Tallahassee, FL April 9, 2025 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and IT managed services, announced today that it has been selected by the State of Florida, Department of Management Services as a vendor for the Digital Security Solutions contract. This latest partnership adds to the list of state and local governments that trust Thrive to protect them from cyber threats, including phishing attempts and data breaches.

Local and state governments continue to be targets of cyberattacks, and the effect is costly. According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024, the global average cost of a data breach is $4.88 million. And with a government’s limited resources, a cyberattack can be devastating, not only financially but also to the trust of its constituents.

To enable these organizations to strengthen their cybersecurity and better protect their data, Thrive has a dedicated public sector team with more than 20 years of experience. This team delivers proactive, fully managed security solutions designed to protect state agencies from cyber risk.

Florida’s Department of Management Services will allow Thrive to provide cybersecurity solutions to state agencies and other eligible entities across multiple service categories, including:

1. Service Category 3: Endpoint Detection and Response Fortinet FortiEDR with Thrive Management
2. Service Category 5: Email Security Checkpoint Harmony Email & Collaboration Security with Thrive Management
3. Service Category 10: Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Checkpoint SASE with Thrive Management

“State and local governments are seeing an influx of data at the exact same time that cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated. It has never been more important to ensure government systems are updated, teams are trained, and data is protected,” said Bill McLaughlin, CEO of Thrive. “Thrive has a deep understanding of the unique needs of local and state governments across our cybersecurity journey. When government agencies like the State of Florida, partner with us, we bring in our team of experts to handle cybersecurity risk so the organization can focus on serving citizens.”

To learn more about Thrive’s CJIS offerings, click here.

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

The post Thrive Awarded State of Florida Contract for Digital Security Solutions appeared first on Thrive.

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

The post Thrive Honors 2024 Outstanding Partner Award Winners appeared first on Thrive.

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   

The post Thrive Acquires Secured Network Services appeared first on Thrive.

Boston, MA, February 11, 2025 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and IT managed services, today announced Ben Reich has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. Reich will bring his strategic expertise in growing businesses organically and through acquisition as Thrive continues to experience rapid growth to meet the complex needs of the industries the company serves.

With a proven track record of building finance, operations, and HR teams while successfully managing P&L and capital budgets, Reich brings a wealth of expertise in financial and M&A strategy to Thrive. Reich most recently held the title of Chief Financial Officer at Opti9 Tech, a leading hybrid cloud solutions provider, where he provided critical financial guidance to the executive team and stakeholders, and drove the M&A strategy by modeling potential acquisition targets, conducting due diligence, and evaluating synergies. Prior to Opti9 Tech, Reich served as Vice President, Finance at ATSG, completing the integration of four acquisitions and driving $100M in commitment from external investment groups.

“We have grown into one of the leading global technology outsourcing firms, and to support our momentum, we need leaders who will help us execute our growth and expansion objectives,” said Bill McLaughlin, CEO of Thrive. “Ben’s proven track record and deep understanding of driving M&A strategy and business growth will be indispensable as we continue to scale to deliver the best solutions for our customers.”

The appointment of Reich comes at an exciting time of growth for Thrive, having recently elevated Bill McLaughlin to the CEO role. The company also received a strategic investment from Berkshire Partners and Court Square Capital Partners to unlock further growth. Along with this, Thrive continues to expand geographically, most recently acquiring Michigan-based Safety Net and North Carolina-based The Longleaf Network.

“Tapping into financial strategies that lead to business growth and bring real impact to organizations is what I’m most enthusiastic about,” said Reich. “Thrive’s growth trajectory and aggressive M&A goals are why I am here. I look forward to working with Bill and the rest of the Thrive team to start executing against them and continue to scale the company to ensure future success.”

If you’re interested in learning 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.

Contacts

Amanda Maguire

thrive@v2comms.com

The post Thrive Appoints Ben Reich as Chief Financial Officer appeared first on Thrive.

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 post Bill McLaughlin Named Thrive’s New CEO appeared first on Thrive.

Foxborough, Ma. – January 14, 2025 – Thrive (“the Company”), a provider of cybersecurity, cloud, and IT managed services, today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement for a strategic investment from Berkshire Partners (“Berkshire”) and existing investor Court Square Capital Partners (“Court Square”). Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Thrive is an IT managed services provider (“MSP”) and managed security services provider (“MSSP”) that offers outsourced IT and cybersecurity services to mid-market, small enterprise, and sophisticated SMB clientele across a number of industries including financial services, healthcare, professional services, and government. With 15 acquisitions since 2020, Thrive has grown into one of the leading global technology outsourcing firms and in 2024 was again named to CRN’s Managed Service Provider 500 list, which recognizes the top technology providers and consultants in the MSP space.

