Welcome to the Channel Chat podcast – home of the podcast which has now proudly become the voice of the IT channel 🎙
Since the Podcast's inception in 2019, the Channel Chat studio has hosted some of the IT channel's biggest names – with regular host, Marc Sumner, asking the questions that many others are afraid to! 🤭
Numbers wise, we now reach over 15,000 listeners per episode in over 32 countries and have hosted 6 live events.
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Publisher
Marc Sumner - CEO @ Robertson Sumner Ltd | Channel Chat
#307 Avinash Advani: The Middle East Is A Hotbed For Cyber Activity.
What does it take to build one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity distributors in the region?
Recorded live during GISEC Dubai 🇦🇪, Avinash Advani, Founder & CEO of CyberKnight, joins Channel Chat to discuss channel growth, vendor strategy, cybersecurity trends, and why success in the Middle East is built on relationships as much as technology.
💡 In this episode:
• The story behind CyberKnight's growth
• Why some vendors succeed while others fail in the Middle East
• The importance of Product, Process and People
• How CyberKnight evaluates potential vendor partners
• Why relationships continue to drive cybersecurity sales
• The impact of AI on the threat landscape
• Cyber resilience, Zero Trust and future market opportunities
• Why attackers are still winning
🎧 Listen now and discover the strategies, trends and lessons shaping the future of cybersecurity across the channel.
8 Oct 2026
#307 Daniel Shone: It's About The People, Not The Products.
Everyone's talking about AI, but are MSPs losing sight of what really drives growth?
In this episode of Channel Chat, host Marc sits down with Daniel Shone, Managing Director at Apex Computing Services, live from the SonicWall Elevate Event.
Daniel shares why MSPs should focus on outcomes rather than technology, how strong vendor relationships can accelerate growth, and why businesses shouldn't lose sight of their core services while exploring AI opportunities.
The conversation also covers cybersecurity, scaling managed services, learning from peers, and the power of the channel community.
🎙️ Recorded live at the SonicWall Elevate Event.
Listen now to hear Daniel's insights on growth, cybersecurity, AI, and what's next for MSPs.
6 Oct 2026
#306: The Speed That AI Moves Is Immediate.
In this episode of the Channel Chat Dubai series, recorded during GISEC Dubai, Marc Sumner is joined by Yarin Pinyan, VP of Product at Upwind Security, for a deep dive into one of the biggest challenges facing organisations today: securing AI.
As businesses accelerate AI adoption, security teams are under increasing pressure to identify where AI is being used, understand new attack vectors, and respond to threats at machine speed.
Yarin shares what he's hearing from CISOs and security leaders across the UAE, why attackers are gaining an advantage, the growing AI education gap, and why Dubai could become one of the world's leading hubs for secure AI adoption.
In this episode:
• Why many organisations still don't know where AI is being used
• The rise of AI-powered attacks and emerging security risks
• Why security must operate at machine speed
• The AI education challenge facing businesses today
• How the UAE is approaching AI adoption differently from other markets
• Why Dubai is becoming a global cybersecurity hotspot
• Who's winning right now: attackers or defenders?
• The future of AI, cybersecurity and the human role in security
If you're a cybersecurity leader, IT decision-maker, vendor, MSP, reseller or channel professional looking to understand the opportunities and risks surrounding AI, this episode is for you.
Who has been a guest on Channel Chat Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Dominique Blaize
Dale Smith
Thea Sztejka
Stefan Voss
Jonathan Bartholomew
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 46 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
60
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
81
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