The 20 MSP Announces Latest Trio of Acquisitions  

The 20 MSP expands reach with 42nd, 43rd and 44th acquisitions, continues to lead M&A charge in managed services sector.  

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Leading managed IT services provider, The 20 MSP, today announced its latest round of acquisitions, welcoming three more managed service providers (MSPs) to its growing nationwide network. These strategic deals bring The 20’s total acquisition count to 44, further cementing the company’s position as one of the fastest-growing and most active consolidators in the managed services space. 

The three MSPs joining The 20’s ranks are Red Level Group (Michigan), iStreet Solutions (California), and InData Consulting (California & Arizona). 

With 40+ acquisitions completed in just three years, The 20 MSP has emerged as a leading player in the MSP M&A market. Historically, The 20’s acquisition candidates have come from its peer group, The 20 MSP Group, a strategy that has allowed for rapid 60- to 90-day integrations and low attrition. This latest round of deals conforms to the same model, with all three MSPs having participated in The 20 MSP Group prior to acquisition. 

“There’s always risk in M&A, but we’re mitigating a huge amount of it by frontloading the integrative work,” explained Tim Conkle, The 20’s founder and CEO. “Instead of acquiring first and asking questions later, we’re bringing MSPs into our tent and establishing robust cultural and operational harmony in the trenches. Other buyers are starting to follow suit, and lean more into integration – but I believe our commitment to pre-alignment and cohesion across an entire platform is still unmatched in the current market,” Conkle added. 

The 20’s latest deals also reflect an emphasis on strategic expansion. The initial focus of the company’s M&A push was on adding revenue and extending geographic reach. Now, as The 20 solidifies its national footprint, the company is looking to add key expertise around AI, cybersecurity, compliance, and industry-specific software. 

“Our goal is to bring our brand of managed services to as many businesses as possible in as many sectors as possible,” said Conkle. “We’re doing great on the geographic front, and now we’re starting to focus more on the strategic addition of talent and industry-specific expertise,” Conkle added. “It’s an exciting thing – bringing new knowledge and capabilities into the fold, and giving owners a chance to work their magic within a proven framework.”  

Ast 2025 draws to a close, The 20 MSP has a full pipeline of acquisition candidates and a firm intention to continue scaling aggressively in 2026. 

Pinecrest Capital Partners served as the exclusive financial advisor to The 20 MSP on the acquisitions. Texas-based Sunflower Bank, acting as sole lead arranger in a syndicated credit facility for The 20 MSP, provided the funding tranche.   

MSP Acquisitions: 11 Common Pitfalls

M&A is tricky business. Whether you’re acquiring/merging with another MSP or looking to get acquired yourself, preparation is essential, and poor planning can quickly turn opportunity into disaster.

So, what are the most common pitfalls to avoid? And how can your MSP avoid the critical mistakes that commonly derail deals?

Start here! In this post, we’re sharing 11 M&A pitfalls every MSP should know. Whatever your plans, understanding the following risks and misconceptions will set you up for a much smoother ride.

M&A Pitfall #1: Starting Too Late

You’re not planning on selling anytime soon, so you don’t need to worry about this M&A stuff yet…right?

Wrong! When it comes to consolidation, there’s almost no such thing as getting ready too early. That’s because M&A best practices are, at the same time, valid growth principles. By preparing to sell – even if you’re not planning to sell – you’re not jumping the gun; you’re leveraging established tactics to build a more scalable and valuable business.

It’s also worth noting that the current wave of roll-ups is being driven by a savvier, more selective pool of buyers. Current buyers are, as one M&A advisory firm observes, “digging deeper into operational efficiency, customer concentration, and leadership strength.”

Bottom line: Get your house in order now!

M&A Pitfall #2: Keeping Messy Books/Weak Contracts

This one is straightforward: messy books kill deals! MSPs – especially smaller shops with fewer employees – often underestimate just how orderly financials must be to please prospective buyers. You’ll also want to review your contracts prior to entering negotiations. Buyers want to see locked-down contracts with longer terms, and ideally, a clause that allows for the transfer of the contract upon the sale of your business.

Bottom line: Clean up those books and lock down those agreements!

M&A Pitfall #3: Jumping at the First Offer

While buyers have gotten pickier, the market is still highly favorable to sellers. Jumping at the first offer may seem safe, but it can leave money (or better terms) on the table. So, if your circumstances allow for it, take time to shop around and compare deal structures, valuation, and cultural fit. The right fit will maximize your outcome and set you up for long-term success.

Bottom line: Hold out for the right buyer!