“Over the past decade, we’ve built a market-leading company with a wide array of technology capabilities. With the new strategic investment from Berkshire and Court Square, we will continue scaling to meet the complex needs of the industries we serve,” said Bill McLaughlin, President of Thrive. “We are excited to partner with two firms that understand our business and mission of enabling our customers to increase business efficiencies through standardization, scalability, and automation to deliver exceptional technology returns on investment.”

“Thrive’s impressive leadership team has built a remarkable organization, and we are thrilled to begin our partnership alongside Court Square,” said Candice Corvetti, Managing Director at Berkshire Partners. “The complexity of the IT and cybersecurity challenges that companies face today have never been greater,” added Marcus Dodyk, Principal at Berkshire Partners.  “These tailwinds and the need for effective IT and cybersecurity services will continue to create opportunities for exceptional, customer-first MSP/MSSPs like Thrive.”

“We believe in the continued success of Thrive, which has executed against its growth objectives as the Company continues to scale both organically and inorganically,” said Matt Dennett, Partner at Court Square. “Our additional investment underscores our belief in the Company,” added Jeff Vogel, Managing Partner at Court Square. “We are thrilled to continue working with Thrive’s exceptional management team and partner with Berkshire, who brings a wealth of IT investing experience and expertise.”

“At each investor stage through Thrive’s evolution we’ve more than tripled the scale and capabilities of the Company.  This is a truly world class company and management team that is positioned to do the same in the next chapter,” finished Rob Stephenson, CEO of Thrive.

Debt financing for the transaction is being provided by a group of lenders, agented by Alliance Bernstein.  Lazard and Moelis acted as financial advisors to Thrive.  Guggenheim served as a financial advisor to Berkshire Partners.

# # #

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 outsized technology returns on investment (ROI). The Company accomplishes this by offering 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 Thrive on LinkedIn.

About Berkshire Partners

Berkshire Partners is a 100% employee-owned, multi-sector specialist investor in private and public equity. The firm’s private equity team invests in well-positioned, growing companies across business & consumer services, healthcare, industrials, and technology & communications. Berkshire is currently investing from its Fund XI, which held its final closing in 2024 with approximately $7.8 billion in commitments. Since inception, Berkshire Partners has made more than 150 private equity investments and has a strong history of collaborating with management teams to grow the companies in which it invests. The firm’s public equity group, Stockbridge, founded in 2007, manages a concentrated portfolio seeking attractive long-term investments. For additional information, visit www.berkshirepartners.com.

About Court Square

Court Square is a middle market private equity firm with over 40 years’ experience in the industry. Since 1979, Court Square has completed over 245 platform investments and is focused on helping Founders, Families, and Manager-owners to develop their companies into leaders in their respective markets. Court Square invests in companies that have compelling growth potential in the industrial, business services, healthcare, and tech and telecom sectors. As of June 2024, Court Square has $8.9 billion in assets under management and is based in New York, N.Y. For more information on Court Square, please visit www.courtsquare.com.

Media Contacts:

Thrive

Amanda Maguire

thrive@v2comms.com

Berkshire Partners

Greg Winter

gwinter@berkshirepartners.com

Court Square

Max Rayden

courtsquare@edelman.com

The post Thrive Receives Strategic Investment from Berkshire Partners and Court Square Capital Partners appeared first on Thrive.

Boston, MA, December 17, 2024 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and IT managed services, today announced that its CEO, Rob Stephenson, has been named the 2024 MSP Titan of the Year. Rob was given the accolade in recognition of his leadership, innovation, and dedication to shaping the future of the MSP industry.

Over the past nine years, Stephenson has fearlessly guided Thrive through a time of immense growth. Under his leadership, the company has grown to now include more than 1,400 employees across the U.S., UK, Canada, and APAC regions; added service lines addressing new and evolving challenges in IT and cybersecurity; and developed a customer-first culture that is embraced at every level of the organization. Over the past two years alone, Stephenson has led the company through 11 acquisitions, executing against an aggressive growth strategy that has resulted in immense opportunities for both employees and clients.

