The 2019 ASCII SMB IT Success Summit gathered MSPs, IT solution providers, and other industry experts in Charlotte, N.C., this week, for the fourth of nine business-building events planned for this year.
Jerry Koutavas (pictured), president of The ASCII Group, opened the event on Wednesday, May 15, 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, growing your MSP, marketing, cybersecurity, and telephony. 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. “Security’s not going anywhere,” he said. “The more you learn to protect your clients, the greater your longevity.”
And Angel Rojas, CEO of DataCorps Technology Solutions, an IT services provider in Brandon, Fla., presented on the home services market of HVAC/plumbing/electrical.
Also throughout the day, sessions covered topics such as cybersecurity, managed security services, managed networking, SD-WAN, telephony, and email security.
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: ID Agent
- Best Partner Incentives: Vertical Axion
- Best Overall Presentation: Solutions Granted
Day 2
- Best Keynote: Pax8
- Most Innovative Solution: Passportal
- Best Market Opportunity: ConnectMeVoice
- Best Rapid Pitch: Syncro MSP
- Best Partner Support: Pax8
- Best Channel Program: Datto
- Best Revenue Generator: Datto
- Top Distributor: Pax8
- Best Partner Involvement: Pax8, QuoteWerks, ProcureIT
- Best of Show: Pax8
Next up for the ASCII SMB IT Success Summit is Chicago on June 26 and 27.
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