Channel Business

It’s 501 Somewhere: Kris Blackmon on the Evolution of the MSP 501

Blackmon talks about how the 501 award program has grown over the years, and where it's headed given industry shifts.

Allison Francis

May 18, 2021

The managed services market looks far different than when the MSP 501 debuted 15 (15!) years ago. Since its humble beginnings, the 501 has evolved from a ranking of a handful of partners to an insightful, data-rich report. This report does so much more than name the top MSPs in the world — it shows you how they got there.

I sat down for drinks this week with Kris Blackmon, former senior content director at Channel Futures, now chief channel officer at JS Group. We chatted about the evolution of the 501, how it has progressed since its inception, how it grew and changed when she was running the program, and where it’s headed.

A reminder, the application deadline for the 2021 MSP 501 awards is May 24th. Make sure you get your submissions in! Here is the link to apply.

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About the Author

Allison Francis

Allison Francis

Allison Francis is a writer, public relations and marketing communications professional with experience working with clients in industries such as business technology, telecommunications, health care, education, the trade show and meetings industry, travel/tourism, hospitality, consumer packaged goods and food/beverage. She specializes in working with B2B technology companies involved in hyperconverged infrastructure, managed IT services, business process outsourcing, cloud management and customer experience technologies. Allison holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations and marketing from Drake University. An Iowa native, she resides in Denver, Colorado.

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