Recent News & Press Coverage

The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent North American MSPs, VARs and Solution Providers, is pleased to announce that its Chairman and CEO Alan Weinberger will be speaking to students at the New York University School of Law. Weinberger is returning to his alma mater (B.A and J.D NYU Law 1970) to explain the pivotal function of a Managed Service Provider (MSP) and to discuss how their role is pertinent to the online activity and safety of businessowners.

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Weinberger’s session, “Learn What a Managed Service Provider is and Why They Are the Doctors and Cyber Engineers of the 21^st Century”, will be held at Furman Hall on November 6, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. His address will focus on the surge of cybercriminal activity that is threatening national and global security and economic stability, and how safekeeping on the Internet has collapsed. With this present crisis, security, privacy, intellectual property and stored data is now of a fundamental concern. 

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Weinberger founded The ASCII Group in 1984, the world’s oldest and largest community and network of Managed Service Providers, and he will discuss the IT industry’s structure and why MSPs have become vital to our national interests. In addition, Alan will explain his professional journey, and how he decided to leave a law firm to become a founding professor of Vermont Law School, and eventually an entrepreneur and technology executive.

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“Our Internet platform is open to attack at any time by anyone, almost like a medical virus, and it is important to educate leaders of tomorrow on how best to make safe our infrastructure and private data.  A one-size-fits-all solution will not protect us, and just like a doctor forms a diagnosis based on the patient’s symptoms, MSPs have an unmatched record of looking at each situation and creating the unique solutions that will be needed to protect us against cybercriminals,” said Weinberger.

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“We are delighted to welcome Alan back to speak to our students. We look forward to hearing about his career and I know our students will benefit from his expertise and insights,” said Anthony Thomas, Executive Director of Development and Strategic Partnerships, New York University School of Law.

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For more information and to register for the event, please visit https://nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0rnf4NdZocC4e1v.

We have received reports of individuals applying for fraudulent job opportunities at our corporate Bethesda, MD headquarters. These job opportunities are being advertised on various job placement sites and through email communication from the domain @ascii-group.com. The ASCII Group is not affiliated with any correspondence originating from the domain ascii-group.com.

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We believe the aim of the scam is to obtain personal information such as driver’s licenses, social security numbers, addresses, banking info, etc. from victims. We are actively working with officials and suggest any intended victim to do the same and report the scam to the FTC.

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If you believe you have been targeted by this scam (or have received any suspicious emails relating to The ASCII Group) please forward the fraudulent communications to info@ascii.com, so that we can track and report the fraudsters.

Thank you.

Bethesda, Maryland – August 20, 2019 – The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent North American MSPs, VARs and Solution Providers, is pleased to announce the upcoming dates and cities for its 2020 IT Success Summit Series.

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A pioneer in channel events, the ASCII Summits provide a mix of educational sessions, training, networking opportunities, and professionals and innovators sharing best practices and success stories. Now in its 21st year, ASCII IT Success Summits bring together nearly 1,500 IT solution providers, cutting edge technology vendors and key industry thought leaders in a two-day format.

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ASCII hosts events in nine major cities across North America and the series focuses on areas that will help MSPs advance and move their businesses forward through the power of community and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. The ASCII executive and membership teams will be on hand to provide attendees with personalized consultation.

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“In 2019, we had over 80 unique technology vendors sponsor one (or many) of our IT Success Summits. Our events are a proven model for bridging the relationships that are necessary for MSPs to add recurring revenue streams and take their businesses to the next level. Over 75% of attendees report that networking is one of the top reasons they attend this event,” said Shannon Mayer, VP Channel Development, The ASCII Group.

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The ASCII Group has announced the following dates and locations for its 2020 IT Success Summits:

Long Beach, CA - February 26 – 27

Houston, TX - March 25 – 26

Washington, D.C. - April 22 – 23

Chicago, IL - May 27 – 28

Cincinnati, OH - June 24 – 25

Toronto, Canada - July 29 – 30

Atlantic City, NJ - August 26 – 27

Boston, MA - September 24 – 25

Orlando, FL - October 21 – 22

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Keynote speakers will be announced at a later date. MSPs and solution providers can receive an invitation to attend an IT Success Summit 2020 by sending an email to events@ascii.com.

