IT Nation Connect™ Global has emerged as a focal point for MSPs who want to sharpen their competitive edge, learn from peers, and discover tools that help them sell and deliver more effectively. For Anup Ghosh, CEO at ThreatMate, the event offered an ideal intersection of audience and intent—leaders who arrive with curiosity and leave with concrete next steps. As Ghosh put it, “IT Nation Connect™ Global is the conference to go to if you're in the managed service provider space.” 

That clarity of fit set the tone for a sponsorship strategy that did more than collect badges. ThreatMate’s goal was to educate through experience, demonstrate real value in real time, and transform interest into action.

Capitalizing on an Underserved Security Market

The market context made the timing even more compelling. MSPs have long understood that security is no longer a bolt-on—it’s a baseline expectation. Yet operationalizing advanced security services can be daunting, particularly for providers without deep security teams. Ghosh’s view was candid and pragmatic: “We understand that managed service providers need cybersecurity.” At the same time, there’s a structural gap in the ecosystem: “Generally speaking, the managed security services are underserved.” Those two realities—urgent need and insufficient supply—created a clear opening for a solution that makes sophisticated testing both approachable and repeatable in an MSP business model.

From the start, ThreatMate aligned its presence to the audience profile that IT Nation Connect™ Global reliably delivers. The company saw immense value in the way the event attracts growth-minded professionals who come ready to learn and act. In the words of the team, “The quality of attendees is self-selecting and what you find are the folks that are really trying to grow their business, expand their knowledge, [and] enhance their networking.” That audience quality matters. It compresses sales cycles, elevates conversations, and turns booth visits into substantive discovery about customer needs.

ThreatMate made this a central pillar of its sponsorship logic: “As a sponsor, these are the folks that we want to get in front of,” said Ghosh. The reasoning was direct and buyer-focused: “We want to get the folks who are trying to grow their businesses, understand the needs of their clients…it’s a great opportunity to get in front of the people that are going to be buying.”

Turning Cybersecurity Concepts Into Real World Engagement 

With the audience fit established, ThreatMate designed an activation that would stand out for its substance as much as its style. Rather than rely solely on pitch decks or passive booth demos, the team built an environment where MSPs could encounter cybersecurity the way their clients experience it—hands-on, problem-first, and outcome-driven. The centerpiece was a dedicated Hacking and Networking Lounge. As Ghosh described it, “We have a fantastic networking lounge here,” and it wasn’t networking for its own sake; it was engineered as a practical classroom that rewarded curiosity with capability. 

The concept was simple and powerful: give MSPs the chance to try and triumph at ethical hacking challenges that demystify penetration testing. The goal was not merely to impress; it was to equip. “We use the opportunity to educate the MSPs on how to hack,” he explained, turning abstract risk into tangible learning. 

That approach naturally showcased ThreatMate’s core value proposition. While many MSPs recognize the need for security, few have a straightforward path to deliver services like penetration testing at scale. ThreatMate meets that need directly: “ThreatMate is here to provide automated pen testing services for the managed services provider market.” 

By allowing attendees to experience the logic and workflow of ethical hacking in a guided environment, the company translated an intimidating topic into one that felt accessible and, importantly, monetizable for MSPs. The activation helped attendees see how automation and repeatability can transform pen testing from a one-off project into a reliable service line they can deliver with confidence.

The human response made the difference. ThreatMate’s team repeatedly observed that when MSPs stepped into the lounge, they didn’t just learn—they lit up. One favorite moment captured the essence of the experience: “The delight on their face when they’re able to solve these hacking challenges.” That delight, born of discovery, is more than a feel-good anecdote; it is a commercial catalyst. 

When professionals grasp a concept in their bones, they can sell it, price it, and deliver it with conviction. Ghosh summarized the impact succinctly: “They left smarter than when they came—and delighted.” Education changed confidence, and confidence changed intent.

Proof of Performance: ROI, Pipeline, and Momentum

On the performance side, the sponsorship delivered. ThreatMate approached this year’s event with conviction shaped by data from the year prior. “Last year we had a great ROI, so this year we doubled down,” Ghosh noted, underscoring a disciplined approach to event marketing. 

The expanded presence paid off in both pipeline and momentum. Conversations were deeper, the hands on activities spurred qualified interest, and the team recorded strong engagement across the board. As Ghosh described it, “Yeah, we got a lot of demos booked, a lot of leads scanned,” a direct reflection of how the experiential format shortened the distance between curiosity and commitment. And the verdict on the overall reception was clear: “It’s been a fantastic response [and] engagement with MSPs, and we’ll be back here next year.”

Why did this work so well? Part of the answer lies in the event itself. IT Nation Connect Global has cultivated a community with a distinctly forward-leaning posture. Attendees are neither passive nor complacent; they come to sharpen their sales and service. As Ghosh affirmed early on, the conference is a “key place to be” for anyone serious about the MSP space. But the rest of the answer comes from the way ThreatMate matched the message to the moment. The company didn’t just talk about cybersecurity; it helped attendees feel it. By turning pen testing into a guided challenge that could be solved, it reframed security from a cost center into a teachable, repeatable service line. The result was an activation that built trust in the room and urgency in the funnel.

Learning That Sparks Excitement—and Action

Equally important is the way ThreatMate’s strategy elevated the role of joy in learning. Business events often prioritize information density over emotional resonance. ThreatMate did both. The Hacking and Networking Lounge created a shared experience—one that forged memorable connections while delivering practical insight. 

The lasting image is not a data sheet; it is the look on an attendee’s face during a breakthrough. That memory compounds. It anchors future follow-ups, strengthens internal advocacy within MSP teams, and gives sales conversations a concrete reference point. When an MSP leader can tell their colleagues, “I solved a challenge and saw how the service works,” they are no longer considering an abstraction; they are relaying a personal proof point.

The sponsorship also clarified how experiential education can accelerate sales enablement. Attendees who moved from curiosity to competence in the lounge were better equipped to evaluate how automated pen testing fits into their service catalog, how it might be packaged, and how it could be priced for clients with varying risk tolerances. That clarity shortens the path to pilots and trials. It reduces the friction that often slows post-event momentum, because prospects leave with understanding rather than just interest. Ghosh’s observation that “we got a lot of demos booked” is the measurable echo of an activation that replaced persuasion with participation.

Doubling Down on What Works: The Road Ahead for ThreatMate

Looking ahead, ThreatMate sees IT Nation Connect Global not simply as a recurring calendar slot, but as a learning lab—a place to refine educational content, iterate on challenge design, and deepen its alignment with MSP business outcomes. The company’s commitment to return—“We’ll be back here next year”—signals confidence in both the audience and the approach. Future activations will likely continue to center on the principle that drove this year’s success: show, don’t just tell. When MSPs can practice what they plan to sell, they can take the next step faster.

ThreatMate’s sponsorship at IT Nation Connect Global demonstrates how matching a high-intent audience with a high-engagement activation can produce measurable ROI and durable brand equity. It validates the idea that in complex categories like cybersecurity, learning is the most persuasive form of marketing. 

ThreatMate started from a straightforward premise—MSPs need security, and the market doesn’t fully meet that need—and built an experience that turned that premise into progress. It did so by meeting attendees where they are, inviting them into the work, and letting mastery create momentum. As Ghosh succinctly framed the thesis at the outset, “IT Nation Connect Global is the conference to go to,” and for ThreatMate, the path from presence to performance was paved by education, enthusiasm, and the simple power of a solved challenge.