OpenText Irish expansion to develop agentic AI and sovereign cloud. ShareGate is delivering AI-powered M365 governance. 17th July 2026 ShareGate has unveiled model context protocol (MCP) tooling for genAI use across Microsoft 365 (M365) tenants. Initially, ShareGate MCP is available in ShareGate Protect - but the vendor promises that more of its products are coming to the protocol. Meanwhile, ShareGate MCP connects ShareGate Protect to several large language models (LLMs). These include Anthropic's Claude, OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot. "So you can govern your M365 tenant from the AI you're already using," the vendor said, announcing ShareGate MCP. "ShareGate MCP is now live. It's a connector, built by us, hosted by us, that lets your AI talk directly to your ShareGate Protect data." MCP is an open standard aimed at connecting AI tools to third-party software to pull in data. For example, sourcing necessary data for a task from a specific authorised dataset - such as M365 governance data. "Imagine someone asks you a governance question. Such as 'who has access to this site?'," ShareGate said. "Instead of digging into reports or CSVs, you just ask the AI you're already using." GenAI use for pulling more data. ShareGate Protect already pulled M365 governance data out of multiple admin centers and into one place. But ShareGate MCP meant you could more easily interrogate that data, including with natural language. It could also connect with other MCP tools, such as Microsoft's Work IQ MCP server. For example, With Microsoft's MCP Server for Enterprise, users can pair ShareGate's view of M365 access with live Entra ID data on identities and MFA status. They could ask a genAI tool to, for instance, find every guest user with access to finance sites who hasn't signed in for 90 days and doesn't have MFA enabled. From from July 2026, you'll be able to remove a sharing link, adjust group ownership, or set up an automated policy in Protect that handles a recurring problem on a schedule. "ShareGate MCP will preview every action in plain language and wait for your sign-off before anything runs," the vendor said. "More's coming in July, including remediation actions through MCP." Easing secure M365 governance. Many IT leaders say their governance workload has increased since adopting genAI. So MCP can help reduce the load, ShareGate added. "The pressure on IT teams has changed. The questions come faster, the answers need to be more current, and the cost of getting it wrong has gone up." Meanwhile, companies have had genAI uncover sensitive data that it shouldn't have been able to access, ShareGate said. "Protect now automates across more scenarios and gives partners more control from day one. Migrate lays the groundwork for cleaner identity transitions and more resilient local data," the vendor explained. Enhancements to Migrate focus on SSO integration, Entra ID migration preview, manual identity mapping, license assignment, identity and domain mapping, and encryption flexibility.

GTIA announces 2026 UK & Ireland Spotlight Awards winners. By Neil Trim on July 6, 2026 Nine standout contributors to the IT channel have been named winners of the 2026 UK & Ireland Spotlight Awards by the Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA), the nonprofit membership community representing and connecting the global IT channel. This year's winners were celebrated last night at the GTIA UK & Ireland Community Forum & Spotlight Awards reception and dinner held at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, UK. "Congratulations to our 2026 UK & Ireland Spotlight Award recipients," said MJ Shoer, Chief Community Officer at GTIA. "Their leadership and active contributions continue to strengthen the GTIA community and wider technology ecosystem. It's a privilege to recognise their achievements over the past year, and we thank them for the positive impact they've made." Four individuals and five organisations have been recognised with 2026 UK & Ireland Spotlight Awards: Phil Callow, Managing Director of ARK ICT Solutions Ltd, won the Community Leadership Award for his outstanding leadership in bringing people together and creating opportunities for others, both within and beyond the GTIA community. Chloe Mann, Sales Manager at Brigantia, won the Future Leader Award for demonstrating innovation, entrepreneurial success and meaningful industry impact over the past 12 months. Michelle Frost, Channel Marketing Manager at Opentext Ltd, won the Advancing Women in Technology Leadership Award, serving as a role model and driving gender equality across the industry. Subramani Rao, Senior Manager in Cybersecurity Solutions Strategy at Acronis, secured the Cybersecurity Leadership Award for his commitment and passion to strengthening cybersecurity resilience, and deepening participation in GTIA's cybersecurity programmes. Acronis itself took home the Advancing Diversity in Technology Leadership Award for championing a more inclusive, equitable, and forward-looking technology channel. Purple Frog Systems Ltd won the IT Service Provider (ITSP) Award for delivering high-quality solutions and serving as a trusted advisor for customers, enhancing their operations, growth, productivity and long-term success. 