“Thrive’s mission is to be the most respected managed security and IT services provider for the mid-market and sophisticated SMBs around the world,” said Stephenson. “This prestigious award validates Thrive’s position as the global leader for customers with complex technology requirements to partner with on their digital transformation journeys and has been duly earned by our 1,400 hardworking, client advocating employees.”

MSP Titans of the Industry Awards is an annual awards program that highlights trailblazers in the MSP industry that set new standards of excellence and innovations. Winners are selected from a competitive pool of candidates and are chosen based on their dedication, leadership, and successes, and Titan of the Year is the program’s biggest accolade. The awards program is run by MSP Success Magazine, a publication dedicated to helping CEOs and owners of managed IT services businesses build strong, profitable, growth-oriented businesses.

In addition to the MSP Titan of the Year award, Thrive’s Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services have been recognized as part of Security Today’s CyberSecured Awards, under the MSSP category. Thrive’s MDR solutions enable organizations to take a proactive approach to security by combining powerful Extended Detection and Response Services (XDR) with Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM), alongside Thrive’s 24x7x365 SOC to provide around the clock monitoring. This award adds to Thrive’s growing list of accolades in 2024, including being named the Top Supplier for Cloud and Managed Services by Telarus and Boston Business Journal’s Dealmaker of the Year as part of the BBJ’s Middle Market Leaders program.

To learn more about Thrive’s award-winning solutions and services, 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

The post Thrive CEO Receives Prestigious 2024 MSP Titan of Year Award appeared first on Thrive.

Boston, MA, November 26, 2024 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and IT managed services, today announced it will be opening a Montreal-based SOC 2 certified data center to support its private Cloud offering. With this new opening, Thrive continues to expand its data center locations, enabling customers throughout Canada to better secure and protect their data.

Data breaches continue to be on the rise. In fact, according to the Identify Theft Resource Center, the number of data compromises reported in the first half of 2024 increased 14% compared to the same period in 2023.  With potential threats always looming, organizations must ensure their data, and their customers’ data, are properly housed, managed, and secured. With the addition of the data center in Montreal, Thrive adds to their list of enterprise-class data center locations to ensure all Canadian customers have access to secure and reliable Cloud infrastructure to store their most valuable data.

As is the case with all Thrive’s data center locations, customers will gain a range of benefits, including:

• Security: Thrive’s data centers utilize best practices in on-site physical security, including biometric access controls, perimeter monitoring, and 24×7 staffing, along with cutting-edge digital security measures.
• Reliability: Thrive’s purpose-built data center facilities deliver maximum reliability and connectivity for mission-critical infrastructure that powers organizations.
• Scalability: No matter the specific needs of an organization, Thrive can provide the data center flexibility and capacity to handle future growth.
• Emergency Backup: Thrive’s data centers offer fully redundant power, networking, and environmental systems, ensuring that each facility is available when needed most. Paired with best-of-breed replication and recovery technology platforms, Thrive can help protect critical systems and data from loss in the event of an emergency.

“Many organizations today are facing the daunting task of protecting and storing their critical data amidst an ever-changing cybersecurity landscape – and it is more important than ever to ensure data is housed properly,” said Scott Steele, Chief Operating Officer, Thrive. “Thrive’s customers in Canada will have access to not just a data center, but a sustainable private Cloud infrastructure solution, positioning their business for secure, scalable growth well into the future.”

Along with its private Cloud offering, Thrive offers an array of services, customized to each organization’s business needs. To keep pace with the evolving landscape, Thrive continues to grow their services, from managed detection and response to incident response & remediation.

To learn more about Thrive, 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

The post Thrive Opens New Data Center in Montreal appeared first on Thrive.

Boston, MA, November 20, 2024 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and IT managed services, today named Kristina O’Connell as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). With experience spanning new and growing industries, including SaaS, AI, and wireless charging, O’Connell will guide Thrive’s corporate marketing and brand building initiatives as the company continues to experience a rapid period of growth.

With over three decades of experience leading marketing teams in the technology industry, O’Connell brings an unparalleled wealth of knowledge and expertise in brand development, creative innovation, and marketing strategy. Before joining Thrive in October 2023, she led marketing at WiTricity, where she helped build and develop the market for electric vehicle wireless charging (B2B2C) from an MIT spin-out to commercialization. O’Connell served ExaGrid for a decade, defining brand and creative strategy in the Tiered Backup Storage enterprise market. At F5 Networks, she led the company’s worldwide marketing and was instrumental in helping F5 pioneer the load-balancing market from startup through IPO to #1 in global market share.

“When you hear customers saying that they’re seeing Thrive everywhere, you know your marketing team is doing something right – and that has been normal feedback we’ve heard since Kristina joined us,” said Rob Stephenson, CEO of Thrive. “Kristina’s deep understanding of not only our offerings but the cybersecurity and technology industries at large are invaluable when it comes to communicating what Thrive brings to the table. As CMO, I know she will strategically communicate our vision to the broader market and take Thrive to new heights as we innovate and expand.”

As Thrive continues to provide new services to customers and increase its geographical footprint through acquisition, O’Connell’s guidance in ensuring brand visibility and consistency across regions, growing the company’s thought leadership, influence, and raising Thrive’s overall profile amongst prospects, media, and other stakeholders will be critical. Her vast experience across technology domains, including networking, storage, enterprise software, SaaS, and AI-powered software, will help elevate Thrive’s services and key messages to new audiences.

O’Connell’s appointment comes amidst an exciting period of growth for Thrive. The company recently acquired Safety Net – its eleventh acquisition in just two years. The company also appointed Scott Steele as Chief Operating Officer in June 2024.

“When I came to Thrive, I was incredibly impressed by Thrive’s team, NextGen platform of services, the business problems we were solving for our clients, and the possibilities when it came to innovating for the future,” said O’Connell. “I look forward to working with the rest of our executive team to continue to amplify our brand, influence, culture, and excitement for how we do business. Thrive is changing the game with outsourced technology.”

If you’re interested in learning 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.

Contacts

Amanda Maguire

thrive@v2comms.com

The post Thrive Appoints Kristina O’Connell as Chief Marketing Officer appeared first on Thrive.

Boston, MA, November 19, 2024 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and IT managed services, today announced that is has become a Cyber Essentials (CE) and Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) certification body. The company can now audit for accreditation and compliance with the Information Assurance for Small and Medium Enterprises (IASME) Cyber Essentials control framework.

According to a government report issued earlier this year, half of businesses (50%) and around a third of charities (32%) in the UK report having experienced some form of cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months. To mitigate these threats and ensure organisations have the proper safeguards in place, the IASME requires most public sector institutions that touch government, healthcare, and social housing, as well as many small and medium businesses (SMBs), to be CE or CE+ compliant in order to be eligible to bid for contracts. CE is a government-backed, industry-supported self-assessment that organisations can utilise to protect themselves against common cyber threats and gain certified compliance with best practices. Aligning with this standard helps organisations position themselves to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their information systems and data assets.

As a certification body, Thrive can now work with UK organisations to help them achieve compliance with the CE or CE+ framework. The normal CE certification requires a self-certified questionnaire, submitted online to the IASME. Upon successful completion, Thrive will issue the CE certification. Thrive also provides Readiness Assessments for SMBs seeking CE+ accreditation. This includes a gap analysis report and roadmap to address both CE and CE+ certification requirements, enabling an organisation to also pursue the CE+ certification once the CE Questionnaire is completed. The Readiness Assessment will focus on the CE Questionnaire along with technical controls for firewalls, secure configuration, security update management, user access control, and malware protection. As part of the CE+ certification, a Thrive certified CE+ Assessor will carry out the required audit on the systems that are in-scope for CE, including a representative set of user devices, all internet gateways, and all servers with services accessible to unauthenticated internet users.

“From phishing to malware, we’re seeing an increase in threats of every kind, and too often the organisations that are most susceptible to these threats are small and medium businesses or those working in the public sphere,” said Michael Gray, Chief Technology Officer at Thrive. “Becoming CE certified allows organisations to take essential steps in understanding and improving their cybersecurity posture. Thrive is proud to be a partner in helping businesses on their accreditation journey and providing them with the guidance needed to not only better protect themselves but set them up for long-term success.”

In addition to CE and CE+ certifications, Thrive offers and array of services and offerings to help organisations of all sizes better protect themselves. From managed detection and response to autonomous penetration testing and cloud services, UK enterprises can trust that Thrive has the team, solutions, and experience to bolster digital transformation and cybersecurity efforts, regardless of sector or size.

To learn more about Thrive’s 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

The post Thrive Becomes Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus Certification Body appeared first on Thrive.