XChange 2023

The XChange March 2023 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 Orlando 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 #XCH23.

MSPs Speak Out: How Vendor Relationships Have Changed Post-Pandemic
At XChange March 2023 this week, CRN reporters asked MSPs in attendance whether they are seeing vendors changing how they are doing business with them in a post-COVID world and whether the changes have been helpful or not. Here’s what they had to say.

MSP Exec: Invest More In Tools, RPA To Facilitate Growth
‘The key thing of this, and the reason why this is even necessary, is our customers are changing,’ says Phillip Walker, customer advocate CEO Network Solutions Provider, at The Channel Company’s XChange March 2023 conference. ‘With that said, their demand is going up. You have margins that are falling, profitability is suffering, you have to increase sales and lower cost. That riddle is how are you going to do that and bring on more systems.’

10 Solution Providers On Fast-Growth Cybersecurity Opportunities In 2023
Executives from MSPs and other solution providers pointed to areas including threat detection, cloud security and endpoint security as key growth opportunities.

15 Hot Products And Offerings For MSPs In 2023
Attendees at the XChange March 2023 conference in Orlando, Fla. became among the first to get a look at a variety of new hardware, software, and services technologies aimed at helping solution providers, particularly MSPs, find newer ways to serve their customers.

Pax8: Microsoft Dynamics Offers MSPs More Revenue, Competitive Edge
‘The market penetration from the managed services space is really low. Only 2 percent of Microsoft 365 users are actually using Dynamics, so there’s massive opportunity there,’ Pax8’s Rob Rae tells an audience of MSPs at XChange March 2023.

MSPs Are ‘In A Better Position Than Any Industry’ If Recession Hits: Expert
‘The Fed has been tasked with doing the impossible, and that is the idea that they could bring down inflation and raise interest rates without tripping the economy into a deep recession,’ says Peter Ricchiuti, business professor at Tulane University. ‘They’re threading a needle and nobody’s saying it, but so far it’s going pretty well. If you’d like to see inflation drop quicker, that would come with a recession.’

MSP Exec On Scale: ‘Run Your Business Like A Professional Sports Team’
‘The only way that you can innovate your services portfolio is to know exactly what it is that you’re offering to your customers and exactly how you’re delivering it,’ says Don Monistere, CEO and president, General Infomatics.

Via Technology President Manuel Villa: Seven Secrets To SLED Success
The SLED market is like a cat, said SLED superstar Via Technology President Manuel Villa, with the secret to success being that it’s not about focusing on the “lots of ways to skin a cat,” but rather the” lots of ways to love a cat.”

Solution Providers Are Split On Whether To Offer Multiple Security Stacks Or Just One. Here’s Why.
While each strategy has its advantages, ultimately there’s no ‘right answer’ when it comes to how many options to offer customers, a panel of solution provider executives said at XChange March 2023.

GTDC CEO Vitagliano: Distributors Are Evolving To Be ‘Ecosystem Orchestrators’
‘The ability to do the compatibility testing, the ability to have the interaction with the vendor community, the ability to help you all navigate all of the providers that are out there, particularly in the security space, somebody’s got to be able to help with that. And distributors can and will have the capability to do that,’ says Frank Vitagliano, CEO of the Global Technology Distribution Council, at XChange March 2023.

Security Hot Take: Not Every MSP Should Be An MSSP
‘We all think we’re all experts in different areas. And we don’t share a lot. But [it’s] important is for us to start opening up in this new landscape of security, just in working with other teams, regardless of how sound yours is,’ one MSSP told the audience during a keynote panel at XChange 2023.

Quickpass Exec: Cyber Insurers Have Privileged Access Management Top Of Mind
‘All of a sudden [cyber insurers] are starting to enforce lots of new policies and ask lots of questions. One of the questions that they are very keen on is accelerating privileged access management,’ says James Hatzell, vice president of revenue at QuickPass, in a session at XChange March 2023.

Challenge-Based Procurement ‘Just Makes Sense,’ Solution Providers Say
The method gives solution providers a chance show creative deployments in their proposals and can provide the government with more than one way to solve a problem, Marlon Paulo, executive vice president of professional services at City Innovate, says in a panel discussion at XChange March 2023.

How ThreatLocker Is Becoming An ‘Ecosystem’ Of Security Tools For MSPs
As many MSPs struggle with ‘vendor sprawl,’ one tells CRN it’s a welcome sign that ThreatLocker continues to expand its portfolio of MSP-focused endpoint security tools.

Outsourced Or In-House, MSPs Can’t ‘Abdicate’ Their Marketing Strategies
‘A lot of MSPs want to take marketing off their plate. They want to have someone else—in-house or not—do it, but I can assure you that if you do that, you will not be successful,’ says one MSP during a panel discussion at Xchange March 2023.

OpenText Winning Over MSPs Seeking One-Stop SMB Cybersecurity-Data Protection Stack
“It’s one vendor, one brand, one program, one partner strategy, one go to market so customers and partners don’t need to work with multiple vendors,” said OpenText Vice President Ghassan “Guss” Lababidi. “OpenText Cybersecurity can provide all of it.”

How A Little Threat Intelligence Can Go A Long Way For MSPs, Says ConnectWise Exec
‘We don’t have unlimited time and unlimited money, so we’ve got to focus on where our efforts want to have the most effect. That’s where threat intelligence comes into play,’ says Bryson Medlock, ConnectWise’s security researcher and threat intelligence evangelist, at XChange March 2023.

SMBs Need Tools For Cyber Threat Detection Too: Xcitium
While there are plenty of excellent products for threat detection and response available today, many are too expensive for smaller businesses, an executive from cybersecurity vendor Xcitium says.

ScalePad’s Torres To MSPs: ‘Automate As Many Of The Manual Processes That You Have’
‘What you can easily standardize on is your service delivery. Every one of your clients should have the exact same experience whether they are your biggest client or they’re brand new,’ says Eric Torres, vice president of channel at ScalePad, in a session at XChange March 2023.

Glasshive Exec: Effective Communication Means Keeping The Message Simple
‘A lot of times, we tend to send out content or collateral that you think the end user wants to see, and it’s not really what they want to see. So we have the power to actually see and have that visibility to see how our campaigns are performing,’ says Christine Ululati, Glasshive’s vice president of vendor partnerships, in a session at XChange.

Here’s Why MSPs Should Explore Adding vCSO Services: Galactic Advisors
It’s worth looking into vCSO (virtual chief security officer) services as managed IT services become commoditized, says Bruce McCully, CSO of the cybersecurity assessment and consulting firm.