Uncle Marv's IT Business Podcast (Products, stories, and tips for the MSP and IT Professional)

Are we moving clients to the cloud because it makes sense, or because we decided servers were supposed to disappear? My friend Tom Wyant of Wyant Computers in Traverse City, Michigan, joins me for an honest conversation about on-prem servers, Active Directory, and the applications that keep both relevant. Tom supports clients using a mix of local infrastructure and cloud services, so this isn’t a debate about picking a side. It’s about figuring out what actually works.

We talk through recurring costs, application limitations, large files, security responsibilities, and the headaches that follow a migration nobody fully thought through. My takeaway? Before you recommend replacing that server, find out what it does, who depends on it, and what the business might lose by moving. Familiar doesn’t automatically mean outdated, and cloud doesn’t automatically mean better.

=== Chapters

• 01:02 Meet Tom Wyant of Wyant Computers
• 01:32 Cloud vs. On-Prem Servers: Why the Debate Isn’t Over
• 08:52 Cloud Repatriation: Costs, Control, and Performance
• 13:11 Active Directory and the True Cost of Cloud Migration
• 16:00 Microsoft 365 Security and Guest Access Risks
• 20:28 Cloud Applications vs. Hosted Legacy Software
• 26:30 Legacy Applications and Hybrid IT Decisions
• 28:38 Law Firm Cloud Migration: Pricing and Large Files
• 40:15 Cloud Migration Exit Plans and Application Compatibility
• 48:52 Six Steps for Choosing Cloud or On-Prem Infrastructure

=== Guest

• Tom Wyant, Wyant Technologies / Wyant Computer Services, Co-Founder and CEO
• Website: https://www.gowyant.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaswyant

=== People Mentioned

• Eric Anthony, All Things MSP: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/
• Diana Giles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianagiles/
• Matt Forman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewforman/
• Chad Kempt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadkempt/
• Stan Louissaint: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slouissaint/
• Dawn Sizer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-sizer/

=== Links from the Show

• A Cloudian/Centiment survey of 212 senior IT decision-makers found that roughly 75% had moved some workloads back in the previous two years. Nearly 30% of those repatriating workloads also expanded their cloud footprint. Important caveat: this was a vendor-sponsored survey, not proof that 75% of all businesses are leaving cloud.
  • https://www.techtarget.com/cybersecurity/feature/Cloud-repatriation-What-CISOs-need-to-know
• Cloud repatriation is real—but it usually means bringing back selected workloads, not abandoning cloud entirely. Businesses may move applications, databases, or storage to on-premises infrastructure or private cloud while continuing to use public-cloud services.
  • https://www.idc.com/resource-center/blog/storm-clouds-ahead-missed-expectations-in-cloud-computing/
• Uptime Institute says the “everybody is leaving cloud” narrative is overstated. Rising costs motivate some moves back, but organizations also continue moving workloads into public cloud. Both directions can be part of the same strategy.
  • https://intelligence.uptimeinstitute.com/resource/cloud-repatriation-overstated
• Local infrastructure still has a substantial role. Uptime Institute’s 2025 survey estimated that 45% of respondents’ workloads remained in corporate facilities. That measures what stayed local—not what moved back—and the survey is not representative of typical small-business server closets.
  • https://datacenter.uptimeinstitute.com/rs/711-RIA-145/images/2025.Annual.Survey.Report.pdf?version=0

=== SPONSORS:

• Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
• Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
• Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
• Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready

=== SHOW MUSIC:

• Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
• Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
• Author Username: AlexanderRufire
• Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast

If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

You don’t need to overhaul your MSP to start getting value from AI. You need to find one task your team is tired of repeating. Meredith Payne returns to the show at TD SYNNEX Inspire in Greenville to talk about her work leading digital growth and customer success, what’s changing inside Partner First, and how MSPs can put automation to work without making everything more complicated.

I ask Meredith where smaller providers should start, whether human help is sticking around, and how to know if these tools are actually improving the business. Her advice is to start small, learn as you go, and look beyond placing orders to see what your customer data can help you do next.

