AVG Buys Level Platforms: Rob Rae's Key Role

As AVG Technologies buys Level Platforms, MSPs will notice some title and executive changes. Level Platforms CEO Peter Sandiford said he will shift to VP of business development; VP Dan Wensley will exit; and the partner team could become critically important during this M&A period. That’s where Rob Rae enters the picture.

Earlier MSPmentor noted that Director of Partner Community Dave Sobel is expected to remain with Level Platforms. (Sandiford mentioned Sobel during an MSPmentor call with Jessica Davis earlier today.) But that’s only half of the partner story. We have not heard about Director of Partner Development and Operations Rob Rae — but MSPmentor’s best guess is he will remain a key player at the company.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Rae’s “sole responsibility at Level Platforms is to insure that all LPI Partners are successful in deploying their Managed Services offering (business as well as technology). With over 20 years of sales and B2B activities, Rob has extensive experience in IT hardware and software sales. All of Rob’s industry experience has been working with 100% channel focused organizations and working directly with Channel VAR’s and Solution Providers in achieving their goals. Prior to working with Level Platforms, Rob has built successful sales teams in a variety of industries including Compaq Computers and HP.”

So what is Rae’s status? Again, just a shot in the dark but I suspect he’s on the team going forward. A clearer answer will emerge next week during the Level Platforms MSP Community Summit in Las Vegas.

The entire Level Platforms team will need to work hard to assure MSPs that the AVG-Level Platforms business combination offers channel-friendly upside to partners. AVG has worked in and around the MSP market for several years, and is perhaps best known by MSPs for an earlier Kaseya relationship.

Level Platforms, meanwhile, has successful integrations with a range of IT security companies — including Symantec and McAfee. AVG and Level Platforms have stated that they will keep the RMM platform open to ISVs.