2025 Microsoft Distributor Partner of the Year CLOUD RESELLER NEWS cloudresellernews.com issue #1
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COMMENT
One of the nice things about launching a magazine is that you get a clean break, a fresh start, a second go at ‘new year, new me’. It’ll be no surprise that my alcohol, ice cream, and Maccies intake still hasn’t changed, just like the topic that dominates our industry. While nerds like myself will argue that Artificial Intelligence has been around for a long time, it is undeniable that it has now broken through public consciousness and is having an impact on businesses around the world. Mass selling of stocks in the last month or so may have calmed, but my feeds are full of articles and videos assessing which stocks are AI-proof, if there is such an opportunity out there. To my mind, investors looking to protect their money may not be the best way to assess or measure the future of a business, but that doesn’t mean the shockwaves aren’t felt. In my own profession, AI has been seen as a reason for layoffs as newsrooms attempt to feed the unquenchable thirst for news, and there is a similar story from friends and family who are hearing about redundancies in their respective industries, whether voluntarily or not. My own feeling is that AI is still a tool not an excuse to cut jobs. Whilst gathering views for our piece on page 20, it became apparent whilst AI is great for handling data, knowing what to do with that data, how the look at it, and what actions to take is still a human endevour. It strikes me that the best was to embrace this change is with employees at the centre. Is there anything else to talk about?
Elliot Mulley-Goodbarne Editor
...My feeds are full of articles and videos assessing which stocks are AI-proof, if there is such an opportunity out there.
In this issue we’ve also looked into Microsoft Cloud and the effect of the changes they made to their partner programme last year on page 30. As Oliver Harvey Jones, Cloud Director UK&I at Arrow ECS said, partners want as much access as possible to Microsoft but it does seem a sensible move to place more emphasis on the relationship with the distributors, rather than insisting on a direct arrangement.
Oliver is our profile for the issue, he’s just over a year into his new job which was a great opportunity to catch up and reflect on the industry. That interview can be found on page 12 where we dive into Oliver’s own experience, Microsoft, and of course, AI! X
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CONTENTS
NEWS Cloud News – p8 INTERVIEW Oliver Harvey-Jones, Arrow ECS p12 AI p20
page 12 After a year in the job, Oliver Harvey-Jones, Cloud Director UK&I at Arrow ECS, sat down with Elliot Mulley-Goodbarne to discuss Arrow strategy, Artificial Intelligence, and distributing enablement.
page 20 With AI seemingly having an impact on every part of our lives now, how are resellers introducing generative or augmented intelligence to the solutions they offer?
SPOTLIGHT OAKA Studio p25 Agent Commander p26 PARTNER PROGRAM Reactions to Microsoft Cloud Partner Program changes p30 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP Data privacy
page 30 Three months on from some big
changes to the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program, how has the channel reacted and what should they do next?
page 38 How can businesses start on the goal to be more sustainable and ethical?
p34 CSR Making a difference p38 PEOPLE Cloud Careers p42
Advertising Sales Martin Jenner-Hall 07824 552 116 martin@ucadvanced.com
Editorial Editor
Publishing Director Justin Penn 07816 573 186 justin@ucadvanced.com
Written permission from the publisher is required before any part of Cloud Reseller News can be reproduced. © 2026 In the Channel Media Ltd. Market Analyst Wickus Bester wickus.bester@ stockinthechannel.com
Elliot Mulley-Goodbarne elliot@ucadvanced.com
Published by: In the Channel Media Ltd Company registration number: 14363401 Registered office address 14-18 Heddon Street, Mayfair, London, United Kingdom, W1B 4DA
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NEWS
AND Digital Signs Strategic Collaboration Agreement with AWS
AND Digital, a leader in AI, data, and digital platform services, announced it has signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The partnership is designed to deliver expanded cloud, data, and AI capabilities to clients across multiple technology-driven industries. Through this new agreement, AND Digital aims to strengthen its ability to support organisations as they modernise legacy systems, accelerate cloud adoption, and build secure digital products directly on AWS. By combining AWS cloud technologies with the AND Digital product-led delivery model, the partnership will help businesses accelerate their digital transformation and gain clearer data insights to scale their growth. Jamie Martin, Cloud Alliances Manager at AND Digital, highlighted that combining the “breadth and depth of the AWS Cloud” with AND’s expertise is a major step in empowering organisations to utilise cloud-native services and modern engineering capabilities to innovate at speed. Ultimately, the collaboration focuses on helping organisations move faster from initial pilot projects to fully realised platforms. By doing so, AND Digital and AWS aim to help businesses modernise with confidence and build resilient digital foundations that unlock greater business value and support long-term growth. X
Jamie Martin
and.digital
