Author Archives: Megan Carnes

Leading global MSP/MSSP continues upward trajectory with its fourth acquisition of 2025

Boston, MA, September 9, 2025 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, cloud, and IT managed services, today announced its acquisition of VitalCORE, a managed technology partner that helps companies make strategic moves—including mergers and acquisitions—and create platforms for future success. Through the addition of the VitalCORE team, Thrive will now have three locations in the Midwest as the company expands across the U.S.

VitalCORE offers deep expertise in fast and accurate technology valuations, managed security, transactional advisory, and comprehensive managed technology services, from front-line service desks to vCIO deployments. Known for enabling its clients through technology acquisition, integration, and management, VitalCORE seeks to help companies grow through thoughtful strategy and next-level customer service. This alignment with Thrive’s own priorities—to give customers the services, technology and support they need to grow and be successful— made the company a natural fit as Thrive continues to expand westward.

“With new technology evolving quickly and costs skyrocketing across the board, it’s essential that we offer our customers the services and strategies they need not only for operations but also during major opportunities for growth,” said Bill McLaughlin, CEO of Thrive. “VitalCORE’s unique strengths in bridging strategy with seamless technology deployment echo our own and give us an opportunity to better serve our customers in the Midwest and beyond.”

Thrive has spent the majority of 2025 expanding its suite of services and capabilities through internal investment and strategic acquisition. VitalCORE marks Thrive’s 26th acquisition since the company was founded, including the additions of Baroan Technologies, Abacode, and Secured Network Services this year. Thrive has also launched new key services to ensure customers get the support they need as security and technology continue to evolve, including its new Managed AI services, Compliance Center, and Network Detection and Response services.

“Thrive’s deep expertise across cloud, cybersecurity, and now, AI are unmatched in the services industry,” said Chris Gurko, CEO of VitalCORE. “Our clients will not only continue to get the top-notch service and Midwest hospitality they’ve come to expect, but they now can access these offerings at scale, allowing them to really leave technology to the experts so they can focus on what’s best for their business.”

To learn more about Thrive, visit the website.

About Thrive

Thrive is a NextGen global technology outsourcing provider that empowers small and mid-market organizations to transform their technology into a strategic advantage. Offering a breadth of services from AI and cybersecurity to cloud, compliance, and traditional MSP/MSSP solutions, Thrive’s team of seasoned experts develop strategies that standardize, scale, and automate technology to achieve outsized ROI. From advisory services to a 24×7×365 SOC and NOC, Thrive provides end-to-end IT and cybersecurity management so clients can focus on innovation and growth. With Thrive, your business is always supported and always secure. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Contacts

Hannah Johnston

thrive@v2comms.com

Founded in 2011 and based in Miami, El Car Wash is the largest and fastest growing express car wash operator in Florida. El Car Wash is a Portfolio company of Warburg Pincus, a private equity firm with offices on six continents and over $90 billion in assets under management.

Chief Information Officer Jerry Gomez is harnessing technology to elevate the customer experience, improve visibility to data across multiple systems and keeping the company secure while growing at an exponential pace.

“Our goal is to continually raise the bar and set new standards for the industry,” said Jerry. El Car Wash was seeking a technology partner capable of supporting its ambitious growth trajectory—scaling to 50, 100, even 200+ locations—while seamlessly managing day-to-day operations and enabling sustained expansion. This is where Thrive came in!

The High-Tech Car Wash Keeps Doubling in Size

When Warburg Pincus acquired El Car Wash in 2022, there were 17 locations. By this fall they will operate 80 locations, with plans to significantly expand its footprint through greenfield openings and future acquisitions. El is a widely recognized brand in South Florida, known for its prime locations, high quality operations, distinctive aesthetics, and industry leading membership program.

“Having strong operational processes was essential and Thrive enabled us to establish those quickly,” said Jerry. The collaboration between El Car Wash and Thrive allowed for secure growth and scalability.

Know Your Customer

El Car Wash CEO, Geoff Karas, has an intimate understanding of his customers and what motivates them. He was one of the first operators in the country to offer car wash subscriptions. “People thought I was crazy. Who needs a car wash subscription?” Today, memberships have become the lifeblood of the industry, with nearly 80% of revenue coming from subscription plans.

