Palo Alto Networks, a major security provider that has deeply integrated its security products with Microsoft Azure, has agreed to acquire CyberArk in a definitive cash-and-stock transaction valued at roughly $25 billion.
The boards of both companies have unanimously approved the agreement, which is expected to close in the second half of Palo Alto's fiscal 2026, pending regulatory and shareholder approvals.
CyberArk's privileged access and identity security platform will be integrated into Palo Alto's Strata and Cortex offerings, enabling AI‑powered identity‑aware protections and just‑in‑time access controls for both human and machine identities.
Increasing enterprise use of agentic AI has amplified the need for robust identity and credential‑management tools. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called the move a "strategic home run," positioning Palo Alto as a full‑stack provider better suited to address AI‑driven threat environments. Palo Alto shares fell by nearly 8 percent on the announcement, underscoring investor caution over the sizable deal, while CyberArk stock saw modest gains followed by a pullback.
This follows Palo Alto's April 2025 acquisition of Protect AI, intended to protect applications and ML models across the AI lifecycle.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 30, 20250 comments
Microsoft has published its 2025 release wave 2 plans for Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Platform and role‑based Copilot offerings, covering hundreds of AI‑centric updates rolling out between October 2025 and March 2026.
Early access begins on Aug. 4, allowing enterprise IT teams to validate features in sandbox environments in advance.
New AI agents will improve experiences across Dynamics 365. For Dynamics 365 Sales, a new Sales Qualification Agent will help automate lead research and customer outreach; Customer Service and Contact Center will gain improved case routing and channel management; Field Service will get a scheduling agent integrated with Microsoft 365; and Finance, HR and Supply Chain will benefit from automation in tasks like reconciliations, employee onboarding and vendor communications.
Meanwhile, Power Platform enhancements include Copilot Studio for building agent teams, enriched Dataverse support, and a unified governance hub for low‑code apps and automations.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 29, 20250 comments
Henson Group and myCloudDoor have officially merged, launching a combined Microsoft solutions provider now named Aliando.
The new firm touts itself as a leading Azure Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) and among the top 1 percent of Microsoft partners globally. In a prepared statement, Chris Danelz, Microsoft's GM of global channel partner solutions, alled the union "a huge win for Microsoft and customers everywhere."
Aliando aims to double its professional and managed service capabilities worldwide, and to enhance service delivery across the Microsoft stack, spanning Azure, Modern Work, Data & AI, Business Applications, Cybersecurity, and niche offerings like SAP on Azure, Azure VMware Solutions, Copilot and Azure OpenAI. Aliando also intends to establish new Cloud Centers of Excellence spanning the Americas, EMEA and APAC.
This merger aligns with accelerating cloud market consolidation amid rising demand for enterprise AI and cybersecurity. Customers are increasingly prioritizing integrated AI‑capable, secure, cloud-native platforms, a niche Aliando aims to fill.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 22, 20250 comments
Kyndryl, in collaboration with Microsoft, launched the Kyndryl Microsoft Acceleration Hub earlier this month, a joint initiative to help enterprises adopt agentic AI systems by leveraging Azure AI Foundry and Copilot.
The hub integrates Kyndryl Consult's domain expertise and Kyndryl Vital's co‑creation framework, delivering tailored AI solutions through physical and virtual innovation centers, including a new AI Innovation Lab in Liverpool.
The initiative is underpinned by a large‑scale workforce certification effort: More than 16,000 Kyndryl employees have acquired over 26,000 Microsoft credentials spanning Azure, data platforms, security and modern workplace technologies.
This launch marks the latest phase in Kyndryl and Microsoft's strategic alliance, which dates back to 2021, following earlier joint efforts like application modernization services and adaptive cloud services.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 22, 20250 comments
Accenture and Microsoft recently announced an expanded partnership around AI‑powered cybersecurity solutions designed to help customers combat increasingly sophisticated attacks.
Their collaboration targets four key areas: modernizing security operation centers (SOCs) via Microsoft Sentinel, Defender and Accenture's Adaptive MxDR; automating data protection and AI security across Microsoft 365 with Purview; streamlining cloud migrations and tool consolidation; and improving identity and access management using Microsoft Entra.
The initiative addresses a finding from Accenture's State of Cyber Resilience 2025 report that 90 percent of organizations are unprepared for AI‑driven cyberattacks, underscoring an industrywide shortfall in readiness for emerging threats. Accenture's survey revealing that 36 percent of firms believe AI outpaces their security.
"The combined power of Accenture and Microsoft will help clients future-proof against potential cyber threats, keep critical data secure and enhance business resilience," said Paolo Dal Cin, global security lead at Accenture. "This expanded relationship signals to the industry that we can be stronger together."
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 16, 20250 comments
Microsoft integration partner Luware on Tuesday announced the opening of its North American headquarters in New York City, marking its first major office in the United States.
Founded in Zurich in 2010, Luware has grown to over 150 employees and serves more than 1,000 organizations globally with its Microsoft Teams‑native contact center and compliance solutions. The new NYC office positions Luware to better support clients and partners in the U.S. market.
This expansion coincides with Luware's expected launch this month of Nimbus Power, built on Microsoft Teams Phone extensibility, which brings AI‑enabled multichannel contact center features.
With the brand-new U.S. headquarters, Luware aims to scale adoption of its cloud‑native solutions and foster tighter collaboration with Microsoft.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 15, 20250 comments
Replit has entered a strategic, non-exclusive partnership with Microsoft, integrating its "vibe coding" platform deep into Azure Container Apps, Azure Virtual Machines and Neon Serverless Postgres, with sales available directly through the Azure Marketplace.
