GTIA acquires ASCII Group to expand IT channel reach

The Global Technology Industry Association has acquired The ASCII Group, expanding GTIA's member base in the IT channel.

Under the new structure, ASCII will become a GTIA community, and its members will also gain GTIA membership. The arrangement is intended to preserve ASCII's focus on peer connections, regional engagement and vendor relationships while adding access to GTIA resources and its broader international network.

GTIA is a non-profit trade association focused on the global IT channel. It represents hundreds of thousands of professionals from nearly 3,000 IT service providers, vendors, distributors and other companies serving the sector.

Founded in 1984 by Alan D. Weinberger, The ASCII Group has built its presence in North America around managed service providers, managed security service providers and solution providers. Its offering includes purchasing programmes, training, marketing support and peer-led business advice.

The acquisition brings together two organisations that have worked alongside each other for years, including through collaboration at ASCII Edge events and joint work on vendor-neutral research.

For GTIA, the transaction adds ASCII's community model and business support tools to its existing work in research, education, cybersecurity and industry strategy. For ASCII, it provides broader reach through GTIA's member portal, international meetings and forums.

Dan Wensley, Chief Executive Officer of GTIA, described the deal as the next phase of a longstanding relationship. "We've been in the room at ASCII Edge events, collaborating on world-class, vendor-agnostic research and working side by side with this community because we believe in the same things.

"This is a relationship that's been building and strengthening for years. This acquisition lets us go further together, and we do it with deep respect for the legacy Alan Weinberger built and the community that legacy created."

ASCII's leadership described the transaction as a natural extension of that history, saying the combination would widen collaboration and bring additional value to members.

Jerry Koutavas, Chief Executive Officer of The ASCII Group, said: "Stronger communities create stronger businesses. ASCII and GTIA have built a lasting relationship throughout our shared history in the industry, most recently strengthened through GTIA's groundbreaking AI research presented at every ASCII Edge event. Bringing our communities together is the natural next step, expanding collaboration, combining complementary strengths and delivering greater value to every member."

Member changes

One immediate effect is reciprocal access across both memberships. ASCII members will be enrolled as GTIA members, while GTIA members will be able to join the ASCII community and use its library of business tools and resources.

That broadens GTIA's offering in practical business support, particularly for managed service providers seeking day-to-day operational guidance from peers. It also gives ASCII members access to a larger global channel community at a time when service providers face rising demands around cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and changing customer requirements.

The deal also reflects further consolidation and alignment across the IT channel ecosystem, where trade bodies, member communities and vendor networks are seeking greater scale and more direct engagement with service providers. Industry groups have been under pressure to show clear value to members through research, education, networking and operational support.

GTIA's own evolution forms part of that backdrop. The association has grown from its roots with CompTIA into a standalone global trade body focused on the IT channel, positioning itself around standards, research and member support.

Board backing

The transaction has backing from figures linked to GTIA's board and wider ecosystem. One supporter framed the move as a way to strengthen support across managed service providers, managed intelligence providers, solution providers and vendors.

Rob Rae, CVP of Community and Ecosystems at Pax8 and a GTIA Board Director and Chair of the GTIA Managed Intelligence Alliance, said: "We're excited to see this acquisition come together. In ASCII, we saw what GTIA has always believed: that the strength of the IT channel lies in its people and its communities. By bringing these two organisations together, we are creating a platform powerful enough to meet the ambitions of every MSP, MIP, solution provider and vendor in our ecosystem. We, as the GTIA Board, are confident that this long-term bet on the channel will pay off for the members we serve."