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

Follow ASCII on Twitter @asciigroup and #ASCIISUCCESS.

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‍About The ASCII Group, Inc:

‍The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, VARs and solution providers. The Group has over 1,300 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 and VARs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com.

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‍Press Contact

‍Alysia Vetter

Vice President of Marketing

Tel: 800-394-2724 x 131

Email: alysia@ascii.com

‍Web: www.ascii.com

The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent North American MSPs, VARs and Solution Providers, has announced ASCII Insider, a new service for MSPs to facilitate growth and collaboration within their respective businesses in a peer group setting.

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“Our goal is to further extend the significant conversations that are taking place within the ASCII community by enabling members to openly discuss operational strategies, business challenges and financial health, all within a private, non-competitive environment,” said Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group. “We recognize that peer groups are not something new, however based on member input, time considerations were a key factor in the structuring of these groups.  Activities will be vendor-free, solely focused on their businesses. And moderators will be selected based on deep industry experience as to enhance the business discussion and direction within these groups.”

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With multiple groups already engaged and committed, ASCII has handpicked industry veteran MJ Shoer to moderate these closed group discussions as well as future groups as ASCII Insider expands. MJ Shoer has been involved in the IT industry since 1992, including nearly 20 years as an ASCII member as the owner of Jenaly Technology Group.  He has served on several advisory councils, including ASCII, ConnectWise, Kaseya, and CompTIA, where he was Board Chair from 2011 to 2015.  MJ’s business experience and leadership role in the IT industry make him ideally qualified to lead the ASCII Insider groups.

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“The foundation and community of ASCII and how it helped my business transform, was incredibly strategic for me as an IT provider,” said MJ Shoer, Founder & Principal Consultant, MJ Shoer, LLC. “With ASCII Insider, I view this as a great opportunity to give back to the group and to help MSPs shape their business for future success.”

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For more information, please visit www.asciiinsider.com

Bethesda, Maryland – May 2, 2019 – The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent North American MSPs, VARs and Solution Providers, has announced the appointment of Michigan-based technology expert Kimberly Nielsen of Computer Technologies, Inc. to its Member Advisory Board.  The Board includes a select group of IT professionals from various sectors of technology, who collaborate to provide input on ASCII membership and initiatives.

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Comprised of representatives from 15 member businesses from across North America, the Member Advisory Board works with ASCII headquarters on a regular basis to discuss new alliances, member programs, peer-to-peer networking opportunities for members, and overall ways to bring value to the growing membership community.  In addition to her industry knowledge and expertise, Nielsen has been a member of The ASCII Group for over 20 years.

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“Kim’s business acumen, vast experience and longstanding membership with our community will add tremendous value to all we do through our leading network, as the industry continues to change at a rapid pace,” said Alan Weinberger, Chairman and CEO, The ASCII Group.

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“I am very excited to be joining the ASCII Member Advisory Board at this particular time when the Cyber/InfoTech industry is expected to grow by 13% (approximately557,100 new jobs) by 2026,” said Nielsen. “Being the CEO of a woman-owned business in the technology sector for the last 28 years provides me unique perspectives and experiences which I can draw upon and share within this group and to the ASCII community as a whole.”

The ASCII Member Advisory Board was established in 2001 and meets regularly during the year. The components discussed at the meetings add to the more than 70 value-add programs ASCII currently provides to its members.

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About The ASCII Group, Inc:

The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, VARs and solution providers. The Group has over 1,300 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 and VARs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com.

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Press Contact

Alysia Vetter

Vice President of Marketing

Tel:800-394-2724 x 131

Email: alysia@ascii.com

Web:  www.ascii.com

Bethesda, Maryland – February 5, 2019 —  The ASCII Group is proud to announce it has reached an exciting milestone as the company celebrates 35 years of providing a membership-based community to North American MSPs, VARs and solution providers. Through ASCII membership, IT business owners have access to preferred pricing, networking opportunities with fellow professionals, exposure to the latest technology and more, as well as significant operating cost reductions.

