Strong leadership in the IT channel is built on trust, perspective and a deep commitment to the community it serves. In this Q&A, Jason Magee, CEO of Cynet Security and a member of GTIA’s board of directors, reflects on a career shaped by close partnerships with IT service providers (ITSPs), hard-earned lessons and a belief that collaboration across the channel matters more than any single company.
As part of GTIA’s blog series highlighting our board of directors, we asked Magee what fuels his passion for the MSP ecosystem, how GTIA has influenced his leadership outlook and where he sees the association—and the broader channel—headed next. He also shares how he recharges away from the fast pace of cybersecurity and board responsibilities. Here’s what he had to say.
You’ve had a long career in the IT channel and cybersecurity space. Looking back, what is one pivotal moment that most shaped the leader you are today?
There isn’t a single moment—my career has been shaped by many successes, failures, lessons and shifts across the industry. But if I had to narrow it down, the biggest realization was that the relationship you build with your customers—our partners—is everything. They’ll tell you where you’re winning, where you need to improve, and what new problems you can solve to make them more successful. That understanding fundamentally shaped how I lead and make decisions.
Much of your work has centered around serving ITSPs and the broader channel. What keeps you passionate about this community, and how does that influence your decision-making as CEO at Cynet?
ITSPs are one of the most resilient and resourceful groups in technology. They keep the businesses that fuel our economies running, often without fanfare. Look at what happened during the pandemic—almost overnight, ITSPs and the channel enabled organizations from Main Street to Wall Street to keep operating. That fuels my passion and shapes my decisions at Cynet. I focus on removing friction, delivering real outcomes—not noise—and building solutions that help them protect more customers with fewer resources. Just as importantly, we give their customers a way to level the playing field against enterprise‑scale peers and the threat actors targeting them.
How has your involvement with GTIA impacted your career or perspective as a technology and channel leader?
It reinforced that what we do is bigger than any one vendor. It takes a community and an ecosystem to push businesses of all sizes forward. GTIA has expanded my perspective significantly. When you’re running a company, it’s easy to develop tunnel vision. GTIA forces you to zoom out and look at the health of the entire channel. It’s given me a front-row seat to the shared challenges we all face and strengthened my belief that rising tides lift all boats. Real collaboration across the channel is how we solve the big problems.
As a GTIA board member, what are your top priorities for the association and the broader IT channel over the next couple of years?
GTIA has a tremendous opportunity to guide the channel into a new era. My priorities are helping the association clearly define what it stands for, aligning the strategy to deliver on that mission and significantly expanding the member base so GTIA becomes the must‑join community for the entire IT channel ecosystem. With clarity, execution and scale, GTIA can play a defining role in shaping the future of our industry.
On a personal level, when you do manage to unplug from work and board responsibilities, what do you most enjoy doing to recharge?
I recharge by spending time with my family—my wife Rachel and our kids, Stella and Owen. I love to travel when I can, watch sports, enjoy good bourbons and ryes, and just find moments to step away from the fast pace of the industry. Those breaks help me clear my head, stay grounded and come back to my team and partners with fresh energy and perspective.
Meet the GTIA Board of Directors! Read the blog series.
