SMB Community Podcast

Topic 1: Fragmented Health Data and Covid.

With HIPAA and other privacy laws have complicated the sharing of healthcare data that might be useful in fighting the virus. We look at that as well as general observations about the industry.

Related Link:
https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/19/21522863/health-data-records-covid-coronavirus-model-nih-privacy-n3c

Topic 2: Right to Repair is on the Ballot in Massachusetts.

We've covered right to repair before. Once perspective, of course, is you - the potential repairer. On the other end of the fight are some of the largest and most successful companies in the world. As always, the world is a complicated place.

Related Link:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomokoyokoi/2020/10/17/rethinking-ownership-of-smart-products-in-right-to-repair/#6ef24531437d

Topic 3: Life after the pandemic: Industries that won’t make it.

Great click-bait, right? Here's a great article, speculating about which industries will not survive this pandemic/recession. We don't agree across the board (shocking, we know).

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-future-0ad5568c-1612-47ee-8774-6b605efac200.html?chunk=2&utm_term=emshare#story2

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Sponsor Memo:

PC Matic — Endpoint Security built on a zero trust philosophy, allowing only trusted applications and blocking all the rest. Light weight, simple to deploy, easy to manage, find out about PC Matic's unique lead sharing program for MSPs backed by a prime-time national TV campaign. Together, we bring advanced security solutions combined with more than sales enablement . . . we bring actual leads. Find out more about PC Matic by visiting http://PCMatic.com/msp/.

:-)

I caught up with Paul Green again, from Paul Green's MSP Marketing.

One of the first things Pauls says is that you can't really speed up sales most of the time because you don't have the power place your prospects in a position of "needing" your services. Your goal is to be there when they realize they have a need. But you can't create the need.

In this interview, Paul talks about the power of physical marketing (e.g., postal mailings). Unlike twenty years ago, printed material demands attention today. Paul gives some great tips on using postal mailings to remain top-of-mind when clients realize they need help.

Another technique he digs into is to create reactive web sites. In this context, that means to send information to people who visit your web site. This requires some setup since you have to have a way to track visitors at a serious level. This is way beyond popups.

Pauls covers lots of other great tips for MSPs who are looking for new clients. He even talks about how to get non-salespeople to help build relationships with clients on your behalf.

As always, a great interview. Check it out.

Related sites:

https://www.paulgreensmspmarketing.com/

https://www.paulgreensmspmarketing.com/resources/#webinar

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Sponsor note:

Gozynta Mobius – the easiest way for ConnectWise Manage and QuickBooks Online to connect. Keep invoices, expenses, and inventory automatically updated right from Manage to QuickBooks Online, and payments right back into Manage.

With simple pricing, set it and forget it auto sync, Gozynta Mobius delivers with no restrictions on the number of invoices, expenses and payments, and plays well with others like ConnectBooster.

Trusted by over a thousand MSPs. Now introducing a free plan, Go to gozynta.com/mobius, and tell them Karl sent you.

:-)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After spending 49 minutes "warming up," we hit the record button.

This turned out to be a particularly timely episode.

Topic 1: How close are we to universal connectivity?

And what does that mean, actually? In addition to searching for parity between work vs. home, and school vs. home, we are also looking at rural vs. urban.

Related Link:

https://www.theverge.com/21504476/online-school-covid-pandemic-rural-low-income-internet-broadband

Topic 2: Strategies for transformation (and why they fail).

Ryan's favorite topic - digital transformation. There's a lot of talk these days of how Covid is increasing digital transformation. But if it's too slow, there are other issues as well.

Links:
- https://www.techrepublic.com/article/5-strategies-for-cisos-during-a-time-of-rapid-business-transformation/

- https://thenextweb.com/growth-quarters/2020/10/08/3-biggest-reasons-why-a-companys-digital-transformation-fails/

Topic 3: Life after the pandemic - Smart offices

How much will your office really look different when the pandemic is over. We are not in universal agreement on this.

