IT Glue has hired Passportal and N-able Technologies veteran Mike Byrne as director of community, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Byrne had only been at Passportal for a few months. That company and IT Glue have been on a collision course over the past year or so. Both firms focus on MSP-centric software platforms with a blend of password and documentation capabilities. Both firms also are in growth mode, though I suspect IT Glue is a few times larger than Passportal in terms of headcount and annual revenues.
Byrne is well-known in MSP circles, especially among decision makers who oversee IT service desks, RMM (remote monitoring and management) and overall business automation. His jump to IT Glue comes as the company gears up for its first annual partner conference -- GlueCon in September 2018. (Disclosure: I'm scheduled to moderate a CEO panel at that gathering.)
ChannelE2E pinged IT Glue about Byrne joining the company. VP Channel Dave Goldie offered this perspective:
"We are thrilled to have Mike Byrne join IT Glue as director, community. Having a seasoned Channel community veteran like Mike is an overdue move for us as our growth continues to outpace the market. Our community is passionate and hungry to take their IT Glue experience to the next level and having a key player like Mike serve as an educational conduit is sure to maximize the value in our partnerships. More importantly, Mike's position will allow us to play a more critical role in connecting our partners to one another to build a best-in-class IT Glue community, where tribal best-practice will drive productivity and profit for MSPs across the board. Mike will also focus on maximizing engagement with our PAC in an effort to foster stronger relationships and leverage their collective MSP brilliance for taking IT Glue to the next level. Mike will be engaging with our amazing community on GlueChannels very soon. Stay tuned!"
Passportal Talent Investments
Back at Passportal, the company continues to invest in its partner support, according to President Dan Wensley.
"Our commitment to continue to build an award winning team to support our partners and build upon the success of our Password Security Platform with integrated Documentation remains our primary goal," he told ChannelE2E. " Colin and I both remain at the forefront of the business for our partners, however will continue to add the people who can really add value."
A key example is recent hire Ryan Barker, who joined Passportal as VP of partner success a few months ago, Wensley notes. Barker is a 20-year veteran of the IT consulting and MSP industry. He has previously worked closely with Knox at XCEL Professional Services (an MSP acquired by F12.net).