“We do one thing really well,” Karas said. “Wash cars.” This singular focus allows El Car Wash to gain momentum around scaling a high-value, convenient experience. Success was all about delivering better, faster, and more securely. That is where Thrive came in.

Best of Breed Delivers

To grow the right way, El Car Wash has been deliberate about selecting the most effective tools, systems, and partners for each critical function rather than relying on a single all-in-one solution. This approach allows them to pair agility with scale, equipping their stores and support centers with best-in-class capabilities for marketing, operations, customer experience, and analytics.

By integrating specialized solutions, El Car Wash can adapt faster, optimize performance at the store level, and create a competitive edge that compounds across the portfolio. While it requires thoughtful integration and governance, a best-of-breed strategy ensures that the business is always operating with the sharpest tools available, fueling sustained growth and long-term enterprise value.

“We want decisions to be based on meaningful data that drives action. We utilize partners with technical depth and an understanding of how to leverage best practices to grow at rapid scale while ensuring our customers have a great experience,” Gomez said.

The AI Road to Cleaner Cars

El Car Wash is embracing AI to manage their data across the business. For example, AI helps improve user experience with an AVR system to more quickly address frequent customer tasks, like cancellations, credit card updates and finding nearest locations.

“Ultimately, we want to use AI across all areas of the business—from analyzing memberships all the way through the usage of chemicals,” says Gomez. “We track every KPI so that we’re not wasting water, time, or chemicals. The more you can dial all of this in, the more positive business outcomes emerge.”

Leveraging data analytics and AI will allow El Car Wash to further accelerate speed to market, transforming a fragmented industry with a commitment to excellence and technical precision.

A Thriving Car Wash Business That Continues to Push Boundaries

Thrive is helping in many core technology areas, including the management of El Car Wash’s Microsoft environment, Network Management across all sites, Security, and the on/off boarding of systems. There are clear standards, consistency, and security in place to support rapid growth.

“We transformed from a company playing catch-up with technology to one that’s driving innovation at scale. What began as a focus on site openings and equipping new team members has evolved into an engine for rapid expansion—powered by Thrive as our strategic technology partner,” shared Gomez.

In the End, it’s People Who Matter Most

Private equity works at a fast pace and demand the same from their strategic partners.

Gomez insists, “we always want to be better than ‘good enough’. We push hard on our team to keep raising the bar. I have confidence in Thrive because of their technical depth, their ability to provide solutions, and their people. They are smart, they have speed, but more importantly they have a human touch.”

“I have confidence in Thrive because of their technical depth. They have speed, but more importantly they have personality. We want to work with nice people. At the end of the day, when we all succeed, you know, we’re having a little bit of fun.” – Jerry Gomez, CIO, El Car Wash

About Thrive

Thrive delivers global technology outsourcing for cybersecurity, Cloud, networking, and other complex IT requirements. Thrive’s NextGen platform enables customers to increase business efficiencies through standardization, scalability, and automation, delivering oversized technology returns on investment (ROI). They accomplish this with advisory services, vCISO, vCIO, consulting, project implementation, solution architects, and a best-in-class subscription-based technology platform. Thrive delivers exceptional high-touch service through its POD approach of subject matter experts and global 24x7x365 SOC, NOC, and centralized services teams. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Welcome back to another installment of our “Thrive Spotlight” blog series. 

Our featured employee is Samson Antony. As a Solutions Architect based in Canada, he helps customers align their IT strategies with a focus on backups, disaster recovery, cloud services, and infrastructure modernization. He works closely with sales, engineering, and product teams to design solutions, lead proof-of-concepts, and guide clients from planning to execution. Whether working from his home office or the Thrive office in Toronto, Samson’s goal is to bridge technical depth with business strategy, ensuring customers benefit from the true value of Thrive’s offerings.

If you’re in the market for a new parent, Samson just might be the one for the job! When he’s not working, you’ll usually find him spending time with his kids, turning the living room into a playground, or heading out on weekend adventures as a family. They love exploring new places, enjoying the outdoors, and finding ways to make even a simple day feel like an adventure.

Travel is another big part of his family life – they enjoy road trips and vacations where they get to experience new cultures, try new foods, and create lasting memories together. Whether it’s a quick weekend getaway or a longer holiday, they’re always looking for the next place to explore!

Hi Samson!  Can you tell us about your background and how you came to Thrive?

