Category Archives for "Managed Services News"

The latest version of CompTIA Security+, the professional certification for the validation of core cybersecurity skills, is now available.

The CompTIA Security+ exam also includes a suite of test preparation materials.

Private sector business and defense organizations use the certification to build cybersecurity skills among their frontline cyber defenders. And more than 590,000 technology professionals around the world are CompTIA Security+ certified.

CompTIA’s Patrick Lane

“Securing systems, networks, software and hardware has become a broadly shared responsibility,” said Patrick Lane, director of product management for CompTIA‘s portfolio of cybersecurity certifications. “Baseline cybersecurity skills are expected across a wider range of job roles.”

Those with the certification can solve a wide variety of today’s complex issues.

The certification emphasizes hands-on practical skills. Furthermore, performance-based questions make up much of the exam. This requires test-takers to demonstrate their ability to perform many of the duties they’ll encounter on the job.

About 80% of the content relates to technologies aimed at repelling the latest cyberattacks, threats and vulnerabilities. It also covers cybersecurity architecture, design and implementation techniques.

The remaining 20% covers newer concepts like automation, continuous security monitoring, incident response, and governance, risk and compliance (GRC).

Individuals who are CompTIA Security+ certified have demonstrated the knowledge and skills to:

• Assess an enterprise’s security, and recommend and implement appropriate security solutions.
• Monitor and secure hybrid environments, including cloud, mobile and IoT.
• Operate with an awareness of applicable laws and policies, including principles of governance, risk and compliance.
• Identify, analyze and respond to security events and incidents.

CompTIA Security+ is compliant with ISO 17024 standards and approved by the U.S. Department of Defense to meet directive 8140/8570.01-M requirements.

CompTIA certification exams may be taken either online or in person at a testing center.

Younger cybersecurity pros are worried they’ll be deemed redundant and replaced by automation.

That’s according to Samantha Humphries, security strategist with Exabeam. The security information and event management (SIEM) vendor’s virtual Spotlight20 conference was this week. The conference drew 700 attendees and a little more than 80 of those were partners.

Exabeam’s Samantha Humphries

During the conference, we sat down, virtually, with Humphries to discuss the latest trends with cybersecurity pros. Exabeam released its 2020 cybersecurity pros salary, skills and stress survey last month.

Channel Futures: Why are younger cybersecurity pros worried about automation replacing them?

Samantha Humphries: People understood that automation is a benefit and there are high levels of agreement there, that automation is a good thing to have in security. But when we asked how it may affect them personally, a lot of younger people did feel that it was potentially going to mean that they wouldn’t have any work to do. And that was a big surprise because we were like, “OK, well, they get it and they get that it’s important. But then they’re worried. Still, a lot of the trial and the investigation work is being done manually … and if you’re in the early stages of your career, it’s quite common that that’s the sort of work you’ll be doing. And that’s the sort of work that automation can then take away.

People aren’t finding enough time for training. That’s still a challenge. The training is happening, but it’s not happening enough. People are still having to do training in their own time. They’re doing a lot of manual work. They’re not necessarily getting the training that they need. And one of the biggest reasons that people leave an organization is a lack of career path. It’s almost a perfect storm in that is automation coming for me and I’m not being able to move my career forward in my organization.

CF: So their concern about automation is valid?

SH: If you think that your job is going to be manual work forever and then the automation is coming, then that’s something I always refer back to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the movie, there’s a section where Charlie Puckett’s dad loses his job to a machine. He works at a toothpaste factory and then he gets a job fixing the machines that replaced his job. It’s a slightly strange analogy, but it’s actually quite relevant because there are so many needs now for people who understand automation, people who can sit down and do that and plan out that work, maintain automation because it’s never a one-and-done thing. You don’t just go automated. You’re always constantly looking for new opportunities to automate things. So I think there’s a lot of opportunity there.

CF: So instead of fearing automation, they should embrace it and the potential opportunities from it?

SH: Not everything should be automated by any means. But certainly the repeatable, well-documented, well-understood processes that are kind of high-volume things like triage, and then also correlating information and putting that in front of a person to help them make a decision. That’s a great use case for automation.

There’s always more work than people can handle. That’s the first thing. And then … we’ve now got this bring-your-own-home world that everybody’s working in because we all kind of scattered to the corners of the Earth. The attack surface is now very, very different.

So if you’ve got a challenge of millions of alerts coming through every day, compounded by manual processes, being able to get to everything is …

As companies embark on business transformation initiatives, C-level execs must understand the risk and governance implications of digitization. Because modern applications and cloud-based infrastructure solutions have numerous open-source components, it opens a whole new set of considerations. Wipro is among many consultancies that have built a practice around creating a suitable open source software (OSS) governance framework.

Reza Alavi, a cybersecurity risk management consultant at Wipro, helps large companies discover how their organizations are using OSS. Alavi and his team then create a risk mitigation strategy and governance plan. In a keynote session at Channel Evolution Europe on 2 December, Alavi will discuss the risks and opportunities. In advance of next month’s conference, Channel Futures spoke with Alavi about why OSS governance is a good practice for IT consultants to offer.

Channel Futures: Do clients need a different security and governance approach for open source software versus the rest of the software they have in their organization?

Wipro’s Reza Alavi

Reza Alavi: Open source starts with digital transformation. When organizations start considering how their digital transformation projects should look, they consider a number of new technologies. Whether that’s cloud, machine learning, artificial intelligence, security from infrastructure as code and DevSecOps from a DevOps perspective, digital transformation is heavily reliant on open source software. Major companies – such as Microsoft and IBM – have shifted a lot of their attention toward open source software. Some people don’t know it, but 60-70% of Microsoft Azure runs open source software. Now organizations are consuming a lot of open source software, but they don’t know how to deal with it.

CF: Deal with it from what perspective?

RA: From a third-party, risk management, supply chain, license management and clearly from a security and availability management perspective. Because they don’t have enough knowledge around open source software.

CF: How do you help them with that?

RA: First, we provide a gap analysis assessment of what open source software they have. And believe it or not, we find they don’t have the right inventory for open source software. They don’t know what sorts of critical applications are using open source software. And clearly, they don’t know, in terms of risk score, the risks they face with it. So they cannot put in any controls because they don’t know what the risks are. For the inventory, there is no risk control. They normally just stop everything, and they start sandboxing, blacklisting and looking at it from a very traditional security approach. What we do is provide a gap analysis and maturity assessment of the current treatment of open source software in their whole ecosystem. And then we show them what is missing.

CF: Is there typically a lot missing?

RA: Most companies don’t have any policies for open source software; they don’t have any guidelines. On top of that, they don’t have any strategic understanding of open source from a risk versus opportunities and benefits standpoint. So we give them a maturity assessment with a gap analysis to provide them with understanding of the risk versus opportunities on open source.

CF: What happens next?

RA: Then we dive into quite technical stuff in terms of looking at the whole ecosystem. We look at what assets they have, and what assets are consuming open source at what level of the organization. For instance, we have a client that was starting a cloud transformation, looking at hybrid cloud. They consume a lot of cloud related services and software. But then they can’t secure them because they don’t know what they have when it comes to open source. They know containers; they use Docker for instance. But they don’t understand how the concept of how security works with it from open source perspective.

CF: What types of things do you tend to discover when conducting these assessments?

RA: We use the CMMI maturity model. My team has worked with over 100 organizations and we never found any organization that was higher than maturity level 2 for open source software governance. We get all of our clients up to level four at least.

CF: What kinds of risks are these companies typically exposing themselves too?

RA: If you look at different aspects of open source governance, from the discovery up to contribution to the community, the risk is …

Company Name: Iuvo Technologies
Company MSP 501 Rank: 401
President & CEO: Byron Beilman
Headquartered: Westford, MA
Primary Services:

• IT infrastructure
• Networking
• IT operations
• IT support
• Business continuity

Twitter: @iuvotech

M&A has impacted Iuvo Technologies more than COVID-19 impacted the MSP.

