Volume 26, Issue 1 | Q1 2026
Welcome to a New Year of Base camp
In 2026, Climb continues to set the pace as the industry’s Emerging Vendor distributor — running shoulder‑to‑shoulder with our partners and redefining what modern distribution delivers.
We’ve built our reputation on smarter channel connections, real relationships, and a line card defined by intention — not volume. Climb has always been the team that uncovers challenger vendors before the rest of the market sees them, vets innovation with rigor, and brings clarity to an ecosystem overflowing with noise. It’s what we do, and it’s what we do exceptionally well.
Every edition of Basecamp is your window into that momentum — the latest news across Climb, complementary solutions built to amplify your stack, unbeatable resources, vendor spotlights, and direct ways to engage with our Vendor Manager teams. This is where you’ll find the tools, insights, and emerging technologies that keep you ahead of the curve.
Be sure to bookmark this page so you can quickly access the latest tools, updates, and resources any time you need them.
CLIMB NEWS
Climb Global Solutions Acquires interworks.cloud
to Expand Cloud Distribution Across Europe
Climb has completed its acquisition of interworks.cloud, a leading cloud distributor serving Greece, Malta, Cyprus and Bulgaria. This move strengthens Climb’s Pan‑European Microsoft strategy, adds 600+ reseller and MSP relationships, and brings expanded capabilities in cloud marketplace enablement, local support, and vendor reach. The full Interworks team will join Climb, enhancing continuity for partners and accelerating growth across the region.
Introducing Climb SLED:
Serving State, Local & Education Partners
Climb is expanding its reach into the public sector with Climb SLED — a dedicated division built exclusively to support State, Local, and Education markets. With its own curated line card, specialized resources, and a brand‑new SLED‑only newsletter, CLIMB SLED delivers the focused expertise, emerging vendor solutions, and tailored support this sector demands.
Whether you’re navigating compliance requirements, exploring new security and infrastructure tools, or looking for the right partners to accelerate public‑sector growth, CLIMB SLED is here to help you move with confidence.
CRN Highlights Climb CEO
Dale Foster in Its 2026 CEO Outlook
In his spotlight, Dale shares how 2026 is all about sharpening Climb’s edge as the Emerging Vendor distributor: enabling vendors to scale faster through smarter connectivity, deeper channel relationships, and a line card built with intention. His perspective offers a strong look at where the industry is heading — and how Climb is helping partners accelerate into that future.
Climb’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kim Stevens,
has been named to Channel Insider’s 2026 CML 100
Congrats to our Chief Marketing Officer, Kim Stevens! Channel Insider’s 2026 CML 100 recognizes the top IT channel marketing leaders driving innovation, partner enablement, and ecosystem impact across the industry.
We’re proud of Kim’s leadership and the meaningful contributions she continues to make in the channel community.
Climb Sales Kick Off 2026
Recap, Awards, and Shark Tank Winner!
Climb teams and partners gathered in New Orleans for an unforgettable 2026 Sales Kickoff filled with momentum, innovation, and celebration. The week featured our high‑energy Vendor Fair, an inspiring Awards Dinner honoring Climb’s top performers, and a Shark Tank–style pitch competition where several vendors showcased their standout technologies to the Climb executive team. One vendor ultimately rose to the top —
Climb Leaders Highlight the Power of
Community in CRN’s Valentine’s Day Feature
CRN’s Valentine’s Day spotlight explored why community remains the channel’s greatest strength, and Climb leaders Dale Foster, Kim Stevens, and Jennifer Morrison shared their perspectives on how relationships, collaboration, and human connection continue to fuel long‑term success in the industry. Their insights reflect the core of Climb’s culture: people-first partnerships that grow stronger over time.
QUARTERLY THEMES
Q1 – Run With Us
Your 2026 Series Educating and Empowering VARs on Climb’s Challenger Vendors.
In 2026, Climb continues to set the pace as the industry’s Emerging Vendor distributor — running shoulder to shoulder with our partners and redefining what modern distribution delivers. Our focus has always been intentional: smarter channel connections, real relationships, and a line card built around challenger vendors who are shaping the future long before the rest of the market catches on.