The ASCII Group began operations in 1984 when Alan D. Weinberger, the company’s Chairman and CEO, founded the company in a Washington D.C. suburb along with 40 ex-franchisees of a software chain. “I took a step back in the early 1980s at the start of the IT revolution and was able to reflect on the specialized, educated individuals who were driving the revolution by implementing the final solutions of new software and services, rather than just the computer retail giants or a few large vendors.”

Recognizing a need to provide business tools for growth to like-minded IT professionals was the company’s founding principle three decades ago, and remains the same today. Led by its original founding executive, Weinberger, The ASCII Group continues to be committed to providing MSPs with a united, trusted community alongside programs, services and opportunities. With a consistent focus on meeting the needs of its members, the company’s programs and offerings have greatly expanded as the Channel has evolved, and all new technologies require learning and expertise.

“We joined ASCII in 1988 in order to join the group buy discounts with distributors and have been members ever since! ASCII continues to save us money on our purchases but also adds so many more benefits with business support, technology education, knowledge sharing and peer networking. It’s wonderful to be part of an organization that puts the interest of its members first and continues to promote our importance in the industry,” said Chip Evans, President, Computerware, Inc., and member of The ASCII Group since 1988.

Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group, added, “For 35 years our mission has always been to help independent IT companies collaborate, learn, and become more efficient. We are very proud to have made a difference in the success of so many businesses, and we look forward to continuing to provide new services to help MSPs.”

Over the last five years, ASCII has experienced significant growth within North America, driven by strong member retention and remaining vendor neutral. The ASCII team has also been recognized for a number of industry accolades including CRN’s Women of the Channel, ChannelPro’s Silver Readers’ Choice Award for Best IT Community, and CompTIA’s Channel Changer 2018.

The ASCII Group will commemorate the occasion throughout the next twelve months and an anniversary celebration will be held at its IT Success Summit in Washington, D.C.

For more details on all of ASCII’s IT Success Summits, visit www.asciievents.com

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‍About The ASCII Group, Inc:‍

The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, VARs and solution providers. The Group has over 1,300 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 major technology vendors that complement the ASCII community and support the mission of helping MSPs and VARs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com.

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Press Contact

‍Alysia Vetter

Vice President of Marketing

Tel: 800-394-2724 x 131

Email: alysia@ascii.com

‍Web:www.ascii.com

Bethesda, Maryland – December 20, 2018 — The ASCII Group, the leading and oldest membership-based community of independent North American MSPs, VARs and solution providers, is pleased to announce the line-up of speakers for its 2019 North American ASCII IT Success Summits. The agenda for the Summits reflects an enhanced focus on education, providing attendees with strategies and best practices on how to grow their IT companies while best servicing their customer base. The events will be highlighted by more MSP-led education sessions and speakers in 2019, bringing even more value to attendees.

‍Keynote Speaker – Adam Steltzner, Technology Is Not the Obstacle:

Described as “Einstein brilliance meets Johnny Cash cool”, Adam Steltzner helps companies harness the power of curiosity to spark innovation and collaborative leadership across their entire organization. From aspiring rock star going nowhere fast to a history-making PhD rocket scientist, Adam Steltzner is recognized as one of NASA’s leading – and most unique – innovators. For nearly a decade, Adam led and inspired the breakthrough team that invented the ingenious “sky crane” landing system that so spectacularly landed the Mars Rover, Curiosity, on the Martian surface 300,000,000 miles from Earth in 2012. Next, Adam will lead NASA’s Mars 2020 Project that will gather core samples of Mars for scientific discovery.

Additional MSP peer education speakers include:

‍Leo Bletnitsky, LBA Networking – MSP Merger Concerns? Learn What NOT to Do!Mergers and acquisitions are one way to fuel growth but you need to tread lightly. Much of what is being touted when evaluating partnerships is numbers, but there is so much more to it. This session will detail specific questions you need to ask as part of any merger or acquisition evaluation. Leo has been involved in two mergers in his career – one was incredibly successful and the other failed miserably. With nearly 25 years in the IT industry, the lessons learned will certainly help your next business evaluation.

