MSP Chat

Erick and Rich discuss data from ConnectWise unit Service Leadership detailing the advantages MSPs backed by private equity enjoy relative to independently owned competitors, and how those independently owned providers can fight back. That’s followed by three tips from Erick on avoiding customer churn and an interview with Marty Falaro, EVP and COO of Wasabi Technologies, about the big and underappreciated opportunity in storage generally and cloud storage specifically. And finally, one last thing about the disappointing results when researchers at Google asked generative AI platforms to write them jokes. 

Discussed in this episode:
Hard data on private equity-backed MSPs
What happened when 20 comedians got AI to write their routines

Erick and Rich discuss ConnectWise’s stealthy step into the XDR market and how to set strong, effective Q3 business growth goals. Then Rich is joined by Gerwai Todd, CEO of Pia, to explore the present and future of AI as an operational efficiency tool for MSPs. And finally, one last thing about a thrift store shopper who bought a 2,000-year-old Mayan vase for a mere $3.99. 

Discussed in this episode:
Of ConnectWise, Security, and Ducks
$3.99 thrift store find turns out to be nearly 2,000-year-old Mayan vase

Erick and Rich discuss Pax8’s ambitious new online marketplace and how to turn lost deals into future sales. Then Dave McQuarrie, chief commercial officer at HP Inc., joins in to explore often underappreciated AI-related revenue streams for MSPs in PCs and print (yes, print!). And finally, one last thing: how interacting with an AI chatbot version of you in the future can talk you out of dumb mistakes today. 

Discussed in this episode:
Pax8 Unveils Next Generation Marketplace Experience
There’s a Red-Hot SMB Market Opportunity in…Print?!?

Erick and Rich discuss research from Sophos that suggests security vendor and tool consolidation are on the rise as well as the importance of keeping your messaging aligned with your target market as it evolves over time. Then they’re joined by Craig Fulton of Evergreen Services Group and Peter Melby of New Charter Technologies for a rare buy-side insider’s take on the M&A landscape for MSPs. And finally, one last thing: A story from Virginia about a lucky woman who beat odds even worse than hitting the lottery. 

Discussed in this episode:
Cybersecurity Skills Shortage Is Ranked as the Biggest Risk to MSPs and Their Clients
To Rollup or Not to Rollup? That is the Question for MSPs
Fortune cookie numbers earn Va. woman $50,000 Powerball prize

Erick and Rich discuss the issues (hint: they mostly concern AI) making data security posture management a hot new revenue opportunity and how to turn local networking events into marketing goldmines. Then they’re joined by JB Fowler of Domotz for a look at how hybrid work and the Internet of Things are changing networks and network management. And finally, one last thing: How a Japanese village employed creative obstruction to get rid of obnoxious tourists. 

Discussed in this episode:
Why “DSPM” Was the Acronym to Watch at This Year’s RSA Conference
To fend off tourists, a town in Japan is building a big screen blocking the view of Mount Fuji

Episode 24: This Changes EverythingSide by side in person at the recent Kaseya Connect Global conference in Las Vegas, Erick and Rich chew over the disruptive, industry-shaking implications of the new Kaseya 365 subscription and why K365 is one more reason for MSPs to assess their current tool and solution stack, just as they should be doing periodically anyway. Then they’re joined by Dave MacKinnon, N-able’s chief information security officer, to discuss what tabletop exercises are and why every MSP should be doing them. Important listening! And finally, one last thing: a cicada invasion in South Carolina so loud that residents were calling 9-1-1 about the noise. 

Discussed in this episode:
Bonus Post: Kaseya Bids to Shake Up MSP Economics with Kaseya 365
Cicadas are so noisy in a South Carolina county that residents are calling the police

Erick and Rich discuss the federal government’s Secure By Design pledge, a modest first step toward getting software and hardware makers to adopt security best practices they should have embraced long ago, as well as the many rewards of hosting open house gatherings for your customers. Then they’re joined by Rob Scott of Monjur for an eye-opening look at how using AI internally or providing AI services to your clients can expose you to legal risk if you don’t update your MSA. And finally, one last thing: a Florida Man’s less-than-ingenious scheme to bring snakes on a plane. 

Discussed in this episode:
The Secure By Design pledge has a shot
Secure by Design Pledge
Threading the AI Risk/Reward Needle
Snakes almost on a plane: TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger’s pants

Erick and Rich discuss the security-related dangers of selling AI services, and why mitigating them is a smarter move than sitting on the sidelines, as well as why it may be time to hit the reset button on your website. Then, in a first for MSP Chat, your hosts join Eric Anthony, of the All Things MSP podcast, for a simulcast conversation about what the new channel ecosystem means for MSPs and their vendor relationships and much, much more. And finally, one last thing: How a U.K. attorney finalized a client’s divorce by mistake, and why the government refused to undo the error.

Discussed in this episode:
All Things MSP
Threading the AI Risk/Reward Needle
Wrong couple get divorced after solicitor ‘clicks wrong button’

In this special bonus episode of MSP Chat, sponsored by SuperOps, Erick and Rich discuss TD SYNNEX’s plans to help its partners get into the market for sophisticated AI solutions, and the reasons MSPs need to stop talking about technology outcomes with clients and start talking about business outcomes instead. Then they’re joined by SuperOps channel chief Juan Fernandez for an insightful look at the mindset and toolset changes MSPs must make to keep pace with evolving customer needs. And finally, one last thing: how AI helped a Finnish coffee roaster create a new blend that apparently doesn’t taste like a hallucination. 

Discussed in this episode:
TD SYNNEX Cuts to the AI Chase
A coffee roastery in Finland has launched an AI-generated blend. The results were surprising

Erick and Rich discuss why recent research suggests that AI, “junk-gun ransomware,” and massive threat volumes suggest that security services will be in high demand among SMBs for some time to come. Then their colleague Charlene, Channel Mastered’s CMO, joins in to discuss the secrets behind the industry’s best partner programs. Hint: it’s more about people than spiffs. And finally, one last thing: An Italian restaurant’s wildly successful strategy for getting customers to surrender their phones while dining. 

Discussed in this episode:
Artificial Intelligence Gives Security Teams the Upper Hand, “2024 Cyberthreat Defense Report” Finds
Cheap, Independently Produced ‘Junk Gun’ Ransomware Infiltrates the Dark Web, Sophos Finds
GenAI Drives 1,760% Surge in Business Email Compromise (BEC) Attacks, According to New Report by Perception Point
More than Half of Generative AI Adopters Use Unapproved Tools at Work73% of Security Professionals Say They’ve Missed, Ignored or Failed to Act on a High Priority Security Alert
MSP Association of America (use code “MSP10” for 10% enrollment discount)