I’ve spent over a decade in IT, gaining experience across India, Singapore, and Germany before moving into my current role in Canada. Starting out as a Backup & Recovery Engineer, I transitioned into consulting and architecture roles, working closely with financial and medical organizations to deliver large-scale migrations, disaster recovery strategies, and modernization projects. I joined Thrive through the Storagepipe acquisition in 2023, bringing this global expertise to help strengthen and expand our presales and consulting services.

Where did you go to school or get training?

My master’s degree in Computer Science gave me the technical foundation to start my career, but it was the hands-on experience that truly shaped my expertise. Leading large-scale projects and working in complex enterprise environments taught me how to approach challenges strategically while staying deeply technical.

What do you most enjoy about working for Thrive?

What I enjoy most about Thrive is being part of a highly collaborative Solutions Architect team where everyone is eager to share knowledge and learn from one another. It’s a place where technical expertise and creativity come together to design solutions that really make a difference for our customers. It’s rewarding to work for a company that not only invests in innovation but also empowers us to connect deeply with customers, understand their challenges, and deliver solutions that truly support their growth.

Are there any recent exciting projects at Thrive you can tell us about?

Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to work on several large-scale backup and disaster recovery modernization projects for enterprise clients in industries like oil & gas and manufacturing. These projects involved helping customers transition from legacy environments to cloud-based, highly resilient infrastructures, which was both technically challenging and rewarding.

Another highlight has been collaborating closely with customers on Microsoft 365 and data protection strategies, especially around security, compliance, and business continuity planning. It’s exciting to see how Thrive’s expertise and strategy can truly transform a client’s operations and give them confidence in their IT foundation.

Are you interested in learning more about Thrive? Click here! 

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news, and continue checking our blog for more in our “Thrive Employee Spotlight” series. Until next time… 

New AI Services will Support Mid-Market in Building and Deploying AI Solutions Securely and at Scale

Boston, MA, September 3, 2025 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, cloud, and IT managed services, today announced its Managed AI services, a new offering that provides mid-market businesses with a dedicated team of experts to help build their AI strategy and implement it at scale, including secure private GenAI Services coupled with data and AI Assessment tools.

While IT leaders are highly concerned about utilizing AI in business operations, most don’t know where to start or how to keep it secure. According to Gartner, more than 60% of CIOs say AI is part of their innovation plan, yet fewer than half feel the organization can manage its risks. To support these businesses, Thrive’s Managed AI services offer tailored solutions for every stage of AI adoption. Through a thoughtful, customer-first process, Thrive experts will help clients understand their data-readiness for AI, define goals, create clear AI use cases and identify the solutions and processes needed to meet those goals, as well as implement, manage and maintain AI systems going forward.

“Many businesses recognize the necessity of adopting AI to remain competitive, yet numerous mid-sized companies struggle with where to begin or lack the resources to implement this technology strategically and securely,” said Bill McLaughlin, CEO of Thrive. “At Thrive, we are committed to ensuring our customers are not left behind, understanding that AI can significantly impact their business. Developing our Managed AI Services offering was a strategic decision and investment, enabling our customers to receive the support they need to lead in adoption while benefiting from the exceptional service and substantial ROI they expect from Thrive.”

Leaning into its highly consultative approach and high-touch customer experience, Thrive’s Managed AI services support businesses across the entire AI adoption journey – from development to deployment. Key features of this new offering include:

• Use Case Identification: AI can apply to many tasks, and too often, businesses fail to see ROI due to loosely defined use cases that don’t support the business or have well-defined goals attached to them. Through careful discussions about their business and industry, Thrive will coach customers in identifying the best use cases to drive the most impact.
• Data Assessment: Thrive ensures that organizations have the right data infrastructure and quality to support AI initiatives.
• Security Implementation: Thrive has long been a leader in providing NextGen cybersecurity services. With its deep market intelligence and 24x7x365 monitoring, Thrive is bringing its security industry leadership to its Manage AI Services, ensuring data is protected and well-governed, and AI is protected from bad actors.
• AI Policy & Governance: Informed on the latest compliance requirements and based on industry best practices, Thrive’s team of experts will work with customers to determine how, when, and where AI is used within their business and ensure everyone follows the policy.
• Employee Training: Thrive’s Managed AI experts will train employees on how to use the tools at their disposal, the pre-determined use cases the business has agreed to, and policies and best practices to ensure they are being as productive as possible, without putting the business at risk.

