A major component and factor to successfully work with the government lies with ensuring that you are compliant with the latest regulations and requirements. Why is this verification component so important? 

John Igbokwe, CEO of TechAxia, a cybersecurity compliance services firm, talks about the value of being a specialist; able to fully assess your cybersecurity posture, implementing best practices, and providing ongoing support and maintenance.

Highlights include:

Having a partner you can trust to ensure you are CMMC compliant, achieving your CMMC certification.

Challenges that they faced as an organization; and being able to make the transition from working in the business to working on the business.

Testimonials that help validate the importance of their work.

Their commitment to providing resources for the sector, including a free mini course, which is a part of their CMC Learning Series.

Their experience with AppMeetup and the Microsoft BPGI Program: 'Transformational'

Working with his spouse.

Recent launch of their 'Microsoft 365 Fast Track' program

Connect with John on LinkedIn and visit techaxia.com/ to learn more and to gain access to resources as well as their 'Microsoft Exchange Best Practice Checklist.'

What does it mean to build with the client in mind? You can always do more discovery, be more customer-centric, and learn from those who are integrating and using your solution set. Greg Celmainis, COO & VP of Corporate Development with MSP Process shares about their success from understanding the needs of their clients; the needs of the MSPs that they support. MSP Process partners with the best-of-breed MSP industry tools to provide leading service desk automation tools.

Highlights include:

Greg’s leadership journey and the beginning of MSP Process.

Recognition for the impact MSP Process is having within the community.

Expectations from being at IT Nation Secure and this equating to 'touchpoints.'

Importance of truly understanding your clients.

Authentication and potential vocal and facial recognition threats.

His hobbies and love for British Columbia, Canada.

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn and visit mspprocess.com/ to schedule your demo.

Having a strategic partner who understands your industry can be a true game changer; especially if your sector is all that they focus on. Brian Kensky, Growth Consultant with Marketopia shares how having tech channel expertise can factor into a successful marketing strategy. Marketopia is driven to help MSPs and vendors grow with branding awareness and marketing strategy, lead generation services and sales enablement solutions.

Some of the key takeaways:

What led Brian to the tech sector.

What sets Marketopia apart - they are focused only on MSPs.

Providing resources for the community, including their ‘Tech Trends Video Library.’

What he hopes to gain from the IT Nation Secure Conference.

Importance of family and his hobby of 'retro video game collecting'

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn and book a free growth consultation by visiting marketopia.com/

Not everything has to be a crisis, but should there be one, you must be prepared with a proactive strategy to address any threat to the business or its reputation. This strategy plan involves technology, systems and protocols that will enable an organization to effectively communicate both internally and externally.

Amanda Lee, Vice President of Corporate Communications with ConnectWise shares about the importance of clarity and how you can transform opinion and generate convocation through compelling stories. 

Highlights include:

Her journey into Technology.

Working with the U.S. Congress.

The adrenaline rush around crisis communication.

How a little conflict can be healthy.

Her passion for supporting various communities, including ‘Voices of Innovation.’

Amanda states that we are all in sales to some capacity, “we're all trying to sell a story, we're all trying to sell an idea, and we're all trying to get mindshare.”

Her advice for those looking to break into or advance their career as a communication strategist.

Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn and visit connectwise.com for more information about this incredible community including any special announcements or introductions.

What does it mean to tap into your potential? How can an organization help talent find their voice and develop into their full potential? Kisha Thompson, Chief People Officer with ConnectWise shares her experience from guiding talent and the privilege of leading this charge.

Highlights include:

How she approaches managing talent both in the States and internationally.

The call to empower and help others find their voice by listening to bring about vulnerability and ideas. Kisha stated that, “'we don't just hear you; here are some results of what has been implemented” because of what you’ve shared. '

Getting more representation in the C-Suite begins with not being afraid to talk about it.

Having great advocates including her own CEO.

Think outside the box for how you are looking for talent.

How she stays inspired.

Connect with Kisha on LinkedIn and visit connectwise.com to learn more about available resources for the community. 

