A cyber risk lawyer, IT procurement expert, a Melbourne Rewst partner building self-serve IT portal, and the author of the State of Channel Security Report are among the latest speakers to join the lineup at next month’s Pipeline conference.
They include Thomson Geer partner Steven Hunwicks, who will discuss the tension around what MSPs and MSSPs (and their clients) consider themselves responsible for.
Hunwicks’ expertise includes technology contracts, outsourcing, cyber risk preparedness, data incident response, privacy and data protection. advises business leaders, non-profits and government agencies.
He also has legal experience in telecommunications wholesale and retail arrangements, carrier licensing, cloud services, software development agreements, acting for buyers and suppliers in complex ICT procurements, and intellectual property licensing and commercialisation.
Tech partners are gearing up for a legal battle they hope never comes, with new ransomware reporting rules and penalty tiers in place, clients assessing risks of cyber contracts, and AI compounding risks. Hunwicks will join a panel discussion examining how partners can protect themselves, while turning risk into profit.
He’ll be joined on stage by Nate Cochrane, who will present highlights from techpartner.news upcoming State of the Channel Security Report. The report examines trends, challenges, and opportunities for security channel partners, with a focus on cloud security, digital identity, compliance and data protection.
Rewst partners’ self-serve customer portal and AI agent plans
Anna Furlong from Melbourne Rewst partner The Virtual IT Department will share how the MSP automated more than 50 workflows and saved 160+ hours per month - and built a self-serve portal for micro and small-businesses to sign up, onboard and manage IT without a tech's involvement.
The Melbourne firm has bold plans to take this further with AI agents.
She’ll be joined on stage by Platinum Technology founder and director Steve Raw. The company is using automation with the goal of growing revenue to allowing their staff to move into more valuable positions.
The firm has gradually automated more services, such as being able to automate all the IT needs for a new hire, including imaging laptops, account creation and licence provisioning. As a result, co-founder and director Steve Raw has been clear with his people that the nature of their roles will change over the next five years.
Winning back mid-market clients: The incumbent’s blind spot
Tech firms lose business they could have kept – not because they failed to deliver, but because they failed to re-sell themselves when it mattered most.
IBRS analyst David Beal has overseen numerous procurement processes and says many tech firms fail to make the most of this opportunity. In a candid session at Pipeline, he’ll reveal why those bids often fail, the common missteps incumbents make, and how to approach re-engagement with the right mindset.
This will be valuable advice for tech partners who want to retain clients during contract renewals – especially in a market where procurement scrutiny is increasing.
A bold data encryption play
With high-profile breaches of Qantas and others continuing to expose customer data and the limits of perimeter-based security models and the urgent need to do better at securing the data itself.
At Pipeline, Guardware will unpack its approach to persistent protection for data wherever it resides, for securing sensitive files in the cloud to safeguarding data shared with suppliers. This includes:
- The dos and don’ts of implementing data-centric security
- How its customers and partners are using GuardWare’s security suite
- Why persistent encryption is becoming a foundational element of next-generation cyber strategies
Rethinking cloud backup to address legacy pain & ransomware risk
With clients relying on cloud platforms such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, legacy backup solutions can create headaches for MSPs and put their clients at risk during a ransomware incident.
Jamie Deveaux, Head of Channel Sales, DropSuite, will join a Pipeline session to discuss pain points – including data migration - and how partners can do better at mitigating clients’ risk around cloud data.
Open forum for channel firm founders and managers with Cymax’s Sean Dendle
Maning Director of Brisbane-based technology partner Cymax Sean Dendle has decades of experience in the IT industry. At Pipeline, he will lead an open forum discussion designed for founders and managers of channel firms wanting to achieve great growth or scalability, in a session sponsored by HaloPSA.
This will be an opportunity to pick the brains of an MSP leader and to hear grounded talk, practical ideas and an unvarnished perspective.
Australia's next generation broadband is coming: how MSPs can take advantage
Australia's internet speeds are getting a major upgrade – for free. September 14 will mark the biggest uplift in Australia's average bandwidth since the introduction of ADSL, cable internet and the formation of the national broadband network.