“From getting data sources organized and ready to ensuring the cloud capabilities are in place and optimized, there is so much technical prep that has to be done to ensure a business is ready to deploy AI and use it successfully,” said Michael Gray, Chief Technology Officer at Thrive. “That’s why Thrive has gone out of its way to build a team of AI experts completely dedicated to just this practice. From data readiness to customization to deployment, Thrive’s Managed AI services support businesses in the entire adoption process.”

Thrive currently manages Copilot implementations for various customers across industries to help them boost efficiency and productivity. With the new Managed AI services, Thrive is expanding to build personalized, private AI for its customers, reducing the risk of employees inputting sensitive materials into public models. As AI continues to evolve and adoption among Thrive’s user base continues to grow, Thrive will also manage workflows to ensure all AI tools are working efficiently and as intended, as well as take on vertical model development to provide accurate and industry-specific outputs.

To learn more about Thrive, visit their website.

About Thrive

Thrive is a NextGen global technology outsourcing provider that empowers small and mid-market organizations to transform their technology into a strategic advantage. Offering a breadth of services from AI and cybersecurity to cloud, compliance, and traditional MSP/MSSP solutions, Thrive’s team of seasoned experts develop strategies that standardize, scale, and automate technology to achieve outsized ROI. From advisory services to a 24×7×365 SOC and NOC, Thrive provides end-to-end IT and cybersecurity management so clients can focus on innovation and growth. With Thrive, your business is always supported and always secure. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.  

Contacts

Hannah Johnston

thrive@v2comms.com

As one of the leading investment management companies in the UK, Charles Stanley has long understood the critical importance of an established, secure, and scalable IT infrastructure. For more than two decades, the company has maintained a strategic technology partnership—initially through ONI who was later acquired by Thrive. That long-standing relationship has enabled Charles Stanley, recently acquired by Raymond James, to stay ahead of the curve in connectivity, collaboration, and cloud readiness.

Building a Network without Compromise

When David Gould joined Charles Stanley over 20 years ago, the firm was operating with a flat network architecture. One of Thrive’s earliest projects was to help Charles Stanley completely redesign that infrastructure—from transitioning to a Cisco environment to implementing a fully resilient network.

“Right at the beginning, they helped design and provide the engineering resources to refresh our network from top to bottom,” recalled Gould, Network Communications Manager. “They migrated us from a flat network to a more robust, resilient structure using Cisco equipment.”

This partnership wasn’t limited to networking. Thrive also supported Charles Stanley’s move from a legacy PBX system to IP telephony, delivering the technical design, implementation support, and hands-on collaboration that helped modernise communications.

Smart Connectivity for a Growing Business

As Charles Stanley’s business evolved, so did its connectivity needs. Working closely with Thrive, the organisation moved away from traditional MPLS circuits to a hybrid model using Direct Internet Access (DIA). This not only reduced costs but also increased bandwidth and performance across the firm’s UK branches.

“We moved from traditional dual MPLS to an MPLS/DIA hybrid, and now we’re fully dropping MPLS in favour of DIA,” said Gould. “Thrive’s project management team continues to help us transition, delivering connectivity solutions with no single point of failure.”

Through SD-WAN technology, Charles Stanley has been able to improve redundancy, and ensure higher availability. According to Gould, this transformation positioned them ahead of the curve, “When Raymond James acquired us, they looked at our setup and said, ‘That’s where we need to get.’”

Enabling Productivity Through Collaboration Tools

Well before the pandemic, Charles Stanley began investing in collaboration technologies such as Cisco Webex and cloud-based video conferencing. Thrive played an instrumental role in identifying, testing, and deploying these solutions.

“We were already rolling out video conferencing, VPN services, and Webex before COVID hit,” Gould explained. “So, when the country shut down, we were in a good place to pivot. That work was all done in collaboration with Thrive.”

The same forward-thinking approach extended to their wireless strategy, where Thrive introduced Meraki’s cloud-managed wireless infrastructure—reducing overhead and simplifying management.