‍Robert Boles, BLOKWORX – Security Business Service Transformation: The 6 P’s to MSSP Our industry continually adapts, and as we have evolved into a managed services provider role, the ability for each of us to offer deeper levels of service as it relates to cyber-security will become the standard in the near future. How can MSPs make this transition into a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) role and effectively present the value to their clients. With over 20 years in providing IT services, fellow member, Robert Boles has successfully made this business transformation. This session will help define, deliver and breakdown different strategies on how MSPs can successfully make this transition.

‍Rayanne Buchianico, ABC Solutions – Key Financial Red Flags MSPs Miss Rayanne has been working with MSPs for over 15 years, helping them gain better clarity on their finances. With so many moving parts and constant change in our industry, it’s hard for MSPs to stay focused on the financial side of their businesses. By leveraging key MSP “sanity check points”, you can quickly see if there is a problem that needs investigating in your business. The session will help you better understand how balance sheet accounts work with the P&L and provide valuable insight into your business and key metrics you should be tracking.

‍Angel Rojas, DataCorps Technology Solutions – Approaching the Home Services Market: HVAC/Plumbing/ElectricalWith a US market size of $60 billion, there is a healthy amount of money to be made in this vertical. In this session, we’ll cover the keys to serving the Home Services Market. It might seem trivial, but HVAC, plumbing and electrical companies have unique needs that, if not understood ahead of time, will absolutely kill the deal after the fact. When approaching this market, you need to be prepared and understand what is unique about it. DataCorps has had great success with the home services vertical and enjoys a niche in this industry that is made up of excellent, great-fit, value-oriented clients.

The Success Summits are the leading conference in the channel, and bring together over 1,500 IT solution providers and MSPs, innovative technology vendors, and key industry thought leaders in a two-day format. With nine events across the U.S. and Canada, the series will focus on areas that will help MSPs advance and move their businesses forward through the power of community and its offerings.

“As ASCII celebrates its 35th anniversary, we are proud to provide an environment where MSPs can learn from each other, discover new ways to leverage technology, and network with leading channel vendors,” said Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group.

“Members leave the events with new ideas to grow their business and new partnerships with today’s top vendors.”

The Summit series is designed for qualified industry IT professionals, and is targeted towards those looking to increase revenue and enhance their current business model. MSPs and solution providers interested in attending the Summits can visit www.asciievents.com.

For more information, follow ASCII on Twitter @asciigroup and #ASCIISUCCESS.

‍About The ASCII Group, Inc:

‍The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, VARs and solution providers. The group has over 1,300 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 major technology vendors that complement the ASCII community and support the mission of helping MSPs and VARs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com.

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Press Contact

‍Alysia Vetter

Vice President of Marketing

Tel: 800-394-2724 x 131

Email: alysia@ascii.com

‍Web:www.ascii.com

MADISON, Wis., Dec. 17, 2018 – Managed service providers (MSPs) and managed security service providers (MSSPs) can now easily and efficiently administer security awareness training for their clients thanks to a new MSP Toolkit developed by InfoSec Institute. 

InfoSec Institute, the leading provider of information security education and workforce security awareness solutions, today announces a partnership with The ASCII Group, offering a tailor-made MSP Toolkit for ASCII MSP members seeking an efficient way to manage their clients’ security awareness training needs.

The MSP Toolkit is built upon InfoSec Institute’s SecurityIQ platform. SecurityIQ makes it easy to provide security awareness training that engages employees and motivates them to detect, avoid and report security threats like phishing.

“It speaks volumes when a company such as Infosec Institute works hand-in-hand with the ASCII MSP community to design necessary resources,” said Jerry Koutavas, president at The ASCII Group. “The MSP Toolkit incorporates the best practices and implementation strategies our members are seeking. This is a welcome addition to an already strong offering by the company and its ability to help MSPs in the ongoing battle against the fraudulent practice of phishing.“

The MSP Toolkit features:
• Clear step-by-step guidance illustrating critical steps and recommended best practices for implementing the process. 
• Automation tools equipping MSPs with easy-to-build security awareness training programs to deliver the right content to the right learner at the right time.
• Delegated administration enabling centralized management of multiple clients’ security awareness programs. 
• Automatic report generation for tracking and sharing training performance.  
• Customizable learning experiences using more than 300 modules, including critical training in phishing, suspicious hosts, ransomware and password security.

