
The announcement reflects growing interest in agentic AI across the MSP market, where providers face rising customer expectations alongside persistent talent shortages. While many tools offer task-level automation, zofiQ’s approach focuses on AI agents that can reason, act, and adapt within defined guardrails. For ConnectWise partners, the acquisition signals a push toward more proactive and autonomous service delivery, aligning with broader industry trends that position AI as an operational layer rather than a standalone feature.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 20, 20260 comments
ServiceNow is working with OpenAI to deepen the use of their frontier intelligence, such as GPT-5.2, across enterprises, aiming to help turn AI insights into concrete actions within everyday workflows. The collaboration brings OpenAI models into ServiceNow’s AI Platform to support established enterprises such as Walmart, Accenture, Target and PayPal, among others, in adopting AI systems seamlessly without the need for human intervention. This ensures enterprises can leverage AI assistance, AI-powered summarization and content generation, admin tools and intelligence search that offers all the right information across enterprise systems when needed. The focus is on delivering AI that is context-aware, governed and embedded directly into operational processes rather than isolated chat experiences.
The announcement reflects a broader shift in enterprise AI adoption toward systems that not only generate content but also trigger and manage actions. The ServiceNow–OpenAI collaboration underscores how generative AI is increasingly being positioned as an execution layer—one that helps enterprises automate work, improve productivity and scale AI responsibly across the organization. This collaboration sets the stage for building a more natural, seamless multimodal experience where AI agents can be used.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 20, 20260 comments
WatchGuard has introduced Open MDR, a managed detection and response platform aimed at helping managed service providers deliver enterprise-grade security services more quickly and profitably. The offering is designed to operate across existing customer environments, integrating with third-party security tools without forced disruptive changes. WatchGuard's approach allows MSPs to consolidate threat detection, investigation and response while preserving customers’ prior security investments.
The launch reflects growing demand from SMBs for advanced security capabilities amid rising attack volumes and limited in-house expertise. WatchGuard positions Open MDR as a way to streamline operations through unified workflows, automation and vendor-agnostic integration. Key advantages of Open MDR includes a straightforward control-based approach that uses AI for real responses and offers enterprise power for every MSP. This affords clients 24/7 visibility, expert monitoring, rapid coordination and no forced migrations. Coverage across WatchGuard Firebox, AuthPoint and EPDR along with support tools from Microsoft, Google, AWS and other third-party firewalls, is another major plus to deliver enterprise-grade protection with clarity and confidence.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 15, 20260 comments
Delinea and StrongDM have announced plans to unite, positioning the combined organization to address emerging identity security challenges tied to agentic AI and increasingly automated infrastructure. The combination will bring together Delinea’s privileged access management (PAM) capabilities with StrongDM’s approach to just-in-time (JIT) runtime authorization capabilities for cloud infrastructure, databases and applications. The goal is to give enterprises more consistent visibility and control over both human users and non-human identities, including AI agents, specifically for continuous, always-on environments.
The announcement comes as organizations grapple with how to secure autonomous systems that act on behalf of users or applications. The collaboration features a platform that offers secure, frictionless developer access, reduced exposure, real-time governance over Agentic AI and stronger compliance with simplified operations. By combining their platforms, Delinea and StrongDM aim to offer a more unified approach to identity security that spans infrastructure, applications and automated agents. For security teams, the move highlights how identity is becoming a central control plane as AI systems gain greater autonomy. The deal is expected to close in Q1 2026 pending regulatory review.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 15, 20260 comments
Keepit announced that it has strengthened its global channel organization, consolidating leadership and regional execution as it doubles down on a fully partner-led go-to-market strategy. The hyperscaler-independent SaaS data protection provider operates exclusively through partners, including value-added resellers, managed service providers and strategic alliances. The updated structure is designed to make engagement simpler and more consistent worldwide and aims to grow together with partners.
The global channel team is led by Jan Ursi, global vice president of channels, with regional leadership across Southern Europe and DACH, Northern Europe and the Americas. The model combines centralized strategy around enablement, messaging and partner economics with regional flexibility to address local market needs. Keepit plans to expand partner recruitment, certifications and joint marketing in 2026, with the aim of helping partners grow towards profitability with durable SaaS data protection practices.
Channel-first strategies have gained momentum as SaaS vendors look to scale efficiently while meeting regional compliance and service expectations. Keepit’s consolidated approach positions the channel as a scalable model focused on collaboration, growth, and a partner-centric approach.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 15, 20260 comments
Microsoft has published new guidance on how organizations can migrate from Oracle databases to Azure SQL with zero or near-zero downtime, in a recent partnership with Striim. The partnership offers real-time migration that features an Unlimited Database Migration Program to migrate as many databases as needed. Program features boast zero-downtime, zero-data-loss migrations across SQL servers, Oracle, MySQL, Azure SQL, among others and support for mission-critical workloads across systems. Using Striim limits the impact on production systems allowing data to move continuously via log-based CDC.