Secure, Supported, and Stable

Resilience has always been a cornerstone of Charles Stanley’s IT strategy. Thrive supported it by introducing technologies that improved business continuity. They brokered a meeting with Cisco to introduce Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV) technology, which continues to help them function, running disaster recovery exercises and keeping their websites up 24/7 without any interruption should there be outages, maintenance, or any other issues. Thrive also offered a variety of protection tools—vital at a time when cyber threats were becoming more sophisticated and widespread.

Whether responding to unforeseen network issues or helping implement disaster recovery solutions, Thrive’s technical team brought the right expertise at the right time. Their familiarity with Charles Stanley’s complex infrastructure made troubleshooting faster and project delivery smoother.

“We’ve had the same engineers for years. They know our environment inside and out,” said Gould. “When an issue arises, it’s usually someone who helped design the original solution—that makes a huge difference.”

A Relationship That Evolves with the Business

Following Charles Stanley’s acquisition by Raymond James, some services moved in-house or shifted to new platforms. Still, Thrive remains a critical partner—particularly for UK connectivity and network support.

“Thrive still delivers the connectivity services for our branches,” said Gould. “They also help us manage carriers, which simplifies support dramatically. It’s one number to call. They coordinate everything.”

Valuing Continuity and Longevity

Through decades of business growth and organisational transformation, Charles Stanley’s relationship with Thrive has remained a constant source of stability, expertise, and technological innovation. Even as they evolve within a global framework, a trusted, knowledgeable partnership with a firm who understands their environment continues to be clear. “Having the same account manager and core engineers for years has been incredibly valuable to us.”

By delivering resilient connectivity, enabling strategic advancements, and supporting the business with consistency and care, Thrive has proven to be far more than a service provider—they’ve been a true extension of the Charles Stanley team.

“We’re leveraging the relationships Thrive has with vendors. They help us innovate and make us more resilient. It’s not just a case of just selling something, they make our infrastructure and our architecture more robust.” – Alex Stratton, Head of Technology Services, Charles Stanley

About Thrive

Thrive delivers global technology outsourcing for cybersecurity, Cloud, networking, and other complex IT requirements. Thrive’s NextGen platform enables customers to increase business efficiencies through standardization, scalability, and automation, delivering oversized technology returns on investment (ROI). They accomplish this with advisory services, vCISO, vCIO, consulting, project implementation, solution architects, and a best-in-class subscription-based technology platform. Thrive delivers exceptional high-touch service through its POD approach of subject matter experts and global 24x7x365 SOC, NOC, and centralized services teams. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In the high-stakes world of oil and gas, Encino Energy stands out as a technology-forward energy company leading the way in the Utica Basin. With a strong foothold, they rank among the top producers in the US. But behind the scenes, it’s not just the flow of oil and gas that fuels Encino Energy, it’s data. Technology has always been a keystone of the company’s operations, from ruggedized laptops in the field to self-developed, cloud-based applications that drive efficiency across operations.

Their infrastructure was carefully built from the ground up, guided by a cloudfirst philosophy and a deep understanding of the need for agility. But even for a tech-savvy organization, growth comes with growing pains. When Encino Energy skyrocketed from 26 to 250 users overnight following a major acquisition, they needed an IT partner capable of keeping up with their expanding demands.

Ambitious Growth, Real Challenges, and the Turning Point

That overnight expansion into a $2 billion company tested Encino Energy’s operational limits. The local Managed Service Provider (MSP) that once served their smaller operation was no longer equipped to handle the pace, complexity, or sophistication that Encino Energy required. The subsequent MSP partnership brought some stability but fell short of delivering the high-quality service Encino’s leadership expected. As Jay Ostertag, Senior Manager of IT Systems & Support, put it, “We ended up getting some of what we needed, but not quite what we wanted.”

The real turning point came in 2022, when Encino Energy engaged Thrive’s security team for a comprehensive network assessment. What began as a standard security scan turned into a pivotal moment, “They helped us come up with a plan to enact those improvements, and that began the drive with Thrive to become more of an MSSP (Managed Security Service Provider) for us,” Ostertag recalled. Choosing to invest in a security assessment demonstrated how Encino Energy’s leadership not only valued cyber protection but also recognized the strategic benefits of partnering with experts who could keep pace with their vision.

Impressed by Thrive’s capabilities and approach, Encino transitioned them into a broader role, where Thrive earned their business through a formal RFP process for additional managed services. “We negotiated to where we needed to be pricewise, and since we already had the relationship, it made sense to expand our partnership with Thrive.”