This year’s theme — Run With Us — comes to life across three connected journeys in Q2-Q4:
Together, we plan to equip partners with the insights, emerging vendor solutions, and momentum needed to move faster and smarter through 2026. Check Your Email’s, and Climb’s Linkedin to see the vendors, solutions, and technologies that will be showcased throughout the year.
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VENDOR HIGHLIGHTS
January MSP Minute
Fortinet
This month, we spoke with Shannon Scott, Channel Sales Director at Fortinet, about how MSPs can reduce complexity, strengthen security, and unlock real recurring‑revenue growth. Shannon walks us through the Fortinet Security Fabric, the Engage Partner Program, and what truly sets Fortinet’s partner model apart.
Check out the full interview for strategic insights you can apply immediately.
February MSP Minute
Climb MSP Team
What does true MSP partnership really look like? In this month’s MSP Minute, meet the Climb MSP Partner Team and learn how a high‑touch, partner‑first approach is helping MSPs standardize, sell, and scale. Get to know the people and strategy behind Climb’s growing MSP focus.
Check out the full interview for strategic insights you can apply immediately.
January Spotlight Vendor of the Month
SUSE
SUSE was our January Spotlight Vendor, and their release of SUSE Linux Enterprise 16 marked a major leap forward for organizations building secure, scalable, AI‑ready infrastructure. With embedded agentic AI, extended lifecycle support, and significant enhancements across security and container management, SLES 16 delivered the performance and flexibility businesses needed to modernize with confidence.
Catch up on what made SLES 16 such a transformative release and connect with Mike Kennedy to see how it can elevate your environment.
February Spotlight Vendor of the Month
ThreatDown
Cyberattacks continue to rise, and customers are struggling with limited staff, mounting complexity, and the pressure to stay secure—making ThreatDown’s Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service more essential than ever. Powered by award‑winning EDR technology and a team of seasoned threat hunters, ThreatDown MDR delivers 24/7 expert monitoring, rapid investigation, and proactive threat hunting that keeps organizations protected around the clock. With flexible remediation options and lightning‑fast deployment, partners can instantly elevate their customers’ security posture without increasing internal workload.
See how ThreatDown MDR helps MSPs strengthen security, reduce operational strain, and unlock new revenue opportunities—then connect with the ThreatDown team to get started.
March Spotlight Vendor of the Month
Solarwinds
Agentic AI is reshaping how IT teams work, shifting traditional dashboard‑driven monitoring toward more intelligent, automated systems that surface what truly needs attention. As highlighted in Solarwinds’ recent feature, “Agentic AI Essentials: The Dashboard and Changing IT Roles,” this transition moves practitioners away from constant manual data interpretation and toward higher‑value oversight, governance, and strategic decision‑making. For partners, this shift opens the door to new conversations with customers ready to move from reactive workflows to more proactive, AI‑assisted operations.
Learn how SolarWinds is helping IT teams adopt agentic AI thoughtfully—and explore how partners can guide customers through this evolution.[
WEBSITE UPDATES
Our latest vendor landing pages are now available on the Climb website, giving you quick access to essential solution information, key value points, and curated resources—all in one place. Each page provides a clear overview of the vendor’s offerings along with supporting materials to help you better understand and position their solutions.
What You’ll Find on Each Vendor Page
Solution Summaries: An at-a-glance look at each vendor’s core technologies and capabilities.
Value Highlights: Key differentiators that make their solutions stand out.
Resource Library: Easy access to datasheets, guides, videos, and other helpful materials.
Partner Information: Details to help you engage with the vendor’s offerings through Climb.
BETTER TOGETHER + COMPLIMENTARY SOLUTIONS
Supercharge Your Cybersecurity Sales
In today’s threat landscape, ransomware isn’t just a risk; it’s an inevitability. Your customers need more than prevention; they need resilience. That’s where the Sophos + Halcyon partnership delivers unmatched protection and unbeatable partner opportunity
The Power of Integration:
Sophos delivers industry-leading endpoint protection and threat intelligence that stops attacks before they start. When ransomware breaks through, Halcyon’s AI-powered platform autonomously isolates, remediates, and recovers encrypted data in minutes, not days. Together, they create a defense-in-depth strategy that prevents breaches AND ensures business continuity.
