Acronis and Entanet strike UK channel partnership

Acronis has agreed a UK partnership with Entanet, giving managed service providers access to Acronis software through the distributor.

Under the deal, Entanet will act as an Acronis Cloud Provisioner Partner, extending the vendor's reach into the UK channel through its network of resellers and managed service providers.

The agreement brings together Acronis, which sells cybersecurity, data protection and IT management tools, and Entanet, a wholesale connectivity provider with more than 30 years of channel experience. Entanet works with more than 1,000 reseller partners in the UK.

For managed service providers, the partnership creates another route to buy and deploy security, backup and IT administration tools through a single supplier relationship. The aim is to help providers broaden their service portfolios while reducing the burden of managing multiple separate products.

The deal comes as managed service providers take on more responsibility for customers' IT estates, particularly around security and service continuity. In response, distributors and vendors have increasingly sought to bundle software and infrastructure services.

Jo Holliday, General Manager, UKI & South Africa, at Acronis, said those pressures are increasing for service providers.

"MSPs are taking on greater responsibility for their customers' IT environments, and that creates additional demands on the teams delivering those services," said Holliday.

She added: "Entanet has an established understanding of the UK channel and the challenges service providers face. Through this partnership, we can help more MSPs bring cybersecurity, data protection, and IT management together, giving them the capabilities to support a broader range of customer needs without adding unnecessary operational complexity."

Entanet has traditionally been known for wholesale connectivity services, including broadband and Ethernet, sold through the channel. Adding Acronis broadens that offer beyond connectivity into software-led services aimed at managed service providers and resellers serving business customers.

Channel push

The move also reflects the continuing overlap between telecoms distribution and IT services in the UK channel. Connectivity providers have been adding adjacent products such as security and backup as partners look for additional revenue streams and closer customer ties.

Tom O'Hagan, Chief Executive Officer, Entanet, said the partnership would widen the company's offer to its partner base.

"Working with Acronis is an important step in expanding the capabilities we can offer our partners," said O'Hagan.

He added: "Our experience in the UK telecommunications channel has shown us that partners need access to technology that helps them respond to changing customer requirements without making their businesses more difficult to operate. Acronis brings together security, data protection, and IT management in one platform, giving MSPs another opportunity to develop services around the needs of their customers."

Acronis works with more than 21,000 service providers and protects more than 750,000 businesses across 150 countries. The company is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, while Entanet is based in Telford.

The partnership gives Entanet's reseller and managed service provider partners a new route into security, backup and IT management services through a single vendor relationship, as demand grows for tools that address both cyber risk and business continuity.