Author Archives: Megan Carnes

Thrive CTO Michael Gray explains what it really takes to implement a zero-trust cybersecurity model across what has become highly distributed computing environments.

As zero-trust security gains traction, Thrive CTO Michael Gray underlined the importance of implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) as one of the key zero-trust principles for CISOs and recommends starting the journey with asset identification and management.

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

Our featured Thrive employee is Foster Hardie, Executive Vice President of Digital Platform Architecture.

Foster is a hands-on enterprise software veteran and the technical leader for the Thrive Digital Platform, powered by ServiceNow. He manages the architecture, development and administration of ServiceNow to customize it for our clients’ business purposes. Foster has gained industry recognition for his leadership in customizations and rollouts of ServiceNow’s IT Services Management (ITSM), Customer Service Management (CSM), Project Portfolio Management (PPM) and other modules in multi-domain MSP implementation.

Foster spent his early years in California and New England but now lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, just outside Charleston. He is always up for an outdoor adventure and enjoys tennis, fishing, boating, hiking, and literally long walks on the beach. Years ago, you might have even spotted him hang-gliding over Massachusetts! When Foster isn’t exploring the Great Outdoors, he’s devouring the latest headlines as a self-described political news junkie.

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

I’ve been in development and IT since the late 90s. In the early 2000s, I worked at a small IT shop where Thrive’s CTO and my boss, Mike Gray, was an intern for us. I moved on to hold several software leadership positions and had a consulting business. Mike and I kept in touch throughout the years, and he reached out to me for a new developer role; the rest is Thrive history! In 2008, I started as the Director of Software Engineering, and in 2020 was promoted to my current position.

Where did you go to school or get training?

You might be surprised to learn that I got a degree in philosophy and music from the University of Massachusetts in Boston. After graduation, I quickly learned that there aren’t many jobs in philosophy and music, so I dove into computers. I did a lot of self-training and went back to school, pursuing a degree from The Citadel in Technical Project Management. However, my learning hasn’t stopped there. I have since gained several industry certifications, including ServiceNow, Scrum Master, Project Management and Microsoft SQL.

What do you most enjoy about working for Thrive?

I enjoy that everybody I work with is committed to Thrive’s mission. Our team spirit is powerful, contagious and exciting as we grow the company by leaps and bounds. The people at Thrive aren’t just here for a job – they’re here for one another.

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

And 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…

Due to the pandemic, many traditional brick-and-mortar businesses have been forced to digitalize despite not being prepared for it. This has led to many security risks.

Even businesses that have a history of operating online have been affected because their employees who started working remotely have fewer security measures on their home devices.

Another priority should be understanding to whom the CISO reports: the CEO, the CFO, the CTO, or even the legal department. “[This] tells you a little bit about what they expect you to do,” says Chip Gibbons, CISO at Thrive.

Manufacturing businesses are more exposed to cyberattacks compared to other industries, according to a recent study. The results showed that in 2020, 40 percent of manufacturers experienced a cyberattack. Out of those numbers, 38 percent of them suffered over $1 million in damages.

Small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) are prime targets for cybercriminals. An SMM has more digital assets to target than individual consumers, but often less security than larger companies.

In addition, manufacturers rely heavily on technology and data which drive the increased need for productivity, efficiency and Cybersecurity.

DOWNLOAD our industry brief today!

Financial organizations, such as banks, investment firms, private equity firms, wealth management firms, hedge funds and more are facing disruptions from multiple fronts, including technology and innovation.

New and innovative technologies have taken the finance world by storm, aiming to improve financial services, secure data from multiple endpoints and enhance customer experiences – but is the financial industry ready to embrace it?

Financial services companies have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to technology.

DOWNLOAD our industry brief today!

John Holland, Chief Revenue Officer at Thrive speaks with Don Witt of The Channel Daily News, a TR publication about their recent acquisition of the Edge Technology Group and their focus on the financial community. It has highly specialized needs that Thrive has been involved with for many years and has developed specific technology enabling them to deliver the best and most secure services possible to Wall Street profiled organizations.

Listen in to John discuss their operation and their corporate dedication to providing the best service possible.

Thrive takes pride in being a channel-friendly company and we are deeply invested in supporting the agent community. That’s why we created ‘Thrive Advisor’ – Thrive’s Partner Portal that is designed to give channel partners one place to manage partner onboarding, enablement, marketing collaboration, and more.

What is Thrive Advisor?

Thrive Advisor is the central location for all high-priority resources and is designed to maximize efficiency by allowing partners to access Thrive information on-demand. In Advisor, agents will discover customized solutions, receive in depth customer and project insight, team introductions, training tools (products, sales and technical), and view all open opportunities as a way to confirm and track registered deals.  Advisor will also include promotion/discounts, marketing resources, and more to accelerate profitability, support end-users, and grow your business with us.

Thrive Advisor Features

Thrive Advisor is filled with dynamic tools and resources to build relationships and drive agent sales.

• Real-Time Communication: From project and order status updates to access to assigned account teams, Thrive offers direct lines of communication with our team.
• Account Assignments: Get a full introduction to all Thrive contacts assigned to your accounts and their respective roles and responsibilities.
• Open Opportunity Tracking: Access to all your registered opportunities and current status.
• Sales and Marketing Resources: Access and download Thrive’s robust portfolio of agent marketing collateral created for business and technology leaders, including channel battlecards, proposals, data sheets, presentations, case studies, white papers, and more.
• Customizable Partner Email Campaigns: Take advantage of flexible, customizable demand generation campaigns. Utilize our marketing resources for co-branded collateral and email campaigns that can be used with existing customers or when prospecting for new ones.
• Partner Enablement and Education: We offer an online series of on-demand partner education videos designed to enable partners to understand and position Thrive. Topics include product releases, technical overviews, sales enablement, marketing, and more.
• SPIFFs and Promos: Learn about the latest promotions and SPIFFs. Right now agents can earn 1X MRR Selling Thrive’s Cybersecurity Services. Click here to find out more.
• FREE 45-minute Consulting Engagement with Dave Sampson, Thrive’s VP of Consulting: To qualify, please complete the survey here. Offer is for qualified opportunities only!
• Webinars: Thrive’s Partner Webinars feature live demonstrations, customer use cases, and real-time Q&A sessions with Thrive experts. Agents can also co-host a webinar to help strengthen existing relationships. Reach out to your Channel Manager if you’d like to co-host a webinar with us.

How to Get Started With Thrive Advisor

Thrive is dedicated to arming agents with all the tools they need to save time and focus on growing their business.

Click here to learn more about Thrive Advisor.

For General Questions on the Thrive Channel Program, please contact channelquestions@thrivenextgen.com.