M&A Pitfall #4: Ignoring Your Gut

Numbers aren’t everything. If something feels off in a deal, it likely is. Trust is foundational to a successful M&A transaction, and if you’re uncertain about a buyer’s vision, integrity, or overall competence, don’t be afraid to call things off.

In addition, it’s possible for a deal to look good on paper, and still be a poor fit. This can be due to a cultural mismatch, which should not be taken lightly or dismissed as merely a “soft” consideration. As advisory group Cogent Growth Partners notes, “…more deals fall apart because of culture clashes than financial disagreements.”

Bottom line: Trust your instincts, evaluate buyer alignment, and don’t ignore the soft side of M&A, as it can make or break a transaction.

M&A Pitfall #5: Accepting Earnouts Uncritically

Earnouts are on the rise in M&A deal structures, but not all buyers offer them (we don’t at The 20, for instance). Furthermore, not all earnouts are fair or realistic; some deals tie payouts to performance metrics that are either outside of your control or simply highly difficult to achieve. Before signing on the dotted line, scrutinize the offer’s terms, timeline, and expectations. If structured poorly, earnouts can turn into a source of stress rather than reward.

Our two cents: We think earnouts tend to create an adversarial relationship between buyer and seller, and typically serve to protect buyers’ risks to the detriment of sellers. That’s why we include zero earnouts in our acquisitions – a clean, upfront deal aligns incentives from day one and make for a much smoother transition of ownership.

M&A Pitfall #6: Focusing Purely on Revenue/Profit

Today’s buyers are digging deeper into acquisition targets than they were five years ago, during the first M&A boom in the channel. Sure, they still want to see strong revenue (with at least 70% recurring) and healthy EBIDTA, but they also want client diversification (no single client dominates revenue), sustainable cost structures, strong contracts, and low churn. If you’ve inflated short-term margins or concentrated your revenue, your valuation may suffer.

Bottom line: Highlight the stability, predictability, and scalability of your MSP – not just the top-line numbers.

M&A Pitfall #7: Assuming Buyers Only Want Sale-Ready MSPs

Some buyers will work with you to grow your business before acquisition. At The 20, for instance, you can plug into our peer group to achieve rapid growth and scale, while also aligning your core business processes with our model. The former is aimed at helping you build an MSP worth selling, while the latter ensures that integration goes smoothly if and when you choose to pursue a deal (we don’t pressure members of our peer group to sell, but rather, let owners approach the table first).

Bottom line: Don’t wait until everything is perfect to pursue a deal, because strategic preparation with the right buyer can be a game-changer.

Relevant reading: Learn more about the power of peer groups in unlocking higher multiples.

M&A Pitfall #8: Prioritizing Independence Over Integration

You found a buyer who made an attractive offer and agreed to let you stay mostly independent…Isn’t that the dream?

Not exactly. While it can be tempting to pursue deals that don’t involve extensive integration, there’s a reason more buyers are embracing unification: it works! When you tack together a bunch of different MSPs with disparate tools, operations, and culture, you get just that – a mishmash! If you’re hoping to hit performance metrics to receive your full payout, that lack of cohesiveness could come back to bite you.

Moreover, the technology services sector has historically struggled with scale, and the road to profitability is much more difficult when you’re not enlisting standardized and unified processes.

Our two cents: It’s no secret that The 20 has been committed to platform-wide integration from day one. In fact, we like to think our track record – 40+ acquisitions in under 3 years with minimal attrition – is a big reason for the shift in buyer behavior; other major buyers see how smoothly our model works, and are now adjusting their own approaches accordingly.

Bottom line: Integration is the most reliable path to M&A success – for both buyers and sellers. Staying independent post-sale can work out, but it’s a tougher road.

M&A Pitfall #9: Being Too Shy

Growing an MSP and selling an MSP are worlds apart – and a lot of sellers can feel out of their depth during the process. However, it’s crucial that you don’t let those feelings prevent you from speaking up and being your own best advocate – from asking questions, making requests, and walking away from deals that don’t meet your criteria. Remember, you’re not the only seller in the equation: the buyer is also selling (themselves) to you. Demand to be impressed.

Bottom line: Don’t be shy! You worked hard building an MSP worth selling, and deserve to exit on your terms.

M&A Pitfall #10: Not Knowing Your “Why”

Why are you selling your MSP? If that’s a difficult question to answer, you might want to slow down and do some reflecting – before inking any deals. Knowing your “why” and having a clear endgame in mind is perhaps the most essential aspect of navigating M&A. When you know where you want to go, figuring out how to get there becomes so much easier.

