‘I’ve known Alan for over 30 years. We first met out in Vegas and I thought it was out of the ordinary that the CEO of an organization was working the booth. He made a very good first impression on me,’ says Joe Balsarotti, president of Missouri-based Software To Go.
Alan Weinberger, a technology trailblazer who headed the ASCII Group for 40 years creating a heavily active forum for technical and sales collaboration among MSPs, VARs and solution providers, died on Sunday. He was 79.
Weinberger founded the ASCII Group in 1984 with 40 independent computer dealers who had separated from a franchise chain owned by software firm Ashton-Tate, according to his obituary. Under his leadership, the ASCII Group has grown into a vital force in the IT channel, offering more than 70 programs and services for MSPs
Committed to fostering community and professional development, he spearheaded the launch of the ASCII MSP Success Summits, which consisted of nine annual gatherings held in major cities across North America.
“We truly lost a visionary,” said Joe Balsarotti, president of St. Peters, Missouri-based Software To Go. “I’ve known Alan for over 30 years. We first met out in Vegas and I thought it was out of the ordinary that the CEO of an organization was working the booth. He made a very good first impression on me.”
That impression turned into decades of friendship, business collaboration, and shared vision. As a longtime member of the ASCII Group and board member, Balsarotti admired Weinberger’s combination of curiosity and determination.
“Alan was a very curious person… if he read something interesting, he wanted to know what you thought about it. He was always reaching out, always thinking,” he said. “I credit ASCII with the success of my company. Back then, it was hard to be independent. Alan created a voice for all the independents and entrepreneurs not just for purchasing power, but for knowledge-sharing, for mentorship.”
Weinberger is survived by his wife of 46 years, Lauren Weinberger, their two sons Mark Henry and Benjamin Charles Weinberger and a host of family members.
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1945 and raised in Great Neck, New York, Weinberger pursued his studies at New York University and Harvard Law School, according to his obituary. In 1973, he became a founding professor at Vermont Law School, later practicing law in New York City and Washington, D.C. before shifting focus to the tech industry.
He contributed to the development of business education in Russia, authored books on cybersecurity and business leadership and served as executive producer of the feature film “Mary.”
Rob Rae, CVP of community and partner experience at Colorado-based cloud marketplace Pax8, has been attending ASCII events for almost 20 years. He said Weinberger’s influence on the MSP community was both “both foundational and personal.”
“He was one of the first to bring managed services education to a place that didn’t have it,” Rae told CRN. “He helped resellers transform into MSPs and was constantly fighting for the service providers.”
But beyond his industry impact, Rae described Alan as a deeply creative and kind person.
“He was passionate, caring, thoughtful and always respectful of everyone’s role in the space,” he said. “Every time I saw him, he had a new idea, a new approach. He was always trying to find new ways to get old things done.”
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (wtef.org), a nonprofit Weinberger supported passionately, and to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN.org), supporting research for the disease.