=== Chapters

• 00:11 Welcome and Meredith Payne Returns
• 01:57 PartnerFirst, Agent Bridge, and MCP
• 06:20 Keeping Human Help Alongside AI
• 07:33 Learning From Failure and Starting Small
• 09:28 Exploring Greenville and Fall for Greenville
• 12:28 Customer Insights Beyond Quotes and Orders
• 14:59 Helping Partners Adopt Digital Tools
• 16:18 What Should Your MSP Fix First?
• 18:27 Inspire Vendor Floor and Favorite Swag
• 21:02 Closing Thoughts and Thank You

=== Guest: Meredith Payne, TD SYNNEX, Vice President, Digital Growth & Customer Success

• Website: https://www.tdsynnex.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithnpayne

=== Resources / Books / Podcasts / Apps

• Partner with TD SYNNEX: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/en/partnerfirst.html
• MSP Evolve: https://site.tdsynnex.com/msp-evolve/p/1
• PartnerFirst Digital Bridge: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/digital-bridge/ai-agent/
• Agent Bridge: https://news.tdsynnex.com/news/td-synnex-unveils-ai-that-works-alongside-partners-expanding-partnerfirst-with-agentic-capabilities/
• PartnerFirst MCP Connector: https://news.tdsynnex.com/news/td-synnex-unveils-ai-that-works-alongside-partners-expanding-partnerfirst-with-agentic-capabilities/
• PartnerFirst Customer Lifecycle Offering: https://news.tdsynnex.com/news/td-synnex-unveils-ai-that-works-alongside-partners-expanding-partnerfirst-with-agentic-capabilities/
• TD SYNNEX Inspire: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/inspire/
• Fall for Greenville: https://www.fallforgreenville.net/
• Falls Park on the Reedy: https://www.greenvillesc.gov/falls-park

=== SPONSORS:

• Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
• Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
• Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
• Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready

=== SHOW MUSIC:

• Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
• Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
• Author Username: AlexanderRufire
• Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast

If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

Before you buy another AI tool or help a client deploy agents, take a hard look at the environment supporting them. Recording from Greenville, South Carolina, I talk with Joseph Vlajcic about what happens when businesses chase individual AI use cases without considering how those systems will work together. We discuss why disappointing returns can come from more than choosing the wrong tool. Sometimes the surrounding infrastructure needs attention first.

Joseph walks through AI running in the data center, public cloud, and at the edge, with the network connecting all three. That brings up questions MSPs need to ask about traffic, access, security, and visibility. I also raise something we haven’t spent enough time discussing: we’re watching AI-driven threats coming in, but what about the activity our own AI tools generate going out?

We wrap up with the business conversations that can be harder than the technical work. How do you handle clients who want AI but resist your recommendations? What belongs in the discussion around service agreements? And what should you never promise about an AI future nobody can fully predict? Joseph brings it back to segmentation, identity, patching, and making investments that support the use case in front of you.

=== Guest: Joseph Vlajcic, TD SYNNEX

• Title: Vice President, Cisco.
• Website: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/cisco/sso/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-vlajcic-6099136

=== Companies / Vendors / Products / Books

• TD SYNNEX: https://ir.tdsynnex.com/overview/default.aspx
• Cisco: https://www.cisco.com/
• FinOps Fusion: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008565728/en/TD-SYNNEX-Introduces-FinOps-Fusion-to-Optimize-AI-Token-Spend-Across-Cloud-and-Core-Infrastructure
• Amazon Bedrock: https://aws.amazon.com/bedrock/
• Claude Mythos Preview: https://www.anthropic.com/glasswing

=== Resources / Training / Initiatives

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA): https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/certifications/enterprise/ccna/index.html
• Project Glasswing: https://www.anthropic.com/project/glasswing

=== Events / Conferences

• TD SYNNEX Inspire: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/inspire/

=== SPONSORS:

• Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
• Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
• Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
• Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready

 === SHOW MUSIC:

• Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
• Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
• Author Username: AlexanderRufire
• Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast

If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

Saving money on AI does not mean much if you are still using it the wrong way. That was one of my biggest takeaways from TD SYNNEX Inspire in Greenville, South Carolina. Erick Simpson joins me to unpack the announcements that caught our attention, including FinOps Fusion and Agent Bridge. We discuss the potential to better understand AI spending, reduce manual work around quoting and ordering, and spot client opportunities that get buried when we are busy putting out fires. I also explain why I want to see the AI spending conversation go beyond cutting costs to improving prompts, automations, and results.

The vendor floor gave us another reason to rethink what we bring to clients. Ergonomic workspaces, healthcare carts, branded device cases, and other hardware sparked conversations we do not usually have at MSP events. Before the recap, I share how I moved a client’s Access-based application to V2 Cloud, what was still unfinished, and how a $15 cable helped another client avoid replacing an external drive. And yes, Erick and I get into the swag, including a few things I will actually use.

