Continuum Navigate 2018
October 1st, 2018 by Mark Grice
Top Row: Continuum CEO Michael George and me; IBPI Member ImageNet Consulting (OK) was the big winner in the MSP Shark Tank competition; Middle Row: MSP Shark Tank "Sharks"; 2 pictures of the Continuum Studios; Bottom Row: Always glad to see my home airport in the window; Continuum Cyber Attack Simulator; Navigate 2018 was very well attended.
What a great week in Boston! The weather was not perfect, but the Continuum Navigate event was one of the best events I have ever attended. As you know, IBPI has added 2 new Partners this year: Taylor Business Group and Continuum, Both of these Partners are in the Managed Services space. Members, if you do not read anything else in this post beyond these next few words, please read this:
All IBPI Members need to be in the Managed Services space.
There are some folks in our industry that discourage dealers from getting involved in Managed Services. There are some dealers who have tried and failed. But IBPI has set you up with 2 great Partners that will allow you have have a very profitable Managed Services Offering!
The big theme of the week was Security. I heard it over and over again what a huge issue IT Security is for every business, but especially those in the SMB arena. I heard example after example of all types of businesses that have had ransomware attacks and are forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars to get access to their data.
Earlier this year, Continuum purchased the IT security company CARVIR and they have now folded their offering into the wide breadth of products offered. Continuum now has a Security Operations Center (SOC) near Atlanta and their partners leverage that SOC to provide a tremendous security offering to their own customers.
There was a Cyber Attack Simulator booth at Navigate that was a huge eye opener for me. It showed how an attack happens, how it affects a business and how it is resolved. The group of Managed Service Providers (MSP) were asked how many of their own customers had experienced a ransomware attack. Almost every hand went up. This is a very real threat.
Continuum also provides many other basic IT services including Backup and Disaster Recovery, Remote Monitoring and Management, Help Desk and a Network Operations Center (NOC).
IBPI was well represented at Navigate. I met folks from Thermocopy (TN), Capital (NE), Prosource (OH), ImageNet (OK). There were also other IBPI members present that I did not get a chance to visit with.
One of the keynotes delivered at Navigate was by real estate investor and Shark Tank star, Barbara Corcoran. She was full of energy and she inspired us all with her story. After her keynote, she participated in a Shark Tank style session where 4 Continuum partners pitched 4 “Sharks”, including Barbara, on a new offering they wanted to launch at their own company. I am very proud to say that our own IBPI Member, ImageNet Consulting, won the $15,000 first prize! Congratulations Juan!
NOW is the time to provide a Managed Services offering at your dealership. Taylor Business Group can provide you with the metrics and coaching necessary to make sure you have a profitable offering. Continuum has the tools necessary for you to have a Managed Services division that you will be proud to offer to your own customer base.
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