Ending the year on a high note in Seattle, The ASCII Group wrapped up the 2018 IT Success Summit tour of nine cities with the awarding of the annual ASCII Cup to distributor Pax8, which also was voted MSP Success Summit Distributor of the Year. The photo above shows (from left) Mackenzie Heddy of the ASCII Group, and Nicole Faletra and Jennifer Bodell of Pax8 celebrating the win.
The ASCII Cup awards are presented each October to technology companies that have showcased channel goodwill and a commitment to helping ASCII members grow their IT businesses. The awards, which include the Top 10 Vendors, were presented at the last summit event of this year on October 18 and celebrated at the ASCII Cup Vendor of the Year Party.
The summits bring together IT solution providers and technology vendors in a two-day format that includes extensive networking, education, training, and best-practice addresses from ASCII members and thought leaders.
At each regional event throughout the year, ASCII Success Summit attendees voted for the vendors in 13 different categories. The winners at each summit are selected based on the votes by the MSPs, VARs, and solution providers in attendance. The winner of The ASCII Cup is determined by tabulating the results of all nine events.
This year’s winner’s list is as follows:
- The 2018 ASCII Cup Vendor of the Year – Pax8
- Top 2 Vendor of the Year for ASCII Cup 2018 – Datto
- Top 3 Vendor of the Year for ASCII Cup 2018 – Mailprotector
- Top 4 Vendor of the Year for ASCII Cup 2018 – Duo Security
- Top 5 Vendor of the Year for ASCII Cup 2018 – Solutions Granted
- Top 6 Vendor of the Year for ASCII Cup 2018 – Continuum
- Top 7 Vendor of the Year for ASCII Cup 2018 – RapidFire Tools
- Top 8 Vendor of the Year for ASCII Cup 2018 – Vertical Axion
- Top 9 Vendor of the Year for ASCII Cup 2018 – Cytracom
- Top 10 Vendor of the Year for ASCII Cup 2018 – Technology Marketing Toolkit
- MSP Success Summit Distributor of the Year – Pax8
Prior to the awards ceremony, the business at hand was two days of educational sessions. Jerry Koutavas, president of Bethesda, Md.-based ASCII Group, opened the pre-day on October 17 with a presentation on “How to Avoid the ‘McDonaldizaton’ of Your MSP.”
That was followed by sessions on security, marketing, and and more. The day concluded with an ASCII member meeting and evening networking reception.
On Thursday, keynote speaker Bradley Gross, managing partner at the law office of Bradley Gross, P.A., discussed how MSPs can avoid legal disasters.
The Internet of Things was also on the agenda. ASCII member Tim Martin, business development manager for Action Point Software Development, presented “It’s Happening Now—How One Company is Helping MSPs Generate Recurring Revenue Using IoT.”
And fellow ASCII member Lamar Curtis, president of IAG Business Technology, presented on “Lessons From the Field: Hurricane Harvey—What MSPs May Overlook in their Business Continuity Planning.”
This special guest at all the events for 2018 was Theresa Payton, former White House CIO and the first female to serve as White House chief information officer. Her keynote presentation was on “Why Small Business Is Most at Risk for IT Security and How to Get Their Attention.”
The award winners for the Seattle leg of the 2018 ASCII IT Success Summit are as follows:
- Best Education – Solutions Granted
- Best Partner Incentives – Duo Security
- Best Presentation – Duo Security
- Best Rapid Pitch – SynchroMSP
- Best Keynote Presentation – Pax8
- Most Innovative Solution – Mailprotector
- Best Market Opportunity – Pax8
- Best Partner Support – Datto
- Best Channel Program – GreenLink Networks
- Best Revenue Generator – ID Agent
- Top Distributor – Pax8
- Best Partner Involvement –ID Agent, Pax8, and Technology Marketing Toolkit
- Best of Show – Pax8
Photo by Joshua Liberman
