MSP Summit/Channel Partners Leadership Summit Day 2 Images: Leadership Advice, Cybersecurity, Networking & More
Our image gallery has the highlights.
September 15, 2022
Over the past eight years, Telecom for Change has raised more than $1.25 million for grassroots organizations. At the MSP Summit, their goal is to raise $10,000 for New Orleans-based Raintree Children & Family Services. The nonprofit has been helping women and children for nearly 100 years.
LaShawna Schofield (far left) executive director of Raintree flew in from New Orleans to meet with Upstack’s Angie Tocco, co-founder of Telecom for Change, and Granite’s Brad Dupee, president of Telecom for Change.
Call it evolution or call it metamorphosis, but the channel is changing. MSP Growth Coalition’s Juan Fernandez (far left) was joined by (left to right) Nuvalo’s Manon de Veritch, SPK and Associates’ Christine McHale, Cisco’s Michelle-Ragusa McBain and C3 Technology Advisors’ Matthew Toth in a deep-dive discussion of how the channel — and channel partners — are changing.
The sale, to borrow from “Casablanca,” is just the beginning of a beautiful friendship. JS Group’s Kris Blackmon explained why post-sale activities are more important than pre-sale activities. Drawing on insights and expertise from CompTIA, she provided ideas on how partners can deepen and strengthen their client relationships.
Is the broker partner business model dying or will it, like the phoenix, rise again in a new form? IQ Wired’s Darcee Nelan, Bluewave’s Marko Spremo and Premier Worldwide’s Randy Jeter gave their thoughts on where the channel is headed and what changes they have made as a result.
Mergers and acquisitions are taking place in the channel at an explosive rate. Will it continue? Has that ship sailed? And if opportunities do still exist, how can MSPs make the most of them?
These topics and others were front and center in the panel discussion led by MSP Growth Coalition’s Juan Fernandez. He was joined by (left to right) Excendio Advisors’ Cristian Anastasiu, Advanced Vision Technology Group’s Sam Ruggeri and Meriplex’s Neil Medwed.
No matter what kind of tough times may be headed this way, the key to survival is preparation. Service Leadership’s Peter Kujawa offered up proven techniques and tactics for operational agility and resiliency.
Mergers and acquisitions are fueling transformation among channel partners. Businesses are expanding, extending their reach and changing direction by joining with or taking over other businesses. Channel business is booming and it’s attracting the attention of investors. Channel Futures’ James Anderson (far left) was joined by (left to right) ITX’s Tim Mueller, Meriplex’s Neil Medwed, Columbia Capital’s Evan DeCorte and New Charter Technologies’ Mitch Morgan who examined the state of M&A in the channel and provided insights on buying, selling and holding.
Most channel partners are aware that they can’t be all things to all people. But beyond that, many smaller partners have learned that focusing on one thing and doing it well can give them a competitive edge. Whether that focus is on a particular vertical or a technology, it requires a thorough and complete understanding of all the factors at play. Channel Partners’ Thomas Baker, Marco Technologies’ Matthew Kanaskie and Disruptive Innovations’ David Wright offered their thoughts on what partners can do to set themselves apart from the competition.
Behind the scenes at Channel Partners events, roundtables are conducted that allow peer groups to get together in a private setting and talk about what’s on their minds. Sharing expertise, opinions and advice, these groups take a look at what’s going on — good or bad — in their part of the channel. Pictured here is the agent roundtable which was attended by (clockwise from far right) Bluewave’s Seth Penland, Rad-Info’s Peter Radizeski, IQ Wired’s Darcee Nelan, MOReCOMM Solutions’ Jay Morris, Channel Futures’ James Anderson, Top Speed Data Communications’ Alan Jaffe, Bluewave’s Mark Spremo (partially obscured), Sumo Communications’ Bret Hickenlooper (partially obscured) and Premiere Worldwide’s Randy Jeter.
Techaisle’s Anurag Agrawal provided an overview of the changing channel landscape and the challenges of charting a course across the shifting terrain. There are new partner imperatives, new requirements of channel management and a nascent ecosystem to be considered.
Omdia’s Eric Parizo (far left) moderated a panel of security experts as they discussed the various security products available, their merits and shortcomings, and what they considered to be the best offerings. Those experts were (left to right) Mailprotector’s David Setzer, GoTo’s Katherine Caporiccio, Sophos’ Eric Kalseth and Lochbox’s Jim Christensen.
The Expo Hall at the MSP Summit/Leadership Summit features more than 130 sponsors and exhibitors. Say hello to the nice folks from GoTo.
ACWConnect Live! is a special addition to every Channel Partners event. But this time, the gathering was even more exciting as attendees celebrated the Alliance of Channel Women’s participation in the inaugural Women’s Leadership Summit. Cheers!
ACWConnect Live! is a special addition to every Channel Partners event. But this time, the gathering was even more exciting as attendees celebrated the Alliance of Channel Women’s participation in the inaugural Women’s Leadership Summit. Cheers!
MSP SUMMIT/CHANNEL PARTNERS LEADERSHIP SUMMIT — Day two of the Channel Futures event in Orlando featured discussions around leadership, the future of business models, and pervasive security threats.
The day kicked off with “The Great Channel Leadership Challenge.” Execs from ConnectWise, Microsoft and RingCentral offered advice for leading channel teams during rapidly changing – and challenging – times.
Several cybersecurity conference sessions culminated in the Security Thunderdome. Security experts from Lochbox, GoTo, Sophos and Mailprotector debated the pros and cons of various solutions.
A day of education ended with socializing in the expo hall and the Alliance of Channel Women’s traditional event. The organization, which partnered with Channel Futures on the Women’s Leadership Summit, celebrated and handed out awards.
See our slideshow above for those highlights and more from day two of the MSP Summit/Channel Partners Leadership Summit.
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like