Arrow Electronics and OAKA Studio Join Forces to Boost Microsoft Channel Growth
Arrow Electronics has signed an exclusive agreement with OAKA Studio, a consultancy specialising in Microsoft partner advisory, to strengthen support for Microsoft channel partners across the UK. This new collaboration is designed to help resellers and managed service providers (MSPs) accelerate their Microsoft practices by combining the distribution capabilities of Arrow with specialised expertise in go-to-market strategy and alliance management from OAKA Studio. The primary focus of this partnership is to assist channel partners in navigating the evolving Microsoft landscape. By providing targeted advisory and enablement support, the two companies aim to help partners improve their alignment with Microsoft’s priorities and achieve stronger commercial results through better governance and positioning. Oliver Harvey-Jones, Cloud Director UK&I at Arrow ECS, highlighted the value of the collaboration, noting that OAKA Studio brings “deep Microsoft partner expertise” that will help partners capitalise on new opportunities. Lucy Bourne, director at OAKA Studio, added that the agreement allows them to offer “practical, hands-on support” to partners seeking to turn Microsoft opportunities into “measurable outcomes”. X
Lucy Bourne
oaka.studio
CLOUD RESELLER NEWS
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NEWS
TD SYNNEX Launches Dedicated Sophos Software Store for UK Channel Partners
TD SYNNEX has announced the launch of a dedicated Software Store for Sophos, designed to provide UK channel partners with a fast and simple way to manage and renew licenses and subscriptions for the vendor’s security solutions. The self-service platform is available immediately and features a dashboard where partners can view all of their upcoming agreements, generate quotes, and process customer renewals. Additionally, the platform highlights available upgrade options and automatically integrates with the AI tool within the Sophos Partner Centre, feeding generated quotes directly into the Software Store. Simon Bennett, Managing Director of Advanced Solutions for the UK and Ireland at TD SYNNEX, explained that the tool is especially beneficial for mid-market and commercial partners who might not have the resources to manually keep track of upcoming renewals. Registered partners will receive regular notifications about upcoming due dates, ensuring they never miss an opportunity to retain business and support their end-users. X
Simon Bennett
tdsynnex.com
Amazon Commits to $200 Billion Infrastructure Push to Power the AI Boom
Amazon is preparing to commit approximately $200 billion in capital expenditure to significantly expand its cloud infrastructure, a move aimed directly at addressing the skyrocketing demand for artificial intelligence capabilities. According to reporting by the Financial Times, the investment focuses on expanding AWS data centers, securing reliable power supplies, and deploying custom chips to handle heavy AI workloads. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has identified AI as a critical driver of future growth for AWS, noting that enterprise customers are increasingly moving from experimental pilots to daily operations that require immense computing power. Unlike traditional software hosting, modern AI models require specialised hardware and vastly more processing capacity, forcing cloud providers to build infrastructure at an unprecedented pace. Implications for Enterprise This massive capital injection suggests that Amazon expects AI workloads to remain central to digital transformation strategies for years to come. For enterprises, the move underscores the growing importance of infrastructure reliability; as business processes become dependent on AI, uptime and capacity availability are becoming critical operational concerns rather than background technical details. Industry analysts note that Amazon is not alone in this race, with competitors like Microsoft and Google also investing heavily to ensure they can support the speed and scale of AI adoption. X
Andy Jassey
amazon.com
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NEWS
Cognizant and Google Cloud Deepen Ties to Bring “Agentic AI” to Enterprises
Cognizant has announced a major expansion of its strategic partnership with Google Cloud, shifting focus from platform integration to the operationalisation of “agentic AI” at an enterprise scale. The company aims to position itself as an “AI builder,” helping organizations translate high-level AI strategies into deployed, governed systems that drive measurable business outcomes. As part of this initiative, Cognizant is deploying Google Workspace and Gemini Enterprise internally to boost its own productivity and delivery velocity. Building on this internal rollout, the company will introduce a new commercial offering combining these Google tools to help clients streamline workflows, such as collaborative content creation and supplier communications. To ensure consistent delivery, Cognizant is establishing a Gemini Enterprise Center of Excellence and implementing an “Agent Development Lifecycle” (ADLC) to integrate AI directly into the development workflow, from design to production. Kevin Ichhpurani, President of Global Ecosystem and Channels at Google Cloud, stated that the partnership combines advanced technology with industry expertise to help enterprises “deploy enterprise-ready AI solutions that deliver real business impact”. The collaboration will also leverage tools like Cognizant Ignition and Agent Foundry to accelerate prototyping and provide no-code solutions for use cases like intelligent order management. Ultimately, the partnership seeks to offer a practical model for enterprises to adopt agentic AI, emphasising execution and governance over mere platform selection. X
