“Segmentation is powerful, but complexity is the enemy of reliability. That’s why resilience has to be part of the zero-trust conversation.” — Mitch Densley, Principal Solutions Architect, Opengear

Mitch Densley, Principal Solutions Architect at Opengear, joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, to explore why Zero Trust cannot stand alone—and how organizations can achieve true resilience with Smart Out-of-Band™ management.

With deep expertise in cybersecurity and network architecture, Densley is known for turning complex security concepts into practical strategies. He frequently speaks on securing AI and GenAI environments, highlighting the unique demands of today’s computing landscape.

Defining Zero Trust

Densley framed Zero Trust as the “evolution of defense in depth”—breaking flat networks into smaller, segmented zones to limit the blast radius of breaches or misconfigurations. “It’s like shrinking a room full of tinder into smaller compartments with fireproof doors,” he explained. But he emphasized that segmentation alone increases complexity, which can compromise reliability and availability.

Why Zero Trust is Only Half the Solution

“When critical segments fail, access to shared services like authentication may be lost, effectively bringing everything down,” Densley said. Zero Trust reduces exposure, but without resilience, organizations remain vulnerable to outages caused by malware, insider threats, or human error.

Opengear’s Smart Out-of-Band Approach

Opengear closes this gap with Smart Out-of-Band™ (Smart OOB), a secure management plane independent of the production network. Combined with cellular failover, Smart OOB ensures:

“Instead of putting people in cars or planes, you remote in through Opengear and put hands on the keyboard instantly,” Densley said.

Real-World Impact

Densley recounted a global cybersecurity incident where Opengear customers were able to isolate compromised systems, collect forensic data, and redeploy devices remotely. For those without out-of-band access, outages stretched into days or weeks. “Getting breached happens. Rarely will you be blamed for that alone,” he noted. “It’s how quickly and effectively you respond that separates the prepared from the unprepared.”

Enabling SD-WAN Rollouts

Opengear also simplifies SD-WAN deployments. Without out-of-band visibility, teams are left “crossing their fingers” during cutovers. With Smart OOB, engineers can make small configuration changes remotely, turning multi-day rollout challenges into minutes-long adjustments.

The Bottom Line

Zero Trust remains a vital pillar of security, but on its own it does not guarantee resilience. By pairing segmentation with Smart Out-of-Band management, organizations can contain threats while ensuring they can respond quickly and effectively to any outage or breach.

Learn more about Opengear’s approach at opengear.com.

“Voice is back—and with AI, network APIs, and VCons, we’re moving from channels to intelligent engagement.” — Kevin Nethercott & Rob Kurver, CPaaS Acceleration Alliance

Kevin Nethercott and Rob Kurver of the CPaaS Acceleration Alliance (CPaaSAA) joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, to preview their Member Summit in Amsterdam, September 22–24 and to chart where programmable communications is headed next.

Born from messaging (SMS/A2P), CPaaS now spans voice, video, UCaaS/CCaaS integrations, and carrier network APIs. With AI and the emerging VCon standard (an IETF effort to containerize conversational data across voice, chat, email, and web), CPaaSAA frames the industry’s North Star as “intelligent engagement”—outcomes-focused solutions that unify channels, data, and automation.

Alliance momentum & event focus

Why this matters now

Takeaways for enterprises and partners

For membership and summit details, visit cpaasaa.com

“XSponse is a full ecosystem built on a network-based system using PoE and BLE technology,” says Blake Albertsen, VP of Sales at XSponse, in an interview with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, during ScanSource Partner First.

Albertsen highlighted XSponse’s integrated security and communications platform, which combines wearable technology, wall-mounted devices, and advanced detection capabilities. The ecosystem is designed for deployment in schools, hospitals, corrections, hospitality, and casinos, offering both large-scale and small-footprint solutions.

One key feature is XSponse’s wearable badge technology, which provides immediate safety alerts. With a triple-button press, the badge triggers LED and vibration feedback, sends alerts through the network, and can even dispatch 911 calls to on-site security officers. The devices also support full audio intercom functions and include built-in cameras with electromagnetic shutters for privacy.

