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
ASCII Group Members in the News (Industry Articles) September & October 2017
Channel Executive Magazine:
September Partner Perspectives Column – Partner Programs: Before You Enroll featuring ASCII members Joe Molick and Brooke Justice.
A Balanced Approach to Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation – by Jeff Jackson, President, Summit Computer Services, Member of The ASCII Group since 2017.
October Partner Perspectives Column – Partner Programs: Is Pay-to-Play OK? featuring ASCII members Raffi Jamgotchian and Chad Kempt.
ChannelPro Magazine:
Q&A Corner with Alan Weinberger, CEO, The ASCII Group – questions with Mike Bloomfield, President, Tekie Geek, Member of The ASCII Group since 2016.
The ASCII Group Announces Best of Show Award Winners from Chicago 2017 IT SMB Success Summit
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 2017 IT SMB Success Summit in Chicago. The awards are voted on by the attending solution providers, and honor the industry sponsors in multiple Best of Show categories.
Pre-Day Winners
Best Education- Xcellerate
Best Technical Demo- ChannelOnline
Best IT Workshop- ChannelOnline
Main Day Winners
Best Rapid Pitch- iRemoteReset
Best Keynote Presentation- Cytracom
Best Partner Incentives- Pax8
Best Market Opportunity- Mailprotector
Best Productivity Solution- IT Glue
Best Revenue Generator- Datto
Best Channel Programs- Datto
Top Distributor- Pax8
Best Partner Involvement- Cytracom/Datto/Pax8
Best of Show – Cytracom
The ASCII Group Announces Best of Show Award Winners from New Jersey 2017 IT SMB Success Summit
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 2017 IT SMB Success Summit in New Jersey. The awards are voted on by the attending solution providers, and honor the industry sponsors in multiple Best of Show categories.
Pre-Day Winners
Best Education – Carvir
Best Technical Demo – Trend Micro
Best IT Workshop – Vertical Axion
Main Day Winners
Best Rapid Pitch – Carvir
Best Keynote Presentation – Cytracom
Best Partner Incentives – Pax8
Best Market Opportunity – Mailprotector
Best Productivity Solution – IT Glue
Best Revenue Generator – GreenLink Networks
Best Channel Programs – Datto
Top Distributor – Pax8
Best Partner Involvement – Autotask, Datto, Pax8 &QuoteWerks
Best of Show – Datto
2017 ASCII IT SMB SUCCESS SUMMIT SPONSORSHIPS ARE SOLD OUT
The ASCII Group is pleased to announce that it has sold out of sponsorships for its 2017 IT Success Summit conferences at ALL levels for the remainder of the events this year. ASCII has already successfully completed four US events and one in Toronto, Canada, and four more events are scheduled in 2017.
The events bring together over 150 IT solution providers and dozens of vendors in a two-day format that includes extensive networking, education, and training. The sold-out sponsorships are a first for the 33-year-old company and points to the continued growth and interest in channel partners’ achievements from the vendor community.
ASCII is in the process of finalizing cities and dates for 2018 and will make a formal announcement in the coming weeks.
If you have questions or would like to receive 2018 sponsorships materials, please reach out to shannon@ascii.com.
For more information on the remaining shows in 2017, visit www.asciievents.com.
ASCII Group Members in the News (Industry Articles) June, July & August 2017
TechDecisions
Great tips and advice from ASCII members on BYOD
Technology Installers Explain Considerations of BYOD
Is Your Organization Properly Prepared for Disaster Recovery? By StanleyLouissaint, Principal at Fluid Designs and member of The ASCII Group since2014.
TechTarget | SearchITChannel
How to create a cybersecurity program for your own MSP by Jason McNew, CEO & Founder Stronghold Cyber Security and member of The ASCII Group since 2017.
Howto launch VoIP services for business customers
by MikeBloomfield, President at Tekie Geek and member of The ASCII Group since 2016.
MSP Pricing: How to build an effective plan by David Streit, Principal at Stephill Associates and member of The ASCII Group since 2012.
ChannelPro
Q&A Corner with Alan Weinberger, CEO, The ASCII Group – questions with Jason McNew, CEO & Founder Stronghold Cyber Security and member of The ASCII Group since 2017.
Check out the May 2017 My TechDecisions Podcast & Article with The ASCII Group
My TechDecisions Podcast – Episode 7 featuring Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group. Listen here: bit.ly/2rMmmZ4
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What is The ASCII Group?
Organizations exist for IT providers, commercial integrators, and security installers.
Not all organizations are alike, however. Learn a bit more about The ASCII Group.
Read the article here http://bit.ly/2smuwGV
The ASCII Group Announces Best of Show Award Winners from Columbus 2017 IT SMB Success Summit
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 2017 IT SMB Success Summit in Columbus, Ohio. The awards are voted on by the attending solution providers, and honor the industry sponsors in multiple Best of Show categories.
Pre-day Awards
Best Education – Carvir
Best Technical Demo – RapidFire Tools
Best IT Workshop – Carvir
Main Day Awards
Best Rapid Pitch – Solutions Granted
Best Keynote Presentation – Cytracom
Best Partner Incentives – Pax8
Best Market Opportunity – Data Deposit Box
Best Productivity Solution – IT Glue
Best Revenue Generator – Greenlink Networks
Best Channel Programs – Datto
Top Distributor – Pax8
Best Partner Involvement – Pax8/ Datto/ QuoteWerks
Best of Show – Cytracom
Columbus IT SMB Success Summit Coverage from Business Solutions Magazine:
Why Cyber Criminals Have Their Sights Set on MSPs and What You Can Do About It: http://bit.ly/2rPg366
Closing MSP Deals Through Emotional Based Selling: http://bit.ly/2qRoW1F
Internal Cybersecurity Services – The Great New Opportunities for MSPs: http://bit.ly/2qRr4Xe
Channel Partners – Image Gallery: ASCII IT SMB Success Summit
ChannelPartners attended the ASCII IT SMB Success Summit in Boston. Click through their image gallery for highlights and a recap.
http://bit.ly/2p8E9rw
The ASCII Group Announces Best of Show Award Winners from Boston 2017 IT SMB Success Summit
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 2017 IT SMB Success Summit in Boston, Massachusetts. The awards are voted on by the attending solution providers, and honor the industry sponsors in multiple Best of Show categories.
Pre-Day Awards
Best Education- Vertical Axion
Best Technical Demo- CNET
Best IT Workshop- Webroot
Main Day Awards
Best Rapid Pitch- Duo Security
Best Keynote Presentation- Datto
Best Partner Incentive- Pax8
Best Market Opportunity- Data Deposit Box
Best Productivity Solution- IT Glue
Best Revenue Generator- Datto
Best Channel Programs- Cytracom
Top Distributor- Pax8
Best Partner Involvement- Datto/ Pax8/ SherWeb
Best of Show – Datto
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