The Buzz: Pax8 crowns the MIP era at Beyond26, Arrow launches partner experience centers, and Mitel names a new channel chief. Pax8's Salt Lake City conference signals the next business model shift for MSPs, while Arrow and Mitel make their own channel moves. * Pax8 Beyond26 - managed intelligence: Pax8 wrapped its annual Beyond conference in Salt Lake City on Tuesday with over 3,500 attendees including 200+ from Canada, centering the show on the transition from managed services to the Managed Intelligence Provider model. The headline announcement was Microsoft Agent 365 for Managed Intelligence - multi-tenant governance of agentic AI across MSP client environments through the Pax8 Agent Store, arriving in July - alongside the launch of the Managed Intelligence Provider Program, Voyager Alliance Rewards, and the Managed Intelligence Alliance. CEO Scott Chasin argued that as AI models commoditize, the trust MSPs have already built with clients is their primary competitive advantage going forward. * Arrow Electronics global experience centers: Arrow introduced a network of global experience centers on Tuesday, built in close collaboration with channel partners in North America and Europe to reflect how partners actually go to market today. Facilities in the US and Sweden are fully networked to deliver a consistent design and testing experience regardless of location, and are designed specifically to help partners accelerate the move from AI and cloud evaluation into deployment and monetization. * Mitel names new channel chief: Mitel has appointed Ben Macdonald as vice president of global channel go-to-market, bringing experience from Owl Labs, Poly, Juniper Networks, and Ekahau. The hire comes as Mitel's own research shows 68 percent of businesses are running communications infrastructure more than seven years old, with 92 percent of modernizing organizations choosing an integrated-hybrid strategy - a dynamic the company says positions its 6,000-plus channel partners at the center of one of the largest communications refresh cycles in a decade. * Cork Cyber wins Pax8 Startup Vendor of the Year: Pax8 recognized Cork Cyber at Beyond26 for its AI-native remediation platform built for MSPs, which remediates threats automatically, reduces ticket volume, and provides financial payback when risks slip through. The award was presented on the Beyond mainstage by Pax8 president Nick Heddy. * Canada's cloud market: A new report from the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project, covered by CBC News, calls the Canadian cloud computing market "broken," warning that Amazon, Microsoft, and Google control approximately 85 percent of the market. The report argues that even adding domestic sovereign alternatives will not fix the problem without interoperability standards, coining the term "maplewashed dependency" for the risk of trading one lock-in for another. * Pentesting research: New research from Cobalt and Omdia finds that 53 percent of security leaders believe traditional penetration testing is now outdated, with demand growing for continuous, AI-assisted approaches. * iCOUNTER leadership: iCOUNTER has appointed Joel Molinoff, formerly of BlueVoyant and CBS Corporation, as chief operating officer. * DataStrike expansion: DataStrike has expanded its Linux managed services practice by hiring Jon Cain as senior Linux infrastructure engineer to meet growing client demand. Audio Player Read Full Transcript

iCOUNTER, a provider of proactive threat intelligence, has appointed Joel Molinoff as chief operating officer. Molinoff brings nearly 30 years of operational, security and risk leadership experience from major enterprises and cybersecurity firms. Most recently, Molinoff served as global head of third-party risk products and services at BlueVoyant, where he led the company's third-party risk management business. He previously held executive positions at CBS Corporation, including chief information risk officer and chief information security officer. Earlier in his career, Molinoff worked in intelligence for the US government at the National Security Agency and the White House. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and serves on various advisory boards, including the Federal Communications Commission's Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council.

