All Things MSP

Chasing late client payments is awkward, and spending three to five hours copy-pasting vendor screenshots into a slide deck only to have the client cancel an hour before the meeting is pure torture. Running an MSP means constantly getting stuck between uncomfortable debt collection and broken account management processes that bleed profit. In this episode live from the Pax8 Beyond floor, Justin and Eric ditch the polite industry fluff to address two massive operational headaches: getting paid on time and proving strategic value to clients without burning entire workdays. First up, Victor Lopez (CEO of FlexPoint) breaks down how AI agents are taking over the most dreaded task in an MSP’s back office: picking up the phone to track down overdue invoices. From southern-voiced AI phone calls to handling "the check is in the mail" objections, discover how automating AR outreach can bump collections by up to 5X simply by replacing awkward silence with consistent follow-up. Then, Ryan Sigouin (CRO of ScalePad) joins Eric to dismantle the classic "cut-and-paste QBR". Ryan explains why MSPs spend all their budget acquiring new clients while letting existing accounts bleed out the back door, and how turning warranty data and assessments into dynamic budgets and strategic roadmaps transforms your team into real trusted advisors that buyers and private equity firms actually value. 
A huge thank you to our sponsors who make this show possible:Blumira
Choice Cyber Solutions
Compliance Scorecard
EasyDMARC
Gozynta
Material Security
OITVoIP
SCOUTzLearn more about all our sponsors: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsors
Connect with your hosts:Justin Esgar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/
Eric Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/

Join the All Things/MSP Community:Website: https://allthingsmsp.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmsp

An advertisement claiming a 67-person IT firm was offered over $1 million for their ticket archive started circulating in MSP communities. While the offer turned out to be fake news from an unverified source, the underlying danger is dangerously real. MSPs are sitting on vast troves of client passwords, network diagrams, and confidential records—and both malicious actors and AI vendors are eyeing that data.In this episode, Eric and Justin dismantle the fake $1M offer and explore the serious ethical, legal, and security implications of ticket data harvesting. They discuss why MSPs are custodians - not owners - of client data, how HIPAA and compliance violations lurk in everyday PSA tickets, and the alarming risk of low-level techs having unchecked data export permissions. Plus, Justin shares a real-world story of Claude AI taking control of a browser to audit systems in seconds, emphasizing why MSPs must strictly enforce least-privileged access for both human employees and AI tools.
Sponsors: Thank you to our premier sponsors for supporting the show:Choice Cyber Solutions: https://choicecybersolutions.com/partners
EasyDMARC: https://easydmarc.com
Blumira: https://www.blumira.com
Gozynta: https://www.gozynta.com
Material Security: https://material.security
OITVoIP: https://oit.co
SCOUTz: https://scoutzsecurity.io
Compliance Scorecard: https://compliancescorecard.com

Check out all of our sponsors at https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsors
Hosts:Justin Esgar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/
Eric Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/

Connect with All Things MSP:Website: https://allthingsmsp.com
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmsp
LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP

Most MSP owners are brilliant at solving technical nightmares, but when it comes to getting new clients or getting paid on time, it’s a total free-for-all. You're grinding away fixing networks and putting out fires, yet you're leaving thousands of dollars on the table because sales feels uncomfortable and billing is a monthly chore. Why are we still running critical business operations without the same discipline, processes, and automation we demand for our clients' IT infrastructures? In this episode, Justin and Eric break down two major pain points every MSP faces: getting customers and getting paid. Featuring insights straight from Pax8 Beyond, Justin sits down with Baxter Lanius (CEO of Alternative Payments) to discuss automating accounts receivable, eliminating credit card processing fees, and making cash flow predictable. Then, Christopher Smith (Founder of Empellor CRM) jumps in to tackle the fear behind MSP sales, why CRMs usually suck, and how building a repeatable revenue process removes the discomfort of lead generation. Eric wraps it up with a hard-hitting operational challenge to help you stop chasing invoices and start scaling like a real business. 

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:Blumira: https://www.blumira.com
Choice Cyber Solutions: https://www.choicecybersolutions.com
Compliance Scorecard: https://compliancescorecard.com
EasyDMARC: https://easydmarc.com
Gozynta: https://www.gozynta.com
Material Security: https://material.security
OITVoIP: https://oit.co
SCOUTz: https://scoutzsecurity.io

Connect with Our Guests:Baxter Lanius (Alternative Payments): https://www.linkedin.com/in/baxterlaniusiv/
Christopher Smith (Emplellor CRM): https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophersmith-crm-expert/

Connect with the Hosts:Justin Esgar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/
Eric Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/

Follow All Things MSP:Website: https://allthingsmsp.com
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmsp
LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP

Running an MSP is ridiculous, especially when everyone is screaming that AI will make you a millionaire overnight while nobody shows you how to actually bill for it. In this episode, Justin Esgar and Eric Anthony sit down with industry analyst Dave Sobel (Business of Tech) to cut through the hype, vendor webinars, and sunshine-and-rainbows marketing around AI.  They dive deep into recent research revealing that a staggering 68% of MSP websites don't mention AI at all, effectively opting themselves out of future AI agent discovery and buyer searches. Dave breaks down why MSPs are getting stuck on individual productivity instead of re-engineering client workflows, how to capture high-margin consulting dollars instead of chasing basic MRR, and why human legal liability remains the ultimate guardrail regardless of what tool your team uses. Plus, they explore Carl Pultscik and Dave Sobel's new 68-point assessment checklist to help you evaluate client AI and compliance readiness without sounding like the "Department of No."  

