MSP, Sales and marketing, Security Staff Acquisition & Development

GMS Live Expert Hires AVG, LPI Veteran for MSP Push

Danny Obaseki
Danny Obaseki

GMS Live Expert, which provides help desk and NOC (network operations center) services to MSPs, has hired AVG Technologies and Level Platforms veteran Danny Obaseki as director of business development.

Obaseki has worked in and around the IT channel and MSPs since 2005 -- moving up the ranks at Level Platforms, AVG and Solana Networks. MSP sources say Obaseki is a "super sharp sales guy" and a great account manager who knows the channel. Added former co-worker Rob Rae, VP of business development at Datto, "This is a great move for both Danny and GMS."

Network Operations Center Initiatives

Obaseki joins GMS Live Expert as the company prepares to accelerate its NOC push. As director of business development, he will guide MSPs as they embrace GMS help desk and NOC services -- which are designed to lower partners' overall support costs.

Dan Goldstein

"GMS’ NOC offering will eliminate the need for MSP partners to intervene in an issue, short of going onsite to physically complete repairs," says Dan Goldstein, director of channel strategy at GMS. "Where other NOCs ( and help desks for that matter) typically don’t track actual resolution or escalation rates, GMS applies the same philosophy that has led us to offer industry leading help desk resolution rates to our NOC practice."

A key differentiator is GMS’ PSA connector, according to the company. The connector allows MSPs to receive nearly real-time insight into their user's issues and how they have been solved. Also, the data sync allows MSP to report on and bill for any and all work completed based on their respective pricing models, Goldstein says.

Obaseki is the second AVG channel veteran to surface at a new MSP-focused company in recent days. AVG and N-able Technologies veteran Marco La Vecchia joined TUC Managed IT Services as VP of sales, that company announced yesterday.

MSP NOCs and Help Desks

A range of companies promote NOC and help desk services to VARs and MSPs.

Continuum, for instance, blends NOC services with RMM (remote monitoring and management) support and BDR (backup and disaster recovery) services to help MSPs offload day-to-day tasks. NetEnrich also has promoted NOC services to channel partners, though the company largely moved upstream to the midmarket in recent years.

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.