Episode #140
GTIA Acquires ASCII Group: What Changes for MSP members?
In this episode of Channel Insider: Partner POV, Katie Bavoso speaks with GTIA Chief Channel Officer Nancy Hammervik, longtime ASCII member Chad Kempt, president of Fast Computers, and two members of both organizations, Third Element Consulting CEO Dawn Sizer, and Phantom Technology Solutions CEO Henry Timm, about what’s changing—and what isn’t—following the acquisition. The conversations explore ASCII’s continued independence as a peer-driven community within GTIA, changes member benefits and dues, GTIA’s global resources, the role of ASCII’s advisory committee, concerns about maintaining community culture, and what the acquisition could mean for MSPs navigating AI and rapid change across the channel. Topics & Timestamps: 00:00 — GTIA acquires ASCII Group: What does it mean? 01:29 — What are GTIA and ASCII, and why do they fit together? 04:09 — How the GTIA-ASCII acquisition happened 05:44 — How will ASCII remain an independent brand? 08:16 — ASCII member dues, benefits and GTIA access 10:26 — ASCII’s vendor sponsorship model 11:17 — Who leads ASCII after the acquisition? 13:01 — Will ASCII’s community culture be preserved? 16:01 — What GTIA members gain from ASCII 18:48 — GTIA’s growth strategy and potential future acquisitions 21:27 — ASCII member Chad Kempt on the acquisition 23:14 — How ASCII helped transform Kempt’s MSP business 27:39 — Chad’s first reaction to the GTIA acquisition 29:34 — Will ASCII maintain its intimate community? 31:29 — Why MSP community matters in the age of AI 34:25 — The value of trusted relationships in the channel 36:08 — Why GTIA was the “best case scenario” for ASCII 38:29 — Dual member Dawn Sizer weighs in 41:34 — What could change over the next 6–12 months? 45:06 — How members were informed about the acquisition 50:10 — What GTIA and ASCII should prioritize going forward 51:22 — Dual member Henry Timm on consolidation in the IT channel 55:18 — Who benefits more from the acquisition? 57:12 — New resources, research and cybersecurity benefits 59:30 — What members don’t want to see change 1:00:15 — What should GTIA and ASCII do next? A new episode of Channel Insider: Partner POV is released every other Thursday. Watch the interview on YouTube @ChannelInsider_NewsAndTrends If you have questions for a featured solution provider or want to be a guest on the show, reach out to us at partnerpov@channelinsider.com For more episodes of Channel Insider: Partner POV as well as written content on the IT channel, go to channelinsider.com Connect with Channel Insider on LinkedIn . Episodes of Channel Insider: Partner POV are hosted and produced by Katie Bavoso with help from Dana Sell, and edited by Ayen Alvarez and Katie Bavoso. The cover art for Channel Insider: Partner POV was created by Aubri Ziegler. The opening and closing animations were made by Mackenzie Burke. The thumbnails for each episode are made by Brandon Cornwell. Channel Insider: Partner POV is an asset of Channel Insider, which is a brand under TechnologyAdvice.
