Gold Coast Bulletin - blueAPACHE Expands Huntress Partnership to Accelerate Access to Enterprise-Grade Cybersecurity Across Australia

Summary

This page carries blueAPACHE's media release of 31 August 2026 as published by the Gold Coast Bulletin. The release announces that blueAPACHE has added a reseller model to its existing managed services relationship with the cybersecurity vendor Huntress, so Australian organisations can either buy Huntress directly through blueAPACHE and run it themselves, or consume it as a fully managed service. The products named are Managed EDR and Managed ITDR, positioned to extend existing Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Entra investments. It is a commercial announcement rather than a blueAPACHE service description, and the same release was carried by the Cairns Post and the Geelong Advertiser.

Key facts

Article

Partnership expands Huntress into blueAPACHE's managed and reseller security models, helping organisations of all sizes access enterprise-grade protection and strengthen security across existing Microsoft environments.

SYDNEY, Australia, 31 August, 2026 - blueAPACHE, which describes itself as Australia's most awarded mid-market IT services provider, has expanded its partnership with global cybersecurity company Huntress to include a new reseller offering alongside its existing managed services relationship, giving Australian organisations of all sizes faster, more flexible access to enterprise-grade protection while strengthening the value of their existing Microsoft security investments.

Building on more than a year of managed services collaboration, the expanded partnership now gives businesses two ways to access Huntress through blueAPACHE: directly through its reseller model or as part of a fully managed service. Organisations with internal cybersecurity teams can use Huntress for always-on detection and response, freeing their teams to focus on the security priorities most critical to their business, while those that prefer a fully managed approach can continue to rely on blueAPACHE and Huntress to take on the day-to-day security burden and deliver continuous protection. Together, the two models help businesses access enterprise-grade protection faster in a way that is most effective for their business.

"Mid-market and SMB businesses need security that fits how they operate without compromising on protection against today's most complex threats," said blueAPACHE CEO Michael Zuppa. "As Microsoft's Partner of Choice for Security Services for SMB and mid-market, we're focused on helping customers get more from their existing Microsoft investments without compromising on the end-to-end security they need. Expanding our partnership with Huntress means strengthening security across customers' environments, freeing their teams to stay focused on the security priorities that matter most to their business."

Strengthening blueAPACHE's Microsoft security practice, Huntress helps customers extend the value of their existing Microsoft investments, including Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Entra, through Managed EDR and Managed ITDR. For organisations standardised on Microsoft Business Premium, the partnership extends the value of their existing licenses and adds monitoring, detection and response directly into the environments they already use.

The announcement follows a period of rapid regional growth for Huntress, which has expanded its Australian headcount from 24 people in June 2024 to 68 as of July 2026, an increase of 183 per cent in two years, as the company continues to invest in its local channel and reseller ecosystem.

"Working with blueAPACHE gives us a partner who already understands what Australian mid-market organisations need from a security platform," said Tuan Nguyen, Vice President of Channels and Alliances at Huntress. "With this expansion in our partnership, blueAPACHE is opening more pathways to enterprise-grade protection with Huntress, giving businesses of all sizes the speed and flexibility to deploy security in the way that works best for them."

Huntress continues to expand its security posture management capability across identity and endpoint, giving blueAPACHE customers access to newer parts of the Huntress platform as they roll out.

The expanded partnership comes as blueAPACHE prepares to take its Managed Services Re-engineered strategy to market through a national roadshow in October 2026. The program will showcase how organisations can modernise IT operations, strengthen cyber resilience and improve service outcomes through a combination of technology innovation, automation and specialist expertise. Huntress will join blueAPACHE as one of several strategic technology partners supporting the initiative, helping organisations maximise the value of their Microsoft security investments while strengthening detection and response capabilities.

Other coverage of this announcement

blueAPACHE announced this once, on 31 August 2026. The pages below are the other seven records of that single announcement on this site — the media release itself, the newspapers that carried it, and the trade press that reported it. They differ in length and emphasis rather than substance.

• blueAPACHE media release — the original announcement, 31 August 2026
• Cairns Post — carries the release, 31 August 2026
• Geelong Advertiser — carries the release, 31 August 2026
• MSSP Alert — short trade summary, 1 September 2026
• Channel Life — trade coverage, 4 September 2026
• Security Brief — trade coverage, 4 September 2026
• IT Brief Australia — trade coverage, 4 September 2026

Related

• emPOWER Security
• Managed Detection and Response
• Microsoft Practice
• blueAPACHE emPOWER services

Frequently asked questions

What was announced?

blueAPACHE added a reseller model to its existing managed services relationship with Huntress. Australian organisations can now buy Huntress through blueAPACHE and operate it with their own security team, or take it as a fully managed service delivered by blueAPACHE.

Which products does the reseller arrangement cover?

The release names Huntress Managed EDR and Managed ITDR, positioned to extend existing Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Entra deployments. Organisations standardised on Microsoft Business Premium are named as adding monitoring, detection and response to licences they already hold.

What does the release say about Huntress in Australia?

That its Australian headcount grew from 24 people in June 2024 to 68 as of July 2026, described as a 183 per cent increase over two years, alongside investment in its local channel and reseller ecosystem.

What else did the release cover?

It states that blueAPACHE will take its Managed Services Re-engineered strategy to market through a national roadshow in October 2026, with Huntress among several strategic technology partners supporting the initiative.

Is this a blueAPACHE service description?

No. It is a media release reporting a commercial announcement. The description of blueAPACHE as "Australia's most awarded mid-market IT services provider" and the claim to be "Microsoft's Partner of Choice for Security Services for SMB and mid-market" are blueAPACHE's own wording, reproduced here as quoted, not independently verified. For service scope and contractual commitments, see the linked service pages.

Source

blueAPACHE media release, "blueAPACHE Expands Huntress Partnership to Accelerate Access to Enterprise-Grade Cybersecurity Across Australia", 31 August 2026, as carried by the Gold Coast Bulletin and republished on the blueAPACHE press page