Are you trying to retire or would you prefer to remain in the industry, perhaps in a more specialized role? Are you looking to start a new venture once you sell your MSP? What sort of funding does your next chapter require? Do you want a quick payout, or are you thinking more long-term – i.e., securing your financial freedom?

Bottom line: Your “why” is everything. Get clear on your overarching purpose – and never lose sight of it.

M&A Pitfall #11: Not Knowing Your Worth

How much is your MSP worth? Many owners overestimate their businesses’ value, often because of pitfall #6 – focusing too much on top-line numbers like ARR and EBIDTA. Emotional bias also plays a role; you’ve poured years into your business, so it’s easy to see it through rose-colored glasses. But unrealistic expectations can lead to disappointment, friction, and a rocky deal process.

That said, undervaluing your MSP is also costly – for obvious reasons. Smaller firms sometimes assume they won’t command a strong multiple, but buyers frequently pay premiums for niche expertise, high growth potential, or dominance in a specific vertical.

Bottom line: Know your worth – not in the motivational-poster sense, but in the practical, data-driven sense. Understanding what truly makes your MSP valuable helps you walk into every negotiation with more confidence and clarity.

The 20 Helps with the Big Picture

M&A is complicated. So is scaling an MSP without the right combination of tools, processes and people. That’s why The 20 exists: to help ambitious MSP owners skip the grueling years of trial and error, and plug into a model that just works.

Growing, scaling, exiting – whatever your big business goals are, The 20 provides the roadmap to get there faster.

Get in touch to learn more.

Visit our M&A page for more free resources – including deep-dive video interviews with sellers who’ve completed their exit.

The Last Great Shift: Why Smaller MSPs Need to Make Bold Moves – Now

We get asked about our name a lot. The 20? It doesn’t sound like your typical IT company – but that’s kind of the point. We exist to help MSPs break out of the pack and reach the top 20% of the industry. The name is a reminder: average isn’t the goal.

But what does a top-20% MSP look like? And how have the standards of MSP excellence changed over the years – from the industry’s early days to where we stand now?

In this article, we’ll take a hard look back at MSP excellence through a historical lens, outlining the key phases in our industry’s evolution – and why the shift happening right now is the most critical yet.

If you’re a smaller MSP (< $5M in recurring revenue), this article is more than an analysis; it’s an urgent call to action. That’s because the window to act is closing, and staying on the sidelines is becoming less viable by the day.

80/20 Rule: What’s in a Name?

Again, our name refers to our mission – to help MSPs join the top 20% of the industry. But why twenty, instead of, say, fifteen or even ten?

The answer lies in the 80/20 rule (aka the Pareto principle) – a simple but powerful concept that shows up everywhere: roughly 80% of results come from 20% of causes. In the MSP world, the 80/20 rule is crystal clear: the top 20% of providers dominate, capturing the lion’s share of revenue and clients, while the remaining 80% fight over scraps.

That’s the group we want to help you join – the “vital few” at the top who are capturing the majority of the market’s value.

A relevant link: Hear more from our own Chris Traxler on what today’s top-20% MSPs look like – check out the short video.

OK, let’s get into the nitty-gritty: how the bar for MSP excellence has risen over time.

History Lesson: The Evolution of MSP Greatness

What does it take to be a great MSP, where “great” is loosely defined as a top-20% company?

This is a good question. But an even better question – a great question – takes time into account: How has “what it takes” changed?

As you’re about to see, taking time into account reveals something important about the current state of our industry – and why smaller MSPs are facing a make-or-break moment.

Looking back at the evolution of MSP greatness, we’re confronted with three distinct phases or “eras.” If you run an MSP today, you need to know what came before, because it sheds a ton of light on what’s about to happen…

1. The Break/Fix Exodus (2000 – 2010): From Chaos to Contracts

MSPs emerged in the early aughts as a fresh alternative to the traditional “break/fix” model of IT support, with its reactive business model and hourly rates. In the early days of our industry, going “all in” on the MSP model – proactive support, recurring revenue, SLAs, etc. – wasn’t enough to put you in the top tier. But it was close.

Top-20% MSPs

The big winners were the ones who didn’t hedge. They walked away from break/fix entirely and committed to a new way of delivering IT: contract-based, preventative, and relationship-driven. That full embrace of the MSP business model was the first real threshold of excellence.

2. The Scaling Wars (2010 – 2017): Growing Up Fast

As the model became mainstream, the game shifted from what you sold to how you delivered it. The MSPs that scaled – operationally, financially, and geographically – rose to the top. Mature tools, ticketing systems, standard stacks, and sales playbooks emerged. It was no longer enough to just be “an MSP” – you had to be a real business.