Six Weeks to a Strategy-Forward Future

Transitioning to a new MSP typically takes months. Encino Energy didn’t have that kind of time. With a six-week runway, Thrive launched a fully functional help desk that was usable, and trusted, on day one. “That was our biggest problem with the previous MSP, our end users just would not use the product because they were not satisfied with it,” explained Ostertag.

This time, Encino led a coordinated marketing effort to rebuild trust with their internal users. Messaging was simple but powerful, “We heard you.” That was the subject line of the first email sent regarding the move to Thrive. Empowering users with easy access to support via phone calls or a desktop icon for service requests led to a dramatic turnaround in perception. With help desk adoption growing and first-call resolution rates improving, the volume of internal escalations and, as Ostertag described them, “shoulder taps,” dropped significantly. “It’s been a very successful run this go-around with Thrive as our MSP compared to the previous.”

Beyond support, Thrive became a strategic partner, helping Encino implement playbooks, conduct knowledge transfer, and expand visibility through the ServiceNow platform. Their accessible, data-forward portal gave Encino Energy the ability to manage tickets, assets, and service delivery from a single pane of glass. “It was night and day compared to what we previously had dealt with.” As Ostertag noted, “This was one of the easiest transfers from one MSP to another I’ve ever been involved with.”

Long-Term Impact and Trusted Partnership

With over 500 users and a small internal IT team of 24, Encino relies on Thrive to handle everyday support tasks so internal staff can focus on higher-level projects. “That’s a reason why we need Thrive,” said Ostertag, “to be able to handle things that we either don’t have the manpower to do, or quite frankly, the stuff we don’t want to do.”

Thrive doesn’t just react, they check in regularly to ask what’s working and what could be better. That ongoing collaboration has led to better documentation, knowledge transfer, and smarter use of tools. Encino now leverages Thrive’s services for asset lifecycle management and a configuration database, giving them better visibility into what equipment they actually have. “That was huge, especially as we spun up our security program,” Ostertag said.

Encino’s technology environment is complex and fast-moving. Thrive’s ability to adapt and support that has been key. “We use tools that show us down to the minute how much money and oil we’re producing,” said Ostertag. “Metrics are big. Thrive gives us the visibility we need to manage operations at that level.” With Thrive by their side, Encino Energy has the consistency, capacity, and confidence to keep scaling without slowing down.

“By giving end users more confidence in the results they’ll get, and different ways to reach support, we’ve changed how IT is perceived across the company.” – Jay Ostertag, Senior Manager of IT Systems & Support, Encino Energy

About Thrive

Thrive delivers global technology outsourcing for cybersecurity, Cloud, networking, and other complex IT requirements. Thrive’s NextGen platform enables customers to increase business efficiencies through standardization, scalability, and automation, delivering oversized technology returns on investment (ROI). They accomplish this with advisory services, vCISO, vCIO, consulting, project implementation, solution architects, and a best-in-class subscription-based technology platform. Thrive delivers exceptional high-touch service through its POD approach of subject matter experts and global 24x7x365 SOC, NOC, and centralized services teams. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Welcome back to another installment of our “Thrive Spotlight” blog series. 

Our featured employee is Carlos Fernandez, Director of Account Management in the Asia-Pacific region. Carlos hails from the Philippines, but has lived and worked in Singapore since 2007. With Singapore as his Thrive homebase, he travels often between offices in Hong Kong, Australia, and sometimes the Philippines. Carlos is responsible for overseeing operations for the Singapore team, including help with procurement, vendor and project management, when needed. A firm believer in the importance and impact of teamwork, he also leads a team of Customer Success Managers (CSMs) in Singapore and Hong Kong while managing his own clients as an Account Manager and CSM in Singapore and Australia.

When he’s not wearing one of his many Thrive hats, Carlos prioritizes health and fitness by working out every day. He describes Sunday as his rest day, meaning he takes it easy by running about 10km (6.2 miles) while listening to 80’s and 90’s music! A very outgoing, outspoken people-person, Carlos loves to be around his people – family, friends, and colleagues. He also loves to travel, visiting different places, many of which are overseas. He makes it a point to including hiking as part of his trips – there’s that commitment to fitness again! During his actual downtime, Carlos watches shows on streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus.