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: Blumira: https://www.blumira.com   Choice Cyber Solutions: https://www.choicecybersolutions.com   Compliance Scorecard: https://compliancescorecard.com   EasyDMARC: https://easydmarc.com   Gozynta: https://www.gozynta.com   Material Security: https://material.security   OITVoIP: https://oit.co   SCOUTz: https://scoutzecurity.ioFind all our sponsors at: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsors

Guest Links: Dave Sobel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesobel/ Business of Tech Podcast: https://businessof.tech  Free 68-Point MSP Checklist: https://freemspchecklist.com

Host Links: Justin Esgar LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/ Eric Anthony LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/All Things MSP Pages: Website: https://allthingsmsp.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmsp LinkedIn Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP

Most MSP owners talk a big game about cybersecurity and compliance, yet operate their own businesses with zero formal governance. You try selling $10k/month agreements or pitching enterprise-level clients, but as soon as an RFP asks for a SOC 2 report, you’re instantly disqualified. Running an MSP while pretending governance doesn't apply to you is ridiculous. In this episode, Justin and Eric break down Justin’s actual $17,000 journey through SOC 2 compliance for Virtua Computers. They bypass the corporate marketing fluff to analyze the harsh financial realities, real-world ROI, and practical operational headaches of getting audited. Justin reveals how GRC software caught hidden personal email setups, Cloudflare domain errors, and untracked devices. The guys discuss using Dungeons & Dragons style tabletop exercises for incident response testing, handling exceptions during audits, and why passing the SOC 2 requirement immediately unlocks higher-margin, $100k+ enterprise contracts. If you’re trying to move up-market or sell compliance without eating your own dog food, this episode is a mandatory reality check. Sponsors: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsorsBlumira
Choice Cyber Solutions
Compliance Scorecard
EasyDMARC
Gozynta
Material Security
Sync365
OIT VoIP


Hosts & Show Resources:Justin Esgar (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/
Eric Anthony (Founder & Producer): https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/
All Things MSP Website: https://allthingsmsp.com
All Things MSP Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmsp
All Things MSP LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/
All Things MSP YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP

Everyone is trying to sell AI solutions to MSPs promising faster ticket resolution and automated triage, but nobody is talking about the hidden financial trap underneath: token economics. In this episode, Eric and Justin pull back the curtain on how AI tokenization actually works, why "cheap" AI models can end up costing you significantly more, and how variable consumption costs threaten to blow up the predictable flat-rate pricing models MSPs have built their businesses on. Justin and Eric break down what a token actually represents in plain English (and why submitting your entire ticketing history for a simple printer issue is a massive waste of money). They dive into the reality of AI hallucinations—where you end up paying for the AI's mistakes, the corrections, and the final answer—and explore why local hardware solutions like Apple's M-series chips are pushing back against cloud consumption models. Whether you're trying to figure out how to manage token usage internally across your help desk or trying to prevent your clients from burning $50,000 a month asking ChatGPT for its "vibe score," this conversation offers an honest, operator-focused look at navigating the AI bubble without watching your margins shrink. 
Sponsors:Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the show! Learn more about them at https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsorsBlumira
Choice Cyber Solutions
Compliance Scorecard
EasyDMARC
Gozynta
Material Security
Sync365

Hosts:Justin Esgar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/
Eric Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/
 All Things/MSP Community:Website: https://allthingsmsp.com
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmsp
LinkedIn Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP
 

SaaS vendors are aggressively raising prices, cutting reseller margins, and squeezing MSP profit margins to satisfy investor expectations. Between forced AI additions, changing reseller tiers, and minimal advance notice, running a profitable MSP feels like a constant battle against your own stack. In this episode, Eric and Justin dive straight into the absurdity of current vendor behavior, exploring whether it still makes sense to front licensing costs for clients or if MSPs should push clients to pay vendors directly. They break down the real-world operational risks of handling client billing, discuss the growing temptation to vibe code lightweight SaaS replacements, and map out practical strategies for passing costs down to clients before margins disappear completely.
Thank you to our premier sponsors:Blumira
Choice Cyber Solutions
Compliance Scorecard
EasyDMARC
Gozynta
Material Security
Sync365
Sponsor Links Here: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsors

Find out more about our hosts and join the community:Justin Esgar LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/
Eric Anthony LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/
All Things MSP Website: https://allthingsmsp.com
Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/allthingsmsp
LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP

Running an MSP is weird. Most business owners aren’t driving to work thinking about cybersecurity; they care about their financial bottom line. Yet, so many MSP owners default to dumping technical jargon, feature lists, and fear-mongering FUD on prospects, only to wonder why deals stall. If you want to close higher-margin security business, you have to stop pitching tech and start pitching financial consequences. In this episode recorded live at GTIA ChannelCon, Eric Anthony sits down with Brad Powell, co-founder of ThreatCaptain, to break down how MSPs can transform complex cybersecurity chatter into clear, business-level financial discussions that decision-makers actually understand. They dive into ThreatCaptain’s Gen 4 platform release, how direct integrations with CRMs like HubSpot and ConnectWise keep sales data flowing cleanly, and why listening directly to community feedback is the real secret to building tools that actually make MSPs money. Back in the studio, Justin and Eric bring their usual candid, operator-first humor to discuss why moving past traditional fear-based selling is the only way forward for modern IT providers. Special thanks to our sponsors for supporting the show:
Blumira: https://blumira.com
EasyDMARC: https://easydmarc.com
Choice Cyber Solutions: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsors
Gozynta: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsors
Material Security: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsors
Sync365: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsors
 

Connect with Guest Brad Powell:ThreatCaptain Website: https://threatcaptain.com
Email: [email protected] 

Connect with Hosts & All Things/MSP:Justin Esgar (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/
Eric Anthony (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/

All Things/MSP Website: https://allthingsmsp.com
All Things/MSP Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmsp
All Things/MSP LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/
All Things/MSP YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP
 

In this episode of All Things MSP, hosts Justin Esgar and Eric Anthony dive into one of the most pressing topics facing Managed Service Providers today: AI adoption and governance. Unlike past technology waves where MSPs introduced new tools to clients, AI has caught the attention of end-users first. Clients are already experimenting with tools like ChatGPT and Claude—often uploading sensitive company data, PHI, or PII using personal accounts without IT oversight or corporate governance policies. Justin and Eric break down why MSPs must move past treating AI as just another "shiny object" and step up as trusted advisors. They discuss the critical three-stage operational framework MSPs need to establish: Discover & Document (knowing what tools staff are using), Govern & Secure (setting acceptable use policies and guardrails to prevent data leakage), and Deploy & Enable (providing secure enterprise tools and training employees). The conversation highlights why technology should come last. Success lies in prioritizing People and Process before deploying Technology. MSPs that fail to guide their clients through AI policy and risk mitigation risk losing accounts to more mature providers who do. Tune in to discover how to move your MSP from basic IT delivery to high-value advisory services in the age of AI. 
Connect with the HostsJustin Esgar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/
Eric Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/

Join the All Things MSP CommunityWebsite: https://allthingsmsp.com
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmsp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors

Learn more about our premier sponsors and special partner offers at https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsorsBlumira
Choice Cyber Solutions
Compliance Scorecard
EasyDMARC
Gozynta
Material Security
Sync365 License

In this episode of the All Things MSP podcast, founder and co-host Eric Anthony sits down with MJ Patent, Chief Marketing Officer at Logically—one of the nation's leading managed security service providers (MSSPs)—and a key member of CompTIA’s Data Advisory Council. Recorded live at ChannelCon in San Diego, MJ shares an insider look into how Logically approached artificial intelligence from the inside out. Rather than treating AI as a quick tool for cost-cutting or headcount reduction, Logically adopted an "AI-first" leadership mindset designed to amplify employee capabilities, elevate client value, and transform business operations. MJ breaks down the vital groundwork required before deploying AI tools like Microsoft Copilot or custom tenants like Logic AI. From conducting shadow AI assessments to establishing firm internal policies, training, and ongoing change management, she highlights why technology alone is never enough for successful adoption. Furthermore, drawing from her work on the Data Council, MJ dives deep into the non-negotiable role of clean data. She explains why AI is only as good as the underlying data, offering actionable advice on establishing a single source of truth, removing legacy rot, and configuring data sets securely. Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:Blumira: https://blumira.com
Choice Cyber Solutions: https://choicecybersolutions.com
Compliance Scorecard: https://compliancescorecard.com
EasyDMARC: https://easydmarc.com
Gozynta: https://gozynta.com
Material Security: https://material.security
Sync365: https://sync365license.com
Learn more about all our show sponsors: https://allthingsmsp.com/sponsors

Connect with Our Guest:MJ Patent on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjpatent/
Logically Website: https://www.logically.com
 Connect with Hosts & All Things MSP:Justin Esgar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesgar/
Eric Anthony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/
All Things MSP Website: https://allthingsmsp.com
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsmsp
LinkedIn Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allthingsmsp/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsMSP