Guest Contributors

  1. RSPA Trusted Advisor Ep. 68: Rebranding Lessons For The Retail IT Channel 5/24/2022

    In Episode 68 of “The Trusted Advisor,” the RSPA’s Jim Roddy sits down with Paul Griffiths and Stephen Bergeron of apg (formerly APG Cash Drawer) to discuss rebranding lessons for VARs, ISVs, and vendors in the retail technology channel. They discuss rebranding principles and processes, how to best engage employees and customers during this journey, and why resellers with “cash register” in their company name are likely candidates for a rebrand of their own.

  2. RSPA Trusted Advisor Ep. 69: The Changing Retail IT Channel 5/24/2022

    In Episode 69 of “The Trusted Advisor,” the RSPA’s Jim Roddy sits down with Mike Monocello, the co-founder of DevPro Journal and XaaS Journal, about his perspective on the ever-changing retail technology channel – both the past 15 years and what’s ahead. Monocello and Roddy also break down an RSPA-exclusive chart analyzing current and emerging business models in the retail IT channel including VARs, ISVs, ISOs, PayFacs, and DISDs (Direct Independent Software Developers).

  3. VARs Should Offer Broader Solutions To Cannabis Dispensaries 5/24/2022

    The headline you just read was the consensus thinking of the executives attending a recent online meeting of the RSPA Niche & Startup ISV Community. Often times VARs attempting to penetrate this vertical focus only on the point of sale system and related software, and they find little success because of the glut of companies pushing their own POS solution.

  4. RSPA Trusted Advisor Ep. 70: How To Leverage The Unconventional To Recruit Talent 5/24/2022

    In Episode 70 of “The Trusted Advisor,” the RSPA’s Jim Roddy talks with Tracey Lande, Vice President of Strategy and Growth/Business Development Lead at VAULT, about her unconventional – and highly successful – employee recruiting strategies. Lande shares how her personal journey back to the retail IT channel is influencing her hiring plans at VAULT, the importance of personalizing open positions and creating outcome-based job descriptions, and how to leverage your network and social media to build a strong team fast.

  5. ISV Advice: “Marketing Can Do Things For You That A Great Product Cannot” 5/24/2022

    ISVs big and small continue to increase their engagement with the RSPA both in person and online. RetailNOW 2022 is on track to surpass the 230+ software developer executives last year’s show attracted, and nearly 50% of this year’s exhibitors will be software-focused. Additionally, the RSPA Niche & Startup ISV Community continues to attract high-initiative ISV executives to its bi-monthly conference calls.

  6. Putting Culture To Work In The MSP Channel 5/20/2022

    Peter Drucker famously points out that “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” but what most SMBs overlook is that culture can have a bigger impact on talent acquisition and retention than strategy, trajectory and even compensation.

  7. Immediately Solve Billing Reconciliation Problems In Just A Few Clicks 5/20/2022

    Everyone hates billing reconciliation – and if they don’t, they probably will if they stick to it long enough! That’s why Gradient MSP has created Billable™ - an intuitive user interface that integrates with your company’s PSA to allow you to quickly and painlessly reconcile usage against your contracts to get your invoices trued up and out the door as fast as possible!

  8. 10 Tips To Grow Your MSP Business 5/18/2022

    Every entrepreneur has the same dream. A successful business that attracts a large clientele, the ability to grow the business to its full potential, and the opportunity to make it profitable. Not all of them will achieve this dream. But there's a lot to learn from the ones that do. Gradient is always looking for ways to provide added value to our partners to help them achieve maximum success.

  9. SOC 2: Risk Assessment 5/18/2022

    Gradient MSP's Matt Topper continues his SOC 2 series with an in-depth look at Risk Assessment and the importance of establishing clear objectives. In this video Topper makes a clear case for why an organization needs to establish controls that are tailored to its unique vulnerabilities. Risk assessment can't be a one-size-fits-all exercise because that approach neglects to consider issues specific to a given environment. Predetermined threats and vulnerabilities based on a standardized, generic checklist may help pass an audit, but they won't necessarily address all of the actual risks a company faces.

  10. Rolling Out Documentation To Your Team 5/18/2022

    When incorporating a new process in your organization, getting your team on board is just as important as the process itself. The same goes for documentation as well. Before you start rolling out documentation to your team, you must prepare in advance and take the required steps to make way for the new process. This makes the transition as smooth as possible and maximizes the success of your documentation.