XChange 2024

The XChange August 2024 conference presents an unmatched platform for leading solution provider decision-makers and technology suppliers to come together to build strategic business relationships, determine business agendas, and set the future direction of the channel.

The in-person event in San Antonio delivers forward-thinking strategies, the latest technology solutions, and best-in-class market intelligence to accelerate your business forward and drive revenue in an evolving marketplace.

Get all of CRN's coverage of the event here and follow along on Twitter at #xchange. And be sure to check out our AI In Action newsroom, featuring can't-miss news and highlights from the event.

AUGUST 2024

6 MSPs On How They’re Helping Customers Leverage AI
MSPs discuss how they’re assisting customers in utilizing AI technology to streamline operations and enhance productivity across multiple facets of their business.

14 Hot Products And Services For MSPs Right Now
Attendees at The Channel Company’s XChange 2024 conference this month in San Antonio were treated to a first look at a wide range of new hardware, software and services aimed at helping them breathe new life into the offerings they bring their customers.

6 MSPs On How To Provide Security Awareness Training For The Latest Threats
Six MSP executives share details on how they’re helping customers to stay secure through education and awareness training for their teams.

Panelists Offer Tips For MSPs Eyeing A Sale Of Their Business
Getting an MSP ready to be acquired can take a year or more of prepping the team, cleaning up the accounting and understanding the factors that affect its value, according to a panel of experts.

Nerdio CRO: We Want MSPs To Navigate Microsoft Cloud Offerings ‘In Three Clicks Or Less’
‘We want you to be able to do anything you want to do in the Microsoft cloud in three clicks or less,’ says Joseph Landes, co-founder and CRO of Nerdio. ‘If you could do that, you and your tech team are going to find moving to the Microsoft cloud significantly easier.’

Pax8’s Rob Rae: ‘Our Goal Is To Support MSPs Globally’
‘We’re committed to transforming the MSP space through innovation and community support,’ says Rob Rae, corporate vice president of community and ecosystems at Pax8. ‘As the market continues to change, Pax8 is dedicated to helping our partners thrive in this dynamic environment.’

ScalePad Exec: ‘We’re Here To Equip Your MSP Adventure’
‘You need to strengthen your client relationships, your team collaboration and your service consistency. That’s going to increase your efficiency, your operational maturity and, ultimately, your sales, your revenue and your profitability,’ says Ray Mann, channel development manager at ScalePad.

Pax8 CEO: ‘AI Capabilities Are Doubling Every Four To Six Months’
‘The pace of change is relentless,’ says Pax8 CEO Scott Chasin. ‘We’re on the cusp of AI reaching human-level intelligence and beyond.’

MSP Panel: Learning From Peers, Forging Ties With Vendors Will Drive Succes
‘What’s important about the channel is it’s a community. ...This is where you have an opportunity to learn from your peers. All that knowledge is just sitting right here that can help you with some challenge you’re having,’ says Corey Kirkendoll, president and CEO of 5K Technical Services.

Microsoft, OpenText Execs: MSPs Can Help Take Copilot GenAI Boom To The Next Level
‘We need you as the MSP community to come along with us on this journey,’ Microsoft’s Jason Jones told MSP executives Tuesday.

Kaseya Exec On Defining Success, Vision To Grow MSP
‘Identifying your personal goals allows you to really understand the why,’ says Mike DePalma, VP of business development at Kaseya. ‘Why is it important for any of the decisions you make on the business level? When you think about that, start asking your employees what their personal goals are, don't make assumptions. Understanding that personal goal will allow you to start looking at those business goals and really understanding where you want to be in 10 years.’

MDR Is Critical For Countering Growth Of Insider Threats: Sophos Execs
Managed detection and response that includes threat hunting is also a must-have in the current threat environment, according to Sophos executives.

Why Zero Trust Is The ‘Missing’ Ingredient In Email Security: Mailprotector CEO
When it comes to bringing zero trust security to protection of inboxes, ‘no one has figured out how to do it effectively,’ says David Setzer, CEO of the email security vendor.

‘Quick Execution’ By MSPs Made 'All The Difference’ For Some In The CrowdStrike Global Outage
'While some of our peers were down for days, iCorps had us back on track within hours,' says a manufacturing company CEO in an email describing the scenario. 'Their proactive approach and quick execution made all the difference.’

Cynomi Exec: Our vCISO Services Help MSPs Address Compliance, Cybersecurity Gaps
‘We really preach that if a client is compliant that does not mean that it’s secured and vice versa,’ says Royi Barnea, vice president of channel sales at Cynomi.

Lawyer To MSPs: Make Your Master Services Agreement Your ‘Constitution’
“You don’t want services in your MSA because they change. You don’t want prices in your MSA. They change. And don’t tell me, ‘Well, we only have one level of service.’ No, you don’t. … Because that changes. Anything that is money- or service-dependent does not belong in your MSA,” says Bradley Gross, founding partner of the Law Office of Bradley Gross.

Prioritizing GenAI Use Cases Is The Path To Success: Dell Exec
Solution providers are playing a leading role in the effort to ‘make AI real’ for customers, according to Dell Technologies’ Justin Carver.

‘AI Across The Board’: One Expert Outlines How The Technology Will Impact The Channel
‘You're going to see AI across the board in every other category,’ says Mike Crosby, executive director, industry analyst of B2B technology at Circana. ‘We're already seeing it in monitors and displays. You’re going to see it in routers, being able to self-monitor and optimize. That's going to be a common thing across all these other categories.’

MSPs Are Driving GenAI Adoption But Security, Data Hurdles Persist For Customers: Panel
While MSPs are showing the way forward on generative AI, many customers end up needing to step back and ensure that data readiness and security risks are addressed upfront, according to experts who spoke at XChange August 2024.

Why Simple Email Phishing Attacks Are Sometimes Also The ‘Scariest:’ Inky CEO
Threat actors are ‘increasingly’ turning to attacks that are nearly impossible for security tools to catch, says Dave Baggett, co-founder of email security vendor Inky.

Why Independent Assessments ‘Prove’ The Security Case For MSPs: Galactic Advisors
Offering third-party assessments can be crucial for MSPs looking to bolster their role as a trusted advisor to clients, said Bruce McCully, CEO of the cybersecurity assessment and consulting firm.

ConnectWise Exec: AI Will Evolve MSP Landscape Over Next 40 Years
‘New technology is going to come into those customers that you support every single day and it’s going to create new challenges for them, which is going to create those opportunities for [MSPs],’ said Jeff Bishop, executive vice president and general manager at ConnectWise.

2024 Annual Report Card Winners: Solution Providers Give Top Grades To Key Vendors
For the 39th year, solution providers scored vendors across 27 technology categories based on their performance in product innovation, support, partnership, and managed and cloud services. Here’s a roundup of the companies with the highest overall scores.

IPED Study: 40 Percent Of Solution Providers Expect ‘Significant’ Impact From AI In Next 12 To 24 Months
“The tidal wave is coming, and they see it. They’re worried about, ‘Am I going to catch the wave or am I about to get swamped?’” said Mark Williams, senior consultant with IPED, The Channel Company’s channel consulting arm.

MARCH 2024

Pax8 Co-Founder Says These Four Steps Will Give You The Edge With AI
Ryan Walsh, co-founder and chief strategy officer for the Denver-based distributor, says that ‘whether you're looking for productivity or you're looking to take advantage of this, it's clear that this opportunity is here to stay.'

Nutanix’s Goffi: ‘We’re Not Just Partner-First, We Are Partner-Only'
Nutanix Vice President of Americas Channel Sales Christian Goffi says the company has seen more opportunities as a result of Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware and touts the partner program advantages he says Nutanix offers.

ScalePad Exec On How MSPs Can Automate To Profitability
With nearly one-third of MSPs struggling to attain profitability, automation in the form of an integrated set of tools could help MSPs better connect with clients and grow their practices, ScalePad’s channel chief said at XChange 2024.

MSP Exec On Lessons Learned, Key To Growing The Business: ‘Define Your Sales Process’
‘There’s a sales process for hunting and there’s a sales process for account management. Those two are very different skills, similar but different, but it’s important to articulate how to do it,’ says Brent Morris, vice president of business development at Success Computer Consulting.

MSP Security Stack Incomplete Without Email Security: Mailprotector CEO
‘What happens is, we're fighting the wrong side of asymmetric warfare. What attackers are doing right now is shooting $50 mortars over the wall, and we’re shooting them down with million-dollar missiles. And it's been this way for decades because the economics work for the bad guys. Simple as that,’ says Mailprotector Founder and CEO David Setzer.

XChange 2024: Infima, Puzzle Shirts And The True Meaning Of ‘Partner’
Infima Cybersecurity raised awareness about autism and honored a top partner during a touching session at XChange March 2024.

Many CIOs Looking To Solution Providers For Help Navigating GenAI, Security Challenges: Panel
Top priorities in the midmarket for 2024 include mitigating risks from usage of GenAI and intensifying cyberthreats, according to two senior IT leaders.

Microsoft Copilot Leader: 5 Boldest Statements On The MSP Opportunity
During an XChange March 2024 session that aimed to educate MSPs on how to become AI-ready, Microsoft’s Jason Jones and OpenText’s Lynda Mahabir spoke about the abundant opportunities.

Private Equity Investor To MSPs: Know Your Options To Get The Best Valuation
MSPs can get a lot of benefit from studying what private equity firms are looking for, even if a sale of their company is years away, says Hannah Paige, director at Worklyn Partners.

MSP Marketing Expert: 7 Steps To A Better Brand Story
‘If you jump straight into marketing tactics without defining your messaging, you run the risk of confusing your audience,’ says Decoded Strategies co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Annie Mosbacher.

Sophos Exec: Here’s How MSPs Can Drive Revenue With Our Products
Scott Barlow, vice president of global MSP and cloud alliances at Sophos, speaks about the tools and services Sophos offers and how MSPs can generate revenue by becoming a partner.

Microsoft Copilot AI Frenzy Hits XChange March 2024
‘This is a huge opportunity. So if we can get just a small piece of the pie, that would be big,’ says one partner who attended the packed session.

Why Detection Should Never Be Plan A: ThreatLocker CEO
Zero trust security controls ‘give you time’ to react, with detection merely serving as a backup, according to ThreatLocker co-founder and CEO Danny Jenkins.

vCISO Services Bring Security, Compliance Together For MSPs
‘vCISO services have become one of the main tools that enables you basically to address Wall Street, make money out of it, and provide those services to your end clients. vCISO services is indeed a huge opportunity,’ says Royi Barnea, vice president of channel sales at Cynomi.

Research: Most Vendors Want To Sell AI Through The Channel
Of the surveyed vendors, 33 percent said they have AI offerings partners can monetize.

Latest Phishing Tactics Show Attackers Keep ‘Pushing The Envelope:’ Inky CEO
Phishing attacks continue to get more sophisticated—and sneakier, says Dave Baggett, co-founder of the email security vendor.

Recurring Security Assessments Can ‘Elevate’ MSP Programs: Galactic Advisors
Providing penetration testing and other third-party assessments can help MSPs to prove the value of advanced security services, said Galactic Advisors CEO Bruce McCully.

Lenovo Partner Director: Navigate The Windows 10 EOS Conversation With AI, Security Focus
‘There is a different opportunity. AI is that opportunity,’ Lenovo’s Cassie Jeppson told solution providers.

ConnectWise Exec: ‘We Are In Period Of AI Implementation’
‘We are in the installation phase of hyperautomation at this point in time,’ said Jake Varghese, executive vice president and general manager of business management for ConnectWise. ‘There's going to be winners and there's going to be losers—there is no in-between. You cannot sit on the fence and say, ‘Let this person go figure it out, I'll come by later.’