Hi Carlos!  Can you tell us about your background and how you came to Thrive?

I started my career as a Call Center Agent for a technology firm. From there, I was a Help Desk Representative and eventually worked my way up to a Senior Desktop Support Engineer at Edge in 2016. I became a Client Services Manager, and now I’m part of the Account Management team at Thrive after the 2022 acquisition of Edge.

Where did you go to school or get training?

I finished my academics, from grade school all the way to college in the Philippines, where I completed my degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering at the University of Santo Tomas in Manilla.

What do you most enjoy about working for Thrive?

What I like most about working with Thrive is how they value their employees. They recognize hard work and dedication through awards and different incentives. I enjoy the people – colleagues and peers – and having great leaders who serve as mentors and care about the welfare of their staff.

Are there any recent exciting projects at Thrive you can tell us about?

As part of a small team in APAC, one of the things we have been looking forward to is the growth of the regions – both in the number of customers and internally. One of the initiatives we in place to achieve that growth is to promote the Thrive brand through events, campaigns, and our networks in the locations where the company has offices.

Are you interested in learning more about Thrive? Click here! 

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news, and continue checking our blog for more in our “Thrive Employee Spotlight” series. Until next time… 

New offering enables real-time response to stop potential cybersecurity breaches

Boston, MA, August 21, 2025 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, cloud, and traditional managed services, today announced a new Network Detection and Response (NDR) service to further support businesses in their cybersecurity efforts. The new NDR service will monitor a business’ network to detect potential security incidents, enabling a quicker response and stopping breaches in their tracks.

The average cost of a data breach in the United States is $10.22 million, a 9% increase from the year prior, according to IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report. This drastic increase highlights the need for prevention and swift action in cybersecurity; however, current tools and services often don’t detect threats until they have already happened. By the time they notice a breach has occurred, the damage is already done.

Thrive’s new NDR service enables real-time responses, helping their clients shut down an attack as soon as it is detected. The service does this by using AI pattern recognition capabilities to monitor all traffic inside a company’s network and flag if there’s suspicious activity that could point to a data breach. This new service works in conjunction with Thrive’s existing Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service that correlates and analyzes logs to identify potential cybersecurity threats, and its Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) service, which detects and prevents malicious actions on servers and user workstations.

“When a cyberattack happens, time is of the essence – but relying on signature-based methods can cause a lag that can ultimately be detrimental to solving the problem quickly,” said Michael Gray, Thrive’s Chief Technology Officer. “Thrive is taking a layered approach to ensuring our customers are protecting themselves from cyberattacks. We want to empower our customers to be able to react in real time and stop a bad actor in their tracks, minimizing disruption to their business operations and ultimately protecting their bottom line.”

Thrive’s new NDR service is the latest of the company’s comprehensive solutions aimed at safeguarding the entire IT environment and securely optimizing business performance. Thrive’s tailored cybersecurity solutions ensure end-to-end protection of customers’ systems and data and enable businesses to stay ahead of potential threats. The more Thrive managed security services a customer consumes, the lower the cost, as Thrive automatically applies a tiered discount towards monthly incident response and remediation retainer for services.

To learn more about Thrive and its offerings, visit the website.

About Thrive

Thrive delivers global technology outsourcing for cybersecurity, Cloud, networking, and other complex IT requirements. Thrive’s NextGen platform enables customers to increase business efficiencies through AI, standardization, scalability, and automation, delivering oversized technology returns on investment (ROI). They accomplish this with advisory services, vCISO, vCIO, consulting, project implementation, solution architects, and a best-in-class subscription-based technology platform. Thrive delivers exceptional high-touch service through its POD approach of subject matter experts and global 24x7x365 SOC, NOC, and centralized services teams. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Contacts

Hannah Johnston

thrive@v2comms.com

We discussed with COO Scott Steele how the global managed services provider (MSP) and managed security service provider (MSSP) has deployed AI service agents. He shared how the agents are transforming the company’s contact center, and what lies ahead as AI customer service automation evolves.

Real-Time Performance Tracking: Dynamic dashboards let leaders measure AI’s impact on productivity, cost savings, and revenue. For example, Thrive automated 315,000 tasks via AI workflows, saving 21,000 hours of manual labor in six months.