Bitwarden Channel Partner of the Quarter: Ascend Technology Group

Founded: 2005

Company size: 20 employees

Industry: IT services and support

Location: Omaha, Nebraska

Length of time using Bitwarden: 2 years

Based in Omaha, Nebraska, Ascend Technology Group is a managed service provider (MSP) offering IT services and support to clients in the Omaha area and across the US. Ascend delivers concierge-level managed IT services, with specialisms including small business technology, technical support, network support, and data security and protection. The company, which has been in operation for 20 years, boasts a 97% client retention rate and is committed to making life easier for businesses focused on doing their best work.

While Ascend did offer a password management tool as part of its security stack, most of its clients were not using any type of password manager. “Initially, there was the expectation that there would be friction or complications that would arise from using a password manager,” said John Gerdes, president of Ascend Technology Group. 

Ascend, which initially promoted LastPass as its password manager of choice, ultimately decided to research other solutions and make a switch due to concerns about security practices.

Ascend opted to deploy Bitwarden internally after learning about its respected security architecture and zero-knowledge infrastructure. Zero knowledge means that every piece of data stored in the Bitwarden Vault is secured with end-to-end AES-256 encryption and that the Bitwarden team cannot see anything stored within user vaults. 

“We rolled Bitwarden out to our own employee base and, after discovering how well it worked, started promoting it as part of our security stack and recommending it to clients,” said Gerdes. “Overall, the feedback has been very positive. As part of their engagement with Bitwarden, our clients are also learning password management best practice.”

Gerdes also noted that clients are especially pleased with the Bitwarden integration with two-step login, which requires authentication from a secondary device when a user logs in, and find the Bitwarden mobile application intuitive and well-designed.

Ascend, which is part of the Bitwarden for MSP programme, has seen deep and continued benefits in its collaboration with the Bitwarden team. “We always thought we received excellent support, but the new and improved Bitwarden MSP programme has been highly beneficial for our clients. Billing is streamlined and onboarding has been quite straightforward, both for Ascend as a company and for our clients.”

The Ascend team is committed to securing executive buy-in from its clients before promoting Bitwarden because it believes doing so is key to creating a culture of security. Initially, Ascend walks client executives through security breach scenarios to help them fully understand how much impact weak or reused passwords can have on businesses. 

“Let’s say there is a breach of a low-stakes app that the executive uses,” said Gerdes. “While the breach may not seem business-critical, we remind executives that people often reuse passwords across accounts, including those that may be more sensitive. Cybercriminals will discover reused passwords and eventually find a high-value target. Fortunately, password managers remove the need to reuse passwords. If there is a breach, it will only impact one individual account because that password is unique. Discussing these potential scenarios with clients helps them understand risks to the wider business, such as the accounts team, the procurement team, and so on.”

“Overall, Bitwarden has exceeded expectations. Clients are learning that having an Excel file on their desktop called ‘passwords’ is not secure. They are understanding and adopting password best practice and, thanks to Bitwarden, buying into the concept of unique passwords everywhere.”

Interested in becoming a member of the Bitwarden Partner Programme? Find out more here. You can also learn more about what Bitwarden can do for your business and sign up for a free 7-day trial!