Vibe coding, a term coined earlier this year by OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy, is a byproduct of the AI-assisted, low-code/no-code development movement. The idea is to enable a developer to tell an AI, for instance GitHub Copilot, to build an application to their specification using just natural language -- no coding required.
Announced last week, the partnership aims to help business teams across sales, marketing, design and operations to build and launch production-grade software using plain English, minimizing IT bottlenecks.
Replit counts over 500,000 business customers, including companies like Zillow, that use it for prototyping and internal tool development. Although Replit will continue supporting Google Cloud, this Azure integration marks a major step in scaling AI-driven citizen development within corporate environments.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 14, 20250 comments
Microsoft marketplace partner Pax8's inaugural report about AI's impact on SMBs, introduces the concept of managed intelligence providers (MIPs), an evolution of managed service providers (MSPs), tasked with orchestrating and governing intelligent agents to drive business outcomes.
The report, titled "The Agentic Inflection Point: And the Rise of the Managed Intelligence Provider," highlights a significant shift in SMB operations through the adoption of AI-powered agents. The study identifies four levels of AI agent functionality -- chatbots, assistants, digital labor and digital workforce -- each representing increasing autonomy and business impact. According to the report, 54 percent of midsize organizations have already deployed AI, and 83 percent of "high-growth SMBs" are pilot testing it, indicating a trend toward AI-native businesses.
Pax8 emphasizes the urgency for MSPs to transition into MIPs within the next 24 to 36 months to remain competitive. The report also discusses new monetization models aligned with AI services, such as per-agent, per-action, per-workflow and per-outcome pricing structures.
"The proliferation of these AI agents will allow SMBs to compete against large enterprises and scale faster than ever, and Managed Intelligence Providers will be key to enabling the technology," said Pax8 CEO Scott Chasin, adding, "MSPs that evolve quickly into the MIP model will be poised to experience long-term success in the new paradigm."
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 09, 20250 comments
Microsoft this week launched Azure Accelerate, a unified platform that merges the Azure Migrate and Modernize with Azure Innovate programs.
The new Azure Accelerate aims to streamline cloud and AI adoption by providing enterprises with expert guidance, funding and deployment assistance.
A key component is the Cloud Accelerate Factory, offering free deployment support for over 30 Azure services, delivered jointly with specialized partners. Under the program, Microsoft partners will be tasked with delivering hands-on deployment, migration and optimization services for customers adopting AI and cloud workloads.
Azure Accelerate supports various migration scenarios, including Windows Server, SQL Server, Linux, Oracle and high-performance computing workloads. It also facilitates the development of intelligent applications using Microsoft's AI platform and scalable analytics solutions.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 08, 20250 comments
U.K.-based IT services provider and Microsoft Solutions Partner boxxe has acquired CAE Technology Services Limited, a Cisco Gold Partner with a strong presence in networking and security.
The acquisition, finalized on July 3, aims to enhance boxxe's capabilities in both the private and public sectors, especially in healthcare and education, where CAE has a deep roster of customers. The deal also includes CAE's subsidiary, Novus Networks Limited.
CAE will continue to operate independently before integrating into boxxe within the next year. Phil Doye, who acquired boxxe in 2019, will serve as group CEO. Doye is something of an IT channel magnate, having previously founded solution provider Kelway, which he subsequently sold to VAR giant CDW.
This acquisition follows boxxe's purchase of Total Computer Networks Limited in 2024, reflecting a broader strategy to expand its customer base and service offerings.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 08, 20250 comments
Longtime Microsoft partner Commvault is taking steps to bolster its own channel program.
The data security giant announced a strategic leadership reshuffle on Tuesday, appointing Alan Atkinson as Chief Business Development Officer, and bringing on Michelle Graff as Senior Vice President of Global Partners and Channel. Atkinson, previously Commvault's Chief Partner Officer, will now oversee strategic alliances and business development initiatives. Graff, a veteran in channel leadership, will manage global partner programs and channel strategies.
This leadership change comes as Commvault aims to enhance its partner ecosystem amid a competitive data protection landscape. Atkinson's experience includes roles at Dell Technologies and as CEO of WysDM Software, providing him with a strong background in cloud and data protection. Graff's appointment is expected to bolster partner engagement and drive channel growth.
The restructuring aligns with industry trends where companies are focusing on strengthening partnerships to expand market reach. Commvault's emphasis on strategic alliances and channel development reflects its commitment to adapting to the evolving needs of enterprise IT and developer communities.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 08, 20250 comments
Microsoft CSP Coretek has acquired Detroit-based Total Solutions Inc., enhancing its expertise in AI, data and Microsoft Power Platform.
Announced Monday, the acquisition aims to strengthen Coretek's position in delivering comprehensive Microsoft-centric solutions across various industries. Total Solutions, known for its proficiency in AI and data implementations, will integrate into Coretek, bringing a team experienced in Power Platform and application modernization. The merger is expected to broaden Coretek's service offerings, including enterprise AI frameworks, data architecture, and managed security operations.
Ron Lisch, CEO of Coretek, stated, "As demand for secure AI adoption and intelligent data platforms continues to surge, Coretek is investing in the talent and tools that help organizations turn complexity into clarity."
The integration process has already started, with both companies operating under the Coretek brand. Further details on customer support programs are expected in the coming weeks.
The "RCP Channel Briefing" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of RCPmag.com, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff on July 07, 20250 comments