TLDR: CRN Magazine has recognized five companies for their significant achievements in the channel this week. Cato Networks and Varonis made strategic acquisitions to bolster their AI security offerings. Hewlett Packard Enterprise implemented new sales incentives following a major acquisition. Celona revamped its channel program to foster private 5G growth, and Net at Work expanded its Acumatica services through acquisition.
CRN Magazine, in its September 5, 2025, edition, celebrated five companies that demonstrated exceptional performance and strategic foresight within the channel. These organizations were lauded for their impactful moves, ranging from pivotal acquisitions to innovative program enhancements.
Cato Networks Strengthens AI Security Portfolio with Aim Security Acquisition
Leading the charge, Cato Networks announced its first-ever merger and acquisition, acquiring Aim Security. This strategic move is set to significantly expand Cato Networks’ presence in the rapidly growing AI security sector. Aim Security, founded in 2022 and based in Tel Aviv, Israel, specializes in securing both public and private AI applications, including advanced AI agents. Their offerings also include AI security posture management (AI-SPM), which provides enhanced visibility into AI models and applications to identify vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. Cato Networks plans to integrate Aim Security’s capabilities into its Cato SASE Cloud Platform by early 2026, though the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Drives Unified Sales Strategy Post-Juniper Acquisition
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) earned recognition for its proactive approach following the recently completed $13.4 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks. HPE is now incentivizing both the Aruba and Juniper Networks sales teams to collaboratively sell both networking portfolios. This initiative aims to eliminate potential sales conflicts and accelerate sales momentum. HPE CEO Antonio Neri stated in a conference call with Wall Street analysts, “We are already incentivizing both sales forces to sell both [vendors’] products… And I can tell you the channel community is super excited to be able to sell both products because the combination of both products allows them to cover every vertical, every use case, in every geography.” HPE is also working on integrating the Juniper platform with Aruba Networking Central for campus and branch networking, as well as combining its HPE Private Cloud portfolio with Juniper’s software-defined networking components and integrating networking switches with its storage and server businesses.
Celona Modernizes Channel Program for Private 5G Expansion
Private wireless provider Celona was highlighted for its significant overhaul of its channel program, designed to better support Managed Service Providers (MSPs) in building sustainable and repeatable private 5G practices. The newly revamped Celona Frequency Program introduces a tiered system—Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Global—to incentivize early-stage partners and reward long-term commitments. Additionally, Celona is launching two new specialization badges: Security and Managed Services. Andy Hawk, Celona’s senior director, channel sales, North America, emphasized the program’s goal: “We wanted to create a program that was a little more progressive, that co-invested as our partners invested in the partner program to bring more value across the entire ecosystem… In order for us to continue to scale, we have to untap the potential of our partners and really enable them in a way like we’ve never done before. It’s the only way we’re going to grow globally.” Celona operates entirely through its channel, which currently comprises over 200 partners.
Varonis Enters Email Security Market with ‘AI-Native’ SlashNext Acquisition
Varonis made a strategic move into the email security segment by acquiring SlashNext, an “AI-native” vendor specializing in detecting advanced email-based attacks. The acquisition, valued at up to $150 million including performance-based retention awards, brings SlashNext’s approximately 100 employees into Varonis. SlashNext, founded in 2015, leverages AI and machine learning to protect email inboxes from sophisticated threats like phishing, business email compromise, and QR code scams. Varonis, a prominent player in data security, previously offered email-related security features within its data security posture management (DSPM) tool. SlashNext boasts an “industry’s best” detection rate for advanced phishing, including a “100 percent” detection rate for business email compromise and QR code scams.
Net at Work Expands Acumatica Offerings Through Acquisition
Also Read:
- Weekly AI Developments: Insights from Glean, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and More (September 26, 2025)
- Worktech Innovations: Key Updates from Acumatica, Nintex, and Pegasystems for the Week of September 26th
Solution provider Net at Work continued its expansion strategy by acquiring the Acumatica practice of Advanced Solutions & Consulting (ASC). This marks Net at Work’s second acquisition in under a month and is part of a series of strategic acquisitions over the past two years aimed at broadening its service offerings around Acumatica’s ERP applications. The acquisition includes ASC’s proprietary value-add software technology, which enhances Acumatica functionality and will now be available to Net at Work’s entire Acumatica client base and partner network. Net at Work will also take over working with ASC’s existing Acumatica clients. This follows last month’s acquisition of AppSolute Consulting Group, which also expanded Net at Work’s Sage and Acumatica practices.