It was during this era that The 20 rose to prominence. Recognizing that most MSPs needed help with scale, we developed a blueprint to help immature companies grow up fast – and leave the competition behind.

Top-20% MSPs

Top performers in this era focused on operational maturity, sales discipline, and building something scalable, not just stable.

3. The Consolidation Crunch (2017 – Present): Big Fish, Bigger Pond

We are in the midst of a new era in managed IT. Fueled by a deluge of private equity investment, our industry’s seen a wave of roll-ups, mergers, and national platform plays. The result? A class of super “platform MSPs” (The 20 MSP included).

Top 20% MSPs

The cream of the crop now includes players with in-house marketing teams, 24/7 SOCs, dedicated sales staff, and the ability to undercut or out-service smaller shops at scale.

Take note: For smaller MSPs, surviving this era will require one of two things: joining the consolidation wave, or finding a way to punch above their weight using smarter tools, better positioning, and ruthless operational efficiency – hey, that’s what we help with!

4. The Great Divide (Coming Soon): Too Big to Catch

As consolidation continues to sweep through our industry, we’re quickly approaching a point of no return, where the gap between the haves and have-nots becomes all but unbridgeable.

Soon, the top 20% of MSPs will operate in a different league entirely. They’ll be the first to truly harness the power of AI within the context of the managed services business model. Add to that specialized teams, compliance expertise, 24/7 service layers, and aggressive marketing engines that keep pipelines full year-round.

At that point, it won’t just be difficult to break into the top tier; it will be structurally out of reach. The window is still open, but it’s closing fast.

The Moral of the Story: It’s Grow Time, Y’all

The takeaway here couldn’t be clearer:

If you’re a smaller MSP and want to remain relevant, the time to make a big push is right now. In other words, if you want to stay in the game, you have to actually get in the game.

“Getting in the game” doesn’t necessarily mean chasing an M&A deal (although we firmly believe that building toward an exit is the smartest strategy right now – and offer MSP owners a unique and compelling path to get there). However, it does mean making major strategic adjustments and deep structural changes, instead of relying on incremental improvements.

Get in the Game at VISION ’25!

If you think this article is off base, go ahead and call our bluff. Keep doing things the same way and see how that works out.

But if you recognize that the window to join the MSP elite is closing – and refuse to be shut out – you can kickstart your MSP’s radical transformation this August at VISION ’25 (register here).

Our theme this year? Simple: Get in the Game.

VISIONs of Greatness – Greatness. Defined.

What does it mean to be great? Is greatness, like genius, something elusive, forever beyond the reach of our definitions? Is it futile to even attempt a definition of greatness? Maybe. But that’s not going to stop us from trying.

So you want to be great?

Welcome to the club. A lot of people desire greatness, but to actually become great, you’ve got to do a lot more than want it – you’ve got to live it. Day in, day out. You’ve got to put in the work. That’s because at the end of the day …

“It’s not about money or connections – it’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone when it comes to your business.” – Mark Cuban, Entrepreneur & Investor

And working hard means working hard at every part of your business, your craft, your goal. Not just the big, fun stuff, but all the boring little details, too. After all …

“Greatness is a lot of small things done well.” – Eric Thomas, Motivational Speaker & Author

If that sounds hard, that’s because it is. So if you’re going to pursue greatness, make sure you pick something you love, because …

“You can only become great at that thing you’re willing to sacrifice for.” – Maya Angelou, Writer & Activist

… and it’s not worth all that sacrifice if you don’t love it.

It’s also not worth the pain. That’s right – there’s pain on the path to greatness. And failure, too. Plenty of failure. But hey, don’t stop when the going gets tough, because here’s the thing …

“Greatness begins beyond your comfort zone.” – Robin Sharma, Author & Speaker

OK, but what if you go for it … and fail? What if you put everything you have into your dream, and things don’t work out? What if –

Look, those thoughts are scary. They’re also human. Every great person in history likely started their journey to greatness with serious doubts. With fear. So embrace those doubts and make friends with your fear, because …

“Greatness comes from fear. Fear can either shut us down and we go home, or we fight through it.” – Lionel Richie, Singer & Songwriter

As for the possibility of failing, that’s just part of the deal. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. So, when you feel that fear bubbling up, just remind yourself …

“No one ever achieved greatness by playing it safe.” – Harry Gray, Business Leader & Philanthropist

In the pursuit of greatness, you can plan, strategize, and learn as much as you can to mitigate risk. But risk can never be eliminated. Greatness requires a leap of faith. It requires courage.

