Cognizant has partnered with Uniphore to deliver domain-specific AI solutions designed to help enterprises move from generic AI experimentation to practical, industry-aligned outcomes. The partnership combines Cognizant’s solution development, deployment and client delivery expertise with Uniphore’s Business AI Cloud, which applies automation, analytics and generative AI across customer-facing and operational workflows, unifying enterprise data. The joint approach aims to embed AI directly into business processes rather than deploying standalone tools.
Enterprises have increasingly found that broad, horizontal AI models often fall short without deep domain context. The partnership aims to bring unified solutions to banking, life sciences and capital markets, supporting enterprise AI that prioritizes operational readiness and efficient business outcomes. The Cognizant-Uniphore partnership reflects this shift toward applied AI that is tailored to specific functions and industries. By focusing on domain relevance and execution, the collaboration highlights how agentic AI is evolving into a practical enabler of enterprise productivity, customer experience and operational consistency rather than a purely experimental capability.
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 February 02, 20260 comments
Microsoft reported strong second-quarter fiscal 2026 results, driven by continued demand for cloud and AI services across its portfolio. Revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025, rose 17 percent year over year to $81.3 billion, while operating income increased 21 percent to $38.3 billion. Net income on a GAAP basis climbed 60 percent to $38.5 billion, reflecting both operating performance and gains related to investments, according to the company.
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Figure 1. MS Q2 FY26 Earnings
Microsoft Cloud revenue surpassed $51.5 billion, up 26 percent, with Azure and other cloud services growing 39 percent. Productivity and Business Processes revenue increased 16 percent to $34.1 billion, supported by gains in Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365, while Intelligent Cloud revenue jumped 29 percent to $32.9 billion. More Personal Computing declined slightly by 3 percent as Xbox content and services softened.
The results underscore Microsoft’s positioning as enterprises accelerate AI adoption. Sustained Azure growth and a $625 billion commercial remaining performance obligation signal durable demand. Net income on GAAP basis increased by 60 percent with diluted earnings per share also up 60 percent. For enterprise IT leaders, the quarter highlights how cloud infrastructure and AI platforms are becoming core drivers of both technology investment and vendor financial performance.
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 29, 20260 comments
Technology Management Concepts (TMC) has acquired The TM Group, a Microsoft-focused consulting and managed services firm, in a move aimed at building what the companies describe as the “Microsoft partner of the future.” The acquisition expands TMC’s capabilities across Microsoft cloud, security, data and application services, while deepening its presence in regulated industries and the public sector. The combined organization will offer a broader portfolio spanning advisory, implementation and ongoing managed services. The merge combines The TM Group's deep ERP expertise to expand TMC's bench and capabilities to better support customers across the Microsoft stack.
The transaction reflects continued consolidation among Microsoft partners as customers look for fewer vendors with deeper, end-to-end capabilities. By adding The TM Group’s consulting depth and Microsoft specialization, TMC is positioning itself to support longer-term transformation programs rather than discrete projects. For enterprise IT leaders, the deal highlights how the Microsoft partner ecosystem is evolving toward integrated service providers that can support cloud adoption, security posture, and operational maturity under a single engagement model. TMC intends to remain adaptable but work side-by-side with evolving technologies. This acquisition will accelerate that vision and strengthen governance and delivery across every engagement.
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 29, 20260 comments
M-Files has unveiled a refreshed global partner program aimed at accelerating partner growth and improving customer outcomes as demand for context-first document management continues to rise. The updated program expands incentives, enablement resources and collaboration with M-Files’ field sales teams, reinforcing the company’s partner-first go-to-market strategy. M-Files operates heavily through solution providers, and the enhancements are designed to help partners scale adoption while delivering stronger customer support. Key updates to the partner program include greater revenue potential, exclusive resource enablement, innovation access and stronger collaborations. The new update aims to unlock a new chapter of long-term success and growth for customers.
The program is being led by Mike O’Neill, who joined M-Files in late 2025 as global vice president of channel and alliances. Under his leadership, the framework emphasizes tiered benefits, deeper joint planning with sales teams, and earlier access to product innovations. M-Files says these changes will help partners increase deal velocity, strengthen expertise through training and certifications and differentiate with advanced document management capabilities. Channel-led growth remains a priority across enterprise software, particularly as vendors seek efficient scale and localized expertise. The updated M-Files partner program reflects that trend, positioning partners as a primary engine for expanding adoption and long-term customer success.
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 28, 20260 comments
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