Westcon-Comstor Becomes First European Distributor to Deliver Proofpoint Professional Services
Westcon-Comstor has announced a significant expansion of its partnership with cybersecurity and compliance company Proofpoint, officially becoming the first technology distributor in Europe to deliver Proofpoint professional services. The new initiative is designed to accelerate time-to-value for channel partners and unlock scalable, high-margin service opportunities. By joining Proofpoint’s Certified Deployment Partner (CDP) programme, Westcon will provide channel partners with production-ready deployments of Proofpoint solutions through off-the-shelf packages based on industry best practices. The initial rollout will focus specifically on Proofpoint’s market-leading email security solutions, allowing partners to implement tailored expert security for their customers, with plans to expand across the wider Proofpoint portfolio later this year. Martin Flensburg, Vice President of Services Delivery and Go-To-Market, Europe at Westcon-Comstor, emphasised the value of this expansion, stating that professional services represent a “significant growth frontier for the channel” due to their scalable nature and the high margins they offer. X
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INTERVIEW
Another string to the Bow
After a year in the job, Oliver Harvey-Jones, Cloud Director UK&I at Arrow ECS, sat down with Elliot Mulley-Goodbarne to discuss Arrow strategy, Artificial Intelligence, and distributing enablement.
Arrow’s cloud business is experiencing strong growth, generating $9.35 billion in sales last year. Oliver Harvey-Jones, Cloud Director UK&I, is drawing on his background to align the priorities of vendors, resellers, and Arrow. A key part of this strategy involves shifting from merely distributing products to distributing enablement, actively guiding partners’ AI strategies and utilising its AI-powered platform as a sales enablement tool to help resellers adopt and confidently sell AI solutions to the market.
CLOUD RESELLER NEWS
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INTERVIEW
For the superstitious out there, Friday the 13th can be a struggle. A special day to avoid black cats, walk around ladders, and, presumably, look out for precarious anvils at the top of skyscrapers; I’m sure it’s exhausting. While he claims not to be superstitious, I could forgive Oliver Harvey-Jones, Cloud Director UK&I at Arrow ECS, for cursing his luck when a call with me popped into his Friday afternoon calendar on this particularly perilous day! Although I doubt many people at Arrow are too worried about luck. The distributor recently announced that Global Q4 and FY2025 sales are up over $8 billion and $30 billion respectively. Arrow’s cloud business, operating under its Global Enterprise Computing Solutions (Global ECS) segment, also demonstrated strong performance, generating $9.35 billion in sales in 2025, a 17.8% increase over the previous year. “Sitting down with the leadership for Arrow UK, a little over a year ago now, the conversation was around the importance of the cloud business to Arrow globally, but obviously more specifically in the UK,” said Harvey-Jones. “The leadership team interviewing me wanted me to come in and bring a new perspective. My background is not distribution, which I think was part of the reason that I was brought in, to offer a fresh perspective, a new pair of eyes to look at how we go to market, but also someone who has lived on the other side of the fence.” Before joining Arrow in January, Harvey-Jones headed up the Strategic Accounts team at Trustmarque, following time at SoftwareOne and Cisco. “Me having a background in knowing what vendors want and what resellers, who both sell products and services, want, made the role a good fit.” Balancing Priorities The position of distribution in an ever-increasing digital world has been a question the tech industry has been grappling with since I started reporting on it in 2016. From the traditional box-shifters, Arrow has managed to grow its EMEA ECS business, which encompasses Cloud, to a point where revenues mirror that of the traditional hardware side. Harvey-Jones is using his experience working for vendors and resellers to help shape the Cloud Strategy from Arrow in the UK. As he put it, “in a Venn diagram with three circles – vendor’s priorities, reseller’s priorities, and our own priorities – we find the most success when those three circles overlap. That’s where I’ve been focusing on over the last 13 months.” A broad definition of those priorities is to grow and succeed as a business, but the balancing act has become a challenge with the size of the product market and the speed at which new solutions are coming to market. “That means our channel partners need more guidance, more expertise, more insight, more access to the vendors than ever before,” said Harvey-Jones. “Vendors also have their own priorities and are changing the way they manage and interact with channel partners. They are starting to look to distribution in
Oliver Harvey Jones
arrow.com
“
Vendors also have their own priorities and are changing the way they manage and interact with channel partners. They are starting to look to distribution in terms of that enablement.
continued
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CLOUD RESELLER NEWS
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INTERVIEW
continued
terms of that enablement. “When vendors look at Arrow, they no longer want to see an organisation that distributes products; they want to see an organisation that distributes enablement. The challenge that we have is keeping up with the demand of our channel partners, who, rightly, expect more from distribution than they may have done in the past.” Offering Guidance Artificial Intelligence is one of those areas where partners are looking to Arrow for some guidance. With so much noise around the technology, everyone seems to be at a different stage along the path to AI enlightenment, a theme not lost on Harvey-Jones. “If we ask our channel partners to be truly honest with themselves about whether they have an AI strategy fully mapped out, I think you’d be surprised at how few of them would be able to say yes. “In fact, towards the back end of 2025, we had 400 channel partners in a room, and we asked that same question. Twenty or 30 people stuck their hands up and said they were confident that they had an AI strategy fully mapped out.” But while we may be tempted to put every business into yay-or-nay boxes, Harvey-Jones said, “if we went into real nuance, there’s probably more than two camps, and you could probably split some of those camps into further subsections. “Some partners use it, some see the value in it, some are using it for prompting and as a digital assistant, then there are people who are starting to embrace agentic AI. “Ultimately, there are going to be different levels of adoption, different levels of maturity around AI strategy, and I think it is absolutely the place for companies like Arrow to help guide that strategy, and guide that direction moving forward.”
“
If we ask our channel partners to be truly honest with themselves about whether they have an AI strategy fully mapped out, I think you’d be surprised at how few of them would be able to say yes.
Trusting the Processor Although distributors like Arrow should be on hand to guide that AI strategy, resellers need to trust that that guidance is right for them. “There needs to be trust,” said Harvey-Jones, “not just that you’ll do the job, but trust that they’re helping you to head towards your own strategic direction and your own imperative. “Ultimately we are a people business, so we will go and talk about AI, but what it comes down to at Arrow is we are people first and we build trust through thought leadership, through the support that we give, around sales, marketing, technical resource, the services that we
continued
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CLOUD RESELLER NEWS
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INTERVIEW
continued
can offer, our expertise on our platform, and how we act as a conduit into the vendors.” On top of building relationships, Arrow has also demonstrated its expertise through its portal, ArrowSphere, which not only utilises AI to give users a convenient way to see and manage their business but also helps with day-to- day tasks. Sale EnAIblement “This isn’t just putting AI in the ArrowShere because we’re jumping on the bandwagon,” said Harvey-Jones. “This is actually turning what has traditionally been viewed as a platform or an operational tool into a genuine sales enabler. “From an operational standpoint, you can open the ArrowSphere assistant and ask it to bring you the information that exists within your platform using human language. That’s good. It’s useful. It can save some clicks, “But where it gets
“
So there are fantastic applications for the AI that we’ve built into ArrowSphere... ...We were first to market with that, we know we are market leading, and Microsoft agree.
exciting is when it’s a sales enablement tool. You can ask it to help you write responses to proposals, create
marketing assets, bring up details of renewals, look at
propensity data, help you craft emails and outreach programmes to customers about their renewals that are
upcoming and the upsell opportunity that exists.” “So there are fantastic applications for the AI that we’ve built into ArrowSphere. We were first to market with that, we know we are market leading, and Microsoft agree. “Nicole Dezen (Chief Partner Officer and CVP, Global Channel Partner Sales, Microsoft) has publicly spoken about ArrowSphere, not just about the capability, but enabling our channel partners to be ‘customer zero’ by utilising AI in their daily life. “What we know for a fact is that when an organisation has already adopted AI themselves, they are far better equipped to go and sell and position AI into the market as well. That’s what we’re doing with ArrowSphere.” X
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AI
Generating the Right Approach
With AI seemingly having an impact on every part of our lives now, how are resellers introducing generative or augmented intelligence to the solutions they offer?
AI adoption has shifted from experimentation to practical, strategic application. Businesses now focus on clear returns, security, and cross-functional integration across departments like sales and customer service. To succeed, channel partners must act as “customer zero,” adopting AI internally to build credibility before advising clients.
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AI
It’s a topic that needs no introduction. Whether it be new capabilities, its impact on the stock market, or one of the tech giants buying a new start- up, artificial intelligence has been dominating headlines in every sector for years now. With Nvidia announcing a financial year in which they made $200 billion in revenue, and the rest of the ‘Big Tech’ companies committing to $660 billion of investment in AI, we might be able to land on 2026 being “the year of AI.” While these numbers are, frankly, ridiculous, they represent a fact that AI is real and something that businesses need to pay attention to. “The AI conversation has clearly moved from experimentation to practical application,” said Oliver Harvey-Jones, Cloud Director UK&I at Arrow ECS. “Businesses are no longer asking whether AI is relevant and are focused on how to apply it in a structured and responsible way.” But with so much noise around the subject, how businesses apply AI is a conversation that needs to be had. Yet with the current commentary, you’d be forgiven for assuming businesses had either already adopted AI or were scared of it. “How AI is often portrayed is either it is fantastic, it’s going to solve world hunger, and it’s extremely powerful, or it doesn’t work, or it’s extremely dangerous,” said Peter van der Putten, Director of the AI lab at Pega. “The truth is more in the middle.” “There are particular pockets where you see a lot of adoption, and there are particular companies that go a bit faster and others that take a more step-by- step approach. “Businesses are still excited about AI, but they’re a lot more grounded about it than they were a year ago,” said Eduardo Mota, Senior Cloud AI Architect. “GenAI isn’t a shiny new toy for businesses anymore. “There’s definitely still a strong appetite to adopt it, but businesses have a different focus now. A lot of the interest is in practical use cases, notably in back-office functions, and running smaller, lower-cost models that are easier to manage and more likely to show a clear return. “Overall, the mood is still positive, albeit more disciplined. Businesses see the potential, but they know it takes the right data, the guardrails and pace to make it worthwhile.” While the mood is positive, Mota added that businesses are also aware of the cost implications of building the right solution for them, rather than adopting a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. As Harvey-Jones points out, organisations are now looking for bespoke solutions, ticking off questions around security, compliance and adaptability before diving into an AI solution. “What we are seeing is that organisations gaining the most traction are approaching AI strategically rather than tactically. “Generative AI, particularly through tools such as Copilot, is beginning to reshape how employees interact with data, automate workflows and improve
Oliver Harvey Jones
arrow.com
“
How AI is often portrayed is either it is fantastic, it’s going to solve world hunger, and it’s extremely powerful, or it doesn’t work, or it’s extremely dangerous...
continued
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AI continued
productivity. However, successful adoption extends beyond technology. It involves governance, security and, importantly, change management.”
The Exciting Stuff While every investor who’s just dumped their holding of Monday.com or Workday is talking of what AI will be able to do in the future, many businesses will be asking, ‘What can it do now?’ Those who have been in the tech industry for some time, like van der Putten, will argue that ‘AI’ has “been around for 20 or 30 years now”, but the difference is how we are interacting with it. “Traditionally, AI was applied a lot in data interactions or process-heavy use cases. If you have a lot of data, you can use AI, but there also needs to be a need for it. If you have lots of customer interactions, for example, these are repeatable processes where you need to make smart decisions, it makes sense to plug in AI.” “AI innovation is cross-functional,” added Harvey-Jones. “Rather than being confined to IT, it is becoming embedded across sales, marketing, finance, operations and leadership teams. “Through tools such as Copilot, sales teams can accelerate proposal development and end- customer follow-up, marketing teams can streamline content creation and campaign analysis, and finance teams can enhance forecasting and reporting accuracy. “The impact is not simply speed; it is also consistency, insight, and improved decision-making. From an operational perspective, platforms supported by AI capabilities enable channel partners to analyse data more efficiently, surface insights and respond more quickly to end-customer needs. The efficiencies delivered are measurable, such as reduced administrative overhead, faster time to insight, and improved end-customer engagement. “Importantly, the greatest success comes when AI adoption is practical and role-specific. When teams understand how AI supports their day-to-day responsibilities, value naturally increases.” EG of AI The contact centre is a great example of where day-to-day responsibilities have been supported by artificial intelligence. Since the introduction of AI, call times are shorter, interactions are better, and agents can provide a personalised experience, leading to higher overall satisfaction. Those in charge of the customer experience may want to summarise what’s been discussed in a particular call. According to van der Putten, “in some more advanced use cases, Agentic AI can be used to provide a lot of the customer service experience on autopilot” with the call centre backing up the AI.
