Ascend Technology Group Achieves 97% Client Retention and Full Password Management Adoption with Bitwarden

Bitwarden partnership ensures managed service provider (MSP), Ascend Technology Group secures businesses with trusted, open source credential management solutions

Press Contact:
Mike Stolyar
Director of Communications
mstolyar@bitwarden.com

Bitwarden, the trusted leader in password, passkey, and secrets management, today announced that Ascend Technology Group, a Nebraska-based IT services provider, successfully achieved full password management adoption among its clients while maintaining a 97% client retention rate. Through the expanding Bitwarden partner program, Ascend Technology Group delivers enterprise-ready credential security solutions that help businesses strengthen security habits while educating users on password management best practices.

Addressing the need for trusted password security

Ascend Technology Group previously offered password management as part of its security stack, but found that many clients were hesitant to adopt a solution. Seeking a more secure and user-friendly approach, Ascend evaluated alternatives and selected Bitwarden for its robust security architecture and ease of use.

“We pushed Bitwarden out to our own employee base and after discovering how well it worked, started promoting it as part of our security stack and recommending it to clients,” said John Gerdes, president of Ascend Technology Group. “Overall, the feedback has been very positive. As part of their engagement with Bitwarden, our clients are also learning password management best practices.”

The Bitwarden zero-knowledge encryption model played a key role in Ascend’s decision. With end-to-end AES-256 encryption securing every stored credential in Bitwarden vaults, businesses gain a security-first approach to credential management that ensures only they maintain access to sensitive information.

Enhancing IT services and operational efficiency

Through the Bitwarden partner program, Ascend Technology Group optimized security offerings and improved operational efficiency, from client onboarding to billing.

“The new and improved Bitwarden MSP program has been highly beneficial for our clients,” added Gerdes. “Billing is streamlined, and onboarding has been quite straightforward, for both Ascend as a company and for our clients.”

Strengthening business security through executive buy-in

To drive adoption, Ascend Technology Group prioritizes executive buy-in when introducing Bitwarden to clients. Educating leadership teams on the risks of weak or reused passwords ensures businesses understand how a single compromised credential can lead to broader security vulnerabilities.

“Let’s say there is a breach of a low-stakes app that the executive uses,” said Gerdes. “While the breach may not seem business-critical, we remind executives that people often reuse passwords across accounts, including those that may be more sensitive. Fortunately, password managers mitigate the need to reuse passwords. If there is a breach, it will only impact one individual account because that password is unique. Discussing these potential scenarios with clients helps them understand risks to the larger business.”

Driving a security-first mindset

Bitwarden has helped Ascend Technology Group instill a culture of security awareness across its client base.

“Bitwarden has exceeded expectations,” added Gerdes. “Clients are learning that having an Excel file on their desktop that says ‘passwords’ is not secure. They are understanding and adopting password best practices and, thanks to Bitwarden, buying into the concept of unique passwords everywhere.”

The Bitwarden partner program enables MSPs and resellers to deliver advanced password management solutions designed to meet diverse customer needs. With enterprise single sign-on (SSO) integration, flexible deployment options, and robust APIs, Bitwarden equips partners to deliver scalable, secure, and adaptable credential management.

To learn more about how Ascend Technology Group adds value with Bitwarden, visit: https://bitwarden.com/resources/bitwarden-channel-partner-ascend-technology-group/

About Bitwarden

Bitwarden equips enterprises and individuals with the power to securely manage and share information online with trusted open source security solutions. With Password Manager for everyone, users can easily manage their entire online identity anywhere. Bitwarden Secrets Manager and Passwordless.dev enhance developer secrets security and streamline passkey development for end users and workforce authentication. Founded in 2016, Bitwarden serves over 50,000 businesses and more than 10 million users worldwide across 180 countries in 50+ languages. The company is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California. Learn more at bitwarden.com.