That’s according to Bryon Beilman, president and CEO of the Massachusetts-based company. The MSP has witnessed a significant amount of M&A on the customer side recently. Beilman said his team pursues a customer profile that often appeals to buyers. And for Beilman and Iuvo, this is an opportunity to prove themselves once again.

The company landed on the MSP 501 list this year. That makes two consecutive appearances for Iuvo. The company also earned a spot in this year’s Channel Partners Excellence in Digital Services Awards

Beilman spoke to Channel Futures about the company, its latest initiatives, M&A and his perspective on the MSP channel.

Channel Futures: What is one thing you wish vendors would do that they don’t?

Iuvo Technologies’ Bryon Beilman

Bryon Beilman: Vendor partnerships are interesting. We make sure we only partner with the products and vendors we believe in. It is extremely important to us that we only promote products that meet a certain standard and are best for our client businesses. Having had many vendor relationships over the years, there is certainly one thing that stands out that I would love to see get more attention. I would love if vendors would do more for their partners than simply provide products to sell.

We have based our business model on seeking out functional two-way partnerships with our clients, and I would love to see the same attention given to vendor relationships for committed MSPs. Instead of sticking to the basics – providing products to sell – provide ample marketing and sales resources, campaigns and ways to integrate our services with their product to maximize the value for MSPs and the clients we serve. Making it easier for us to educate, promote, highlight value and engage our clients on vendor products would save us a lot of time and allow us to meet vendor goals while still having time to provide stellar services to our clients.

CF: What new opportunities and challenges came with the global COVID-19 pandemic?

BB: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching. We felt so fortunate to be in the right business at the right time. It was rewarding to see just how many of our clients were already set up to succeed in a remote working model because of the work we have done for them over the years. Though we knew they would be OK, they were not completely ready yet because a lot of our clients simply were not used to working 100% remotely. Hearing the positive remarks about how seamlessly they were able to make the transition and maintain productivity after they were thrust into that model due to the pandemic was also extremely rewarding.

Out of the pandemic came several opportunities for us as well. We were able to quickly put together content and webinars to help those companies or individuals struggling to manage their new realities. While a lot of companies as entities were prepared, many individuals were not. We were able to guide many through the process of converting space in their homes to an “office,” how to use unified communications platforms and other tips and tricks that helped them ease into a work from anywhere model while still being efficient and productive. We also found many businesses had to throw solutions together to make their transition happen quickly. This introduced a lot of technical debt. We worked with companies to find the best long-term solutions, wrote policies and assisted with overhaul and reduced their technical debt, saving them …

Company Name: Iuvo Technologies
Company MSP 501 Rank: 401
President & CEO: Byron Beilman
Headquartered: Westford, MA
Primary Services:

• IT infrastructure
• Networking
• IT operations
• IT support
• Business continuity

Twitter: @iuvotech

M&A has impacted Iuvo Technologies more than COVID-19 impacted the MSP.

That’s according to Bryon Beilman, president and CEO of the Massachusetts-based company. The MSP has witnessed a significant amount of M&A on the customer side recently. Beilman said his team pursues a customer profile that often appeals to buyers. And for Beilman and Iuvo, this is an opportunity to prove themselves once again.

The company landed on the MSP 501 list this year. That makes two consecutive appearances for Iuvo. The company also earned a spot in this year’s Channel Partners Excellence in Digital Services Awards

Beilman spoke to Channel Futures about the company, its latest initiatives, M&A and his perspective on the MSP channel.

Channel Futures: What is one thing you wish vendors would do that they don’t?

Iuvo Technologies’ Bryon Beilman

Bryon Beilman: Vendor partnerships are interesting. We make sure we only partner with the products and vendors we believe in. It is extremely important to us that we only promote products that meet a certain standard and are best for our client businesses. Having had many vendor relationships over the years, there is certainly one thing that stands out that I would love to see get more attention. I would love if vendors would do more for their partners than simply provide products to sell.