But the best thing about greatness – the thing that makes greatness, well, great – is that it’s usually worth it: the risk, the work, even the pain.

That’s because true greatness is bigger than you. It’s bigger than any one of us. True greatness makes the world a better place. Is the moon landing great? Of course. But so is an act of kindness. So is sitting beside a hospital bed for hours …

“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Wise words from Dr. King. Service IS great. Helping others is great. Caring is great.

This brings us to a crucial point: greatness isn’t about how much ‘success’ you have – how much money you make or how many people know your name (even though greatness tends to lead to success). It’s about who you are and how you treat others.

“Most people define greatness through wealth and popularity and position in the corner office. But what I call everyday greatness comes from character and contribution.” – Stephen Covey, Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Character and contribution. That’s it, right there. Greatness comes from within, and it manifests in how we affect the world around us – and the people we encounter. And it’s in all of us, too, this capacity to be good, to do good. To be great and do great.

So don’t wait to be great or make plans to be great.

BE great. In your thoughts, in your intentions, in your actions. Greatness starts with the small things. And it starts … right … now.

Go.

If you enjoyed this piece, look out for the next “VISION of Greatness” from The 20. And don’t forget to register for VISION ’23, the MSP event of the year!

VISION is just a few weeks away – secure your seat before spots fill up!

VISIONs of Greatness – The Funny Thing About Greatness

He’s bearded. He’s bold. He’s silly. He’s creative. He’s one of the most successful comedians of all time. He started out doing stand-up and bombing. He became a Hollywood star. He still does stand-up. He still bombs. Studying his career—his approach—teaches us a lot about greatness. Turns out, greatness is a funny thing.

A True Story

He’s great. He’s rich, he’s famous, and everybody likes him (well, not everyone, but in this day and age, consensus is an all but mythical phenomenon).

And it’s not surprising. He is likeable. Is it his face? The beard? His overall appearance? When he hosted SNL, he described his look in a variety of colorful ways:

• “homeless college professor”
• “marijuana Santa Claus”
• “someone who looks like they write on alpaca message boards”

People laughed. The things he said brought them joy. And maybe that’s it, right there—the reason he’s well-liked, the reason he’s great:

He brings people joy.

But like many comedians who got their start on the stand-up stage, success didn’t come quickly or easily. Before everyone knew him—before everyone liked him—he was just a scared kid pursuing a dream.

He still remembers that first road gig, at a dive bar in Kentucky.

The owner told him to perform in a cage—you know, for protection against the beer bottles the crowd might throw.

Naturally, in those early days, he would get nervous before a set. Real nervous. Scared.

What about now? After doing stand-up for decades, after starring in one of the highest-grossing comedy trilogies of all time, after interviewing, on his own fake talk show, the former President of the United States …

How does he feel when he takes the stage?

You want to know the truth?

He still gets nervous.

That’s because he’s still chasing the goal. He’s still getting after it.

But he’s rich, he’s famous, and everyone likes him. What else is there to prove? Achieve?

Well, here’s the thing … For him, “fame and all that crap” wasn’t—and isn’t—the goal. The goal is the stand-up itself.

The craft of bringing people joy.

And you can never perfect that. You can never be done. So you keep trying new stuff. You keep bombing. You keep creating. You keep going—rain, shine, or beer bottles.

It worked for Zach Galifianakis, and it’ll work for you too.

The Insights

Greatness isn’t a state.

It’s a process: ongoing and unfinished. You never ‘get to’ greatness. It’s a horizon, a hypothetical destination that you just keep chasing. That’s because greatness is an expression of passion—of caring—and when you care, you never stop trying to get better.

Greatness isn’t ‘great.’

It’s human. It’s nerves. It’s uncertainty. It’s failure. Great people are just like everyone else. So if you want to be great in the hopes of becoming someone else, find yourself a new motivation or else you’ll be sorely disappointed.

So … you can’t ‘get to’ greatness and greatness changes nothing?

Pretty much! Told you greatness is a funny thing.

But jokes aside, the message here really is a positive and joyful one …

Enjoy THIS—this day, this moment, this life (not some imagined future where you’re perfectly content, confident, and at ease). Embrace the messiness of it all. The imperfection. The absurdity. And yes, even the failure. Because that’s the good stuff—that’s the great stuff—and it’s never going away.

If you enjoyed this piece, look out for the next “VISION of Greatness” from The 20. And don’t forget to register for VISION ’23, the MSP event of the year!

VISION is a month away – secure your seat before spots fill up!

Meet Colt Williams, Junior Graphic Designer!

Colt Williams quickly became a tremendous asset to the entire team at The 20. Read below to find out more about Colt.