Fortinet Complimentary Solutions
We’ve added Fortinet to our Complementary Solutions lineup with a new line card that clearly maps their full security stack. Use it to quickly identify where Fortinet fits, how it pairs with other vendors, and how to build stronger multilayered security solutions for your customers.
CLIMB SPOTLIGHT: CLIMB AWARDS
Bluebeam Rainmaker Award – Climb
Climb Channel Solutions is thrilled to be honored with Bluebeam’s 2025 Rainmaker Award at this year’s Bluebeam Channel Executive Forum. This recognition celebrates our strategic impact, our strong year‑over‑year growth, and our commitment to equipping partners with leading digital construction solutions.
We’re deeply appreciative of Bluebeam for this award and proud of the Climb team whose relentless dedication continues to elevate outcomes for our shared customers.
Nitro Distributor of the Year – Climb
Climb Channel Solutions is proud and excited to be recognized as Nitro’s 2026 Distributor of the Year for North America. This award reflects our continued commitment to empowering partners with intelligent, secure document solutions and driving meaningful growth across the Nitro ecosystem.
We’re honored to receive this recognition and grateful to Nitro for their partnership and support. Congratulations to our dedicated Climb team—and thank you to our partners—for helping fuel such incredible success.
OpenText Rising Star Award – Climb
Climb Channel Solutions is excited and honored to be named OpenText’s 2025 Rising Star of the Year. With outstanding year‑over‑year growth, significant deal wins, and meaningful expansion into new markets, this award reflects the momentum our team has built and the value we continue to deliver alongside OpenText.
We’re grateful for this recognition, proud of our partnership, and looking forward to the continued success and innovation ahead.
SolarWinds Excellence in Marketing Award – Climb
Climb Channel Solutions is honored and excited to be recognized with SolarWinds’ 2025 Excellence in Marketing Award. This achievement reflects our commitment to creative, data‑driven marketing, strong partner engagement, and impactful execution that helps amplify SolarWinds’ solutions across the channel.
We’re grateful to SolarWinds for this recognition and incredibly proud of the Climb team whose expertise and dedication made this accomplishment possible.
Wasabi Distributor of the Year – Climb
Climb Channel Solutions is thrilled to be named Wasabi’s 2025 Distributor of the Year. This recognition underscores our exceptional year‑over‑year performance, continued growth, and commitment to accelerating cloud storage adoption throughout the channel.
We’re proud of this shared momentum with Wasabi and excited to continue building on our joint success, delivering even more value to partners and customers.
MARKET MAKER
Voices From the Northeast Partner Summit
Our latest Market Maker series comes straight from the Northeast Partner Summit, where we sat down with leaders from Egnyte, Coro, Freshworks, NAble, SUSE, BNMC, and Connection to capture their perspectives on what drives meaningful partnership in today’s channel.
Across the series, these vendors share authentic insights on:
- What they enjoy most about working with Climb
- How Climb events fuel their momentum
- Why Climb stands out as the Emerging Vendor distributor
Each conversation highlights the strength of Climb’s ecosystem and the deep commitment we bring to vendors who are shaping the next wave of innovation. These stories illustrate the heart of our Market Maker mission: showcasing the innovators building what’s next — and the channel partnerships powering their growth.
RESELLER RESOURCES
Maximize Your Momentum with Climb’s Reseller Resources Hub
Welcome to the Reseller Resources Hub! This is your central spot for everything you need to work seamlessly with Climb. Inside the hub, you’ll find:
- Sales territory cards to quickly identify your dedicated Climb contacts
- Line cards featuring the innovative vendors that power our portfolio
- Links to all our vendor pages so you can explore solutions and opportunities
- A direct path to our Reseller Page, where you can learn everything you need to know about becoming a Climb reseller
Whether you’re onboarding new team members, expanding your portfolio, or sharpening your go‑to‑market strategy, this hub equips you with the tools you need to move faster, sell smarter, and stay aligned with the innovation Climb brings to the channel.
Be sure to bookmark this page so you can quickly access the latest tools, updates, and resources any time you need them.
Credit & Financing
GoCardless provides a secure, automated, and cost-effective payment platform primarily for recurring and one-off bank-to-bank payments, reducing late payments and best of all no transaction fees! For any additional questions, reach out to the Sales team at Climb Today!
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