The 2019 ASCII SMB IT Success Summit gathered MSPs, IT solution providers, and other industry experts in Chicago this week, for the fifth of nine business-building events planned for this year.
Jerry Koutavas, president of The ASCII Group, opened the event on Wednesday, June 26, with a presentation on “Understanding What High Growth MSPs are Doing to Close Business.”
Sessions during the first day covered topics including the dark web, marketing, cybersecurity, Azure solutions, and more. In the peer business session, Leo Bletnitsky, president of LBA Networking, gave some tips on the do’s and don’ts of mergers and acquisitions. The day concluded with a member meeting followed by a networking reception in the evening.
On Thursday, Rayanne Buchianico, owner of ABC Solutions, an accounting, tax, and business systems consulting firm in Clearwater, Fla., kicked off the day with a presentation on “Key Financial Red Flags Most MSPs Miss.”
Robert Boles, president of BLOKWORX, a managed security services provider (MSSP) in Reno, Nev., spoke with the audience about transitioning from an MSP to an MSSP, which he said would position IT service providers for the long term. Keynote speaker and author Adam Steltzner, recognized as one of NASA’s leading—and most unique—innovators, talked about “The Right Kind of Crazy: A True Story of Teamwork, Leadership and High Stakes Innovation.”
The event ended with voting and a closing awards ceremony. The winners were:
Day 1:
- Best Education: RocketCyber
- Best Partner Incentive: InfoSec Institute
- Best Presentation: Solutions Granted
Day 2:
- Best Rapid Pitch: Duo Security
- Best Keynote: Datto
- Most Innovative Solution: Nerdio
- Best Market Opportunity: Pax8
- Best Partner Support: Pax8
- Best Channel Program: ID Agent
- Best Revenue Generator: Datto
- Best Partner Involvement: Datto, GreenLink Networks, Pax8
- Top Distributor: Pax8
- Best of Show: Datto
Next up for the ASCII SMB IT Success Summit is Denver, July 24 and 25.
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