Peter van der Putten
pega.com
Eduardo Mota
doit.com
CLOUD RESELLER NEWS
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AI
“The customer service rep is coached through the interaction with these intelligent agents through a customer desktop so the agent is almost on autopilot. They can just guide the process more, as opposed to having to drive it. “If that does a good job, then businesses can also use it in self-service, where the analytical AI comes back into play to predict customer service issues before they happen.” Serving Customer Zero While the contact centre is already experiencing some of the advantages that AI can bring, for the reseller, the common thread of advice is to use AI within your own organisation before trying to sell it to the customers. “The channel partners who are making the most progress are those acting as ‘customer zero’ – adopting AI internally, understanding its impact firsthand, and then using that experience to guide end- customers,” said Harvey-Jones. “That internal adoption builds credibility and enables more informed, outcome-focused conversations. “Resellers can demonstrate leadership by embedding AI into their own operational processes before positioning it externally. When channel partners use AI internally, they move beyond theoretical discussion to practical experience.” “Some of the major opportunities for cloud resellers are both internal, for example, within their own sales department and operations, as well as external, with AI-led value propositions they bring to their clients” added Van der Putten. “Internally, for instance, in our own company, we have our own internal sales automation applications that we sell to our customers. Lead scoring, finding opportunities, planning meetings, figuring out what to focus on, and how to move deals to the next stage. Our sales automation applications internally and externally are heavily AI-led because you don’t have the luxury of a handful of salespeople who are stars and the rest are not performing.” Van der Putten finished by adding that resellers need to avoid falling into the trap of becoming an AI consultancy if they want a repeatable business. “Externally, resellers should think about what they can add on top of their value proposition. If we use the hyperscalers as a commodity but add some applications, vendors, services that are just one layer above in this AI application layer, as opposed to underlying foundation models or underlying AI services. “I think that’s an opportunity for resellers to think about what they can offer more in that application layer. Take the services of the companies that are doing Agentic AI or provide an AI governance layer, or a responsible AI layer on top of it. “Intelligence sounds useful, but if you can’t put it into a process, it’s going to be pretty useless. So use vendors that have strong process or workflow capabilities that you can plug the AI into.” X
“
Resellers can
demonstrate leadership by embedding AI into their own operational processes before positioning it externally. When channel partners use AI internally, they move beyond
theoretical discussion to practical experience.
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SPOTLIGHT
OAKA Studio
What is the OAKA solution? Oaka Studio provides advisory, enablement, and execution support. Their primary offering is the Partner Accelerate Framework, a structured consulting approach that helps businesses assess their maturity and develop strategies across three core pillars: Practice Enablement, Microsoft Alliance, and Sales & Go-To-Market. Through strategy, education, and execution, they help businesses build and scale Microsoft Partner Practices, Independent Software Vendor (ISV) solutions, and managed service offerings.
Which industries does OAKA serve? Oaka Studio operate entirely within the technology channel, serving businesses exclusively within the Microsoft partner ecosystem. This ranges from established partner practices to emerging ISVs and Managed Service Providers seeking to accelerate their growth, increase profitability, and clarify their strategic alignment within the Microsoft ecosystem. Which platforms does it integrate with? Oaka Studio strategic expertise is strictly aligned with Microsoft platforms, highlighting specialised experience in Microsoft Business Applications, Power Platform, and Customer Engagement (CE). They also help partners transition from other platforms, such as guiding
an automation partner to pivot their operations from the Google and UiPath ecosystems over to Microsoft. The ultimate objective is to help their clients build stronger, more profitable alliances with Microsoft as their primary vendor partner. Where can we find out more? Resellers can learn how Oaka’s frameworks apply to their specific business by participating in a Blueprint Workshop, where Oaka assesses the partner’s maturity and helps create a tailored roadmap for growth. Their website also lists “Oaka Events” as a resource for partners and Oaka encourages partners to connect with them on LinkedIn to stay up to date with the latest Microsoft Partner news and ecosystem shifts. X
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SPOTLIGHT
What is Agent Commander? Agent Commander is a unified platform designed to detect, protect, and undo AI risks to data. It is the first integrated offering following Veeam’s acquisition of Securiti AI, combining Securiti’s Data Command Centre with Veeam’s data resilience capabilities. The platform provides organisations with total visibility, control, and protection over their entire data and AI estate, allowing them to safely scale AI initiatives without the risks of data leakage, compliance violations, or AI-induced disruptions. How does Agent Commander work? Agent Commander operates across three main pillars to manage AI environments: n Detect AI Risks: Powered by the Data Command Graph™, it automatically discovers AI agents, models, and connected data assets across environments. It maps agent entitlements and data access to identify risky intersections of overpermissioned agents and sensitive data, giving organisations holistic risk intelligence. n Protect AI Systems: The platform applies controls at two levels. At the data layer, it enforces context-aware data labelling, sensitive data sanitisation, and least-privilege controls to ensure data is safe for AI use. At the AI layer, it provides runtime guardrails, such as prompt and retrieval inspection, and enforces context-aware policies to stop malicious intents or sensitive data leakage. n Undo AI Mistakes (Precision Resilience): If an AI agent makes a destructive error (like overwriting or deleting production datasets), Agent Commander Agent Commander
