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. Press inquiries: Contact alysia@ascii.com
2025 ASCII Cup Celebrates Innovation and Excellence in the Channel
RYTHMz Named Vendor of the Year by the MSP Community Washington, D.C.
- October 31, 2025 -
Washington, D.C. – October 31, 2025 – The ASCII Group, the original and premier community of Managed Service Providers (MSPs) across North America, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 ASCII Cup. This annual award honors technology companies that have made a lasting impact in the MSP channel through innovation, commitment, and engagement.
The 2025 ASCII Cup was presented in Philadelphia, PA, on October 30, following the final stop of the year for the ASCII Edge conference series. Inspired by Philadelphia’s iconic Rocky legacy, the evening highlighted the strength and perseverance that define the IT channel.
Throughout 2025, ASCII members voted at eight regional ASCII Edge events across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating technology vendors across 12 categories such as innovation, partner program excellence, and overall value. This peer-driven process ensures the companies recognized are those making the greatest impact on MSPs.
The 2025ASCII Cup award recipients are:
- 2025 ASCII Cup Vendor of the Year – RYTHMz
- First Runner-Up – Pax8
- Third Place – SonicWall
- Fourth Place – BLOKWORX
- Fifth Place – Microsoft
- Sixth Place – Kaseya
- Seventh Place – Monjur
- Eighth Place – DefensX
- Ninth Place – FutureSafe
- Tenth Place – SuperOps
“The ASCII Cup reflects the voice of MSPs,” said Jerry Koutavas, CEO of The ASCII Group. “Recognizing RYTHMz as Vendor of the Year, along with the other companies honored, underscores the vital role our industry partners play in helping MSPs succeed.”
“It is with sincere gratitude that we accept this recognition from The ASCII Group and its members. As a former member myself, I understand the profound impact this community has on an MSP’s journey,” said Steve Copeland, CEO and Founder, RYTHMz. “Our industry is at a pivotal moment—evolving from ‘Managed Services’ to ‘Managed Solutions.’ Through this shift, one truth remains: connectivity is your brand. RYTHMz is proud to help lead this evolution alongside our partners in the ASCII community, and we’re truly honored by this recognition.”
The celebration also honored the late Alan D. Weinberger, founder of The ASCII Group, whose vision for a vendor-neutral community of IT professionals continues to guide the organization today. For more than 40 years, ASCII has connected IT business owners with resources, programs, and a trusted peer network to help them grow stronger companies. The 2025 ASCII Cup reflects this spirit of collaboration and the vital role technology partners play in MSP success.
For photos and highlights from the 2025 ASCII Cup, please visit The ASCII Group’s Facebook page.
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
Alysia Vetter
Chief Marketing Officer
Tel: 800-394-2724
Email: alysia@ascii.com
Web: www.ascii.com
ASCII MSP Biz Tip Webinar: 5 Areas That Lead MSPs Into Financial Ruin…And How To Avoid It From
As a part of its educational webinar series, the ASCII Group presents “5 Areas That Lead MSPs Into Financial Ruin…And How To Avoid It From Happening To Yours.”
To register, read more here: bit.ly/1HJLZev
The ASCII Group wins, “Best Partner Community” at ChannelPro-SMB event in Baltimore (March 3)
Read the full announcement here: bit.ly/1aNQNER
ASCII Group 2015 Success Summit Kicks Off In Miami
Read the ChannelPro coverage of our Miami Summit here:
bit.ly/1BTRx6E
Channel Perspective - The Last 30 Years & Where We Go Now
Read Alan Weinberger’s retrospective article for ChannelPro Magazine.
bit.ly/1CdvvsX
ASCII In The News - Member Articles (Winter 2015)
Read the latest articles written by ASCII members for top industry publications.
Tech Target | SearchITChannel
How to Protect Your SMB Customer Against Sophisticated Cyberattacks by Stanley Louissaint, President, Fluid Designs Inc. and member of The ASCII Group since 2014.
How to Create an IT Subcontractor Agreement with Peers by David Streit, Principal, Stephill Associates and member of The ASCII Group since 2012.
Why MSPs Should Offer Vendor Management Services by AJ Gyomber, President, Technology Visionaries LLC and member of The ASCII Group since 2010.
Business Solutions Magazine
10 Pieces of Advice For a New MSP (I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now…) by Jason Etheridge, CEO, Logic Speak and member of The ASCII Group since 2014.
5 Warnings About Jurisdiction And Cloud Storage by Stanley Louissaint, President, Fluid Designs Inc. and member of The ASCII Group since 2014.
