Author Archives: Megan Carnes

The UK’s cyber security agency has warned that critical national infrastructure (CNI) operators and smaller businesses face a growing threat from disruptive cyber attacks, as industry voices question whether organisations are keeping pace with risk.

Jonathan Ellison, Director for National Resilience at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), cited recent incidents in Europe and urged UK operators to strengthen resilience ahead of any escalation in hostile activity.

“Cyber attacks disrupting everyday essential services may sound far-fetched, but we know it’s not. Our Polish partners recently reported that some of the country’s critical infrastructure was targeted by coordinated attacks just after Christmas, including a heat and power plant and several renewable energy generators. They likened the attempted disruption to arson.”

Government has launched a new campaign to provide practical ways for businesses to protect themselves against common online threats.

Appearing across social media, podcasts, radio and business networks, the campaign aims to reach busy small- and medium-sized businesses . It will encourage them to engage with government’s Cyber Essentials scheme, which sets out clear practical steps they can take to protect themselves from the most common cyber attacks. This includes keeping software up to date and controlling who has access to accounts and data to immediately improve their cyber resilience. Many cyber incidents exploit these basic weaknesses, which Cyber Essentials is designed to protect against.

It comes as new figures show the scale of threat facing businesses. Significant cyber incidents cost an average of £195,000 and half of all small businesses have suffered a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months.

CRN’s Managed Service Provider 500 list recognizes the top technology providers and consultants whose forward-thinking approach to providing managed services is changing the landscape of the IT channel.

Cybersecurity spend is projected to reach $183 billion by 2028, but that growth masks a dangerous misconception. Many midmarket organizations equate rising IT budgets with improved security, assuming that broad spending on technology automatically translates to better protection.

However, this is creating a widening gap between what companies perceive and their actual security readiness. IT spend is not a proxy for cybersecurity, and 2026 is the time for midmarket companies to rethink how they evaluate their security estate.

Some MSP roll-ups, such as Thrive, are banking on a full integration of acquisitions. New Charter has prioritized founder involvement.

“While we continue to build the platform together, we do it with an eye for how existing leaders can continue the loyalty in their markets and continue to drive growth in their markets,” Melby said. “We can’t afford to have subpar leadership.”

Platform operators are learning lessons together as they push the industry into unknown territory, according to Melby.

t’s been just over a year and a half since I first outlined the forces producing a class of bigger-than-big MSP platforms with nine-figure top lines and competitive advantages that will be difficult—though not impossible—for others to overcome. Few of those dynamics has changed much in the intervening months.

MSP revenue, for example, continues rising. Managed services spending worldwide will climb by up to 10% this year to $635 billion, according to Omdia, and reach $950 billion by 2030, while some 59% of the over 1,100 North American MSPs surveyed by ScalePad for a just-published study are expecting 11% or better growth in 2026.

At Check Point, our partners are more than collaborators. They are the driving force behind our customers’ success, our innovation, and our ability to stay ahead of today’s rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.

This year, we are thrilled to recognize an extraordinary group of partners who demonstrated exceptional performance, growth, technical excellence, and commitment to helping organizations stay secure

Thrive CEO Bill McLaughlin refuses to call his company a managed service provider.

The company, which McLaughlin calls a “next gen service provider,” embeds AI and automation, in-house cybersecurity and cloud solutions into a managed IT services foundation. McLaughlin, who became CEO a year ago, is keeping those three pillars in mind as Thrive seeks to reach $1 billion in revenue by 2029.

“What we’re doing and how we’re doing it is really setting the stage for a new evolution of a service provider in our space,” McLaughlin said.

Michael Gray, CTO of Thrive

Data Privacy Day is a reminder that trust is now one of the most valuable assets organizations have, and one of the easiest to lose. As businesses rely more heavily on data and AI to drive decisions and automation, privacy can no longer be treated as a compliance exercise alone.