Can’t think of a better way to kick off an amazing conference with over 1,200 attendees than to sit down with Patrick Beggs, Chief Information Security Office, ConnectWise. Patrick gives us a snapshot of his role and what we can look forward to from IT Nation Secure. 

Highlights include:

Importance of communication..

Key points from his keynote with CEO Jason MaGee, Jay Ryerse, VP, IT Nation; Ameer Karim, Executive VP and GM, Cybersecurity and Data Protection; and John Helms, Director of Product, Cybersecurity.

Why he is excited about the Fireside Chat with Theresa Payton, the first female CIO for the White House.

Leading a Community-led Discussion entitled Uniting Against Vulnerability with several other sector influencers.

Trends and why you must know if ‘your house’ is exposed.

Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn and visit Connectwise.com/ to learn more about the community as well as their recent release of ConnectWise Security360. 

What is IT Nation? Gregg Lalle, SVP and GM of IT Nation at ConnectWise shares about the growth of this amazing community; a community reflected by the motto of ‘Wise Together, Rise Together.’

Highlights include:

Gregg's unique perspective from leading international sales and now heading up the community.

The collaborative spirit of the global IT community and the 3 experiences of Secure, Automation Nation, Grow.

Designing the community to meet partners ‘where they are' and with programs, education and networking.

When growing the community, Gregg believes that, “you have to build intentionality into the business plan.”

Future plans for IT Nation including Connect and PitchIT

Connect with Gregg on LinkedIn and visit connectwise.com/theitnation to stay in touch with the latest updates. 

What does an inspirational leader look like? How can you as a leader inspire your team and organization to even greater success? They want to be inspired and they need to be inspired by you. This may not be natural for some but let’s dive into some thoughts about how you can become more inspirational.

Which leaders have inspired you and supported your leadership journey? 

Here are 6 thoughts about what an inspirational leader looks like:

1. Focused

2. Balanced

3. Authentic

4. High EQ

5. Accept Accountability

6. Insatiable Hunger

For more leadership tips and training programs, visit AppMeetup.com

Keep leading!

When every conversation could lead to a new opportunity or lay the framework for a complex challenge, the art of active listening stands out as a crucial skill. Why is listening so vital and reflective of great leadership? How can you improve your listening skills and can this skill be considered an art? Are there any active listening techniques for better communication as a leader?

We explore this concept and art of active listening as this could be the very skill you need to provide more understanding and elevate your conversations.    

5 to keep in mind when reflecting on the art of listening:

1. The art of listening is meant to be an active activity, so get engaged. 

2. Listen to understand and for context as there may exist a deeper meaning behind what is said. 

3. Benefits of listening.

4. Open your posture to mentorship and feedback.

5. Additional tips for better Listening.

Be sure to pick up our Book on Amazon, ‘Talk it Up: A Guide to Successful Public Speaking.’ While you are there, grab the accompanied Workbook. Also, visit AppMeetup.com to learn more about our leadership and soft skills programs

How can strengthening the partner experience help drive even more success within the channel ecosystem? A commitment to investing more resources for partner enablement leads to greater opportunities for growth. Barracuda MSP’s Vice President of Worldwide Partner Ecosystems, Jason Beal shares from his experience on their dedication to developing the partner community and to accelerating channel sales. The emphasis is on giving partners the tools they need to become more profitable by identifying and winning more opportunities.

Highlights include:

His leadership journey and why leadership should drive for a high performance culture and high performance teams.

The importance of cultivating a healthy and thriving international team with a designed framework of 80/20; which allows flexibility to adapt to culture, business norms and local market needs.

Strategies for building a successful partner community starts with partner empathy and with “putting yourself in their shoes.”

His Partner Success Formula of IQ + EQ + AQ = SQ, which breaks down into Business Acumen + Connectivity + Arrows equates into Smashing Quotas.

Insight about the next logical evolution for the partner community - doing that “full customer lifecycle management.”

We learn about what Barracuda has next: releasing in September their next program launch including tactical enablement around partner services.

Did you also know that the term ‘battery’ means a group of barracuda?

Be on the lookout for Barracuda MSP’s Global MSP Day on June 6, 2024. To learn more about Jason, connect with him on LinkedIn and visit barracuda.com/