=== Guest: Erick Simpson, MSP Mastered / Channel Mastered

• Website: https://ericksimpson.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericksimpson

=== Companies / Vendors / Products / Books

• V2 Cloud: https://v2cloud.com/
• TD SYNNEX Inspire — official conference site. https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/inspire/
• Channel Mastered — About. https://channelmastered.com/about/
• MSP Mastered — official site. https://mspmastered.com/
• Digi — TD SYNNEX Inspire 2026 event overview. https://www.digi.com/resources/events/2026/td-synnex-inspire-2026
• TD SYNNEX — PartnerFirst agentic capabilities announcement. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008201780/en/TD-SYNNEX-Unveils-AI-That-Works-Alongside-Partners-Expanding-PartnerFirst-with-Agentic-Capabilities
• TD SYNNEX — FinOps Fusion announcement. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008565728/en/TD-SYNNEX-Introduces-FinOps-Fusion-to-Optimize-AI-Token-Spend-Across-Cloud-and-Core-Infrastructure
• TD SYNNEX — Space Tech Initiative announcement. https://news.tdsynnex.com/news/td-synnex-launches-space-tech-initiative-to-help-partners-capitalize-on-the-growing-space-economy/
• Uncle Marv’s IT Business Podcast — FinOps Fusion coverage. https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/blog/td-synnex-launches-finops-fusion/

=== Swag Mentions

• Ergotron: https://www.ergotron.com/en-us/
• KIOXIA: https://americas.kioxia.com/en-us/
• Kingston Technology: https://www.kingston.com/en
• Omnissa: https://www.omnissa.com/

=== SPONSORS:

• Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
• Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
• Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
• Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready

=== SHOW MUSIC:

• Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
• Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
• Author Username: AlexanderRufire
• Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast

If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

Recurring revenue is nice. Recurring profitability is what pays the bills. I sat down with Augie Staab, Director of MSP Sales at TD SYNNEX, at Inspire in Greenville, South Carolina, to talk about the difference. We dug into cybersecurity stack standardization, what makes a vendor offering truly useful to MSPs, and why letting every customer pick a different tool can undermine your business. Augie also explained how TD SYNNEX’s dedicated MSP sales team and new MSP ARC program aim to help partners identify gaps and make better business decisions.

Stop building a different stack for every customer

I asked Augie about selling cybersecurity as a service rather than simply reselling a product. She pointed to a familiar problem: customers request their preferred vendors, and the MSP keeps making exceptions. Her advice was to standardize around technologies you understand, know the industries you serve well, and build something you can deliver repeatedly. The lesson is straightforward: recurring sales alone don’t prove your service model is profitable.

=== Guest: Augie Staab, TD SYNNEX, Director of MSP Sales

• Website: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritapena

=== Companies / Vendors / Products / Books / Events / Organizations

• Become a Partner: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/en/partnerfirst.html
• TD SYNNEX Inspire: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/inspire/
• TD SYNNEX MSP Sales: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/smbconnect/msp-sales/
• TD SYNNEX PartnerLINK: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/PartnerLINK/
• TD SYNNEX MSP Evolve: https://site.tdsynnex.com/msp-evolve/p/1

=== SPONSORS:

• Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
• Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
• Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
• Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready

 === SHOW MUSIC:

•  Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
• Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
• Author Username: AlexanderRufire
• Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast

If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

Using fewer AI tokens doesn’t automatically mean you’re saving money. I sat down with Andre Van der Post, Vice President of Cloud Solutions at TD SYNNEX, at Inspire in Greenville, South Carolina, to talk about FinOps Fusion and what it takes to manage AI spending beyond the token count.

We get into infrastructure costs, poorly written prompts, governance, and the opportunity for MSPs to help clients make smarter decisions. Andre also gets honest about what’s still being built. The takeaway: managing AI costs means understanding the business value, not just watching usage.

=== Guest: Andre Van der Post, TD SYNNEX

• Website: https://tdsynnex.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrevanderpost

=== Companies / Vendors / Products / Books

• Sign Up for an account at TD SYNNEX: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/en/partnerfirst.html
• FinOps Fusion: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008565728/en/TD-SYNNEX-Introduces-FinOps-Fusion-to-Optimize-AI-Token-Spend-Across-Cloud-and-Core-Infrastructure
• TD SYNNEX Inspire: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/inspire/
• Microsoft Copilot: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot
• Google Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/
• AI Token Consumption Assessment: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008565728/en/TD-SYNNEX-Introduces-FinOps-Fusion-to-Optimize-AI-Token-Spend-Across-Cloud-and-Core-Infrastructure
• Unified Visibility Dashboard: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008565728/en/TD-SYNNEX-Introduces-FinOps-Fusion-to-Optimize-AI-Token-Spend-Across-Cloud-and-Core-Infrastructure
• AI Spend Optimization Recommendations: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008565728/en/TD-SYNNEX-Introduces-FinOps-Fusion-to-Optimize-AI-Token-Spend-Across-Cloud-and-Core-Infrastructure

=== SPONSORS:

• Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
• Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
• Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
• Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready

=== SHOW MUSIC:

• Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
• Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
• Author Username: AlexanderRufire
• Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast

If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

Dr. Lorne Lavine, better known as The Digital Dentist, joined me to talk about building an IT business that serves one vertical and serves it well. Before becoming an MSP owner, Lorne practiced periodontics, which gave him a real advantage when he started helping dental offices with technology, software decisions, networks, HIPAA, and cybersecurity.