We have based our business model on seeking out functional two-way partnerships with our clients, and I would love to see the same attention given to vendor relationships for committed MSPs. Instead of sticking to the basics – providing products to sell – provide ample marketing and sales resources, campaigns and ways to integrate our services with their product to maximize the value for MSPs and the clients we serve. Making it easier for us to educate, promote, highlight value and engage our clients on vendor products would save us a lot of time and allow us to meet vendor goals while still having time to provide stellar services to our clients.

CF: What new opportunities and challenges came with the global COVID-19 pandemic?

BB: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching. We felt so fortunate to be in the right business at the right time. It was rewarding to see just how many of our clients were already set up to succeed in a remote working model because of the work we have done for them over the years. Though we knew they would be OK, they were not completely ready yet because a lot of our clients simply were not used to working 100% remotely. Hearing the positive remarks about how seamlessly they were able to make the transition and maintain productivity after they were thrust into that model due to the pandemic was also extremely rewarding.

Out of the pandemic came several opportunities for us as well. We were able to quickly put together content and webinars to help those companies or individuals struggling to manage their new realities. While a lot of companies as entities were prepared, many individuals were not. We were able to guide many through the process of converting space in their homes to an “office,” how to use unified communications platforms and other tips and tricks that helped them ease into a work from anywhere model while still being efficient and productive. We also found many businesses had to throw solutions together to make their transition happen quickly. This introduced a lot of technical debt. We worked with companies to find the best long-term solutions, wrote policies and assisted with overhaul and reduced their technical debt, saving them …

Company Name: Iuvo Technologies
Company MSP 501 Rank: 401
President & CEO: Byron Beilman
Headquartered: Westford, MA
Primary Services:

• IT infrastructure
• Networking
• IT operations
• IT support
• Business continuity

Twitter: @iuvotech

M&A has impacted Iuvo Technologies more than COVID-19 impacted the MSP.

That’s according to Bryon Beilman, president and CEO of the Massachusetts-based company. The MSP has witnessed a significant amount of M&A on the customer side recently. Beilman said his team pursues a customer profile that often appeals to buyers. And for Beilman and Iuvo, this is an opportunity to prove themselves once again.

The company landed on the MSP 501 list this year. That makes two consecutive appearances for Iuvo. The company also earned a spot in this year’s Channel Partners Excellence in Digital Services Awards

Beilman spoke to Channel Futures about the company, its latest initiatives, M&A and his perspective on the MSP channel.

Channel Futures: What is one thing you wish vendors would do that they don’t?

Iuvo Technologies’ Bryon Beilman

Bryon Beilman: Vendor partnerships are interesting. We make sure we only partner with the products and vendors we believe in. It is extremely important to us that we only promote products that meet a certain standard and are best for our client businesses. Having had many vendor relationships over the years, there is certainly one thing that stands out that I would love to see get more attention. I would love if vendors would do more for their partners than simply provide products to sell.

We have based our business model on seeking out functional two-way partnerships with our clients, and I would love to see the same attention given to vendor relationships for committed MSPs. Instead of sticking to the basics – providing products to sell – provide ample marketing and sales resources, campaigns and ways to integrate our services with their product to maximize the value for MSPs and the clients we serve. Making it easier for us to educate, promote, highlight value and engage our clients on vendor products would save us a lot of time and allow us to meet vendor goals while still having time to provide stellar services to our clients.

CF: What new opportunities and challenges came with the global COVID-19 pandemic?

BB: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching. We felt so fortunate to be in the right business at the right time. It was rewarding to see just how many of our clients were already set up to succeed in a remote working model because of the work we have done for them over the years. Though we knew they would be OK, they were not completely ready yet because a lot of our clients simply were not used to working 100% remotely. Hearing the positive remarks about how seamlessly they were able to make the transition and maintain productivity after they were thrust into that model due to the pandemic was also extremely rewarding.

Out of the pandemic came several opportunities for us as well. We were able to quickly put together content and webinars to help those companies or individuals struggling to manage their new realities. While a lot of companies as entities were prepared, many individuals were not. We were able to guide many through the process of converting space in their homes to an “office,” how to use unified communications platforms and other tips and tricks that helped them ease into a work from anywhere model while still being efficient and productive. We also found many businesses had to throw solutions together to make their transition happen quickly. This introduced a lot of technical debt. We worked with companies to find the best long-term solutions, wrote policies and assisted with overhaul and reduced their technical debt, saving them …

Company Name: Iuvo Technologies
Company MSP 501 Rank: 401
President & CEO: Byron Beilman
Headquartered: Westford, MA
Primary Services:

• IT infrastructure
• Networking
• IT operations
• IT support
• Business continuity

Twitter: @iuvotech

M&A has impacted Iuvo Technologies more than COVID-19 impacted the MSP.

That’s according to Bryon Beilman, president and CEO of the Massachusetts-based company. The MSP has witnessed a significant amount of M&A on the customer side recently. Beilman said his team pursues a customer profile that often appeals to buyers. And for Beilman and Iuvo, this is an opportunity to prove themselves once again.

The company landed on the MSP 501 list this year. That makes two consecutive appearances for Iuvo. The company also earned a spot in this year’s Channel Partners Excellence in Digital Services Awards

Beilman spoke to Channel Futures about the company, its latest initiatives, M&A and his perspective on the MSP channel.

Channel Futures: What is one thing you wish vendors would do that they don’t?

Iuvo Technologies’ Bryon Beilman

Bryon Beilman: Vendor partnerships are interesting. We make sure we only partner with the products and vendors we believe in. It is extremely important to us that we only promote products that meet a certain standard and are best for our client businesses. Having had many vendor relationships over the years, there is certainly one thing that stands out that I would love to see get more attention. I would love if vendors would do more for their partners than simply provide products to sell.

We have based our business model on seeking out functional two-way partnerships with our clients, and I would love to see the same attention given to vendor relationships for committed MSPs. Instead of sticking to the basics – providing products to sell – provide ample marketing and sales resources, campaigns and ways to integrate our services with their product to maximize the value for MSPs and the clients we serve. Making it easier for us to educate, promote, highlight value and engage our clients on vendor products would save us a lot of time and allow us to meet vendor goals while still having time to provide stellar services to our clients.

CF: What new opportunities and challenges came with the global COVID-19 pandemic?

BB: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching. We felt so fortunate to be in the right business at the right time. It was rewarding to see just how many of our clients were already set up to succeed in a remote working model because of the work we have done for them over the years. Though we knew they would be OK, they were not completely ready yet because a lot of our clients simply were not used to working 100% remotely. Hearing the positive remarks about how seamlessly they were able to make the transition and maintain productivity after they were thrust into that model due to the pandemic was also extremely rewarding.

Out of the pandemic came several opportunities for us as well. We were able to quickly put together content and webinars to help those companies or individuals struggling to manage their new realities. While a lot of companies as entities were prepared, many individuals were not. We were able to guide many through the process of converting space in their homes to an “office,” how to use unified communications platforms and other tips and tricks that helped them ease into a work from anywhere model while still being efficient and productive. We also found many businesses had to throw solutions together to make their transition happen quickly. This introduced a lot of technical debt. We worked with companies to find the best long-term solutions, wrote policies and assisted with overhaul and reduced their technical debt, saving them …

Company Name: Iuvo Technologies
Company MSP 501 Rank: 401
President & CEO: Byron Beilman
Headquartered: Westford, MA
Primary Services:

• IT infrastructure
• Networking
• IT operations
• IT support
• Business continuity

Twitter: @iuvotech

M&A has impacted Iuvo Technologies more than COVID-19 impacted the MSP.

That’s according to Bryon Beilman, president and CEO of the Massachusetts-based company. The MSP has witnessed a significant amount of M&A on the customer side recently. Beilman said his team pursues a customer profile that often appeals to buyers. And for Beilman and Iuvo, this is an opportunity to prove themselves once again.

The company landed on the MSP 501 list this year. That makes two consecutive appearances for Iuvo. The company also earned a spot in this year’s Channel Partners Excellence in Digital Services Awards

Beilman spoke to Channel Futures about the company, its latest initiatives, M&A and his perspective on the MSP channel.

Channel Futures: What is one thing you wish vendors would do that they don’t?

Iuvo Technologies’ Bryon Beilman

Bryon Beilman: Vendor partnerships are interesting. We make sure we only partner with the products and vendors we believe in. It is extremely important to us that we only promote products that meet a certain standard and are best for our client businesses. Having had many vendor relationships over the years, there is certainly one thing that stands out that I would love to see get more attention. I would love if vendors would do more for their partners than simply provide products to sell.

We have based our business model on seeking out functional two-way partnerships with our clients, and I would love to see the same attention given to vendor relationships for committed MSPs. Instead of sticking to the basics – providing products to sell – provide ample marketing and sales resources, campaigns and ways to integrate our services with their product to maximize the value for MSPs and the clients we serve. Making it easier for us to educate, promote, highlight value and engage our clients on vendor products would save us a lot of time and allow us to meet vendor goals while still having time to provide stellar services to our clients.

CF: What new opportunities and challenges came with the global COVID-19 pandemic?

BB: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching. We felt so fortunate to be in the right business at the right time. It was rewarding to see just how many of our clients were already set up to succeed in a remote working model because of the work we have done for them over the years. Though we knew they would be OK, they were not completely ready yet because a lot of our clients simply were not used to working 100% remotely. Hearing the positive remarks about how seamlessly they were able to make the transition and maintain productivity after they were thrust into that model due to the pandemic was also extremely rewarding.

Out of the pandemic came several opportunities for us as well. We were able to quickly put together content and webinars to help those companies or individuals struggling to manage their new realities. While a lot of companies as entities were prepared, many individuals were not. We were able to guide many through the process of converting space in their homes to an “office,” how to use unified communications platforms and other tips and tricks that helped them ease into a work from anywhere model while still being efficient and productive. We also found many businesses had to throw solutions together to make their transition happen quickly. This introduced a lot of technical debt. We worked with companies to find the best long-term solutions, wrote policies and assisted with overhaul and reduced their technical debt, saving them …

Company Name: Iuvo Technologies
Company MSP 501 Rank: 401
President & CEO: Byron Beilman
Headquartered: Westford, MA
Primary Services:

• IT infrastructure
• Networking
• IT operations
• IT support
• Business continuity

Twitter: @iuvotech

M&A has impacted Iuvo Technologies more than COVID-19 impacted the MSP.

That’s according to Bryon Beilman, president and CEO of the Massachusetts-based company. The MSP has witnessed a significant amount of M&A on the customer side recently. Beilman said his team pursues a customer profile that often appeals to buyers. And for Beilman and Iuvo, this is an opportunity to prove themselves once again.

The company landed on the MSP 501 list this year. That makes two consecutive appearances for Iuvo. The company also earned a spot in this year’s Channel Partners Excellence in Digital Services Awards

Beilman spoke to Channel Futures about the company, its latest initiatives, M&A and his perspective on the MSP channel.

Channel Futures: What is one thing you wish vendors would do that they don’t?

Iuvo Technologies’ Bryon Beilman

Bryon Beilman: Vendor partnerships are interesting. We make sure we only partner with the products and vendors we believe in. It is extremely important to us that we only promote products that meet a certain standard and are best for our client businesses. Having had many vendor relationships over the years, there is certainly one thing that stands out that I would love to see get more attention. I would love if vendors would do more for their partners than simply provide products to sell.

We have based our business model on seeking out functional two-way partnerships with our clients, and I would love to see the same attention given to vendor relationships for committed MSPs. Instead of sticking to the basics – providing products to sell – provide ample marketing and sales resources, campaigns and ways to integrate our services with their product to maximize the value for MSPs and the clients we serve. Making it easier for us to educate, promote, highlight value and engage our clients on vendor products would save us a lot of time and allow us to meet vendor goals while still having time to provide stellar services to our clients.

CF: What new opportunities and challenges came with the global COVID-19 pandemic?

BB: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching. We felt so fortunate to be in the right business at the right time. It was rewarding to see just how many of our clients were already set up to succeed in a remote working model because of the work we have done for them over the years. Though we knew they would be OK, they were not completely ready yet because a lot of our clients simply were not used to working 100% remotely. Hearing the positive remarks about how seamlessly they were able to make the transition and maintain productivity after they were thrust into that model due to the pandemic was also extremely rewarding.

Out of the pandemic came several opportunities for us as well. We were able to quickly put together content and webinars to help those companies or individuals struggling to manage their new realities. While a lot of companies as entities were prepared, many individuals were not. We were able to guide many through the process of converting space in their homes to an “office,” how to use unified communications platforms and other tips and tricks that helped them ease into a work from anywhere model while still being efficient and productive. We also found many businesses had to throw solutions together to make their transition happen quickly. This introduced a lot of technical debt. We worked with companies to find the best long-term solutions, wrote policies and assisted with overhaul and reduced their technical debt, saving them …

Company Name: Iuvo Technologies
Company MSP 501 Rank: 401
President & CEO: Byron Beilman
Headquartered: Westford, MA
Primary Services:

• IT infrastructure
• Networking
• IT operations
• IT support
• Business continuity

Twitter: @iuvotech

M&A has impacted Iuvo Technologies more than COVID-19 impacted the MSP.

That’s according to Bryon Beilman, president and CEO of the Massachusetts-based company. The MSP has witnessed a significant amount of M&A on the customer side recently. Beilman said his team pursues a customer profile that often appeals to buyers. And for Beilman and Iuvo, this is an opportunity to prove themselves once again.

The company landed on the MSP 501 list this year. That makes two consecutive appearances for Iuvo. The company also earned a spot in this year’s Channel Partners Excellence in Digital Services Awards

Beilman spoke to Channel Futures about the company, its latest initiatives, M&A and his perspective on the MSP channel.

Channel Futures: What is one thing you wish vendors would do that they don’t?

Iuvo Technologies’ Bryon Beilman

Bryon Beilman: Vendor partnerships are interesting. We make sure we only partner with the products and vendors we believe in. It is extremely important to us that we only promote products that meet a certain standard and are best for our client businesses. Having had many vendor relationships over the years, there is certainly one thing that stands out that I would love to see get more attention. I would love if vendors would do more for their partners than simply provide products to sell.

We have based our business model on seeking out functional two-way partnerships with our clients, and I would love to see the same attention given to vendor relationships for committed MSPs. Instead of sticking to the basics – providing products to sell – provide ample marketing and sales resources, campaigns and ways to integrate our services with their product to maximize the value for MSPs and the clients we serve. Making it easier for us to educate, promote, highlight value and engage our clients on vendor products would save us a lot of time and allow us to meet vendor goals while still having time to provide stellar services to our clients.

CF: What new opportunities and challenges came with the global COVID-19 pandemic?

BB: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching. We felt so fortunate to be in the right business at the right time. It was rewarding to see just how many of our clients were already set up to succeed in a remote working model because of the work we have done for them over the years. Though we knew they would be OK, they were not completely ready yet because a lot of our clients simply were not used to working 100% remotely. Hearing the positive remarks about how seamlessly they were able to make the transition and maintain productivity after they were thrust into that model due to the pandemic was also extremely rewarding.

Out of the pandemic came several opportunities for us as well. We were able to quickly put together content and webinars to help those companies or individuals struggling to manage their new realities. While a lot of companies as entities were prepared, many individuals were not. We were able to guide many through the process of converting space in their homes to an “office,” how to use unified communications platforms and other tips and tricks that helped them ease into a work from anywhere model while still being efficient and productive. We also found many businesses had to throw solutions together to make their transition happen quickly. This introduced a lot of technical debt. We worked with companies to find the best long-term solutions, wrote policies and assisted with overhaul and reduced their technical debt, saving them …