Inside ASCII Featured Articles

  1. Client Security Training: Partnership Drives The Opportunity 12/19/2018

    In a sweeping interview for Channel Executive Magazine, seasoned IT executive and SRC Technologies President and CEO BJ Havlik shared the wisdom behind his new-solution onboarding philosophy. In doing so, he zeroed in directly on the relatively new client IT security training opportunity.

  2. Episode 10: Tim Conkle & Crystal McFerran, The 20 12/12/2018

    Topics Discussed: Building tribes of clients and building tribes of MSPs, scalability and national footprints, an MSP marketing retrospective, why 94 percent of MSPs never see a million dollars, self-awareness and corrective action, what if you don’t get anything back for your marketing? What if you do? Education as the ROI on failure, everything’s easier with a set of plans.

  3. Episode 09: Channel/Vendor Relations, Live From Brooklyn 11/28/2018

    Topics Discussed: Tom Clancy (Valiant Technology), Paul DeMore (Force Management) Mark Haskelson (Compliancy Group), and Butch Langlois (Vend) engage in a transparent conversation about what's right and what's wrong with channel/vendor partnerships from the perspectives of VAR/MSP, software company, and consultancy. 

  4. Episode 08: Bradley Gross, The Law Office Of Bradley Gross 11/13/2018

    Topics Discussed: Why most MSPs don’t treat their business like a business, the dangers of ambiguous contract language, the business, financial, and personal repercussions of legal action, how to avoid sales-slogging contract language yet remain protected, best practices for legal risk mitigation.

  5. Episode 07: Peter Kujawa, EO Johnson Business Technologies - Locknet Managed IT Services 10/31/2018

    Topics Discussed: The value of a legal background in managed services business leadership, merger and acquisition strategy and law, change management among personnel, salespersons' egos, transparency and altruism in the IT channel.

  6. Episode 6: Dennis O'Connell, Taylor Business Group 10/10/2018

    Topics Discussed: An unlikely path to managed services, sleepwalking in the Air Force, why peer groups matter, surviving tornadoes (literally), keeping reliable peers, building a financial cushion, KPIs, business performance benchmarking, the discomfort of accountability and transparency, and more.

  7. How VARs Can Make Customers Raving Fans 9/28/2018

    We dedicate a good amount of editorial to encouraging VARs to innovate, to add to their line cards, and to transition their business models. We should spend more time reminding VARs the importance of keeping existing customers happy by ensuring your customer support operation is up to par.

  8. Episode 5: Arlin Sorensen, HTG Peer Groups/ Connectwise 9/25/2018

    Topics discussed: From farmer to IT advisor, the birth of a peer group, the evolution of HTG, the definition of legacy, what legacy means to MSPs versus individuals, the unfair stigma around “lifestyle” service businesses, intentionality and the importance of a “why statement,” habits that make business and personal legacy real.

  9. Why A VAR Was Unexpectedly Forced To Become An MSP 9/19/2018

    Back when Channel Executive was named Business Solutions and VARinsights.com was BSMinfo.com, those publications used to host Channel Transitions conferences. The name of those events was quite literal – they were designed to help VARs in the IT channel transition to a managed services business model. Our brand names have changed, but we are still providing content to help break/fix VARs transition to the wonderful world of recurring revenue. I distinctly remember several panelists at Channel Transitions conferences advising audience members to tackle the VAR-to-MSP transition gradually: start with a small handful of customers, and only add more when your cash flow allows it.

  10. Episode 4: Robin Robins, Technology Marketing Toolkit (Part 2) 9/5/2018

    Topics Discussed: The glamour of the MSP industry, the beginnings of the technology marketing toolkit, whether or not it's hard to fly a rocket ship, inspiring leaders, the power of industry knowledge, the channel’s cyber security services opportunity, big box IT threats.