The guidance arrives as many enterprises reassess long-term database strategies amid rising infrastructure and licensing costs. Steps on how to prepare for migration are detailed. Microsoft’s focus on Azure SQL emphasizes managed services and reduced administrative overhead. For IT leaders planning Oracle exits, zero-downtime migration patterns are increasingly essential to balancing modernization goals with business continuity requirements.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 14, 20260 comments
Microsoft has announced a new “Community First” approach to building AI and cloud infrastructure, outlining principles intended to guide how data centers and AI facilities are planned, constructed and operated around the world. The initiative focuses on early community engagement, environmental responsibility and shared economic benefits as Microsoft scales infrastructure to support growing demand for AI services. The company's framework is designed to ensure local communities are partners in expansion rather than passive recipients of large-scale technology projects. Five key commitments were outlined in the community-first approach, including a promise towards electricity bills staying the same within communities, employment creation, minimal water usage, adding to the tax base to improve local services and strengthening the community with an investment in AI training and nonprofit initiatives.
The announcement comes as hyperscalers face increasing scrutiny over the social and environmental impact of data center growth. Microsoft’s Community First approach highlights commitments around workforce development, local investment, and sustainability measures alongside technical buildout. For policymakers and enterprise customers alike, the move signals a broader shift in how major technology providers frame AI infrastructure—not just as a capacity challenge, but as a long-term community and governance issue tied to responsible AI adoption.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 13, 20260 comments
Archive Intel has added Microsoft Dynamics 365 as an integration partner, enabling automatic contact syncs from the Microsoft ecosystem to create compliant text-message archiving, which eliminates manual whitelisting. The integration is designed to identify and preserve communications with trusted contacts, reducing the risk that critical messages are misclassified, filtered or lost during archiving, compliance or legal review processes. The aim of the integration is to reduce operational burden and create reliable, efficient and compliant strategy that is intelligent and automated through trusted partners.
As organizations rely more heavily on Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 for customer engagement and operations, managing communication data has become more complex. Archive Intel’s focus on integration with Dynamics 365 targets users who want tighter alignment between CRM data and compliance workflows. Users with administrator-level access can activate a secure integration to an Archive Intel account. For enterprises operating in regulated environments, the update highlights the growing importance of context-aware data governance within the Microsoft ecosystem.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 12, 20260 comments
Microsoft has unveiled new agentic AI capabilities designed to bring intelligent automation to every major retail function, from merchandising and inventory management to customer service and store operations. The capabilities are built on Microsoft’s existing cloud and AI stack, enabling retailers to deploy autonomous agents that can monitor conditions, take action and coordinate workflows with limited human intervention. The launch includes Copilot Checkout, simplifying sales conversion rates, and Brand Agents, which is a personalized shopping agent template that gives AI-powered shopping guidance that suits brand needs. Along with this, a catalog enrichment agent is also going to be released that can assist retailers with turning product details into meaningful insights for a higher turnover. Microsoft's goal is to help retailers respond faster to demand shifts, reduce operational friction and improve customer experiences across digital and physical channels.
The announcement reflects mounting pressure on retailers to modernize operations amid rising costs and volatile demand. Microsoft’s emphasis on agentic systems highlights a shift from assistive tools to autonomous execution. For IT and retail operations leaders, the move underscores how AI is increasingly being positioned as a system of action—capable of managing end-to-end processes rather than simply generating insights.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 12, 20260 comments
Snowflake has announced its intent to acquire Observe, a provider of AI-powered observability tooling, in a move designed to expand Snowflake’s reach into monitoring and troubleshooting complex data and application environments. The acquisition will enable enterprises to accelerate troubleshooting with Observe's AI Site Reliability Engineer, leveraging logs, metrics and tracing to detect and resolve issues faster. Additionally, the acquisition offers full telemetry data retention to reduce observability costs and improve visibility across data estates. Snowflake intends to combine capabilities to help enterprises reduce tool sprawl while improving visibility across distributed, cloud-native systems.
Observability has become a priority as organizations adopt microservices, real-time data pipelines and AI-driven applications. Snowflake’s approach signals a shift toward converging operational telemetry and analytics data in a single platform. For data and platform teams, embedding observability inside Snowflake could simplify root-cause analysis and support more proactive system management as data estates continue to grow. The acquisition is set to close upon receipt of regulatory approvals.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI. To submit your channel company's press release for consideration, contact Ammaarah Mohamed.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on January 09, 20260 comments