What do you do here at The 20?

I am the Jr. Graphic Designer! I work off of several templates, create different social media posts, and animate motion graphics here and there.

Describe The 20 in three words…

Ultimate Game Changer

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was real young, I really wanted to be a pizza delivery driver. That was my grand end goal. Throughout my childhood, I really wanted to be a preacher.

What’s the most challenging thing about your job? 

Adapting with trends, while staying consistent. You don’t want to look outdated, but you also don’t want to step too far away from your brand, especially to the point where it’ll be very out of style once the trend dies off. You have to find a perfect balance of using the brand as a foundation and then adapting it to what works and what the target audience will respond to.

What do you consider your greatest achievement? 

Nothing stands out too much, I’ve been blessed with a lot of achievements to be thankful for. Something I never thought I’d be able to do was skateboard a quarter-pipe or a bowl, which I have come to be able to do, so I definitely would put that somewhere towards the top of the list since most people can’t do that.

What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success? 

I think respect and excitement towards others is strong for success. Most of the time, people will reciprocate and it creates more connections. Something as simple as always wearing a smile and remembering people’s names is an easy way to build relationships that can be useful when you need them.

What do you like most about The 20? 

It’s a great environment, with strong driven leadership that understand the field. It’s promising and it gives me an outlet for creating things that I enjoy creating!

What do you like to do in your spare time? / What are your hobbies? 

Skateboarding is definitely my go-to in my spare time. It’s something fun to do with friends, it helps me stay active, and it costs no money at all.

Where are you going on your next vacation?

I’m going to Panama in February for my honeymoon! It’ll be one of the only places that’ll be hot around that time so I’m pretty excited for that!

What is your top life hack?

Your brain feels greater fulfilled the more routines you break for new experiences. The older you get, the faster time flies by, because unlike when you were a kid, your brain isn’t being exposed to new experiences so it processes information faster. Even if it’s as simple as going to a new restaurant every night, new experiences help your brain slow down and enjoy things.

What are your favorite movies?

American Psycho, Fight Club, and Bullet Train all the way.

Favorite artist/band?

My favorite artist is Kid Cudi, and my favorite band is The Home Team.

What is your favorite food?

Fried chicken, and it’s not even close. I’m addicted honestly. Doesn’t matter where, Chicken Express, Cane’s, wherever. Bonus points if it’s spicy.

Interested in working with Colt at The 20? We’re hiring! Check out our Careers page for more info.

The 20 Recognizes Top MSPs and Vendors at VISION ’22

Full Press Release Here

Last week was VISION ’22, our annual conference for growth-minded MSPs looking to get to that next level. The event was a huge success — we’re still feeling the buzz! It felt great to get together with the MSP community and celebrate each other’s successes.

Speaking of which, we capped off Day 2 of VISION with an Awards Ceremony recognizing MSPs and vendors for their outstanding achievements over the past year (list of winners below). Our CEO, Tim Conkle, shared his thoughts:

“The 20 is proof that MSPs can work together and take pride in each other’s success. Giving out awards to recognize the tireless efforts of the MSPs in our community is gratifying in and of itself, but it’s especially gratifying in the context of our group — we love seeing each other win, and anyone who was in attendance Thursday could see that. It was also a tremendous honor to recognize top-performing vendors for their innovative solutions, which not only empower our MSP members to do more with less, but also push our entire industry forward.”

Well said, Tim!

Now, presenting the winners of the VISION ’22 Awards …

• • MSP of the Year – George Burke, The Computing Edge
  • MSP Business Growth – Dennis Ward, Code Red Networks
  • Most Engaged MSP – Gary Blawat, INGRAIN IT*
  • Support Desk Favorite – Chris Kimbell, Wolfguard IT*
  • Ambassador of the Year – John Rutkowski, BOLDER Designs*
  • Best Revenue Booster – Zomentum
  • Most Disruptive Solution – Cytracom
  • Most Helpful Vendor – Ciardi Ciardi & Astin
  • Product of the Year – BLOKWORX
  • Partner of the Year – Kaseya

*Now part of The 20 MSP (full press releases here and here)

Congratulations, everybody, on these well-deserved recognitions!

And a big, Texas-sized THANK YOU to everyone who attended VISION ’22. MSP owners, speakers, vendors, IT pros — it was truly a privilege and a pleasure to spend a few days with you. Our community is awesome, and we love giving y’all an opportunity to get together and connect.

Here’s to the accomplishments of last year, and to the opportunities of the coming year!