Links:
- https://www.techrepublic.com/article/your-office-will-look-very-different-when-you-return-heres-what-is-changing/#ftag=RSS56d97e7

- https://iotbusinessnews.com/2020/10/06/99940-why-we-need-to-start-incorporating-better-cybersecurity-measures-for-iot-devices-used-by-health-organizations/

:-)

I caught up with Amy as she's running around (virtually) getting ready for the big Acronis Summit 2020. More information at https://summit.acronis.events.

The Acronis Summit is . . . October 19-20-21

Registration is free at https://summit.acronis.events

Amy is a long-time friend of the Channel and is now the Channel Chief Evangelist at Acronis. She is organizing a number of the sessions for the Summit, including all of the workshops.

I'm doing a workshop on selling security (Stop Selling New Stuff the Old Way). Other workshops will be delivered by Amy Babinchak, Erick Simpson, and Rayanne Buchianico. Another great session will be delivered by Larry Walsh on how to attract the right clients.

As you can tell, this conference is not focused on "how to use Acronis Cyber Protect." Day One (October 19th) is jam-packed with that training. The next two days are all about the business side of you business.

Check out the agenda at https://summit.acronis.events - I think you'll be impressed at the variety of business, marketing, and sales topics designed to help you be more successful. I printed it out and found myself highlighting pretty much every session.

Amy gives us lots of good information here on the keynotes and other highlights of the conference. One of those highlights for me will be Dave Sobel's commentaries. And, running throughout, Acronis will have a news coverage channel going on for viewers, with cameo appearances by various speakers and presenters (myself included).

This will be a great event - even thought it's free!

Check it out and sign up today!

Registration is free at https://summit.acronis.events

:-)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

No awards this week . . . but we have a sponsor!

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Topic 1: Remote work versus distributed work

We all "went remote" all of a sudden. Did we do it right? The fact that you can go remote does not mean that you maintained culture, and all the good things about your business.

We discuss - of course.

Related links:

• https://blog.dropbox.com/topics/work-culture/the-crucial-difference-between-remote-work-and-distributed-work
• https://www.workplaceless.com/blog/remote-work-competency-model
• https://www.lifesize.com/en/distributed-work-hub
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/10/01/twitter-work-from-home/

Topic 2: Have we not thought big enough about the connected world?

We have "some" cool, futuristic technology, but we don't yet have the totally-connected, always-on access we were hoping for. Now that glowing vision of the future is coming into focus . . . brought to you by Huawei.

We love the vision. Just wondering if we can get it from someone else.

Link:

• https://thenextweb.com/tech/2020/10/06/moving-past-mobile-why-innovation-must-happen-beyond-smartphones/

Topic 3: Return of “Life after Covid” - Post-COVID CIOs are looking at budget increases.

IDG say, "Innovating with a reduced budget will become a high priority for tech leaders as the economy returns to health finds major annual CIO survey." But, at the same time, large companies are enjoying an increase in technology spending.

MSPs are absolutely in a position to provide this kind of strategic advice to their customers, and they need to have that kind of insight in order to be relevant in the current planning / guessing phase.

Link:

• https://www.idgconnect.com/article/3583491/post-covid-cios-are-well-placed-for-business-change.html

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Sponsor Note:

The MSP event of the year is back. This time, it’s virtual and free to attend!

Sherweb's Accelerate 2020 offers a comprehensive online program to help you gear up for the future of managed services. Industry experts will deliver thought leadership sessions and hands-on workshops on sales, marketing, financials, strategic business planning and customer engagement. Also available will be 1:1 meetings and fun virtual networking.

Want to stay relevant in a disrupted world? Join us from anywhere on October 21st and 22nd. Registration is open at accelerate.sherweb.com.

:-)

I caught up with Michael Slater, Director of Corporate Sales at Sherweb.

Sherweb has promised that the 2020 Accelerate conference will be focused on MBA for MSPs. Accelerate is always focused on education, and 2020 will continue that approach.

Historically, Accelerate has been held in Montreal. So, they decided to move to Florida this year. Well . . . then 2020 happened. Now, the conference is 100% virtual, but still packed with lots of information across two days.

More information at:

Sherweb Accelerate accelerate.sherweb.com October 21-22, 2020 Register Free!

In this interview, Michael walks us through some of the conference highlights. And after the conference is over, "Stage Two" and "Stage Three" will continue engaging partners for the rest of this year and into 2021.

Michael makes a point of focusing on Sherweb's commitment to a long-term partner relationship. We discuss a few examples of how Sherweb has lived that commitment in 2020.

Lots of great details here.

Listen now - and register for the conference!

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Sponsor note:

The MSP event of the year is back. This time, it's virtual and free to attend!

Sherweb's Accelerate 2020 offers a comprehensive online program to help you gear up for the future of managed services. Industry experts will deliver thought leadership sessions and hands-on workshops on sales, marketing, financials, strategic business planning and customer engagement. Also available will be 1:1 meetings and fun virtual networking.

Want to stay relevant in a disrupted world? Join us from anywhere on October 21st and 22nd. Registration is open at accelerate.sherweb.com.

:-)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Big Thank You to CrossBeam for including us on their list of top-12 pocasts! See the details at “The 12 Best Partnership and Business Development Podcasts (So Far)“
https://blog.crossbeam.com/best-partnership-and-business-development-podcasts

Topic 1: Microsoft gets into the RMM tool space.

We explore the gap between the products being offered by vendors and where the market is going. We used to build machines. Now we build stacks of tools and services.

We continue to evolve, and the environment in which we operate continues to involve.

What is the channel takeaway? Tune in.

Topic 2: The transparency of technology and how that progresses through maturity stages.

How much of an expert do you need to be? Or, more precisely, how deep do you need to go with the technology vs. understanding enough to solve client problems?

Clients just want the solution. You need to be competent, but you don't need to explain all the details to them.

Related Link:

https://medium.com/invisible/technology-is-best-when-invisible-2b72e31c6e4a

Topic 3: As various companies move into "our" space, how does this affect the services we're already offering. Again, with Microsoft and others: How do they fit into the solution where I already have other solutions?

And a related question is: Do these "new" players play well with others?

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Sponsor note:

Acronis invites you to the Acronis Global Cyber Summit, this is the premier event dedicated to connecting the IT channel and IT pros with actionable insights, solutions, and strategies for effective cyber protection. Bringing together service providers, value-added-resellers, CIOs, and ISVs, the Summit is the world's largest gathering of thought leaders and industry experts sharing insights and advances in the field of cyber protection. Featuring a long list of speakers, sign up for free at https://acronis.events/summit2020/.

You’ll even be able to catch Dave doing “why do we care” online. See you there.

:-)

Today's guest is Todd Snapp from Stridepoint, the developer of Relay Managed Security Awareness.

We do a deep dive into "Security Awareness" services. And, of course, my big question was about the managed piece of this.

Several companies will now send out test phishing email to catch client users opening things they shouldn't. Relay Managed Security Awareness goes way beyond this, including preventive micro education. We also answer the question, "What is security micro education?"

Official bio:

Todd is the President of Stridepoint LLC. Todd and his team have led the charge against Social Engineering and developed key programs and systems to help organizations defend themselves. Todd was instrumental in performing ethical social engineering attacks on some of the largest companies in the US, including government and Fortune 500 organizations. The attacks yielded unprecedented access to the organizations' sensitive and highly secured data using only the telephone, email, and facility visits.

With over 20 years of experience educating contact centers and managing large global networks, he has insight into the marriage between technical and non-technical security. A self-proclaimed "ethical con man," Todd has made it his career goal to enlighten the corporate and government worlds to the serious threat posed by low-tech hackers.

Related Blog: https://stridepoint.com/blogs/

Web sites: https://stridepoint.com/security-awareness/resources/

www.relayaware.com

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Today's sponsor is Sherweb:

The MSP event of the year is back. This time, it's virtual and free to attend!

Sherweb's Accelerate 2020 offers a comprehensive online program to help you gear up for the future of managed services. Industry experts will deliver thought leadership sessions and hands-on workshops on sales, marketing, financials, strategic business planning and customer engagement. Also available will be 1:1 meetings and fun virtual networking.

Want to stay relevant in a disrupted world? Join us from anywhere on October 21st and 22nd. Registration is open at http://accelerate.sherweb.com.