XSponse extends beyond personal safety with unique environmental monitoring capabilities, including a vape detector that integrates into HVAC systems to identify vaping and other anomalies such as methane, carbon monoxide, and various toxins.

Albertsen emphasized that the system is designed to integrate directly into existing security infrastructures, giving organizations a robust, scalable platform to enhance safety, communication, and real-time incident response.

For more information, visit xsponse.com.

“At the core of my leadership style is people first,” says Casey Huffling, Senior Vice President of Specialty Technologies at ScanSource, in a conversation with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, during ScanSource Partner First.

Huffling oversees supplier and partner relationships in barcoding (AIDC), mobility, point of sale, and payments. He emphasized how ScanSource’s strategy extends beyond equipment sales to integrated solutions and services that deliver ongoing revenue opportunities.

A highlight at the conference was ScanSource’s new partner portal, launched to provide a single pane of glass for managing business with ScanSource. The portal enables partners to:

This streamlined digital experience allows ScanSource sales teams to engage partners at a higher level, helping them capture more opportunities while improving ease of doing business.

Huffling also pointed to the convergence of collaboration, connectivity, and telecommunications, highlighting the Advantix acquisition and its telecom expense management (TEM) capabilities. AI is also influencing Specialty Technologies, particularly in rugged mobile computing for frontline workers, where data-driven insights enhance efficiency and decision-making.

Reflecting on his career and industry recognition, Huffling underscored leadership built on accountability, empowerment, and vulnerability. “Leaders can be the lid on growth. It’s about enabling your people,” he said.

For more information, visit scansource.com.

“You’re not trading your customer in for a commission,” says Eric Tuttle of Intermedia Cloud Communications. “With our C.O.R.E. model, you own the customer relationship, the billing, and the long-term value of recurring revenue.”

In this Technology Reseller News podcast, Publisher Doug Green speaks with Eric Tuttle of Intermedia Cloud Communications about why ownership and recurring income are more important than ever for MSPs navigating economic uncertainty. Intermedia’s C.O.R.E. (Customer Ownership Reseller Model) gives partners control of billing, pricing, and first-tier support—creating “stickier” customer relationships, predictable monthly revenue, and stronger long-term business valuations.

Tuttle also highlights the importance of Intermedia’s partnership with ScanSource, where partners benefit from consolidated billing, financing options, and dedicated support. With ScanSource’s loyal partner base and reach into adjacent markets such as security and point-of-sale, Intermedia is seeing new opportunities beyond traditional UCaaS resellers.

From powering major retail brands like Sephora to enabling MSPs and VARs to diversify revenue, Intermedia positions itself as the solid choice for channel partners who want both flexibility and ownership in today’s competitive UCaaS space.

To learn more, visit www.intermedia.com

“Instead of a three- to five-hour compliance task, we’ve reduced it to a 10–15 minute review.” That’s how Mark Vange, CEO of Autom8ly, describes the company’s breakthrough in helping carriers and enterprises solve the growing complexity of 10DLC text messaging compliance.

In this interview with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, Vange explains how Autom8ly’s AI assistant, Autumn, streamlines the approval process for messaging campaigns. Today, any business that sends SMS—from yoga studios to automotive shops—must submit detailed compliance forms. Errors often mean rejection, resubmission, extra fees, and delays. Autom8ly’s platform guides businesses through the process, generates compliant sample messages, checks required URLs, and ensures proper opt-in/opt-out language—dramatically raising first-pass approval rates.

Beyond approvals, Autom8ly also provides real-time monitoring to prevent “campaign drift,” where approved use cases slip into non-compliant territory, risking fines as high as $1,000 per message. For operators and resellers, this not only cuts costs but accelerates time-to-revenue and reduces risk.

Autom8ly, a Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA) member, positions itself as a partner to carriers and large resellers, integrating its compliance automation into back-office systems in as little as 30 days. Vange stresses the company’s philosophy of “cooperative AI”—solutions where automation accelerates throughput while keeping humans in control.

To learn more about Autom8ly and its AI-driven compliance solutions, visit autom8ly.com.