“ASCII is the trusted leader in the IT and security MSP community, and we’re thrilled to offer our MSP Toolkit to its more than 1,300 members,” said Mike Nobers, director of Global Channel Sales for InfoSec Institute. “Our goal when developing the MSP toolkit was to provide our partners guidance on creating a great security awareness program and delivering it efficiently and effectively with our platform.”

ASCII members already using the toolkit give it positive reviews.

“Our partnership with InfoSec Institute has been invaluable in helping us deliver accessible, engaging and effective cybersecurity awareness education to our clients. The MSP Toolkit allows us to use the SecurityIQ training platform to its fullest potential,” said Vanessa Reimer, manager of Corporate Administration and Communications at CarefreeIT.
 
“We have a trusted partner in the education space for technical training. The training is well-received by our clients and strikes the right balance of engaging and educational. It provides a well-rounded offering in terms of cybersecurity services. The MSP Toolkit provides a structured method of engaging with our clients and takes the guess out of proper process and procedure,” said William Chan, founder and president of Syzygy 3, Inc.

Learn more about InfoSec Institute’s MSP Toolkit
 
InfoSec Institute recently announced Gartner positioned it as a Challenger in the 2018 Magic Quadrant for Security Awareness Computer-Based Training. Additionally, the company is also recognized as a 2018 Best Security Awareness Computer-Based Training as Reviewed by Customers. 

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About InfoSec Institute
InfoSec Institute fortifies organizations and their employees against security threats with award-winning security and privacy education. Recognizing cybersecurity is everyone’s job, we provide skills development and certification training for IT and security professionals while building the entire workforce security aptitude with awareness training and phishing simulations. InfoSec Institute is also a Training Industry “Top 20 IT Training Company” and the Security Training & Education Program Gold Winner in Info Security Products Guide’s Global Excellence Awards.

 
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Bethesda, Maryland – November 7, 2018 — The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent North American MSPs, VARs and Solution Providers, is pleased to announce the upcoming dates and cities for its 2019 IT Success Summit Series.

Started in 1999, the Success Summits bring together nearly 1,500 IT solution providers, dozens of technology vendors, and key industry leaders in a two-day format that incorporates extensive peer networking, education and training. With events in nine markets across North America, the series will focus on areas that will help MSPs advance and move their businesses forward, through the power of community and its offerings.

“As ASCII enters its 35th year in 2019, we reflect back on our original mission which still rings true today – bringing together IT business owners and helping them to grow by leveraging the power of our group. The discussions that take place, the connections that are formed, these are the true pillars as to why the ASCII community has been a mainstay within the channel,” said Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group.

“This past year, we saw record-breaking participation – over 75 channel-focused vendors participated in at least one of our regional Success Summits! This is a testament to the overall health of the IT channel and reaffirms the value of MSPs in today’s economy. Vendors are seeing real results by partnering with ASCII members and other IT providers to enable end-user success,” said Shannon Mayer, VP Channel Development, The ASCII Group.

With an emphasis on peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, the Summits are designed for qualified IT professionals and MSPs.

‍2019 Summit Cities:

• Orange County, CA  February 20 – 21

• Dallas, TX  March 27 – 28

• Washington, D.C.  April 24 – 25

• Charlotte, NC  May 15 – 16

• Chicago, IL  June 26 – 27

• Denver, CO  July 24 – 25

• Toronto, Canada  August 21 – 22

• Newark, NJ   September 25 – 26

• Boston, MA  October 24 – 25

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‍Keynote speakers will be announced at a later date. For more information on ASCII’s IT Success Summits, please visit www.asciievents.com.

Follow ASCII on Twitter @asciigroup and #ASCIISUCCESS.

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‍About The ASCII Group, Inc:

‍The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, VARs and solution providers. The group has over 1,300 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 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 major technology vendors that complement the ASCII community and support the mission of helping MSPs and VARs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com.

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Press Contact

‍Alysia Vetter

Director of Marketing & Communications

Tel: 800-394-2724 x 131

Email: alysia@ascii.com

Web:www.ascii.com