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tracks the exact file-level changes. Integrated with Veeam’s backup systems, it enables automated, precise file-level restorations from trusted backups, eliminating the need for slow and disruptive full-system rollbacks. What does this mean for partners? For Veeam partners with Value-Added Resellers, Agent Commander solves a growing problem in the enterprise market that standalone point solutions fail to address. Resellers may be interested because the platform drives high-impact business use cases, including: n Eliminating Shadow AI, which has already caused breaches in 20% of organisations. n Securing SaaS AI Agents (like Microsoft Copilot and Amazon Q) and custom public cloud agents by fixing foundational data control issues. n Driving Broad AI Compliance, helping organisations automate adherence to emerging mandates like the EU AI Act. Where can we find out more? Veeam partners can access partner-specific resources through the ProPartner Portal. Additionally, anyone interested in learning more about the platform can watch the Veeam webinar on the topic, request early access to the platform or speak to the team directly. X Meet Veeam at RSAC 2026 At RSAC 2026 in San Francisco, Veeam is focusing heavily on data and AI risk, offering a mix of educational sessions, live demonstrations, and exclusive networking events for security, IT, and data leaders. Core Themes and Sessions include AI Security Blueprint, where the focus will be on providing frameworks to detect shadow AI, protect sensitive data, and secure autonomous AI systems. Featured Breakout Sessions and Live Demos On Monday, March 23, Veeam will host a session titled “Getting Ahead of AI Deluge: Securing AI Agents in the Enterprise,” which addresses the unique risks introduced by autonomous AI and offers strategies for building AI resilience. Attendees can also visit Booth S-427 to see live workflows of the Data Command Center rather than just slide presentations. Finally, Veeam is hosting an invite-only watch party for the RSAC keynote “infoAI: Our Collective Opportunity” on Monday afternoon, focusing on turning AI hype into repeatable services.
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PARTNER PROGRAM
Dealing with Change Three months on from some big changes to the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program, how has the channel reacted and what should they do next?.
Microsoft consolidated its partner program, pushing resellers toward Cloud Solution Providers and raising the direct-bill threshold. While larger Managed Service Providers welcome these changes, smaller partners find the new financial requirements daunting. Despite initial frustrations, industry leaders view this shift as a strategic opportunity. Offloading operational tasks to CSPs allows resellers to mature, differentiate, and specialise in high-demand areas like AI and security, ultimately fostering more sustainable growth and service-led engagement.
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On October 28th 2008, in the Los Angeles Convention Centre, Ray Ozzie, the then Chief Software Architect at Microsoft, announced a new offering at the web tier of computing: Windows Azure. Described as “Windows in the cloud”, Azure was Microsoft’s first step into the cloud game, “providing core capabilities, such as virtualised computation, scalable storage, and most importantly, an automated service management system”. Officially launched in 2010, Azure has grown into a business that generated over $75 billion in revenue for Microsoft last year, accounting for nearly half (45%) of total Microsoft Cloud revenues. We’ll skip the history of cloud computing and move on to the present day, well, November last year, when new changes to the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program came into effect. “The move to consolidate Microsoft’s six solution areas into three – AI Business Solutions, Cloud & AI Platforms, and Security – has been a breath of fresh air for us in the field,” said Infinity Group CEO, Rob Young. “It reflects the way customers are actually buying and consuming cloud services, and partners like us appreciate that clarity.” Along with consolidating its go-to-market strategy, Microsoft has also consolidated its partner program, pushing all but the largest resellers away from Enterprise Agreements toward Cloud Solution Providers. “Where I’ve seen the biggest reaction is around incentives and eligibility,” continued Young. “Microsoft lowering the bar for earning incentives by allowing partners to qualify with 25 capability points instead of full designations has been genuinely helpful, especially for fast‑growing practices that are strong in delivery but still building out formal certifications. “That said, the raised direct‑bill threshold has been a wake‑up call for smaller MSPs and regional consultancies across the UK. It’s reshaping the landscape, but most leaders I speak to recognise Microsoft’s intent: strengthening the ecosystem’s maturity, security and customer confidence through tighter standards and operational assessments.” “In general, larger, more established MSPs have received these changes more positively,” added Christian Nagele, CSO at inforcer. “As they tend to have more internal resources, higher budgets, and more customers, it is easier for them to meet the new revenue targets put in place and achieve Solution Designations. This allows them to maintain their status and remain eligible for their monthly incentives, while continuing to focus on growing their business. They are also able to be put in a customer referral program, listing them as an available partner for any business looking to find an MSP in their region or country. “Smaller MSPs that are just starting are typically more frustrated by the new requirements. Direct-bill partners must now demonstrate $1,000,000 in total Microsoft spend over 12 months. For established MSPs, this might seem achievable, but it can be daunting for those still building their customer base and service offerings. These MSPs will still be able to sign up for the Cloud Solutions Provider Program, but will face mounting pressure to hit this number
Rob Young
infinitygroup.co.uk
“
Microsoft lowering the bar for earning incentives by allowing partners to qualify with 25 capability points instead of full designations has been genuinely helpful...
