Recent News & Press Coverage

Are you ready to join an industry peer group?

Are you looking to join a community of like-minded peers, but unsure which one is right for you? Is it time to grow your business, your revenue and your network?

Join Jerry Koutavas from The ASCII Group as he discusses the benefits of belonging to a peer group and how buying power is stronger because of it.  Additionally, he will explain how to take advantage of these price points and use programs and services aimed at growing your MSP business.

Mark your calendar!

How do you Know When to Join a Peer Group?

Date:  December 14, 2016        

Time: 2:00pm EDT

Duration: 1 hour

Register Now for the Webinar:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6628219309664959748

Read the latest articles written by ASCII members for top industry publications.

Tech Target | SearchITChannel

Ask the Expert: How to Navigate a Law Firm’s IT Committee by Andrew Harrover, CEO, Matrix Computer Consulting and member of The ASCII Group since 2012.

Business Solutions Magazine

6 Ways to Improve Security in Your Offering by Austin Justice, Vice President, Justice IT Consulting and member of The ASCII Group since 2015.

Common MSP Pricing Mistakes by Rayanne Buchianico, ABC Solutions, LLC and member of The ASCII Group since 2016.

How to Add Security to Your Offering by Mauricio Bayon, President of Bayon Technologies Group and member of The ASCII Group since 2016.

Bethesda, Maryland – October 17, 2016 —

The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent MSPs, VARs and Solution Providers, is pleased to announce the winners of its annual ASCII Cup, with awards given to the ASCII Cup winner, Gold and Silver Medalists, and Top Distributor.  The awards are presented each fall to technology companies that have showcased channel goodwill and a commitment to helping ASCII members grow their businesses.  Winners are voted upon by ASCII members at regional events, and the Cup and awards were presented at the ASCII Success Summit on October 14, in Newport, Rhode Island.

ASCII Success Summit attendees vote for the vendors in 12 different categories: Top Security Solution; Top Productivity Solution; Top Storage Solution; Top Cloud Solution; Top Revenue Generator; Top Channel Programs; Top Distributor; Best Keynote Presentation; Best Creativity & Innovation; Best IT Management Tool; Best Partner Incentives; and Best Market Opportunity.  The winners at each Summit are selected based on the votes by the solution providers in attendance; at the end of the year, the winner of the ASCII Cup is determined by tabulating the results of all nine events.  The 2016 winners of The ASCII Cup, Gold and Silver Medalists, and Top Distributor were announced at a private industry gathering at the Hyatt Regency Newport.

The ASCII Group is pleased to honor the recipients of this year’s ASCII Cup, for they represent the principles on which the Cup was established.

The 2016 ASCII Cup Vendor of the Year is Datto.

Top Four Gold Medalists for The ASCII Cup are StorageCraft, Cytracom, IT Glue and BlackStratus.

Top Five Silver Medalists for The ASCII Cup are Data Deposit Box, Passportal, Connectwise, CNET and Lenovo.

Distributor of the Year for The ASCII Cup was Pax8.

“On behalf of The ASCII Group and our community, we congratulate Datto on winning the coveted 2016 ASCII Cup. We also wish to recognize the Gold & Silver Medalists, Distributor of the Year, and all of the companies that were featured at our Success Summits, for being committed to the channel and continuing to bring value to our members,” said Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group.

Photos of the celebration will be made available on The ASCII Group and The ASCII Cup Facebook pages.

For more information, please visit www.ascii.com.

About The ASCII Group, Inc:

The ASCII Group is a vibrant reseller community of independent MSPs, VARs, and other solution providers.  Formed in 1984, ASCII has more than 70 programs that provide turnkey cost-cutting strategies, innovative business building programs, and extensive peer interaction.  ASCII members enjoy benefits such as marketing support; educational information; group purchasing power; increased leverage in the marketplace; and multiple networking opportunities. These programs enable ASCII members to increase revenue, lower operating costs, and grow service opportunities. 

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Press Contact

Alysia Vetter

Director of Communications

Tel: 800-394-2724 x 131

Email: alysia@ascii.com

Web:  www.ascii.com

Bethesda, Maryland– September 20, 2016 — The ASCIIGroup, the leading membership-based community of independentMSPs, VARs and solution providers, is pleased to announce updates to its 2017IT SMB Success Summit Series including a new keynote speaker, conferencecontent and event cities. Having become the premier series of events for ITsolution providers to attend, The ASCII Group is extending its reach in ninemarkets across North America.  With acontinued focus on education, collaboration, networking, and engagement, the2017 series will also concentrate on driving the advancement of IT services.

Each Summit welcomes hundredsof Managed Service Providers as well as key industry leaders and marketinfluencers. Now in its seventeenth year, the Success Summits are once again ontrack for record attendance with the central theme highlighting growth andadvancement.

“The events enableour industry to reconnect and learn. At each event we see that light bulbmoment happen, either through a new peer introduction, a newly discoveredvendor opportunity or through a new service ASCII provides to help lower theoverall burden on the MSP. The mission of our Summits continues to focus onhelping solution providers further their business by leveraging the power ofthe ASCII Community,” said Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group.

The 2017 Summits will includeeducation, innovative industry presentations, a cutting-edge vendor solutionspavilion, and an exclusive ASCII members-only meeting. The Summit Series isdesigned for qualified industry IT professionals and MSPs, and is targetedtowards those looking to increase revenue and enhance their current businessmodel.  Admission is free for ASCIImembers.

In addition to informative andreal-life best practice addresses from ASCII members and thought leaders, thespecial guest speaker for 2017 is Frank Abagnale, acclaimed subject of thebook, movie and Broadway play, “Catch Me If You Can”, and one of the world’smost respected authorities on forgery, embezzlement and securingdocuments.    

“85{cd933a35b4dea5d347db3c1b94e2678db2fa666034d5c43bfb6d103821efc580} of ASCII members reportedrevenue growth in 2015, and our Summits, in conjunction with our other programsthat save them thousands of dollars annually, remain a highly engagingopportunity for the membership,” said Alan Weinberger, CEO, The ASCIIGroup.  “Summit participants said theirtop business reasons for attending include their desire to educate themselveson potential industry opportunities, to learn about new products and programs,and the need to seek out face-to-face partnerships with attending vendors, sowe remain committed to joining together the best and brightest vendors with thetop MSPs in North America.”

For further information on the ASCII IT SMB SuccessSummits in each city, please visit www.asciievents.com. Follow ASCII on social media@asciigroup and #ASCIISUCCESS.

2017 Summit Cities:

·       Houston, TX                           February 22 – 23

·       Orange County, CA                March 29 – 30

·       Boston, MA                             April 26 – 27

·       Columbus, OH                        May 17 – 18

·       Toronto, Canada                     June 21 – 22

·       Newark, NJ                             July 26 – 27

·       Chicago, IL                              August 30 – 31

·       Miami, FL                                September 27– 28

·       Washington, D.C.                    October 25 – 26

About The ASCII Group, Inc:

The ASCIIGroup is a vibrant reseller community of independent MSPs, VARs, and othersolution providers.  Formed in 1984, ASCII has more than 70 programs thatprovide turnkey cost-cutting strategies, innovative business building programs,and extensive peer interaction.  ASCII members enjoy benefits such asmarketing support; educational information; group purchasing power; increasedleverage in the marketplace; and multiple networking opportunities. Theseprograms enable ASCII members to increase revenue, lower operating costs, andgrow service opportunities.  Learn more at www.ascii.com or by calling 800-394-2724.

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Press Contact

AlysiaVetter

Director of Marketing& Communications

Tel:800-394-2724 x 131

Email: alysia@ascii.com

Web:  http://www.ascii.com/

Bethesda, Maryland – September 8, 2016 – The ASCII Group, a membership-based community ofindependent MSPs, VARs and solution providers, is pleased to announce theformation of a new Vendor Advisory Committee. The assembled Committee is made up of ASCII members from IT businessesacross North America, and the participants will provide feedback to ASCII staffto identify future programs presented to the community at large.

The directive of theCommittee is to have a team of ASCII members investigate and evaluate new andupcoming technologies and vendors. Its purpose is to address the growingbusiness needs of the members and will be structured as a conduit for newconcepts to be explored. 

“Many of our membershave voiced that they would like to play a larger role in evaluating andproviding feedback on vendors that are interested in engaging with the largerASCII community,” said Shannon Mayer, VP Channel Development at The ASCIIGroup.  “We value the opinions of ourmembers, so we created this new committee to help ensure that the vendors whodo engage with ASCII will be highly successful in their efforts.”

Vendor AdvisoryCommittee members have the opportunity to help educate fellow ASCII members andtheir input will be incorporated into future Group decision making.  

“Having owned two technology companies overthe last fifteen years, I’ve had the opportunity to evaluate many differentvendor partners. Those experiences have taught me what to look for in apotential partner, and what parts of a channel program works versus whatdoesn’t,” said C.J. Ezell, CEO of Point Clear Networks and ASCII member since 2013. “I am happy to provide my opinion on thevendors that want to partner with The ASCII Group. The more feedback we can getto vendors early on, the better they will understand the needs of our members aswell as the great opportunities that can come from working with the ASCIIcommunity.”

For more information on ASCIImembership, please visit www.ascii.com.

About The ASCII Group, Inc:

The ASCIIGroup is a vibrant reseller community of independent MSPs, VARs, and othersolution providers.  Formed in 1984, ASCII has more than 70 programs thatprovide turnkey cost-cutting strategies, innovative business building programs,and extensive peer interaction.  ASCII members enjoy benefits such asmarketing support; educational information; group purchasing power; increasedleverage in the marketplace; and multiple networking opportunities. Theseprograms enable ASCII members to increase revenue, lower operating costs, andgrow service opportunities.  Learn more at www.ascii.com or by calling 800-394-2724.

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Press Contact

AlysiaVetter

Director ofMarketing & Communications

Tel:800-394-2724 x 131

Email: alysia@ascii.com

Web:  http://www.ascii.com/

Bethesda, Maryland– August 10, 2016 — The ASCII Group, amembership-based community of independent MSPs, VARs and solution providers, ispleased to announce a six part webinar series developed in partnership with itsmembers.  The webinars will be presentedby ASCII members who are subject matter experts in their particular verticalsand fields. The educational series is geared towards supporting member success,while also presenting itself as a business development tool. 

Since 1984, The ASCII Grouphas leveraged the expertise and power of its IT community. The purpose of thewebinar series is to facilitate a true knowledge exchange amongst the groupmembers, as this is the groundwork that the company was founded upon.

“Our members have told us that a major benefit of being part of theASCII community is the ability to network and learn from each other,” said DougYoung, COO & Senior Vice President, The ASCII Group.  “Just like withASCII’s highly popular member list serv, our educational webinar series will bean ideal way for members to take advantage of the collective brainpower of thegroup.”

The webinars will explorevarious business topics and verticals prevalent to today’s solution providers.The series began on July 26, and additional sessions will be held throughDecember 2016. Members can register online or view the presentations “ondemand”.

“The ASCII Group has compiledan informative and engaging set of webinar topics for its members. Afterattending the first session, I found the information to be interesting anduseful.  I look forward to seeing more ofmy peers present their industry knowledge for our community to learn from,”said Stan Smith, Vice President of Sales, ADS Programming Services, Inc. ASCIIGroup Member since 2003.

For more information on ASCIImembership, please visit www.ascii.com.

About The ASCII Group, Inc:

The ASCIIGroup is a vibrant reseller community of independent MSPs, VARs, and othersolution providers.  Formed in 1984, ASCII has more than 70 programs thatprovide turnkey cost-cutting strategies, innovative business building programs,and extensive peer interaction.  ASCII members enjoy benefits such asmarketing support; educational information; group purchasing power; increasedleverage in the marketplace; and multiple networking opportunities. Theseprograms enable ASCII members to increase revenue, lower operating costs, andgrow service opportunities.  Learn more at www.ascii.com or by calling 800-394-2724.

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Press Contact

AlysiaVetter

Director ofMarketing & Communications

Tel:800-394-2724 x 131

Email: alysia@ascii.com

Web:  http://www.ascii.com/

ASCII CEO AlanWeinberger was invited to speak at the Berkman Center for Internet &Society at Harvard University.  Alan’sgoal was to educate the public on the real value of the Solution Provider.  As a true advocate for this Group, Alanrelayed the importance of the role of the “Trusted IT Advisor” and how theformation of The ASCII Group played a crucial role in the industry.

Click here to watch his presentation, “The North American Information Technology Marketplace: Three Decades of IT Channel Evolution and the Continued Importance of Small IT Companies”.  http://bit.ly/1SPRcLp

The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent MSPs, VARs and solution providers, is pleased to announce the appointment of Shannon Mayer as Vice President of Channel Development.  In this role, Shannon is responsible for developing key alliances while creating new channel strategies for our vendor partner program.

Shannon is well-known in the channel, and prior to joining The ASCII Group, she was Senior Marketing Programs Manager at Continuum Managed Services.  She has also served as Channel Engagement Manager at LogMeIn and Director of Marketing and Channel Relations at Datto.

“We are delighted to have Shannon join our team, and her experience and commitment within the channel will bring great benefits to both our members and partners,” said Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group.

“ASCII has a long history of providing programs and services that help the IT solution provider community grow and improve their businesses,” said Mayer.  “They do incredible work for our industry and I am excited and honored to become a member of their amazing team and look forward to continuing to help the channel community thrive.”

The ASCII Group has experienced significant growth in 2016 including additional staff and an expansion of the IT SMB Success Summit Series into Canada.

For additional information about The ASCII Group visit www.ascii.com. Follow The ASCII Group on Twitter @asciigroup.

About The ASCII Group,Inc:

The ASCII Group is a vibrant reseller communityof independent MSPs, VARs, and other solution providers.  Formed in 1984,ASCII has more than 70 programs that provide turnkey cost-cutting strategies,innovative business building programs, and extensive peer interaction. ASCII members enjoy benefits such as marketing support; educationalinformation; group purchasing power; increased leverage in the marketplace; andmultiple networking opportunities. These programs enable ASCII members toincrease revenue, lower operating costs, and grow service opportunities.

Bethesda, Maryland– March 30, 2016 — The ASCII Group, amembership-based community of independent MSPs, VARs and solution providers, ispleased to announce plans for expansion of its IT SMB Success Summit Series toCanada.  Making their debut in 2000, theSuccess Summits have become the premier event for IT solution providers due tothe model that The ASCII Group has successfully built their events around: Education;collaboration; networking; and engagement. A Toronto Success Summit will take place on Thursday, September 22,2016.

The ASCII Group has servedNorth American IT providers since 1984, but this is the first time that the EventSeries has been brought north of the border. Serving eight different markets across the US, Summit attendees havebeen privy to hearing insight from fellow community members who aresuccessfully growing their IT businesses. The Toronto event will include Canadian speakers and applicable content.

“The inclusion of a Toronto show in our Summit Series is an importantstep as we continue to foster and grow our membership across Canada,” said AlanWeinberger, CEO, The ASCII Group.

“By expanding our Series, we are in a better position to address the needsof the Canadian market and our members, both directly and in collaboration withour Channel Partners,” added Donna Bogers, President of ASCII Canada.

The upcoming one day TorontoSummit will include education, innovative industry presentations, a cutting-edgevendor solutions pavilion, and an exclusive ASCII member meeting. The SummitSeries is designed for qualified industry IT professionals and Managed ServiceProviders, and is targeted towards those who are looking to increase revenueand enhance their current business model. ASCII members receive free admission to the event.

For more information on the Toronto IT SMB SuccessSummit, including a complete agenda and registration, please visit www.asciievents.com.

About The ASCII Group, Inc:

The ASCIIGroup is a vibrant reseller community of independent MSPs, VARs, and othersolution providers.  Formed in 1984, ASCII has more than 70 programs thatprovide turnkey cost-cutting strategies, innovative business building programs,and extensive peer interaction.  ASCII members enjoy benefits such asmarketing support; educational information; group purchasing power; increasedleverage in the marketplace; and multiple networking opportunities. Theseprograms enable ASCII members to increase revenue, lower operating costs, andgrow service opportunities.  Learn more at www.ascii.com or by calling 800-394-2724.

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Press Contact

AlysiaVetter

Director of Marketing& Communications

Tel:800-394-2724 x 131

Email: alysia@ascii.com

Web:  http://www.ascii.com/