Christopher Hutton

Washington, D.C., United States

Technology Reporter at Channel Futures

Journalist. 32. Pro DM. Autistic. Diet Coke Addict. I write about the TTRPG industry and the creative people behind it.

Articles

IT Providers Divided Over Economic Tariff Impact

1 week ago | channelfutures.com | Christopher Hutton

More than seven in 10 IT solution providers (ITSPs) claim that the Trump administration's tariffs impact their bottom line, though there's no consensus as to whether those effects are positive or negative. Seventy-eight percent of ITSPs said that they were affected by the tariffs in May, according to the Global Technology Industry Association's Channel Economic Tracker for May 2025. The Tracker surveyed 300 ITSP leaders about how they see the economy and what it means for their business.
Vista Making Acumatica Acquisition in ERP Market Move

1 week ago | channelfutures.com | Christopher Hutton

EQT Group is selling Acumatica, the enterprise resource planning (ERP) and business management-focused company, to another private-equity firm, Vista Equity Partners, which will add Acumatica to its portfolio of cloud and software companies. The Acumatica acquisition is worth roughly $2 billion, according to Bloomberg. In its news release, Vista didn't put a firm price tag on the purchase.
Pax8 Adds DSPM Provider Netwrix to Marketplace

1 week ago | channelfutures.com | Christopher Hutton

Cloud marketplace Pax8 is adding data and identity threat-focused DSPM provider Netwrix to its marketplace, so the company's network of nearly 40,000 MSPs can provide Netwrix solutions to their customers. Netwrix's data security posture management solution, also known as Netwrix 1Secure DSPM for MSPs, is now available on the Pax8 Marketplace.
68% of Customer Service Handled by Agentic AI

1 week ago | channelfutures.com | Christopher Hutton

More than two-thirds (68%) of all customer service and support interactions with tech vendors will be handled by agentic AI, according to new research commissioned by Cisco.
Salesforce Optimizes AI via $8 Billion Informatica Deal

1 week ago | channelfutures.com | Christopher Hutton

Salesforce is acquiring data management provider Informatica for $8 billion, enhancing the CRM vendor's data foundation for building agentic AI. The tech giant entered into an agreement to acquire Informatica on Tuesday, the biggest acquisition for the company since buying Slack in 2021.
Week's Top Channel Stories

2 weeks ago | channelfutures.com | Christopher Hutton

Dell Technologies World, the Cox-Charter $34.5 billion deal and our latest "CF20 list" sit atop Channel Futures as the biggest stories of the week. Channel Futures' editorial team has selected the top channel-impacting stories from the past seven days. These include stories affecting MSPs, cybersecurity companies, cable providers and more. Here's a recap of the week's top channel stories, in no particular order.
Calero Hires Microsoft, Nextiva Vet Eric Martorano

2 weeks ago | channelfutures.com | Christopher Hutton

Calero has appointed channel veteran Eric Martorano as its chief revenue officer and president. He will oversee the company's go-to-market strategy and revenue growth opportunities. Martorano brings more than 20 years of executive leadership in sales, marketing and client success to the position. He previously was chief revenue officer at Simplilearn, an online training provider, as its CRO, where he helped to grow the company's global commercial business.
Netrio Expands Into New York with Agio Acquisition

2 weeks ago | channelfutures.com | Christopher Hutton

Netrio is expanding through the acquisition of New York-based IT and cybersecurity provider Agio. This adds a new region for Netrio and expands the company's reach to more financial services customers. The deal will allow Netrio, a fellow MSP, to sell AgioNow, Agio's proprietary, generative AI-powered IT delivery platform that offers gen AI enrichment, transparency into service provider activities, and extensive resources.
Pax8 Adds Guardz Cybersecurity Solutions to Marketplace

2 weeks ago | channelfutures.com | Christopher Hutton

MSP-focused cybersecurity company Guardz's portfolio of products is now available on the Pax8 marketplace, giving more channel partners access and simplifying deployment. The addition of Guardz to the Pax8 marketplace gives MSPs another avenue from which to deploy the company's cybersecurity platform and MDR services for SMBs. Getting on the marketplace should also simplify procurement, billing and provisioning for Guardz partners.
Kaseya Faces 'Crossroads' Amid Search for New CEO

2 weeks ago | channelfutures.com | Christopher Hutton

Kaseya is at an inflection point. It needs to continue to evolve its technology and challenge its rivals while operating without a figurehead atop its organization. Kaseya CEO Fred Voccola stepped down in January from his role at the IT management software provider, retaining a position as vice chairman of the board. It left the company without a chief executive for the first time in 10 years. While Kaseya is seeking a replacement, it's unclear how long that process will take.