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I recently spent a few days at the Pax8 Beyond24 event in Denver, a gathering showcasing modern business’s future through cutting-edge technology and inspiring speakers. Pax8, a leader in cloud-enabling enterprises, processes one million monthly transactions, empowering managed service providers (MSPs) like CatchMark to accelerate growth, increase efficiency, and reduce risk for the MSP and our customers.

The event brought together over 1,200 MSPs and vendors to network, learn, and support each other’s growth. My goals for attending aligned perfectly with our mission at CatchMark: solving problems and helping people.

Pax8’s vision for the future, driven by AI advancements from leaders like OpenAI and Microsoft with Copilot, was a highlight. Pax8 CEO Scott Chasin emphasized embracing these technological changes to stay competitive.

Over two days of engaging panels, a recurring theme was the importance of essential security practices for MSPs, focusing on protections like Advanced Threat Protection, multi-factor authentication (MFA), Security Awareness Training, and Segregated Backups.

The six-time Olympic gold medalist Amy Van Dyken provided a keynote. Despite severe asthma and a chlorine allergy, Amy became the first American woman to win four gold medals in a single Olympics. After a tragic ATV accident in 2014 left her paraplegic, she continued to defy the odds daily. Her motto, “Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do?” resonated deeply with attendees.

On the second day, author Malcolm Gladwell and Pax8 Chairman John Street discussed AI’s societal impact and lessons from the pandemic. Gladwell highlighted AI’s potential to create more meaningful work opportunities, stressing the importance of human connections and redefining work.

The event concluded with a bang. The Spazmatics opened the closing party with 80s covers, followed by a thrilling performance by rapper Ludacris.

My top five takeaways from this event are:

  1. Businesses that don’t embrace technological evolution risk being left behind.
  2. “Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do?” – Amy Van Dyken
  3. “Jobs eliminated by AI provide opportunities for people to do something more advanced or meaningful.” – Malcolm Gladwell
  4. Strong leadership involves always offering a hand to help someone grow and a hand to learn from others.
  5. I will forever love hip-hop music

The Pax8 Beyond24 event was an amazing experience, and I am excited to collaborate with the CatchMark Team, Pax8, and our vendors to help our customers grow their businesses securely and efficiently.