Columbus, Ohio, is the host city for the second stop on the The ASCII Group‘s 2015 IT SMB Success Summit Series. The Success Summit, being held March 25 to 26 at the Hyatt Regency, provides an opportunity for attendees to obtain education, hear industry presentations, browse the vendor solutions pavilion, attend an ASCII member meeting, and network with peers.
The pre-day activities on Wednesday included lunch and business card exchange, and a presentation on “2015 IT Industry Outlook and Trends” by Gary Bixler, founder and principle consultant at Bixler Enterprises.
Vendor-sponsored sessions covered topics such as password management and digital marketing, simple website changes that make a difference, server backup, compliance and managed services, using IT assessments to grow business, and simplified business management. A welcome reception capped off the pre-day events.
The main day agenda taking place today started with a networking breakfast followed by the Success Summit kickoff and peer card exchange.
Guest speakers include ASCII member C.J. Ezell, founder and CEO of of PointClear Networks, a healthcare systems integrator and managed services provider based in Fairhope, Ala. Ezell is speaking with attendees about “Adding Dental Integration to Your Managed Services Practice.”
ASCII member Charles Tholen, president and CTO, Cognoscape LLC, is presenting “Successfully Winning in The Legal Market With Managed Services.” And ASCII member, Eugene Tawiah, a certified Ethical Hacker, is speaking about “Proven Triggers to Help SMB Customers Focus on Cybersecurity.”
The special guest speaker on this year’s tour is Joe Navarro, the leading authority on reading people through nonverbal communication, FBI analyst, and author. He is delivering a presentation to the Columbus attendees on “Sales and Speed Reading—Renowned FBI Analyst Tells All.”
Vendor presentation topics include being a perpetually valuable MSP, mobile opportunities, disaster recovery, cybersecurity, IP-based carrier solutions, and more.
Attendees also have the opportunity to browse the solutions pavilion, meet ASCII staff, and vote on vendor awards. Vendor award winners were:
- Best Technical Demo: BlackStratus
- Best Education: BlackStratus
- Best IT Workshop: Vertical Axion
- Best Software Solution: StorageCraft
- Best Hardware Solution: Lenovo
- Best New Product: BlackStratus
- Best Cloud Solution: Datto
- Best Revenue Generator: StorageCraft
- Best Channel Incentives: Lenovo
- Best Channel Programs: Lenovo & Datto (tied)
- Best Partner Commitment: eFolder
- Best Customer Support: Datto
- Best Distribution Sales Support: D&H
- Best Partner Involvement: LogicNow
- Best of Show: Datto
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The day ends with a closing awards ceremony and giveaways, followed by an ASCII member meeting.
The Summit Series is designed for qualified industry IT professionals and managed service providers, and is targeted toward those who are looking to increase revenue and enhance their current business model. ASCII members receive free admission to the event.
The ASCII Group is a membership-based community of independent MSPs, VARs, and solution providers. Next stop on this year’s eight-city tour is Austin, Texas, April 29 and 30.
For more information go to www.asciievents.com.
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