:-)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thanks to Sherweb for sponsoring this episode! (Details below.)

Topic 1: 179 Arrested in Massive Global Dark Web Takedown

"Operation Disruptor" is an unprecedented international law enforcement effort, stemming from last year’s seizure of a popular underground bazaar called Wall Street Market. This more than a US-centric law enforcement effort since the dark side of the Internet is international. So, this was a major, successful, multi-national undertaking.

Clearly, this is something you should be talking to you clients about. They don't need the details, of course, but they need to know that the threat is real!

https://www.wired.com/story/operation-disruptor-179-arrested-global-dark-web-takedown/

Topic 2: Microsoft’s underwater server experiment resurfaces after two years.

Turns out, dunking data centers is a great idea! About 1/8th as many failures, compared to data center up here with oxygen and temperature variations. It's also a good test for data centers in space or on other planets.

Next up: Placing data centers offshore . . . near you.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/14/21436746/microsoft-project-natick-data-center-server-underwater-cooling-reliability

Topic 3: Microsoft Lighthouse: An RMM.

We tackle this straight on. Does the new MS Lighthouse with MSP dashboard compete with you? Or is it simply competing for your attention and money?

Announcement: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/small-and-medium-business-blog/announcing-microsoft-365-lighthouse-for-managed-service/ba-p/1698181

Note, also that T-Mobile is offering Microsoft 365 and support services.

https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2020-09-21/t-mobile-gets-down-to-business-for-small-business-launches-new-small-business-plans-with-microsoft-365

And HP is offering managed services . . .

https://www.channelpronetwork.com/news/hp-introduces-subscription-hardware-and-services-program-smbs

And Lenovo is offering managed services . . .

https://www.channelpronetwork.com/news/lenovo-introduces-microsoft-365-managed-services-smbs

Should you be afraid? Energized? Should your clients be warned about these changes? We discuss from many different angles.

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Today's Sponsor is Sherweb's Accelerate 2020:

The MSP event of the year is back. This time, it’s virtual and free to attend!

Sherweb's Accelerate 2020 offers a comprehensive online program to help you gear up for the future of managed services. Industry experts will deliver thought leadership sessions and hands-on workshops on sales, marketing, financials, strategic business planning and customer engagement. Also available will be 1:1 meetings and fun virtual networking.

Want to stay relevant in a disrupted world? Join us from anywhere on October 21st and 22nd. Registration is open at accelerate.sherweb.com.

:-)

Today's guest is Victor Raessen, founder of MSP Navigator.

What are the first three questions every new MSP asks?

1) How do I get clients?

2) What are you using for RMM?

3) What are you using for PSA?

Victor won't help you for #1, but MSP Navigator is designed to help you with #2, #3, and all the other "What are you using for" questions.

Victor has worked in the IT Managed Services space for more than 20 years and has experience from both the MSP and the vendor side of the business. Victor is the founder of MSP Navigator, an online platform that helps IT managed service providers keep track of their technology stack and discover new services.

MSP Navigator was founded in 2019 to provide the most comprehensive and curated overview of available technology solutions in order to help organisations in their digital transformation journey.

Built for MSP looking to manage and optimize their Technology Stack, It offers a free and curated overview of almost 900 products from 450 vendors in 77 different categories.

Both MSPs and vendors can self onboard and self manage their profiles. MSP Navigator has had attention from IT Channel Pro, TechTarget and ChannelE2E.

The platform allows you to perform an audit on your current tech landscape by telling the platform about the products you are using today. It presents you with an overview of the products and services in your tech landscape, visualized with smart product cards across different categories. The product cards contain links to the vendors web pages, support and social networks.

Product cards can be used to keep track of information such as notes, the internal product champion, product status. You can indicate your relationship with the product (reseller, integrator, developer) so other users can contact you through your public profile if they need help. The platform can suggest products and services in underrepresented categories, for example based on the NIST cybersecurity framework.

Soon, the platform will let you keep track of your product spend, get notifications on upcoming renewal dates and view feedback from peers that have been using products you're interested in.

Link:

https://msp-navigator.com/msp

:-)

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