We talked about how he grew through credibility, referrals, writing, speaking, and staying focused on dentists instead of trying to support every kind of business. There are some solid lessons here for any MSP: niche down, understand the customer’s world, do profitable risk assessments, avoid racing to the bottom on price, and build your role around the work you actually enjoy doing.

=== Guest: Dr. Lorne Lavine, The Digital Dentist

• Website: https://www.thedigitaldentist.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/digitaldentist

=== Shout Outs

• Robin Robins / Technology Marketing Toolkit: https://www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com/
• Jennifer Bleam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-bleam/
• Nigel Moore / The Tech Tribe: https://thetechtribe.com/

=== Companies / Vendors / Products / Books

• Henry Schein: https://www.henryschein.com/
• Patterson Dental: https://www.pattersondental.com/
• Carestream Dental: https://www.carestreamdental.com/en-us/
• Open Dental Software: https://www.opendental.com/
• Curve Dental: https://www.curvedental.com/
• Planet DDS: https://www.planetdds.com/
• DentalTown: https://www.dentaltown.com/
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov/
• Office for Civil Rights, HHS: https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/
• Dentrix: https://www.dentrix.com/
• Dentrix Ascend: https://www.dentrix.com/products/dentrix-ascend
• Open Dental: https://www.opendental.com/
• Denticon: https://www.planetdds.com/denticon/

=== SPONSORS:

• Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
• Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
• Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
• Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready

 === SHOW MUSIC:

• Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
• Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
• Author Username: AlexanderRufire
• Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast

If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

Charlotte Conroy from Recent Communications joins me for a straight conversation about UCaaS, cloud communications, and why MSPs should stop treating phones like the thing they would rather avoid. Her company works alongside MSPs to help clients move from aging phone systems to supported, reliable communications without turning every phone issue into an internal help desk problem.

We talk about competing on value instead of price, the reality of copper-line shutdowns, legacy phone systems that are still out there, integrations with door access and overhead paging, and where AI can actually help without making the customer experience worse. If communications matter to your clients, this is a good reminder that somebody needs to own the conversation, even if you do not want to own the entire phone stack.

=== Guest: Charlotte (Ciccone) Conroy, Recent Communications

• Website: https://www.recentcom.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlottecicconeconroy

=== News

• ITSM Market Worth $22.91 Billion by 2031: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/it-service-management-market-worth-22-91-billion-by-2031--report-by-marketsandmarkets-302894029.html

 === Companies / Vendors / Products / Books

• FreedomVoice: https://www.freedomvoice.com/
• GoDaddy: https://www.godaddy.com/
• Intermedia: https://www.intermedia.com/
• RingCentral: https://www.ringcentral.com/
• Vonage: https://www.vonage.com/
• Avaya: https://www.avaya.com/en/
• Grandstream Networks: https://www.grandstream.com/
• Viking Electronics: https://vikingelectronics.com/
• Ubiquiti: https://ui.com/
• UniFi: https://ui.com/
• D&H Distributing: https://www.dandh.com/
• TD SYNNEX: https://www.tdsynnex.com/

 === Podcasts / Events / Organizations

• ITEXPO: https://www.itexpo.com/
• MSP Expo: https://www.mspexpo.com/
• TechSuperShow: https://www.techsupershow.com/
• TD SYNNEX Inspire: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/inspire/
• TD SYNNEX Inspire Insider: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/td-synnex-inspire-insider-7491233541796683776/

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast

If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

Lucas Dowd and Kevin Townsend, co-founders of Catalyst Shift, join me to talk about a problem just about every MSP knows too well: the data you need to run the business is scattered across your PSA, RMM, CRM, email, accounting, and other tools. The result is too much manual digging, too many disconnected reports, and not enough time in front of the customer having the conversations that actually matter.

We talk about their idea of a business operating layer that brings those systems together, looks for patterns, and turns the information into practical next steps. That can mean faster QBR preparation, early warning signs of churn, clearer client risk profiles, proposal support, and a better story around the value your MSP is delivering. The big takeaway is simple: AI should not just create another dashboard for you to ignore. It should help you spot what needs attention and give your team more time to be human with clients.

