This week in the IT Channel...

Every Thursday morning, IT Europa compiles the week's most significant news from the channel.

In this week's news...

HPE gets $14bn Juniper Networks acquisition over line, with conditions

The US Department of Justice has finally given the green light to Hewlett Packard Enterprise ’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks , seen by many in the industry as creating a bigger and more able competitor to Cisco in the network connectivity space.

Mitel says it’s coming back stronger with new partner effort

Mitel , fresh out of bankruptcy protection and completing the restructuring of its debts, has introduced a new global partner programme, as it “accelerates its hybrid communications strategy”. The Canada-headquartered legacy comms company has previously found it tough going in the unified communications market against the likes of Zoom, Microsoft 365 and Cisco.

Flurry of MSP acquisition deals spells service growth

There has been a flurry of MSP acquisition deals in the last few days. Here’s what’s happened. Cardiff-based Leading Edge Group , a provider of BT products and services, has acquired Contrac IT , an IT managed service provider with operations in Barnsley, Durham, and Malaga, Spain.

In another deal, Flotek Group Limited has bought MICROSHADE BUSINESS CONSULTANTS LIMITED . Established in 1984, Microshade provides secure IT services for more than 286 parish councils across the UK, and holds ISO 27001:2022 information security management certification.

And, in another takeover deal, Viatel Technology Group , the Irish business technology and cybersecurity provider, has acquired Cybit Cyber's Northern Ireland cybersecurity operations.

Growth Forum heads to Dublin this July

IT Europa’s Regional Growth Forum will hit Dublin next month, offering senior MSP leaders a one-day deep dive into the people, process and technology choices that underpin sustainable expansion. Complimentary passes covering all sessions, lunch and the closing reception are available to qualifying MSP executives, but spaces are limited. Registration details and the full agenda are available at itegrowthforum.com/regional/dublin

MSP agrees joint GTM with data backup vendor Commvault

Data backup and protection vendor Commvault has announced a strategic partnership with managed service provider Bytes Software Services , to provide joint solutions across the UK and Ireland.Cloudflare blocks AI crawlers on the web, stalling cost-free AI services

Cloudflare blocks AI crawlers on the web, stalling cost-free AI services

AI companies seeking to refine their services for free now face a big obstacle, in the form of Cloudflare . Cloudflare, which delivers a fifth of the world’s internet traffic, says it is the first internet infrastructure provider to block AI crawlers accessing content without permission or compensation, by default. Starting today, website owners can choose if they want AI crawlers to access their content and decide how AI companies can use it.

Keepit offers Atlassian data backup to ‘ensure’ business continuity

SaaS data backup specialist Keepit has officially launched protection for Atlassian ’s suite of collaboration tools Jira and Confluence, and has revealed a roadmap for other new SaaS application workloads in the coming months.

UK Partner Week Summit highlights leadership, innovation and ambition

The UK channel community will gather in London next week for the inaugural UK Partner Week (UKPW) Summit, a new flagship event that aims to challenge thinking, provoke fresh ideas, and provide real-world takeaways for ambitious VARs, MSPs, vendors, and service providers.

The day will open with a keynote from Jason Bevan, former Head of Creative Development at Warner Bros, who will explore how creativity and collaboration—hallmarks of the entertainment world—can be harnessed to drive meaningful business transformation. His keynote sets the tone for a Summit focused not just on insight, but on execution.

The closing address comes from Karen Blackett OBE, whose journey from WPP executive to one of the UK’s most respected voices in business leadership promises to deliver inspiration with impact. Her session will centre on authentic leadership, inclusive high-performance cultures, and how to turn turbulence into competitive advantage.

The UKPW Summit is free to attend for qualified channel professionals.Full agenda and registration details are available at: www.partnerweek.uk