independenceIT® (iIT), provider of the complete cloud workspace™, today announced the appointment of Jim Lippie as Executive Vice President of Business Development to support dramatic new business growth and expansion in 2013.

As Executive Vice President of Business Development, Lippie will be responsible for helping the Managed Services Provider (MSP) community identify opportunities to grow recurring revenue and add value to end-users. Lippie will present MSPs with a comprehensive and simplified platform to help them answer a number of the issues facing small businesses today including cloud computing, compliance, and “Bring your own device” (BYOD). In a world where true channel only companies are difficult to find, Lippie is a strong and outspoken advocate for the channel.

Prior to joining iIT, Jim was the President and CEO of Thrive Networks, A Staples Company. He was responsible for guiding the company’s overall business operations and strategy with a vision of becoming the premier provider of outsourced IT support for emerging and mid-market companies. In 2006 Lippie spearheaded the company’s successful acquisition by Staples. Under his leadership, Thrive tripled its revenue and doubled its employee base over a six year period. During his tenure, Thrive was consistently ranked as one of the most progressive managed service providers in the world. Jim has also been named as one of the world’s most influential people in the managed services industry. He has been quoted in hundreds of publications over the last several years and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. Before being named President and CEO in 2005, he served as Thrive Networks' director of business development.

“We warmly welcome Jim to iIT,” said Charles F. Buck, CEO, iIT. “We are expanding at a rapid pace with more telecommunication providers, VARs, ISVs and MSPs adopting the Cloud Workspace Platform each day. Jim will provide additional expertise to serve our Partners and propel further growth for the company,” Buck added.

“I have often said that organizations need to make a choice,” said Jim Lippie, EVP – Business Development, iIT “to either sell direct or sell through the channel. It’s a conflict of interest to do both. I believe in the channel, and I believe MSPs have an opportunity to sustain and grow their businesses with the right partners. iIT is 100% channel focused. iIT is not an infrastructure company. We provide a software platform that allows our partners to deliver a “Cloud Workspace” to their clients, giving them access to the applications they need to run their business.”

“I have been in the industry a long time and have seen a lot of different products, but I sincerely believe this is the best product on the market for MSPs today,” added Lippie.

Please join Jim and iIT on January 9^th to learn more about the iIT Partner program and to discuss a solution that gives the Channel flexibility to:

• Private label their own cloud offering
• Invoice their own clients
• Maintain 50% gross margins
• Leverage their existing staff and scale their business without growing headcount

About independenceIT

independenceIT (iIT) is an industry leading technology company that enables VARs, ISVs and MSPs to provision and support cloud services through its award-winning cloud services management platform. For more than a decade, iIT has successfully delivered the complete cloud workspace and facilitated organizations’ rapid transition away from traditional IT to quickly realize the cost savings and operational advantages of the cloud. Please visit www.independenceit.com for additional information.