What Every Financial Services IT Solutions Provider Needs To Know About Cybersecurity by Raffi Jamgotchian, President/CTO of Triada Networks, and member of The ASCII Group since 2008.
Retail Data or Healthcare Data: Which is More Secure? by Stanley Louissaint, President, Fluid Designs Inc. and member of The ASCII Group since 2014.
An MSP Lists the Top 4 Features of an RMM Solution by AJ Gyomber, President, Technology Visionaries LLC and member of The ASCII Group since 2010. Business Solutions Magazine
The ASCII Group Success Summits 2015 Take Success to Next Level
Bethesda, Maryland – January 6, 2015 — The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent MSPs, VARs and solution providers, is pleased to announce the upcoming dates and locations for its 2015 IT SMB Success Summit Series. With hundreds of events delivered over the years and thousands of connections made between Managed Service providers and key industry leaders, the ASCII Success Summits 2015 are taking success to the next level. In eight different markets across the US, attendees will hear directly from fellow IT community members that are successfully driving managed services revenue in security and key verticals, including legal and health care.
The Success Summits made their debut in 2000, and have become the premier event for IT solution providers because of the model that The ASCII Group has successfully built their events around. Attendees have the opportunity to obtain education, hear innovative industry presentations, tour a cutting-edge vendor solutions pavilion, attend an exclusive member meeting, and most importantly network with their peers.
A major highlight for the 2015 series is the special guest speaker that ASCII has secured, the leading authority on reading people through non-verbal communication, FBI Analyst and Author, Joe Navarro. Joe is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on non-verbal communications and he is regularly interviewed on programs such as NBC’s Today Show, Fox News, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS’ Early Show, BBC News, and for publications such as The Washington Post, South China Morning Post and Psychology Today.
“The Success Summits are a great way for our members and the IT community to come together,” said Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group. “We continue to innovate and help spark interaction amongst the 1,600 attendees while providing great content and best practices they can apply in their businesses.”
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.
“The people I meet, along with the training and leadership that ASCII provides at the Success Summits is invaluable,” said Jim Hunton, Onsite Technical Services, ASCII member since 2012. “I definitely recommend attending the events…kudos to everyone at ASCII. I look forward to seeing the schedule for 2016!”
ASCII Success Summit 2015 Cities:
Miami, FL February 18 – 19 Hyatt Regency Miami
Columbus, OH March 25 – 26 Hyatt Regency Columbus
Austin, TX April 29 – 30 DoubleTree Austin
Chicago, IL May 27 – 28 Hyatt Regency O’Hare
Elizabeth, NJ June 24 – 25 Renaissance Newark Airport
Boston, MA August 19 – 20 Westin, Waltham
Washington, DC September 16 – 17 Westfields Marriott Washington
Irvine, CA October 21 – 22 Irvine Marriott
For more information on the ASCII IT SMB Success Summits 2015, including speaker information, 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 Communications
Tel: 800-394-2724 x 131
Email: alysia@ascii.com
2014 MSPmentor 250: Top People in Managed Services
Congratulations to Jerry Koutavas, President of The ASCII Group, for making the MSP mentor 250 list, which honors the world’s top MSPs, executives, entrepreneurs and experts. bit.ly/1va65pP
Video: Datto Crowned 2014 ASCII Cup Winner During Spectacular Ceremony
Read the full Business Solutions article here: http://www.bsminfo.com/doc/video-datto-crowned-ascii-cup-winner-during-spectacular-ceremony-0001
ASCII In The News - Member Articles (Fall 2014)
Read the latest articles written by ASCII members for top industry publications.
Tech Target | SearchITChannel
Help desk ticket system approach: Should users file their own tickets? by Stanley Louissant, President, Fluid Designs Inc. and member of The ASCII Group since 2014.
Business Solutions Magazine
Keep Shadow IT From Killing Your Clients’ Business by Mike Semel, President, Semel Consulting, and member of The ASCII Group since 2012.
How To Develop The Best BYOD Security For Your Customers by Stanley Louissaint, President, Fluid Designs Inc. and member of The ASCII Group since 2014.
The Battle For Your Backup and Disaster Recovery Business by Larry Nicholson, President, Nicholson Network Services Inc. and member of The ASCII Group (Canada) since 2014.
Tips to Identify and Leverage A Wedge To Break Into Managed Services by Matthew Adkins, Solution Architect, VanGuard Technologies and member of The ASCII Group since 2009.
3 Reasons That Justify Raising Your Rates by Andrew Harrover, CEO, Matrix Computer Consulting and member of The ASCII Group since 2012.
7 Things Your Antimalware Offering Must Do by Shaw Droker, President, Global Consulting and member of The ASCII Group since 2000.
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