Full Press Release Here

The 20 MSP, a leading business development group for managed service providers, today announced that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named three of The 20’s leaders to the esteemed Women of the Channel list for 2022: Ciera Cole, Chief Experience Officer; Crystal McFerran, Chief Marketing Officer; and Alexis Williams, Digital Marketing Coordinator. Those named on this annual list come from all corners of the IT channel — including vendors, distributors and solution providers whose vision, expertise and leadership help drive the industry forward.

By bringing innovative concepts, strategic business planning and comprehensive channel initiatives to life, these extraordinary women support partners and customers with exceptional leadership. CRN celebrates these women, who are so deserving of recognition, for their constant dedication to channel excellence.

Ciera Cole serves as Chief Experience Officer at The 20. In her role as CXO, Cole spearheads The 20’s efforts to provide its MSP members with one unified experience, securing retention, growth and satisfaction. Cole studied business at Baylor University and later received her MBA from Southern Methodist University while working full-time at The 20. This is her fourth time appearing on the Women of the Channel list.

Crystal McFerran is a proven marketing leader with nearly two decades of experience in B2B marketing, demand generation, marketing communications, lead nurturing, content strategy and multichannel marketing for the IT industry. In her current role as Chief Marketing Officer at The 20, McFerran draws on her marketing expertise and entrepreneurial experience to translate business objectives into marketing strategies, facilitating growth and scale for both The 20 and its MSP member network. McFerran holds a bachelor’s degree, MBA and M.A. from the University of Texas at Dallas. This is her fourth time appearing on the Women of the Channel list.

A rising talent in the IT space, Alexis Williams started out at The 20 as an intern, and now serves as Digital Marketing Coordinator. In this role, Williams is responsible for boosting the digital presence of The 20 and its MSP members through content creation and coordination, social media campaigns, and strategic marketing initiatives aimed at driving brand awareness. Williams holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of North Texas and, in 2021, was named to the inaugural Channel Futures DE&I 101 list.

“It’s incredibly exciting and heartening to see three women from our company recognized on this year’s Women of the Channel list,” said Tim Conkle, CEO of The 20. “Alexis, Ciera and Crystal possess unique and invaluable skill sets, but one thing they all share is a hunger for innovation, and their relentless pursuit of excellence has been instrumental to our nationwide growth.”

“We are proud to once again recognize the remarkable leaders on this year’s Women of the Channel list. Their influence, confidence, and diligence continue to accelerate channel success significantly,” said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. “Their accomplishments will inspire others, and we look forward to witnessing their future contributions to the channel.”

CRN’s 2022 Women of the Channel list will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine and online at https://www.CRN.com/WOTC.

About The 20
The 20 is an exclusive business development group for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) aimed at dominating and revolutionizing the IT industry with its standardized all-in-one approach. The 20’s robust RMM, PSA, and documentation platform ensures superior service for MSP clients utilizing their completely US-based Help Desk and Network Operations Center. Extending beyond cutting-edge tools and processes, The 20 touts a proven sales model, a community of industry leaders, and ultimate scalability. For more information, visit https://www.the20.com

Follow The 20: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook

About The Channel Company
The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end-users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. https://www.thechannelcompany.com

Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Meet Sean Coker, Support Desk Technician!

Sean Coker quickly became a tremendous asset to the entire team at The 20. Read below to find out more about Sean.

What do you do here at The 20?

I am a support desk tech here at The 20, which means that I spend most of my day handling email-tickets.

Describe The 20 in three words…

Growth, Co-operation, Security

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

I wanted to be an archeologist growing up.

What’s the most challenging thing about your job? 

Trying to make each user feel heard and taken care of when it is busy.

What do you consider your greatest achievement? 

My greatest achievement would probably be getting my B.S. in Economics as a first generation student.

What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success? 

In my experience, perseverance has been the quality most important for success.

What do you like most about The 20? 

This is my first real IT job, so I have really appreciated how kind and eager to help all my coworkers are.

What do you like to do in your spare time? / What are your hobbies? 

In my off hours, I generally spend time playing video games with my GF and exploring new restaurants throughout DFW.

Where are you going on your next vacation?

DC for all the monuments and museums, might even take a quick trip over to Baltimore to pay my respect to Edgar Allen Poe.

What’s your top life hack?

Interested in working with Sean at The 20? We’re hiring! Check out our Careers page for more info.

Secure Access Service Edge, also called SASE (pronounced “sassy”), is an emerging technology to solve modern security problems in a scalable and efficient manner. The easiest way to think of this technology is as a next level VPN. This allows you to project a secure network out with a simple software client to connect in. You are given conditional access allowing the implementation of a zero trust architecture while having the process abstracted into XaaS.