“We eliminate CapEx, embed Zero Trust by default, and lower TCO by 30–40%.” — Niraj Singh, Chief Business Development Officer, Nile

Niraj Singh, Chief Business Development Officer at Nile, joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, to discuss how Nile is redefining enterprise networking with a consumption-based, AI-driven model built for telcos and MSPs.

Unlike legacy vendors that sell hardware, licenses, and bolt-on security, Nile delivers Networking-as-a-Service (NaaS) with:

Nile backs its model with a four-nines SLA and money-back guarantee, a rare commitment in enterprise networking.

For telcos and MSPs, the impact is significant:

“Telcos often compete on commodity connectivity. By partnering with Nile, they can deliver end-to-end SLAs, differentiate services, and retain customers,” Singh explained.

Learn more at nilesecure.com.

“We are now branding ourselves as the trusted infrastructure supporter of AI,” says Scott Eaton, Sr. Director, Partner Management at Lumen, in a conversation with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, during ScanSource Partner First.

Eaton explained that Lumen, built on the combined legacies of CenturyLink, Level 3, Savvis, and Global Crossing, has transitioned from its telco roots into a technology company focused on powering AI with bandwidth and infrastructure services. Through solutions like wave services, DIA services, data centers, and rapid routes, Lumen provides the backbone for enterprises facing high-intensity data demands.

At Partner First, the company highlighted its long-standing partnership with Intelisys, now part of ScanSource, where it has operated for over 20 years in an agency model of recurring commissions. Eaton emphasized that Lumen enables resellers to expand beyond equipment sales and deliver complete customer solutions—moving from “mailbox money” to strategic recurring revenue streams.

To simplify adoption, Lumen and ScanSource provide partners with API-driven quoting and ordering tools, training, and field engineering support. This ensures that partners can more easily engage in infrastructure sales, which Eaton described as essential for AI-era growth: “From an AI perspective, it’s all about the data… and the high bandwidth requirements to support it.”

Eaton noted that partners at the show are eager to learn how to get started, educate themselves, and go deeper with customers. He encouraged resellers to leverage both Lumen’s resources and ScanSource’s support teams to accelerate success.

For more information, visit lumen.com.

“Press 1 is dead. If you haven’t integrated AI into your core telephony stack, you’re on the path to obsolescence.” — Andy Abramson, Founder & CEO, Comunicano

In this conversation with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, Andy Abramson—32 years into leading Comunicano—explains why legacy, menu-tree IVRs are being displaced by SIP-native AI and real-time voice agents. The result: faster resolution, lower latency, and human-like interactions that finally match the urgency of today’s callers.

What’s changing

Who wins, who loses

Why it matters for MSPs & channel partners

This episode includes a slide presentation outlining the end of menu trees, the SIP-AI architecture, and four go-to-market “wins” for carriers, UC/CPaaS, CCaaS, and large enterprises.

Learn more about Andy’s work at comunicano.com (one “m”) and his commentary at AndyAbramson.com and on LinkedIn.

“All those companies are going to one box. One box is the way to go.” — Robert Garry, Founder, The POTS Box

Robert Garry, founder of The POTS Box, joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, to discuss how his company is helping partners tackle the nationwide POTS replacement challenge.

The POTS Box delivers an all-in-one device—router, ATA, battery, and portal—manufactured by Data Remote. Designed for life-safety and specialty lines often overlooked in VoIP migrations, the solution supports fire alarms, elevators, fax, door access, and blue light phones. Features include flexible backhaul (broadband or cellular), 24–48 hours of backup power, enhanced lines that eliminate jitter and false alarms, and a management portal for proactive monitoring and alerts.

Working strictly through the channel, The POTS Box offers three engagement models: white-label programs with branding and billing support, hybrid models with shared responsibilities, and agent programs that pay commissions for referral-only partners. Nationwide support, sales enablement resources, and 24/7 customer service further strengthen the opportunity.

“MSPs and partners who once avoided telecom lines now have a clear path to revenue and customer stickiness,” Garry said.

The podcast also includes a slide presentation illustrating product architecture and partner benefits.

Learn more at thepotsbox.com