But how can you and your customers take advantage of one of the biggest disruption events in Australia's internet history? In this talk from Aussie Broadband's Michelle Peter and Kent Plummer, you'll hear about what's changing for wholesalers, what you and your customers will need to do to take advantage of the new multi-gigabit offerings, and what these speed upgrades mean for the future of Enterprise Ethernet.
Aussie Broadband will also take you through the multi-carrier last mile options available to their ABB wholesale customers, including their homegrown Aussie Fibre and the ability to mix Aussie Fibre with nbn connections and 4G/5G backup. Michelle will also take you through some of the tools, promos and features you can access to stay ahead of the game.
The new rules of IT infrastructure
AI is reshaping infrastructure needs of the mid-market and enterprise – particularly for financial services, federal government, retail, universities, heavy industries and transport – but not always in the ways partners expect.
At Pipeline, Astrid Groves, Schneider Electric General Manager for Channels, Alliances and Operations, will challenge the assumption that co-location data centres are where all the action will be for channel partners.
The financial case for where partners put IT workloads is changing, according to Astrid. She will make the case for rethinking alliances to meet the complexity of AI-era workloads – from cooling challenges to commercial viability.
On-prem is back: how partners can pull it all together
Rising cloud costs, AI workloads and edge computing demands are prompting many organisations to re-evaluate their IT mix – and on-prem infrastructure is back on the agenda.
Vertiv and partners Think Solutions and Kirra Services are at the forefront of winning business by helping clients modernise, simplify and control their environments.
They’ll unpack these issues for partners at Pipeline. Whether you're looking to add value around infrastructure, or working with clients on AI readiness, this session is likely to provide useful context on how to stay relevant, responsive and profitable in the hybrid IT era.
That’s in addition to previously announced Pipeline speakers and highlights, including:
What's next for the channel: big shifts, real risks, and five predictions
One thing tech partners often tell us they appreciate at Pipeline is market and industry analysis that brings clarity to the noise and cuts through the spin. This year's Pipeline will have more of that, including the return of Tech Research Asia's Trevor Clarke's keynote on August 12.
Trevor will unpack the biggest developments reshaping Australia’s IT channel – and what’s coming next. Drawing on data, research and deep client conversations, he will unpack where growth lies for MSPs, integrators and consultants. Trevor will lay out:
- Key stories and market shifts in the past 12 months – and why they matter now
- What’s next for traditional growth drivers such as cloud migration and security as they mature and the channel reaches saturation point
- Where the big money in AI is being made – and why it’s not where many partners are looking
- Spending drivers creeping back into channel strategy
- The five predictions every tech partner needs to consider for the year ahead
Expect sharp insights and analysis and a grounded take on where tech partners should consider placing their bets next.
Channel Guru TSP business assessments
We hear much about the struggles some TSPs/MSPs have improving profitability and growth. Pipeline attendees will be able to sit down with Brad Clarke's Channel Guru team, who will be conducting free business operating model assessments.
The Channel Guru team bring skillsets in various aspects of running a TSP/MSP, so these are bound to be useful conversations for TSP/MSP owners, leaders, or other senior decision makers - whether you need to kickstart a long-overdue strategic review or sanity-check your business model.
Navigating the margin squeeze: strategies for tech partner profitability
A panel of industry Gurus will share actionable insights on overcoming profitability challenges, optimising go-to-market strategies, and enhancing business processes for sustained growth.
State of the MSP Report snapshot
At Pipeline we will present a snapshot of highlights from our first State of the MSP Report to include data from our MSP Index. This presentation will use data to provide a snapshot of Australia’s MSP landscape in 2025, including MSP maturity, opportunities and challenges.
Additional sponsors
New additions to the Pipeline sponsor lineup include ManageEngine, Pax8, who join more than 25 sponsors including Microsoft, Lenovo, AvePoint, Superloop, NinjaOne, ConnectWise, Kaseya, Huntress, Schneider Electric, Supermicro, Dell Technologies, Dynabook, EPOS, Aussie Broadband, DropSuite, Guardware, HaloPSA, OpenText Cybersecuity, Vertiv, Hosted Network, Using Technolg9y Better, Dicker Data, and Fifteen.
Pipeline is Australia's premier conference for IT channel partners and takes place from 12th to 14th August, 2025, at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Gold Coast, Queensland.
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