Strong data protection starts with understanding what data you collect, why you need it, and how it is governed throughout its lifecycle. In 2026, poor data hygiene does not just create privacy risk, it undermines the reliability of AI systems built on that data. Regulatory scrutiny will continue to increase, but the greater risk for organizations is reputational damage when customers lose confidence in how their information is handled.

Companies that prioritize transparency, accountability, and restraint in their data practices will be better positioned to build lasting trust in a data-driven world.

Göppingen, Germany — January 28, 2026 — TeamViewer, a global leader in digital workplace solutions, today announced a new partnership with Thrive, one of the top managed service providers in the US with a growing global presence. The collaboration brings TeamViewer’s Digital Employee Experience (DEX) capabilities into Thrive’s NextGen managed services platform, adding deeper insight and automation across its ServiceNow environment.

Thrive’s platform is designed to give customers clear operational visibility while reducing complexity across modern IT environments. Built on ServiceNow, it combines automation, AI, security operations, and network operations into a single, scalable foundation. By integrating TeamViewer DEX, Thrive strengthens its ability to identify emerging issues earlier and take action before they impact end users—reducing avoidable support demand and improving overall service quality.

This integration addresses a core challenge for managed service providers: moving away from reactive support models toward continuous optimization. With deeper insight into endpoint performance and employee experience, Thrive can introduce advanced automation and remediation directly into its ServiceNow workflows, helping customers run more stable, efficient, and predictable IT environments.

“Our work with Thrive is rooted in a relentless focus on the customer and their real operational challenges,” said Oliver Steil, CEO at TeamViewer. “Our teams worked closely together to connect a strong DEX offering with Thrive’s platform. The result is a more proactive approach to IT operations, where issues are surfaced earlier and resolved with greater precision.”

“Client experience is at the forefront of everything we do at Thrive,” said Bill McLaughlin, CEO at Thrive. “Our continued investment enforces Thrive’s commitment to selling peace of mind and meeting the client where they are – all while delivering business outcomes.”

“Our ability to deliver advanced client solutions is unmatched in the MSP/MSSP industry. Thrive’s platform brings together cutting‑edge AI, automation, and digital experience (DEX) capabilities to strengthen our operations and elevate the user experience. TeamViewer is the ideal partner to enhance our DEX offering, integrating seamlessly with our platform and delivering best‑in‑class DEX capabilities,” said Scott Steele, COO at Thrive.

The partnership reflects a shared view that managed services must evolve beyond traditional monitoring and ticket-based support. By embedding DEX into Thrive’s platform, IT organizations gain the insight and automation needed to improve outcomes across the digital workplace, while positioning IT as a strategic enabler of the business rather than a cost center.

About TeamViewer

TeamViewer provides a Digital Workplace platform that connects people with technology – enabling, improving and automating digital processes to make work work better.

In 2005, TeamViewer started with software to connect to computers from anywhere to eliminate travel and enhance productivity. It rapidly became the de facto standard for remote access and support and the preferred solution for hundreds of millions of users across the world to help others with IT issues. Today, more than 645,000 customers across industries rely on TeamViewer to optimize their digital workplaces – from small to medium sized businesses to the world’s largest enterprises – empowering both desk-based employees and frontline workers.

Organizations use TeamViewer’s solutions to prevent and resolve disruptions with digital endpoints of any kind, securely manage complex IT and industrial device landscapes, and enhance processes with augmented reality powered workflows and assistance – leveraging AI and integrating seamlessly with leading tech partners. Against the backdrop of global digital transformation and challenges like shortage of skilled labor, hybrid working, accelerated data analysis and the rise of new technologies, TeamViewer’s solutions offer a clear value add by increasing productivity, reducing machine downtime, speeding up talent onboarding, and improving customer and employee satisfaction.

The company is headquartered in Göppingen, Germany, and employs around 1,900 people globally. In 2025, TeamViewer achieved a revenue of around EUR 767 million. TeamViewer SE (TMV) is listed at Frankfurt Stock Exchange and belongs to the MDAX. Further information can be found at www.teamviewer.com.

About Thrive

Thrive is a NextGen 3.0 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.