Author Archives: Megan Carnes

Jodie Stewart

In February, Jodie Stewart became vice president of sales training and development at Thrive.

Stewart joined the Foxborough, Mass.-based company–a member of CRN’s 2025 MSP 500–after about three years with Polen Capital, according to her LinkedIn account. She left Polen as head of learning and development.

Her resume includes about two years with Arch Insurance Group, leaving in 2021 as senior manager of learning and development.

With the start of a new year comes a renewed focus on strategic planning, giving facility executives the opportunity to evaluate their goals and what needs to be done to reach them. In 2025, no strategic business plan is going to be complete without taking cybersecurity into account

Annual awards program recognizes exceptional partner collaborations  

Boston, February 25, 2025 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and IT managed services, today announced the winners of its Outstanding Partner Awards. Thrive is pleased to recognize Broadleaf as the Breakout Partner of the Year; Telarus as the Engineering Team of the Year;  Bridgepointe as the Partner of the Year; and AVANT as the Technology Solutions Distributor (TSD) of the Year.

Thrive partners with the industry’s best-of-breed technology and channel companies, enabling it to build, deliver, and support NextGen managed services that customers have come to expect. The company’s annual Outstanding Partner Awards spotlight partners who exemplify collaboration, innovation, and shared success that define Thrive’s partner ecosystem. The winners of this year’s Partner Awards demonstrated significant contributions that enabled Thrive to continue to drive innovation and growth for its customers. Winners include:

• Broadleaf Group, a leading strategic IT solutions provider, for Breakout Partner of the Year. The Broadleaf team of experts deliver bespoke technology solutions while partnering with Thrive to ensure all customers digital transformation goals are easily achieved.
• Telarus, a leading technology services distributor (TSD), for Engineering Team of the Year. Telarus delivers cutting-edge services, solutions, and tools in tandem with Thrive’s industry-leading expertise to help customers navigate the complexities of the evolving digital landscape.
• Bridgepointe, one of the nation’s leading tech advisory firms, for Partner of the Year. Bridgepointe is a trusted partner to Thrive, bringing a breadth and depth of technical expertise, so all customers technology journeys are seamless and stress-free.
• AVANT, a platform for IT decision-making and one of the nation’s premier Technology Services Distributors, for TSD of the year. AVANT helps Thrive keep ahead of the accelerating pace of change by providing the resources and relationships needed to navigate the ever-changing world of communications and IT infrastructure successfully.

“We are proud to recognize the honorees of the Outstanding Partner Awards for their unmatched collaboration that supports us in delivering the best possible experiences to our customers,” said Bill McLaughlin, CEO of Thrive. “Our top-tier partners share our mission of empowering businesses to harness the promise of technology. Broadleaf, Telarus, Bridgepointe, and AVANT all bring exceptional dedication and innovative mindsets that help fuel our continuous growth to power our customers digital transformation journeys.”

To learn more about Thrive and its award-winning partners, 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 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

Amanda Maguire

thrive@v2comms.com

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

Our featured employee is Channing Smith, Junior Developer, Digital Platform.  Channing works on the Digital Platform Development team working on a variety of internal projects and integrations with ServiceNow.  He lives in Charleston, South Carolina near our new office.

Outside of work, Channing leads a local run club in Charleston, he maps out weekly runs and social events.  In addition to running, Channing also enjoys cooking, playing Rummikub, and hanging out with his 3-year-old labradoodle Archie, and his girlfriend Elsie.

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

I came to Thrive as an intern on the Digital Platform Development team during my last semester of college at College of Charleston, then transitioned to a full-time position post-graduation.  Throughout college, I was in the Honors College, and primarily involved in researching Ethics in Artificial Intelligence Software.  I served as co-president of Upsilon Pi Epsilon, an honor society of computing, and completed internships with RedHat as a full-stack developer and Northstar Travel Group as a cybersecurity architect intern.

Where did you go to school or get training?

I attended the College of Charleston and graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science with minors in Philosophy and Data Science in May of 2024.

What do you most enjoy about working for Thrive?

The most enjoyable part of my day-to-day is the people I work with.  The entire Digital Platform team has been super welcoming to me, and I really admire how much I learn from everyone on the team every day.  I also really like how involved I am in the business process behind the integrations I work on.

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

I have recently been working on the N-Able/N-Central integration alongside Jon Bruce and Brian MacMillan which reduces the Logic Apps cost. Before this integration, the Event Management team was logging into N-Central and creating tickets manually, but we are now automatically creating tickets. This will improve our response time and accuracy when monitoring a client’s environment.

I have also been working on a project related to invoicing with Business Operations and Finance that involves migrating to a new invoice recipient field to reduce errors and typos in the current String field.

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…

Cybercrime is becoming an increasingly serious threat, with incidents like phishing schemes and data breaches rising at an unprecedented rate. From large enterprises to small businesses, everyone is at risk of suffering losses, but the latter might never financially recover from them.

With reports projecting the total cost of online criminal acts soaring to $24 trillion by 2027, up from $12 trillion in 2023, companies must take steps to protect themselves from these attacks in the same way they would from a fire or a tornado.

But, how? Insurance.

Erland, a Massachusetts-based construction management company wanted assurance that their technology was being managed securely and efficiently. To achieve that peace of mind, they partnered with Thrive. Thrive worked with them to modernize their infrastructure and assess their cybersecurity posture, ensuring Erland remained competitive in an industry not always known for their investment in technology. 

Erland delivers construction management services across a wide range of industries, including the Academic, Corporate, Commercial, Advanced Technology/ Life Sciences, Residential, Hospitality, and Senior Living markets. With one IT resource on staff, Erland recognized the value in outsourcing the tools and processes required to keep their business running smoothly and safely. For over 20 years, Thrive has been an instrumental partner, providing systems, support, and security to Erland’s team, helping them meet project deadlines while juggling the demands of modern business operations.

Why Thrive Was Chosen

When Bernadette Flaherty joined the company in 1999, she had no idea she would be their tech resource. Without a background in technology, but willing to do whatever was needed, she dove in and became Erland’s IT Manager. She knew managing every aspect of their IT was not a one-person job, so she wanted to find a partner who could supplement the work she was doing.

“Thrive was somewhat familiar with our environment because of a previous Citrix project. Because I was new to IT, and I was familiar with them, I didn’t need to look anywhere else,” recalled Flaherty. She was right – as technology has evolved, so too has the partnership between Erland and Thrive.

Strategic Technology Upgrades and Ongoing Deployment of Essential Security Measures

Migrations have been an ongoing part of Erland’s relationship with Thrive. From Citrix to remote desktops, Exchange to O365, and physical servers to Thrive’s cloud platform, Erland continued to invest in their business and their future.

Tools like online phish testing and security training give Erland’s leadership the confidence that their entire team is actively helping to protect the business they’ve built from the threat of data theft or system intrusion. “Several years ago, somebody on our team at Thrive had recommended the cyber training, it’s called KnowBe4, and that has helped the end users tremendously,” said Flaherty.

As a trusted partner, Thrive takes the burden of managing IT systems off Erland’s shoulders, ensuring all their day-to-day IT needs are monitored and managed in one place. Thrive’s expert team of skilled professionals delivers proactive monitoring, maintenance, and mitigation, backed by top-notch support and our 24x7x365 Network Operations Center.

Thrive’s Impact

Thrive’s people, especially the account manager and vCIO, have been instrumental in the success of this partnership. They take the time to truly understand Erland’s needs, responding promptly and addressing every concern along the way. The team’s transparent communication and proactive approach make Erland feel valued and supported. “We have a very good working relationship. We’ve been with Thrive for so long, it’s almost like a friendship now. That’s the way it should be, it’s so much easier,” remarked Flaherty.

By blending advanced technology with a genuine dedication to customer success, Thrive has solidified Erland’s confidence in the partnership. The family-owned business that has seen many changes over the years finds comfort in knowing their team at Thrive is working around the clock to protect all they’ve worked so hard to build.

The two most significant impacts of Erland’s relationship with Thrive are time savings and peace of mind. By handling necessary, but sometimes confusing or tedious tasks, like license management, Thrive gives time back to Flaherty that could be better spent elsewhere. Moving to the cloud also freed up time that was previously spent exchanging tapes in their server room or waiting for a part to arrive when a piece of hardware failed.

Because of strategic planning and regular meetings, Erland knows they have in Thrive a partner that will always help them leverage proven technologies to make their operations more efficient and secure.

“One of the main benefits for me and my relationship working with Thrive is the trust that I have in the company as a whole. I know if I need assistance with something that may seem small to others but is a huge deal to me that they will be there to assist me with it. Trust to me is a major factor in any relationship.” – Bernadette Flaherty, IT Manager, Erland

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 last year, we’ve seen threats become more elaborate and tactical as they leverage the latest technologies. In 2024, data breaches reached the second highest level on record, with 3,158 compromises on the year exposing the data of more than 1.3 billion people worldwide. This includes major breaches targeting the likes of AT&T exposing the information of more than 100 million people, and CrowdStrike leading to a global IT outage. With AI on the rise, we can only expect the severity and volume of these attacks to continue to increase.

Leading global MSP/MSSP deepens presence and vertical industry knowledge in New England

Boston, MA, February 13, 2025 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and IT managed services, today announced the acquisition of Secured Network Services (SNS), a leading New Hampshire-based IT provider for organizations across industries, including healthcare, non-profit, and municipal government. The acquisition will enable Thrive to enter the New Hampshire market to deepen its presence in New England, bringing its industry-leading global Security Operation Center (SOC) & Hybrid Cloud solutions to SNS’ customers.

Cyber regulations are continuing to get more complex across industries – for example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is facing several proposed changes to its Privacy and Security rules in 2025. With the acquisition of SNS, Thrive will deepen its vertical industry knowledge, ensuring healthcare, non-profit, and government customers are backed with the latest industry insights to navigate these challenging landscapes. Together, Thrive and SNS will enable customers in New Hampshire and beyond to have access to industry-leading resources and Thrive’s global high-touch 24x7x365 service mandate.

“SNS’ similar philosophy of providing the highest caliber of technical expertise and unwavering dedication to customers greatly resonated with us,” said Bill McLaughlin, CEO of Thrive. “Coupled with their deep vertical knowledge, SNS will ensure we continue delivering the best technology solutions to businesses across industries.”

This acquisition builds upon Thrive’s tremendous growth, having completed eleven previous acquisitions over the past two years, most recently acquiring Michigan-based Safety Net and North Carolina-based The Longleaf Network. Along with geographic expansion, Thrive also received a strategic investment from Berkshire Partners and Court Square Capital Partners to continue scaling the capabilities of the company.

“Our team is excited to accelerate our growth and enable our customers to have access to Thrive’s NextGen solutions,” Kevin M. Low, Founder & CEO at SNS. “Our mission of helping businesses get the most from their technology aligns seamlessly with Thrive’s dedication to delivering outsized ROI and the best technology outcomes for each customer. We look forward to advancing our capabilities to better help our customers navigate the complex IT landscape with Thrive’s partnership.”

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 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

Amanda Maguire

thrive@v2comms.com   

Leading NextGen Managed Service Provider Ushers in New Era of Growth While Maintaining a Customer- and People-First Culture

Boston, Ma. – February 3, 2025 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and traditional managed service provider (MSP) services, today announced the long-planned leadership transition elevating Bill McLaughlin into the CEO role, effective immediately. McLaughlin succeeds Rob Stephenson, who has led Thrive for nearly a decade. Under Stephenson, Thrive has attained industry prominence, earned a reputation for excellence, and delivered a compounded annual growth rate above 30%. Stephenson will remain onboard as a member of Thrive’s leadership team, particularly focused on supporting McLaughlin and driving the company’s M&A strategy.

“Bill came to Thrive over three and a half years ago with the plan to be my successor,” said Stephenson. “He has been running day-to-day sales and operations, is one of the most highly respected executives in our industry, and is responsible for much of Thrive’s success. It’s been a pleasure of a lifetime leading this company and there is nobody I would feel more confident in succeeding me than Bill McLaughlin. Under his leadership, Thrive will continue to set the pace for MSP and MSSP innovation and achievement.”

With more than 20 years of experience in the managed services industry, McLaughlin brings deep knowledge and understanding of IT, customer success, and go-to-market strategy. Prior to joining Thrive as President in 2021, McLaughlin held senior leadership positions at companies like Kaseya, Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office, and NER Data Products, where he oversaw customer success, sales initiatives, and M&A activity.

Throughout his time at Thrive, McLaughlin has partnered with leading organizations to ensure their digital transformations are secure, cost-effective, and future-ready. As President, he played a pivotal role in growing Thrive through acquisition – including the purchase of 11 companies over the past two years. Through its growth, Thrive has expanded the breadth and quality of its services, as well as its geographical footprint. The organization now has over 1,400 team members across the U.S., UK, Canada, and APAC regions.

In January, the company received a strategic investment from Berkshire Partners and Court Square Capital Partners, supporting growth and continued opportunity in the outsourced IT space. As CEO, McLaughlin will continue to invest in Thrive’s team and capabilities as they serve their customers with excellence.

“Thrive is redefining what it means to be a next-generation service provider – in terms of the solutions we deliver, the markets we serve, the problems we solve, and the way we take care of and upskill our people,” said McLaughlin. “While this is an exciting new chapter, our mission and vision remain the same: we’re going to keep delivering exceptional service and solutions to our customers, solving some of their most critical business problems – and we’re going to do it as a team.”

To learn more about open positions at Thrive, visit the careers page.

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.

Thrive Contact:

Amanda Maguire

thrive@v2comms.com

The City of Moose Jaw partnered with Thrive to modernize its backup and disaster recovery solutions, addressing the unique needs of Canadian municipalities. By replacing its outdated, on premises systems with Thrive’s managed services, including Veeam Backup, Office 365 Backup, and Warmsite DRaaS, the city achieved significant cost savings, improved operational efficiency, and ensured business continuity for its citizens.

The City of Moose Jaw, located in southern Saskatchewan, Canada, has approximately 34,000 residents. Like many municipalities, it faces challenges balancing IT resources, ensuring efficient service delivery, and safeguarding critical data. When the city’s legacy backup system became insufficient to meet its growing needs, Ryan Nelson, Information Services Manager for the City of Moose Jaw, sought a partner who could provide a scalable, reliable, and cost-effective solution.

Why Thrive Was Chosen

The city’s previous backup system relied on outdated software and hardware, which was costly to maintain and offered limited functionality. Nelson wanted a partner, not just a vendor—someone who could provide a hands-on relationship, offer expertise, and ensure a seamless transition to a modern solution. Thrive stood out as the ideal choice.

For years, Moose Jaw’s IT team relied on a system that required constant attention and offered limited functionality. Backups were stored locally and replicated at a nearby site with no warm recovery capabilities, and the system placed a significant maintenance burden on the team. Nelson knew the city needed a company that could deliver more than just technology; they needed expertise and a relationship they could count on.

“I wanted to move away from being dependent on aging hardware and manual processes,” Nelson said. “But more importantly, I wanted a partner—not a corporation—who would understand our specific challenges and help us achieve our vision. Thrive stood out because they could deliver exactly what we needed and provided a personal, trustworthy approach,” said Nelson.

Thrive proved to be the ideal fit for the City of Moose Jaw by offering a hands-on, tailored service model. Their ability to provide a fully managed solution eliminated the need for the city’s IT team to manage complex licensing or invest in additional training.

Solutions Delivered

Thrive provided a comprehensive suite of solutions to modernize the City of Moose Jaw’s backup and disaster recovery processes. The cornerstone of the implementation was Veeam Backup and Recovery, a turnkey solution that allowed the city to securely back up its data while enabling fast, local recovery when needed. Thrive also implemented robust retention policies to manage and protect the city’s growing Office 365 environment, including email and SharePoint, ensuring data security across cloud-based workloads.

In addition to backups, Thrive delivered Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS), providing the city with a warm site ready to ensure continuity during a disruption. This solution integrated seamlessly with the city’s existing VPN infrastructure, offering secure and reliable access to critical systems during continuity events.

“Thrive’s ability to guide us through every transition step was invaluable,” Nelson shared. “They provided clear documentation, answered all our questions, and ensured the solutions worked perfectly within our environment. We went from an outdated, labor-intensive system to a modern, hands-off approach almost overnight.”

With Thrive’s help, the City of Moose Jaw now has a fully managed solution that addresses its backup needs and ensures readiness for future challenges.

Thrive’s Impact

Since partnering with Thrive, the City of Moose Jaw has seen transformative results. The IT team no longer spends excessive time managing backups, allowing them to focus on strategic priorities.

“We’re no longer spending time babysitting backups or troubleshooting outdated systems. Instead, we’ve gained a reliable solution that meets our needs and has saved us money,” Nelson shared.

Business continuity has also improved significantly, ensuring the city can maintain operations in any scenario. The city now has peace of mind knowing that its data and services are protected, even during potential disruptions.

Looking ahead, Moose Jaw is also working with Thrive to fortify its cybersecurity. This continued collaboration highlights the
trust and value Moose Jaw places in Thrive’s expertise and solutions.

“Thrive has our back. Their solutions don’t just work—they free us to focus on what’s most important while knowing our data is secure and accessible.” ~ Ryan Nelson, City of Moose Jaw Information Services Manager

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.