Cyber risk intelligence firm iCOUNTER Names New Chief marketing & financial officers. The new C-suite appointees are Lisa Hayashi as chief marketing officer and Bob Kalchthaler as chief financial officer. Both are seasoned tech leaders who help position iCOUNTER for growth, the Dallas-based company said. iCOUNTER CMO Lisa Hayashi and iCOUNTER CFO Bob Kalchthaler [Photos: iCOUNTER] Dallas-based cyber threat intelligence company iCOUNTER has named Lisa Hayashi as chief marketing officer and Bob Kalchthaler as chief financial officer to deepen the company's leadership bench. The C-suite additions come at a critical moment to provide cybersecurity and high-growth operating expertise, the firm said. Launched by Dallas-based Apollo Information Systems, iCOUNTER emerged from stealth last July with $30 million in Series A funding. John P. Watters, chairman and CEO, iCOUNTER, said the new executives "each bring exactly the kind of operating experience iCOUNTER needs at this moment; Lisa's track record of building category leaders in cybersecurity, and Bob's depth scaling finance functions through high-growth chapters at companies our customers know well." "Together," Watters added in a statement, "they make our executive team stronger as we accelerate." Tech marketing expertise. Hayashi has more than 20 years of experience in tech marketing, fundraising, and executive leadership, with deep expertise that spans cybersecurity, regulatory software, email security, and enterprise risk. She comes to iCOUNTER from Mimic, where she was VP of marketing. Previously, she was VP of marketing at Uptycs and spent more than five years at SafeGuard Cyber, ultimately serving as chief marketing officer. At SafeGuard Cyber, she was in charge of brand, product, and customer marketing along with key fundraising and rebranding initiatives and helped position the company as a leader in cybersecurity for digital communications. "iCOUNTER is doing what very few companies in cybersecurity are doing, and doing it with technical credibility and a clear customer focus," Hayashi said. "I'm excited to help tell that story to a market that needs it." Guiding companies through successful exits. Kalchthaler is an experienced cybersecurity and SaaS finance leader with a track record of guiding venture-backed companies through growth, scale, and capital markets. He was named CFO at iCOUNTER in February 2026. Previously, Kalchthaler served for over two years as CFO of Adlumin, the cloud-native security operations platform, where he led finance in a time of significant growth. Earlier, he was CFO of Altruista Health, a healthcare management SaaS platform. Both Adlumin and Altruista Health resulted in successful exits with a combined value of over half a billion dollars. "What attracted me to iCOUNTER is the combination of a clear category opportunity and a team that knows how to execute," Kalchthaler said. "I'm looking forward to building the financial foundation for the next phase of growth." Track Dallas-Fort Worth's business and innovation landscape with its curated news in your inbox Tuesday-Thursday. One quick signup, and you're done. R E A D N E X T. * HITRUST Appoints New Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Mktg. Officer The appointments of Sean Foster and Marc Solomon come as enterprises face growing complexity in digital ecosystems, regulatory pressure, and supply-chain threats that demand more comprehensive approaches to cybersecurity assurance and risk evaluation, Frisco-based HITRUST said. * RGP Names Former Oracle Exec as SVP and Chief Information Officer Prashant Lamba will oversee RGP's technology vision and execution to advance a seamless digital ecosystem that supports the firm's integrated model for both consulting and on-demand services, the Dallas-based global professional services firm said. * McKinsey Exec To Join CBRE as Chief Technology & Transformation Officer In addition to advising some of the world's leading AI, cloud, and technology companies on key strategies, M&A, and commercial operations, Anuj Kadyan has led large-scale technology and AI transformations for major companies in other industries, Dallas-based CBRE said. * Builders FirstSource Names New EVP & Chief Legal Officer Alena Brenner will oversee all legal, risk management, government affairs, compliance, corporate social responsibility, and insurance functions for the Irving-based company, and serve as the primary legal advisor to the Builders FirstSource board. * Omnicell Names Former KU Health System Exec as Its Chief Pharmacy and Clinical Officer With 30 years of hospital pharmacy leadership experience, Rick Couldry's deep expertise will help ensure Omnicell's solutions reflect real-world clinical and operational needs with the goal of improving outcomes in complex care environments, the Fort Worth-based company said. * RealPage Appoints Fintech Veteran as Its First Chief Fintech Officer In this newly created role, Zahir Khoja will join Richardson-based RealPage's executive management committee and report directly to President and CEO Dirk Wakeham, overseeing the company's financial technology strategy and operations. * Embark Names Names Former Paramount Exec as Chief People Officer Russell Weaver will lead Embark's talent acquisition and people strategy, guiding the optimization of people, process, and technology for faster hiring, excellent quality of talent, and diversity within the firm's growing workforce, Embark said. * Southwest Airlines Names Former Hilton Exec as Its First Chief Digital & Marketing Officer In the newly created role, Sabrina Callahan will help shape the strategic path for Southwest's marketing and digital strategy, enhancing the relationship between the airline's customers and its brand in an "authentic, distinctly Southwest way," the airline said. * Diversified Appoints Former NTT Data Exec as Chief Revenue Officer Tyler Affolter will oversee Plano-based Diversified's commercial organization, helping to boost growth across the company's established media, collaboration, and digital signage businesses while utilizing core strengths to expand in broadcast and experiential AV. * Women's Foodservice Forum Names Former Denny's Exec as Chief Brand Officer Ellie Doty had been part of the same Denny's C-suite as former CEO Kelli Valade, who took the helm at WFF in January. Known for her strategic foresight, brand stewardship, and innovative thinking, Doty will target growing WFF's partnerships and membership, reaching new industry segments, and elevating the organization's offerings, the Dallas-based WFF said. Share via: