Recent News & Press Coverage
Stay informed with official news and updates from The ASCII Group. This section features company announcements, strategic initiatives, and industry coverage that reflect our continued commitment to the MSP community and the broader IT channel.
The ASCII Group Appoints Ted Roller as Chief Community Officer
Washington, D.C.– January 14, 2026 – The ASCII Group, North America’s original and vendor-neutral community for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), is pleased to announce the appointment of Ted Roller as Chief Community Officer, a newly created executive role focused on strengthening member engagement and expanding ASCII’s community across the United States and Canada.
In this role, Roller will lead initiatives designed to deepen member connection and engagement, working closely with MSPs to help shape the future of the ASCII community. His focus will be on ensuring ASCII continues to reflect the real-world needs of MSP business owners and remains a trusted resource for peer insight and collaboration.
Roller brings more than 25 years of experience in the IT channel, with a career spanning MSP ownership and senior channel leadership roles. Earlier in his career, he owned and operated an MSP that was recognized locally as one of the Fast 50 fastest-growing companies, providing firsthand experience with the operational and strategic realities MSPs face.
He has since held senior channel leadership positions at LogMeIn, Intronis, Mailprotector, CloudRadial, Zomentum, and FlexPoint, where he helped build partner programs, strengthen community engagement, and support growth through indirect sales models. In addition, Roller has contributed to industry education as faculty for CompTIA and has been recognized by organizations including MSPmentor, The Channel Company, and SMB Nation.
“Ted’s background as both an MSP owner and a channel executive makes him uniquely qualified to lead our community efforts,” said Jerry Koutavas, CEO of The ASCII Group. “His role will be instrumental in strengthening member engagement and expanding ASCII’s reach as we continue to support MSPs across North America.”
“ASCII has always represented something different in this industry,” said Roller. “It is a community built on trust, openness, and shared experience. I’m honored to join the team and look forward to helping shape the next chapter of member engagement and community leadership.”
About The ASCII Group, Inc.
The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, MSSPs and Solution Providers. The Group has members located throughout the U.S. and Canada, and membership encompasses everyone from credentialed MSPs serving the SMB community to multi-location solution providers with a national and international reach. Founded in 1984, ASCII provides services to members including leveraged purchasing programs, education and training, marketing assistance, extensive peer interaction and more. ASCII works with a vibrant ecosystem of leading and major technology vendors that complement the ASCII community and support the mission of helping MSPs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com.
Press Contact
Jessica Turner
Senior Digital Engagement Manager
Tel: 800-394-2724
Email: jturner@ascii.com
Web: www.ascii.com
The ASCII Group Announces New Vendor Advisory Committee
Bethesda, Maryland – September 8, 2016 – The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent MSPs, VARs and solution providers, is pleased to announce the formation of a new Vendor Advisory Committee. The assembled Committee is made up of ASCII members from IT businesses across North America, and the participants will provide feedback to ASCII staff to identify future programs presented to the community at large.
The directive of the Committee is to have a team of ASCII members investigate and evaluate new and upcoming technologies and vendors. Its purpose is to address the growing business needs of the members and will be structured as a conduit for new concepts to be explored.
“Many of our members have voiced that they would like to play a larger role in evaluating and providing feedback on vendors that are interested in engaging with the larger ASCII community,” said Shannon Mayer, VP Channel Development at The ASCII Group. “We value the opinions of our members, so we created this new committee to help ensure that the vendors who do engage with ASCII will be highly successful in their efforts.”
Vendor Advisory Committee members have the opportunity to help educate fellow ASCII members and their input will be incorporated into future Group decision making.
“Having owned two technology companies over the last fifteen years, I’ve had the opportunity to evaluate many different vendor partners. Those experiences have taught me what to look for in a potential partner, and what parts of a channel program works versus what doesn’t,” said C.J. Ezell, CEO of Point Clear Networks and ASCII member since 2013. “I am happy to provide my opinion on the vendors that want to partner with The ASCII Group. The more feedback we can get to vendors early on, the better they will understand the needs of our members as well as the great opportunities that can come from working with the ASCII community.”
For more information on ASCII membership, 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. Learn more at www.ascii.com or by calling 800-394-2724.
Press Contact
Alysia Vetter
Director of Marketing & Communications
Tel:800-394-2724 x 131
Email: alysia@ascii.com
The ASCII Group Announces Educational Webinar Series for Members
Bethesda, Maryland– August 10, 2016 — The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent MSPs, VARs and solution providers, is pleased to announce a six part webinar series developed in partnership with its members. The webinars will be presented by ASCII members who are subject matter experts in their particular verticals and fields. The educational series is geared towards supporting member success, while also presenting itself as a business development tool.
Since 1984, The ASCII Group as leveraged the expertise and power of its IT community. The purpose of the webinar series is to facilitate a true knowledge exchange amongst the group members, as this is the groundwork that the company was founded upon.
“Our members have told us that a major benefit of being part of the ASCII community is the ability to network and learn from each other,” said Doug Young, COO & Senior Vice President, The ASCII Group. “Just like with ASCII’s highly popular member list serv, our educational webinar series will bean ideal way for members to take advantage of the collective brainpower of the group.”
The webinars will explore various business topics and verticals prevalent to today’s solution providers. The series began on July 26, and additional sessions will be held through December 2016. Members can register online or view the presentations “on demand”.
“The ASCII Group has compiled an informative and engaging set of webinar topics for its members. After attending the first session, I found the information to be interesting and useful. I look forward to seeing more of my peers present their industry knowledge for our community to learn from,” said Stan Smith, Vice President of Sales, ADS Programming Services, Inc. ASCII Group Member since 2003.
For more information on ASCII membership, 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. Learn more at www.ascii.com or by calling 800-394-2724.
Press Contact
Alysia Vetter
Director of Marketing & Communications
Tel:800-394-2724 x 131
Email: alysia@ascii.com
ASCII CEO Alan Weinberger speaks at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
ASCII CEO Alan Weinberger was invited to speak at the Berkman Center for Internet &Society at Harvard University. Alan’s goal was to educate the public on the real value of the Solution Provider. As a true advocate for this Group, Alan relayed the importance of the role of the “Trusted IT Advisor” and how the formation 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 Appoints Shannon Mayer as Vice President of Channel Development
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 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.
The ASCII Group Announces Expansion of its IT Success Summit Series to Canada
Bethesda, Maryland– March 30, 2016 — The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent MSPs, VARs and solution providers, is pleased to announce plans for expansion of its IT SMB Success Summit Series to Canada. Making their debut in 2000, the Success Summits have become the premier event for IT solution providers due to the 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 served North American IT providers since 1984, but this is the first time that the Event Series has been brought north of the border. Serving eight different markets across the US, Summit attendees have been privy to hearing insight from fellow community members who are successfully 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 important step as we continue to foster and grow our membership across Canada,” said Alan Weinberger, CEO, The ASCII Group.
“By expanding our Series, we are in a better position to address the needs of the Canadian market and our members, both directly and in collaboration with our Channel Partners,” added Donna Bogers, President of ASCII Canada.
The upcoming one day Toronto Summit will include education, innovative industry presentations, a cutting-edge vendor solutions pavilion, and an exclusive ASCII member meeting. The Summit Series is designed for qualified industry IT professionals and Managed Service Providers, and is targeted towards those who are looking to increase revenue and enhance their current business model. ASCII members receive free admission to the event.
For more information on the Toronto IT SMB Success Summit, including a complete agenda and registration, please visit www.asciievents.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.
Learn more at www.ascii.com or by calling 800-394-2724.
Press Contact
Alysia Vetter
Director of Marketing& Communications
Tel: 800-394-2724 x 131
Email: alysia@ascii.com
Built for the Cloud: CloudBerry Offers White-Label Storage Service for the ASCII MSP Community
ASCII is pleased to announce Cloudberry Labs is supporting the ASCII Community with unique incentives in offering their service to ASCII Community at large. Cloudberry Labs provides a backup and disaster recovery solution designed for Managed Service Providers. CloudBerry allows flexibility to work with a variety of cloud storage services including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Google Drive, Openstack and a number of others while providing full rebranding capabilities for the MSP.
Recognized by CRN as one of The 20 Coolest Cloud Storage Vendors of 2016, CloudBerry is poised to help IT Providers better manage cloud based storage services and the ASCII Community will be a part of that.
“As the comfort level of cloud based solutions increases in the market, our partner community needs to have the tools and relationships in place to act accordingly. This relationship provides another means for ASCII members to improve client satisfaction, and ultimately, retention,” stated Jerry Koutavas, President of The ASCII Group.
The ASCII Group Announces Best of Show Award Winners from Austin 2016 Success Summit
Bethesda, Maryland – February 24, 2016 — The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent MSPs, VARs and solution providers, is pleased to announce the ‘Best of Show’ award winners from its 2016 IT SMB Success Summit in Austin, Texas. The awards are voted on by the attending solution providers, and honor the industry sponsors in multiple Best of Show categories.
“The ASCII Group continues to showcase best of breed technology for the SMB marketplace,” said Jerry Koutavas, President of The ASCII Group. “With a commitment to quality products and sustained support for the channel, these companies enable our members to build revenue while supporting the needs of their clients.”
Pre-Day Summit
Best Education: ConnectWise
Best Technical Demo: Sophos
Best IT Workshop: ConnectWise
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Main Day Summit
Best Rapid Pitch: Vertiscale
Best Keynote Presentation: Datto
Best Creativity & Innovation: IT Glue
Best Partner Incentives: Cytracom
Best Market Opportunity: StorageCraft
Best Security Solution: Bitdefender
Best Security Solution Top Contender: Passportal
Best Productivity Solution: IT Glue
Best Productivity Solution Top Contender: ConnectWise
Best Storage Solution: Data Deposit Box
Best Cloud Solution Top Contender: ConnectWise
Best Storage Solution: Data Deposit Box
Best Cloud Solution Top Contender: Mailprotector
Best Revenue Generator: Cytracom
Best Revenue Generator Top Contender: ConnectWise
Best Channel Program: Cytracom
Best Channel Program Top Contender: Datto
Top Distribution: Pax8
Best Partner Involvement: Datto, QuoteWerks & StorageCraft
Best of Show: IT Glue
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For 32 years, The ASCII Group has leveraged the power of community to benefit its members. The Austin Success Summit was the first stop on an eight city conference tour drawing solution providers, leading technology vendors and industry experts. Online registration is open for the seven remaining 2016 ASCII IT SMB Success Summits at www.asciievents.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.
Software Training for End Users: KnowledgeWave Offers Deep Discounts for ASCII MSP Community
ASCII is pleased to announce a partnership with KnowledgeWave, providing a b2b solution for end-user software training. KnowledgeWave offers an online training platform with blended learning opportunities including videos, webinars, and online classes. KnowledgeWave focuses on popular business software such as Microsoft Office, Google apps and the Adobe suite.
“Especially with the move to the cloud, software is updated often and we see end users all the time who need more software training,” said Eric Sokolowski, CEO of KnowledgeWave.
With a SaaS training model, your clients can provide always-on training options to their employees. And with the ASCII member discount, you can bring online training to the table as part of your services mix at a price that can’t be beat.
“Our partner community is always looking for differentiators. This relationship provides another tool in the toolkit to improve client satisfaction, and ultimately, retention,” stated Jerry Koutavas, President of The ASCII Group.
Learn How Your IT Firm Can Best Leverage Your PSA, Improve Credit Card Acceptance, and More
Are you a managed service provider or IT firm that’s ever struggled using ConnectWise or another PSA? Ever have business issues with billing, accounts receivables, or reconciling transactions in QuickBooks?
Want to hear from an authority, on how your MSP can solve these perpetual problems?
Join us as we talk about these things and more, with the ASCII group, and the team from ConnectBooster. Our presenter will be Rebecca Simons, the newly minted Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Strategic Growth for ConnectBooster. Do not miss out!
Join us Thursday, Feb 18 at 2 PM EST
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