Explore the forefront of innovation with our exclusive ExtraMile by KnowledgeNile interview series, where industry pioneers, C-suite leaders, and business game-changers share transformative tech insights and takeaways that are shaping the future of diverse industries.
In today’s insightful session, we are joined by Lon Clark, Vice President of Global Channel Sales at BitTitan. Lon’s journey from serving in the US Army to driving BitTitan’s global channel growth is remarkable.
Since 2007, BitTitan has enabled IT service providers and enterprises to adopt and manage cloud-based solutions seamlessly through its flagship product, MigrationWiz. Under Lon’s leadership and dedication, BitTitan has achieved success by empowering countless partners to achieve their goals. Additionally, expanding the scope of what is possible in the context of migration and beyond!
In this discussion, Lon discusses global channel sales, challenges during cloud migration, how AI is transforming partner support with Ask MigrationWiz, and more.
Welcome, Lon! We’re pleased to have you with us today!
Your career is impressive! From serving in the US Army to becoming police officer and thereafter shifting gears in tech leadership. What motivated you to turn your dreams towards global channel sales?
Clark. What really pulled me into the channel world was the sense of community. Coming from the Army and law enforcement, I’ve always valued environments where trust, collaboration, and a shared mission are at the core. The channel offered that. I don’t want to say the camaraderie is equal or similar, but it does remind me of it. Over the years, my commitment has been to the team I work with and the partner ecosystem we’ve built. It’s that loyalty and connection that have kept me here, and it’s what continues to drive me today.
You’ve been a part of BitTitan for more than a decade and are currently serving as Director of Global Sales Channel. Could you highlight a few key milestones that you’re proud of during this time?
Clark. There are quite a few moments I’m proud of. For one, we’ve grown our global distribution network to over 200 distributors. That includes some unexpected places, including Mauritius and New Caledonia. I even signed Fiji as a distributor before France or Canada. The team in Fiji offered to translate our materials for their local partners, which was critical back when we didn’t have translation capabilities. That kind of creative partnership helped us scale globally in those early days.
Partnerships certainly play a significant role in driving a company’s growth to the next level. Can you share a success story of how strategic partnerships helped BitTitan grow?
Clark. Our growth has always been rooted in partnerships and community. One of the biggest success stories was how we built strong relationships with global distributors. It wasn’t just about landing the biggest names. In fact, we intentionally started with smaller distributors who were eager to grow with us. That trust and collaboration laid the groundwork for larger partnerships later on.
From your view, what are some of the major challenges organizations face during cloud migration? What strategies do you recommend for overcoming them?
Clark. a) One of the biggest challenges in cloud migration is managing complexity across diverse, legacy environments, especially for SMBs and mid-market organizations served by channel partners. MSPs and VARs often face fragmented infrastructures, data silos, and limited internal IT resources within customer environments. These issues can cause delays, cost overruns, and user disruption.
b) To overcome this, partners should adopt standardized, automated migration tools that scale across clients while also building repeatable processes tailored to common scenarios. A strong discovery and planning phase is critical; understanding dependencies, licensing, and user needs up front helps mitigate risk. Finally, clear communication and change management support ensure smooth transitions.
Lon, MigrationWiz stands as an industry-leading solution for migrating data to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Could you share insights on the same? What makes it stand out from other cloud migration tools?
Clark. a) MigrationWiz is purpose-built for the channel, offering partners a powerful, fully cloud-based solution to move mail, documents, and collaboration data to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace with minimal disruption. What sets it apart is its ease of use, scalability, and automation.
b) There's no need for on-prem hardware or complex scripting, which is a major advantage for MSPs managing multiple customer environments. Partners can run concurrent migrations, manage projects from a single dashboard, and execute cutovers during off-hours, all without interrupting end users.
c) MigrationWiz also supports a wide range of source environments and includes advanced options like pre-stage migrations, coexistence, and compliance filters. Combined with responsive partner support and flexible licensing, it empowers channel partners to deliver consistent, profitable migration services, no matter the customer size or industry.
d) It’s this blend of simplicity, reliability, and partner-first design that continues to make MigrationWiz the go-to choice for cloud migrations.
With cybersecurity being the highest priority, how should organizations approach data security both during and after a migration? What measures does BitTitan take in this regard?
Clark. a) Cybersecurity is non-negotiable, especially during cloud migrations, when data is in transit and potentially vulnerable. Organizations must ensure encryption, secure authentication, and compliance with industry standards throughout the process. For channel partners, selecting a migration tool that bakes in these protections is critical to maintaining trust and mitigating risk.
b) BitTitan prioritizes security at every stage. MigrationWiz uses Microsoft’s Azure platform, with all data encrypted both in transit and at rest. Post-migration, organizations should enforce strong identity management, enable multi-factor authentication, and audit permissions to avoid data exposure.
c) For partners, BitTitan offers clear documentation, security certifications, and a transparent approach, ensuring they can confidently address customer concerns and deliver secure, compliant migrations every time. Security isn’t just a feature; it’s foundational to how we enable the channel.
Lon, what’s your take on the best practices IT teams should follow when planning a large-scale Microsoft Teams migration? How does it go at BitTitan?
Clark. a) A successful Microsoft Teams migration hinges on planning, especially for IT teams and MSPs managing large or multi-tenant environments. Key best practices include conducting a thorough pre-migration assessment, understanding team structures, permissions, and data volume, followed by clear mapping and communication with end users.
b) At BitTitan, we recommend breaking migrations into phases, prioritizing critical teams and high-usage channels first. Using MigrationWiz, partners can automate the transfer of chats, files, tabs, and membership while preserving fidelity and minimizing disruption.
c) We also stress the importance of governance, removing unused teams, aligning naming conventions, and preparing post-migration training to drive adoption.
d) BitTitan enables partners to manage these projects at scale with centralized dashboards, pre-staging capabilities, and flexible scheduling. The result: streamlined migrations that keep collaboration intact and partners in control.
AI is more than just a buzzword today; it’s transforming how we work! What inspired the launch of Ask MigrationWiz, and how does it enhance the support experience for IT teams during migration projects?
Clark. a) The launch of Ask MigrationWiz was driven by a simple goal: empower IT teams and partners with faster, smarter support right when they need it. As AI matured, we saw an opportunity to streamline the migration journey by putting real-time answers directly in the hands of MSPs and IT pros.
b) Ask MigrationWiz uses generative AI to surface accurate, contextual guidance from our rich knowledge base, without needing to submit tickets or search through documentation. Whether it’s configuring a mailbox, understanding licensing, or troubleshooting a sync issue, users get immediate, relevant help within the AI platform. Of course customers can always submit a help ticket at any time.
c) For channel partners, this means faster project execution, fewer delays, and a more scalable support model. It’s just one of the ways BitTitan is using AI to simplify complex IT tasks and help partners deliver exceptional experiences, at speed and at scale.
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