From the age of 10, Randy knew he was destined to run his own business. After a promising career in lawn management was cut short by a faulty mower, he had several full and part time jobs before joining the Navy at age 17. Gaining real-world knowledge and experience in electronics, Randy developed several groundbreaking programs for the Navy after buying his own Apple II computer in 1977. With a business partner, Randy started Micro-Enhancements in 1982, specializing in Apple computers and accessories. After leaving active duty in 1983, his first retail store was opened and quickly transitioned from Apple through CP/M, PC-DOS and MS-DOS into the world of IBM-PC compatibles. Throughout the 1990s, with as many as three stores open at once, a lot of computer equipment was sold which meant a lot of them needed repairs. Service was a big part of the business. Networks soon became affordable for small businesses and Randy became the lead installer of LanTastic, Novell, Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT LANs. Around the time the Internet became relevant, he bought out his partner and renamed his business MERIT Solutions, reflecting the shift from microcomputers to computerbased solutions. MERIT Solutions was one of the first companies to begin implementing Microsoft’s Small Business Server suite and hundreds of these networks were rolled out over 16 years, enabling local businesses to have an enterprise-level IT solution at an affordable price. Randy retired from the U. S. Naval Reserve in 2003 as a Master Chief Petty Officer, spending most of his military career as a policy and security specialist. In 2005, he pivoted and transitioned his company from retail to a managed-service provider. Investing heavily in technology, MERIT Solutions became an early adopter of the monthly flat-rate support model and leveraged Internet accessibility to provide support to hundreds and then thousands of endpoints both locally and nationally. Recognizing the critical importance of computer and network security, he is now working to blend the increasing need for compliance with the proven popularity of managed services to provide a Compliance-as-a-Service offering. Randy holds several Microsoft certifications. He is a Microsoft Partner and is currently a member of the Kaseya Customer Advisory Council. He lives in Norfolk, VA with his wife Nancy and their three golden retrievers. Learn more about Randy and MERIT Solutions at: www.meritsolutons.net or follow them at: www.facebook.com/meritsolutions and www.twitter.com/meritsolutions.