=== Chapters

• 00:24 Meet Lucas Dowd and Kevin Townsend of Catalyst Shift
• 01:28 Building a Business Operating Layer for MSPs
• 04:36 Connecting PSA, RMM, CRM, and Other Disconnected Data
• 08:23 Palantir, Data Normalization, and the Forward-Deployed Model
• 11:27 QBRs, Client Reporting, and Actioned Intelligence
• 14:34 Tool Sprawl and Why Building Internal AI Is Harder Than It Looks
• 18:34 Client 360 Insights: Churn Risk, Sentiment, Playbooks, and Proposals
• 25:56 How Small MSPs and Larger Providers Can Use Catalyst Shift
• 29:53 ASCII Early Adopter Trial and Closing Thoughts

=== Guests

• Lucas Dowd, CatalystShift: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasadowd
• Kevin Townsend, CatalystShift: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kkreative/
• Website: https://www.catalystshift.ai/ 
• ASCII Member Benefit: https://www.catalystshift.ai/docs/ascii-early-adopter

=== Companies / Vendors / Products / Books

• Palantir Technologies: https://www.palantir.com/
• ConnectWise: https://www.connectwise.com/
• NinjaOne: https://www.ninjaone.com/
• HaloPSA: https://halopsa.com/
• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com/
• Palo Alto Networks: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/
• RSA: https://www.rsa.com/

=== SPONSORS:

• Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
• Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
• Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
• Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready

 === SHOW MUSIC:

• Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
• Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
• Author Username: AlexanderRufire
• Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast

If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

I sat down with Andy Syrewicze from Proofpoint MSP Platform to talk about a problem every MSP runs into: Microsoft 365 security looks simple until you start managing it across real client environments. Andy explains how Proofpoint 365 Total Protection, the MSP platform formerly known as Hornetsecurity, brings together email security, Microsoft 365 backup, security awareness training, permission management, DMARC, and tenant standardization.

The big takeaway is that security cannot stop at email filtering or MFA. MSPs need layered protection, cleaner SharePoint permissions, better user reporting habits, and a standard Microsoft 365 baseline they can consistently apply across their client base.

=== Chapters

• 00:48 Welcome and TechCon Unplugged Recap
• 06:47 TD SYNNEX Inspire Preview
• 08:12 Sponsors: TruGrid and 1Stream
• 09:29 NetAlly Tip: Troubleshooting DNS Resolution Problems
• 15:35 Meet Andy Syrewicze From Proofpoint
• 19:24 Microsoft 365 Security Gaps for MSPs
• 23:52 Building a Microsoft 365 Security Baseline
• 28:19 Managing SharePoint Permissions Before Copilot
• 34:17 AI Phishing and Copilot Governance
• 39:40 Proofpoint 365 Total Protection for MSPs
• 43:16 Layered Security and User Awareness
• 46:29 Final Takeaways and Closing

=== Guest: Andy Syrewicze, Proofpoint MSP Platform 

• Website: https://www.proofpoint.com/
• Proofpoint 365 Total Protection: https://www.proofpoint.com/us/products/365-total-protection
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asyrewicze/ 

=== NetAlly Tip of the Week

• Uncle Marv's Top 10 DNS Resolvers (September 2026): https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/downloads/ITB-Top-10-DNS-202609/ 

 === Companies / Vendors / Products / Books

• Pax8: https://www.pax8.com/en-us/
• ConnectWise: https://www.connectwise.com/
• TD SYNNEX: https://www.tdsynnex.com/
• Google: https://www.google.com/
• Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/
• Quad9: https://quad9.net/
• DNSFilter: https://www.dnsfilter.com/
• NextDNS: https://nextdns.io/
• DMARC: https://dmarc.org/
• BIMI: https://bimigroup.org/
• FIDO Alliance: https://fidoalliance.org/
• FIDO2: https://fidoalliance.org/fido2/

 === Companies / Vendors / Products / Books

• TechCon Unplugged: https://www.mspunplugged.com/techcon-unplugged/
• MSP Unplugged: https://www.mspunplugged.com/
• TD SYNNEX Inspire: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/inspire/
• IT Nation: https://itnation.connectwise.com/
• The ASCII Group: https://www.asciigroup.com/
• ChannelPro: https://www.channelpronetwork.com/
• Zero Trust World: https://ztw.com/
• SaaS Awards: https://www.cloud-awards.com/saas-awards/

=== SPONSORS:

• Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/
• Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip
• Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid
• Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready

=== SHOW MUSIC:

• Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo
• Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET
• Author Username: AlexanderRufire
• Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast

If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.