1Password won the Innovative Vendor Award for introducing impactful innovations that have meaningfully improved the customer experience and helped to measurably advance the wider IT channel. Renaissance Contingency Services Limited secured the Innovative Distributor Award for its creativity, leadership and forward-thinking approach that have driven meaningful transformation in shaping the direction of the global IT channel. MSP Finance Team won the Associate Member Award for demonstrating outstanding engagement in GTIA activities, and for making a positive impact on the lives and careers of channel professionals. information about the Spotlight Awards, including the nomination and selection process, can be found at gtia.org. The Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA) is the only vendor-neutral, 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership community connecting and representing the worldwide IT channel. We set our members up for success by providing benefits that include trusted resources and networking opportunities. In addition, the association sets industry standards that enable companies to build sustainable, secure and profitable businesses in an ever-changing technology landscape. Internationally, GTIA represents hundreds of thousands of professionals from more than 2,400 ITSPs, vendors, distributors and other companies serving the IT channel. Please follow and like us: Views: 101

IDC names OpenText a Leader in manufacturing Track & Trace and Serialization. 2 minutes read For years, manufacturers viewed track and trace primarily as a compliance initiative. The goal was straightforward: meet regulatory requirements, maintain records, and support product recalls when necessary. Today, that mindset is changing. Manufacturers are facing a very different operating environment - one shaped by supply chain disruption, counterfeit products, evolving regulations, sustainability commitments, and rising customer expectations for transparency. At the same time, AI is reshaping manufacturing, but AI is only as valuable as the quality and trustworthiness of the data behind it. Traceability has become far more than a compliance exercise. It has become the foundation for trusted manufacturing. Manufacturing has entered the era of trusted products. IDC identifies a clear shift taking place across manufacturing. Organizations are no longer investing in traceability simply to satisfy regulations. They are investing because traceability delivers measurable business value across the enterprise. According to IDC, manufacturers increasingly rely on track-and-trace systems to: * Improve supply chain visibility and resilience * Hold suppliers accountable for quality and compliance * Support evolving regulatory requirements * Enable sustainability and ESG reporting * Improve recall precision and response * Build customer trust through product transparency * Combat counterfeiting and protect brand reputation * Improve operational efficiency through data-driven decisions In other words, every product now carries a digital story - and organizations that can trust that story will make faster, smarter decisions. Why OpenText was recognized. OpenText Core Product Traceability Service (CPTS) was recognized for helping manufacturers move beyond traditional serialization and reporting. IDC highlighted several strengths of OpenText, including: * An end-to-end track-and-trace solution spanning production through market and point of use * Product authenticity and provenance verification * Rule-driven, real-time controls and investigation capabilities * Integration with the broader OpenText Business Network ecosystem * A flexible, customer-focused delivery model backed by global manufacturing expertise OpenText believe these strengths reflect an important industry evolution. Visibility is valuable. Knowing what to do next is transformational. Traceability should drive action - not just reporting. Many organizations already collect enormous amounts of manufacturing and supply chain data. The challenge isn't collecting more information. OpenText CPTS connects products, suppliers, transactions, quality events, and operational signals into a trusted, end-to-end view of the business. It helps manufacturers: * Verify product authenticity * Track products from production to consumer * Investigate quality issues faster * Reduce the impact of recalls * Detect diversion and counterfeit activity * Connect traceability across global trading partners Because CPTS is part of the OpenText Business Network, manufacturers can extend product traceability beyond the four walls of the enterprise into suppliers, logistics providers, distributors, retailers, and customers. The result is a connected digital thread across the product lifecycle. Preparing manufacturers for what's next. The timing of this recognition couldn't be more relevant. Manufacturers are preparing for significant industry initiatives, including: * Digital Product Passports (DPP) * GS1 Sunrise 2027 * Growing sustainability reporting requirements * Expanded anti-counterfeit initiatives * AI-driven manufacturing operations Each of these initiatives depends on one thing: Trusted product identity. Without trusted product data, organizations cannot fully realize the promise of AI, digital supply chains, or intelligent manufacturing. Build the future of intelligent manufacturing. IDC's recognition reinforces what OpenText believe manufacturers increasingly need: Not simply another serialization solution. But a platform that connects products, partners, and processes - transforms traceability into operational intelligence. As manufacturers continue their digital transformation journeys, OpenText remains committed to helping organizations build resilient supply chains, protect their brands, strengthen customer trust, and prepare for the next generation of connected manufacturing.