While zero trust architecture is a strategy, SASE manifests as a solution. The general SASE stack combines solutions which address the following in some combination: Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Firewall as a Service (FwaaS), and Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA). We’ll get into exactly what these all are and why they matter or benefit security in a bit. In short, you’re addressing many of the cost prohibitive points of the cloud with minimal effort at scale with the right solution.

With continuous threats across the globe, and new work paradigms, security has taken a turn. It’s neither better nor worse, it’s just more complex for people who haven’t kept up. It’s a lateral move if you have managed to stay relevant, but it’s a lot of catch-up otherwise.

Phishing is still alive and well. You have to address the human element of cybersecurity, avoid social engineering, and tackle all of the many technical concerns as well.

IaaS, XaaS, and Zero Trust

With infrastructure migrating to the cloud, the premium cost of a predictable bill has fallen below the risk of hardware failing. It can make sense to ensure that the liability is owned by a vendor even if it costs more long-term. We’ve reached the point that virtually everything technical is a service due to it being technically and economically feasible. Firewalls can live in the cloud because processing resources, bandwidth, and the cost of security have reached the point it’s commercially viable.

Infrastructure has gotten more abstract and more complex. You aren’t securing a site anymore, you’re securing a patchwork of vendors, clients, and even employee networks. A block of servers lives in Azure (some with Nerdio, a few with Crayon, others vanilla), another resource lives in AWS, and everything is tied in with a mixture of legacy on-premise systems and other cloud vendors. Throw in work from home, business travel needs, and ballooning security concerns and compliance measures and you get a recipe for complexity which can drive IT costs up rapidly.

It’s expensive and near impossible to build a system where every component can be trusted or even vetted. Add in external vendors and similar and traditional subnetting, VLANing, and similar measures break down quickly. This has led to the creation of zero trust architecture (as a strategy) and more technical SASE solutions implementing it (among other technologies).

The Technologies That Make Up SASE

SASE is IaaS on steroids with a focus on security which adds in zero trust architecture as a strategy with the technologies to enable everything to work seamlessly. Instead of your infrastructure being a network onsite where everyone needs to VPN in and deal with jump boxes and similar, they just use an application (for most solutions). You get something like a VPN where the rules just make sense and a network setup which makes the underlying infrastructure transparently in the cloud.

SD-WAN (Software Defined Wide Area Networking) has made it easy to tie together disparate LAN infrastructures and knit them together in a way which makes the process transparent. Networks have gotten more complex with BYOD, work from home, and branches all needing shared connectivity with enterprise resources. This connectivity can create a larger attack surface so companies turn to things like Secure Web Gateway (SWG) solutions to help block threats. Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) solutions help control access to cloud resources to protect from internal threats.

Security continues to get more complicated with the need for layer 7 application firewalls. A Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) is virtually essential since there are so many moving parts that the best strategy is to never trust, always verify. Firewall as a Service (FwaaS) solutions help glue the security pieces together into an abstract network which jumps from cloud to cloud tying everything up to where there is secure access across the distributed network.

How SASE Solutions Work

With the complexity of the security landscapes, even security-oriented MSPs are having to leverage specialist solutions to build the right cybersecurity packages. SASE vendors like Palo Alto, Cato Networks, Cloudflare, Todyl (and more) have built easy, scalable, software-defined solutions to make everything easy. For many solutions, it feels like connecting to a VPN but it covers many security angles in one simple package. For instance, some tools cover SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) angles and more.

Cloud firewall solutions and SD-WAN solutions allow the service to unify disparate networks in an easy, scalable, ad-hoc method. Using a next-generation application firewall (our partner BLOKWORX uses Palo Alto firewalls) allows the infrastructure to become more locked down in a way that enables the establishment of a Zero Trust Architecture methodology that’s easily managed and easily scaled. CASB solutions help manage data in and out of the virtual network and between devices. SWG further protects the devices from the greater internet, but also limits their interaction with internal assets in a more granular, application-defined way.

The exact way they integrate with a site will vary depending on the vendor and what is available onsite. Some solutions may require an appliance for larger branches or similar, others may be completely cloud-based. The equipment required to get started is usually pretty minimal compared to trying to build your own solution to get the same results.

SASE isn’t really new, but the ability to manage so many disparate technologies in a unified manner makes it more practical to administer and scale for a business. You don’t need to jump between multiple consoles and tweak settings while tracking the changes between each and every item, it’s all done from a single pane of glass or at least in a single solution. This lowers the burden of setup and maintenance and makes it easier to audit changes.