Schools do not exist to run technology. They exist to educate—and every technology decision must ultimately improve the experience of teachers and learners.

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by Max Feneck, Go-to-Market and Alliance Director at RM Technology.

Max traces his journey from studying aerospace engineering and entering technology almost by accident to building a career across marketing, managed services, alliances and go-to-market strategy. His experience includes Guardian IT, SunGard, NTT and Ingram Micro before moving into education technology with RM.

The conversation explores how selling to schools differs from selling to large enterprises. While a bank or multinational may employ specialist IT teams and measure success through commercial returns, schools must evaluate technology according to the time, money and effort it releases for education.

Max explains how classrooms are changing, why providing every pupil with a device is only part of the answer, and how RM’s educational consultants help teachers use technology effectively.

They also consider the opportunities and risks presented by AI. Adoption remains inconsistent, with concerns around online safety and plagiarism balanced by the potential to provide personalised tuition and identify where individual pupils need additional support.

Max also discusses digital poverty, device recycling and programmes that return money and refurbished technology to schools and families.

From his first Commodore Amiga to AI-assisted learning, this is a thoughtful conversation about technology, education and using commercial experience to create genuine social value.

Technology buying has moved from large, upfront purchases towards flexible, consumption-based services—but what has that change meant for customers, sales teams and the channel?

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by John Newson, VP of Alliances and Channels for EMEA at Cloudwick. Drawing on a career spanning ICL, Dell, Symantec, and a decade at AWS, John explains how cloud technology has transformed the relationship between vendors, partners and customers.

They explore why helping customers reduce their spending can actually strengthen trust and create future growth, how cloud marketplaces represent a substantial opportunity for channel partners, and why smaller specialist partners can now compete effectively with much larger organisations.

John also introduces Cloudwick and its Amorphic data and analytics platform, using a wonderfully simple LEGO analogy to explain how it helps organisations gain value from AWS services without requiring enormous technical teams.

The conversation then turns to visual communication. John reflects on the whiteboard story he and Mark developed in 2020 to explain how partners could build a profitable AWS practice—a presentation he continued using around the world for the next five years.

Finally, John speaks openly about dyslexia, the strengths of dyslexic thinking and why simplifying complex problems is a valuable business skill.

It is a thoughtful conversation about cloud, partnerships, communication and the enduring power of making complicated ideas easier to understand.

The workforce is no longer made up only of people—and that fundamentally changes the cybersecurity perimeter. Neill Burton, VP of Channels and Alliances, International Markets at KnowBe4, joins The Channel Zone Podcast to explore how AI agents are reshaping cyber risk, managed services and the way technology is bought and sold.

Drawing on a career spanning more than 40 years, Neill reflects on his journey from operating mainframe computers to senior leadership roles across the technology channel. He explains how working for both vendors and partners transformed his understanding of customer relationships—and why trust, integrity and genuine intent matter more than polished sales technique.

The conversation examines the continuing importance of human behaviour in cybersecurity, alongside the emerging risks created when organisations give AI agents access, credentials and authority. Neill also discusses KnowBe4’s evolution beyond security awareness training towards protecting a broader workforce of humans and AI.

For MSPs and MSSPs, AI presents both an opportunity and a threat. It can automate operations and help providers serve a vast market of smaller organisations, but it also lowers the barrier to entry and makes differentiation increasingly difficult. Could AI eventually move beyond operational support and become the frontline salesperson too?

This episode offers practical insight for channel leaders, partners and technology businesses considering how security, sales and customer relationships may change as digital workforces expand.

Watch or listen to hear Neill’s candid perspective on the next iteration of the technology channel.