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within the designated period. For many, this will become a significant barrier to entry, which may exclude them from entering the Program altogether.”
Nobody Likes Change These changes may be tough to swallow from the perspective of an MSP. Adding another link in the chain can be seen as a negative, but being pretty much forced to do it can be seen as rubbing salt in the wounds. But the other side of this coin, as Neagle points out, is an opportunity to take advantage of the flexible costs depending on what the MSP wants to prioritise. “Working with a CSP can offer customers reduced licensing costs and access to Microsoft licensing expertise. CSPs support user-based, consumption-based, and device-based licensing options, allowing businesses to be flexible and scale usage up or down depending on how their needs change. “CSPs can also help customers automate license management to ensure seats are aligned with actual headcount, helping to optimise costs.”
Christian Nagele
inforcer.com
Young would go further, adding “the shift to an indirect CSP relationship has become a strategic decision rather than a forced downgrade. “With Microsoft introducing stricter authorisation requirements, including operational capability assessments and higher revenue thresholds, a significant number of UK partners no longer meet the bar. “The opportunity with a CSP is clear: UK indirect providers offer a robust operational backbone that handles compliance, security scoring, billing, provisioning and support frameworks. This frees partners to focus entirely on service delivery and customer success: the areas where they can really differentiate.”
Standing Out That point of differentiation is where resellers need to focus, according to Daniele Selvi, Head of Microsoft Strategy for France, Italy and Spain at Sharp DX, who described the changes as “a great moment for resellers to rethink their long-term identity. “Instead of focusing only on transactional resale, this is a chance to evaluate where we are the real value, whether that is specialisation managed services, AI adoption or industry-specific expertise. “Basically, the CSP model is actually pushing everyone to mature, differentiate and build repetitive services. This period is an opportunity for resellers to modernise their offering and maybe reposition for more sustainable growth rather than a more volume-based dependency.” The idea that these changes are an opportunity for resellers to look at the way they go to market was echoed by Oliver Harvey-Jones, Cloud Director UK&I at Arrow ECS, who said, “The current market environment presents an
Daniele Selvi
sharp.co.uk
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opportunity for channel partners to reassess strategic focus. “With the volume of new technologies entering the market, attempting to address every opportunity can dilute impact. A key consideration is clarity of positioning, understanding where the organisation can differentiate and what it aims to be recognised for. “That may involve strengthening renewal processes, building AI capability, expanding migration services or forming peer-to-peer relationships to extend capability.” Nagele echoes Harvey-Jones’ sentiment, saying that “the new CSP Program is set up to encourage a ‘grow your business’ model. “Outside of specialising, resellers who are just getting started should focus on their growth plan. Find ways to connect with your community to extend your reach. Not everyone has an IT team or is using an MSP; some might have just purchased Microsoft out of the box. By talking to these business owners and showing them the real risk of not having proper security in place, you could earn their business and give yourself a jump start on getting your Microsoft business established.” Growing Up Fast Overall, the consensus is that these changes are giving resellers the opportunity to mature and work on specialised services they can offer. “The changes to Microsoft’s CSP programme have accelerated commercial maturity,” said Harvey-Jones. “Channel partners are now more intentional about lifecycle management, forecasting accuracy and service-led engagement. “Given the pace of innovation across Microsoft’s portfolio, the most successful are those channel partners that define their focus clearly – understanding what they want to be famous for in the market – and align their investments accordingly. The shift has fostered more structured, sustainable business models and deeper end-customer relationships.” “From my perspective, FY26 is a moment for UK resellers to decide what kind of partner they want to be in an AI‑driven market,” added Young. “Microsoft’s emphasis on AI Business Solutions, Cloud & AI Platforms and Security isn’t theoretical. It’s where the UK customer demand is already heading. “In our own business, we’re using this period to double down on specialisation: Copilot adoption, Azure modernisation and security-lid transformation. We’re also focusing on using Microsoft technologies to better equip us to guide our clients. The refreshed FY26 funded engagements, which now require demonstrable customer outcomes, reinforce this direction and reward deep expertise.” X
Oliver Harvey Jones
arrow.com
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With the volume of new technologies entering the market, attempting to address every opportunity can dilute impact
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