AI & Automation

  • a woman stands on a keynote stage being introduced
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from Channel Partners Conference & Expo on May 15, 2026
    Image attribution tooltip

    Partners pick up on mixed customer signals amid Microsoft’s E7 push

    As $99 per user annually, the AI-infused 365 bundle may be too pricey for immediate mass adoption.

    By • May 15, 2026
  • A smartphone-sized black device with the words AI agent inscribed in blue, red and pink.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    AI sparks platform consolidation push

    Organizations have clamped down on app sprawl to corral data for agent-to-agent workflows, according to the Futurum Group.

    By • May 15, 2026
  • Akamai Technologies headquarters building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, pictured on Nov. 11, 2023.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    AI inference is a channel opportunity hiding inside an infrastructure problem

    Latency, egress and sovereignty issues are pushing workloads into distributed architectures, according to Akamai. Partners can guide the shift.

    By Kelly Teal, Channel Dive contributor • May 15, 2026
  • Visitors crowd the Microsoft exhibition stand at the 2026 Hannover Messe industrial trade fair on April 20, 2026 in Hanover, Germany. This
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sean Gallup / Staff via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Microsoft runs afoul of UK regulators again

    The Competition and Markets Authority opened an antitrust investigation into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem on Thursday.

    By • May 14, 2026
  • a man sitting on a white chair gesticulating
    Image attribution tooltip
    Dia Dipasupil via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cisco slashes 4,000 jobs as AI revenues soar

    The tech giant will reduce its workforce by nearly 5% despite record growth in its hardware segments.

    By • May 14, 2026
  • SAP logo is seen on an office building in Walldorf, Germany, on June 1, 2025.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Daniela Baumann via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    SAP creates single platform for building, deploying AI

    The release of SAP Business AI Platform and SAP Autonomous Suite follows a series of acquisitions by the ERP giant to bolster its data foundation. 

    By Makenzie Holland • May 13, 2026
  • A large building with the Google Cloud company sign is pictured.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Google Cloud is hiring an army of AI deployment engineers

    The hyperscaler has job postings for 59 roles related to moving customers beyond experimentation, as deployment muscle becomes a front in the battle for AI talent.

    By • May 13, 2026
  • Three businesspeople are sitting in armchairs and discussing artificial intelligence during a summit, with a large screen displaying AI data in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Opinion

    How platform consolidation eases AI adoption

    Organizations simply don’t have the governance and compliance support needed to scale use cases.

    By Scott Sacket • May 13, 2026
  • A lobby in a building with a desk and the company logo for SonicWall on the wall.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by SonicWall
    Image attribution tooltip

    SonicWall doubles down on MSP strategy with firewall platform upgrade

    The launch parallels Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint and other vendors streamlining managed security services offerings.

    By • May 13, 2026
  • A man sits in front of a computer laptop with an AI chatbot icon on its screen.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Enterprise AI execution gaps open a path for partners

    Despite growing confidence in AI capabilities, most companies still can’t deliver returns on their investments, according to ERP vendor Infor.

    By Kelly Teal, Channel Dive contributor • May 12, 2026
  • Google Cloud's multicolored cloud logo is pictured in the hallway of a conference center.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sean Gallup / Staff via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Google Cloud calls on TAs to sell contact center. Salesforce, are you watching?

    The hyperscaler gave Ujet unfettered access to its CCaaS platform to distribute to Avant’s technology advisor community.

    By • May 12, 2026
  • Three men sit at a boardroom table
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Joel Abramson
    Image attribution tooltip

    VC firm bets $28M that MSP software is the market’s missing middle

    Top Down Ventures closed its first fund above target. Now it’s making a case for the software layer supporting MSPs.

    By • May 11, 2026
  • two workers look at a screen
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Tech job postings hit 3-year high

    Tech unemployment dropped to 3.5% in April. Meanwhile, companies such as Cloudflare and Coinbase announced AI-related layoffs.

    By Makenzie Holland • May 11, 2026
  • Open AI CEO Sam Altman speaks during Snowflake Summit 2025 at Moscone Center on June 02, 2025 in San Francisco, California
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    OpenAI spins up standalone consulting business

    The model builder acquired applied AI engineering firm Tomoro to help staff the $4 billion venture.

    By • May 11, 2026
  • Agent with headsets work in a contact center
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    As AI proliferates, contact centers pursue workforce redesign over mass layoffs

    Nearly 9 in 10 service and support leaders are having representatives take on new responsibilities and tasks, Gartner found.

    By Kristen Doerer • May 8, 2026
  • The corporate logo for tech company AvePoint is picture above the Nasdaq logo on a building sign in New York City.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by AvePoint
    Image attribution tooltip

    AvePoint salutes partners for record software revenue gains

    The channel now accounts for roughly half of the data management platform’s recurring business, executives said during a Thursday earnings call.

    By • May 8, 2026
  • A large building with the corporate logo for the managed service provider netrio visible.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Netrio
    Image attribution tooltip

    Netrio rolls out midmarket AI advisory unit with Accenture vet at the helm

    “To us, AI consulting feels like table stakes because if we don’t address it, somebody else will,” the MSP’s CEO Mark Clayman said.

    By • Updated May 8, 2026
  • A series of icons depicting AI apps
    Image attribution tooltip
    alexsl via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    High-value use cases lag behind enterprise AI hype

    Just 16% of companies say the tools are delivering significant, measurable impact as governance lags, according to Appian data.

    By Scarlett Evans • May 6, 2026
  • Signage at the headquarters of SAP, Germany's largest software company on January 8, 2013 in Walldorf, Germany
    Image attribution tooltip
    Thomas Lohnes via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    SAP buys Dremio, Prior Labs for AI data push

    The ERP vendor is on a spending spree as it builds out infrastructure capabilities for enterprise AI initiatives.

    By Makenzie Holland • May 5, 2026
  • A person holds a smartphone with a secure padlock icon and a cyber security app on the screen.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    MSPs need AI to fight AI-fueled cyberthreats: Guardz

    Entry points haven’t changed but the speed and scale of attacks have intensified, the security vendor found.

    By Kelly Teal, Channel Dive contributor • May 4, 2026
  • The Intel logo is displayed on a sign in front of the company headquarters on July 16, 2025 in Santa Clara, California.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Intel banks on a CPU resurgence as AI workloads shift

    Intel has seen demand for Xeon servers outplace supply and its business mix shift toward AI during the first three months of the year.

    By • May 1, 2026
  • Business process and workflow automation with flowchart, businessman in background
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    The MSPs set for rapid growth have stopped counting tickets

    Break-fix built the MSP industry, but it won’t sustain it. A new generation of providers is finding out what comes next.

    By Craig Galbraith, Channel Dive contributor • May 1, 2026
  • A 3D render illustrating stacks of $100 bills against a green background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cloud’s Big 3 spent more than a billion a day on AI last quarter

    Amazon, Microsoft and Google together threw $110 billion at data center chips and hardware to stay ahead of projected computing demands.

    By • April 30, 2026
  • An office building in Plano, Texas with a sign emblazoned with the Cognizant company logo is pictured against a blue sky.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cognizant buys Astreya to bolster its AI builder strategy

    The 25-year-old managed services provider deepens Cognizant’s bench of infrastructure talent amid unprecedented levels of data center investment.

    By • April 29, 2026
  • A banner with the corporate logo for tech vendor Tines hangs on a building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Tines
    Image attribution tooltip

    Tines expands North American channel with automation platform

    The vendor added 75 partners and grew its ecosystem by 25% in the last year.

    By Christine Horton, Channel Dive contributor • Updated April 30, 2026