small biz thoughts

Amy B and Amy L talk about the economics of small business acquisition and what’s happening in the market.

Segment One: What are you up to? 

We catch you up with the latest events.

Coaching with ChannelWise at the ChannelPartners Conference May 3rd -

https://www.channelwise.com/coaching-cafe

Find out more here: https://nsitsp.org/events/

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Segment Two: 15 Minutes with a Smart Person - Walter Crosby    

Amy B speaks with Walter Crosby. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/walterlcrosby/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sales-cigars/id1567106056

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Segment Three: The Bell Curve and the MSP Question of the Week

Amy B and Amy L goes into depth on the "Bell Curve of Security" 

MSP Question of the week: When you have hybrid remote workers, who is responsible for the home network connectivity?

Is the security of their home network your problem?

 

Sponsor Memo: SMB Online Conference 

Mark your calendars and plan to join us May 17-18 at the SMB Online Conference 2023.

Two full days of content.

More than a dozen speakers.

A special Killing IT Live podcast recording.

And much more.

Every three years, Karl Palachuk and Small Biz Thoughts bring you a spectacular two-day online conference. And they do it right.

Save $100 by registering today at https://smbonlineconference.com

This just in: James will order your pizzas for you. 

 

Segment One: 15 Minutes w/ a Smart Person - Featuring Barbara A. Boldt

Amy B. sits down with Barbara A. Boldt. 

Barbara A. Boldt helps introverted tech managers, who are looking to advance their careers, communicate in a way that gets them and their ideas noticed by the people in positions to promote them.

Learn more here:

https://www.boldtglobal.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaraboldt/

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Segment Two: The MSP Question of the Week

Do you blog and should an MSP blog? We discuss.

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Resources and Links:

A big thanks to Asigra for making this podcast possible.

Check them out at https://www.asigra.com

Also: Sign up for our big webinar with Asigra - Does your backup protect you against the latest ransomware attacks? 

April 19th at 9:00 AM Pacific Time.

Register Now:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ruK7Mp77TEaZyIXID96DLQ

 

Amy’s Facebook communities

1. Ransomware, Security, Compliance  and Privacy
   https://www.facebook.com/groups/RansomwarePrevention 

2. Intune, MeM, Defender and Lighthouse
   https://www.facebook.com/groups/endpointmanager 

Legislation and Regulation
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MSPRegulationAndLegislation

 

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Sponsor Memo: The SMB Online Conference 

Mark your calendars and plan to join us May 17-18 at the SMB Online Conference 2023.

Two full days of content.

More than a dozen speakers.

A special Killing IT Live podcast recording.

And much more.

Every three years, Karl Palachuk and Small Biz Thoughts bring you a spectacular two-day online conference. And they do it right.

Save $100 by registering today at https://smbonlineconference.com

Check out the latest episode!

Karl Palachuk has a major announcement . . . followed by a discussion of The Five Employee Rules You Can't Forget - No matter how difficult the job market is right now.

Karl has been procuding materials for IT consultants who are tackling the challenges of hiring in as we roll the calendar over to 2023. He recently posted a recorded webinar at https://www.mspwebinar.com on Hiring and Keeping Great Employees in 2023 - https://mspwebinar.com/finding-and-keeping-great-employees/.

In this podcast, Karl outlines five extremely important things you need to remember, even in a difficult job market. 

Karl is one of the SMB Community Podcast hosts. He has written more than twenty books, and runs the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community as well as IT Service Provider University.

Karl has built and sold two managed service businesses. He has been a professional consultant for more than three decades, and he has been an active community builder in the SMB IT market for more than fifteen year. He's also the founder of the National Society of IT Service Providers and is currently their Executive Director.

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Sponsor Memo: Acronis

Are you still relying on a frustrating patchwork of legacy solutions?  Modernize your cybersecurity and 
data protection with Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud.    It’s a single solution that combines backup, anti-
malware, and endpoint protection management.   As an MSP, you can easily improve clients’ security 
posture, eliminate complexity, and generate more recurring revenue.     Learn more about Acronis Cyber 
Protect Cloud at Acronis.com. 

 

Host Karl sits with Acronis's Righter Kunkel at the Cyberfit Summit 2022! 

Righter is a seasoned leader with responsibilities for strategy, design, implementation, and execution of corporate customer success vision anchored with financial growth.

Righter has over 20 years of leadership experience in the public sector/commercial education and consulting industry. Righter has a deep working knowledge of operating a global for-profit partner, employee, and customer training business to include the internal business functions of development, certification, enablement, sales, services, and operations.

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Sponsor Memo: Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community

This podcast is sponsored by the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community. Check us out at https://smallbizthoughts.org

Forms, templates, and checklists are just the start. 

Our Community includes ALL of the best-selling books on managed services in all available formats, plus free training, members-only programs, and the best business training available to managed service providers anywhere. Plus, we have weekly live members-only Zoom calls. 

The average member saves more than 200% of their membership cost each year. 

We are totally dedicated to YOUR success. 

Just because you're in business for yourself doesn't mean you have to go it alone.

Join us today at https://smallbizthughts.org

 

Host James chats with Daniel Wang of MSPbots.

Daniel Wang is a seasoned MSP owner, and CEO of MSPbots, a software platform that uses dashboards, and bots to help MSP automate the business process, and help manage, and train employees.

MSPbots has the best dashboard software for MSP, easily creating MicroTraining bots to alert employees, and providing real-time Microtraining based on KPI changes, and incidents based on the data.

 

Resources and Links:

https://mspbots.ai

 

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Sponsor Memo: SBTTC 

This podcast is sponsored by the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community. Check us out at http://www.SmallBizThoughts.org

Forms, templates, and checklists are just the start. Our Community includes ALL of the best-selling books on managed services in all available formats, plus free training, members-only programs, and the best business training available to managed service providers anywhere.

Plus, we have weekly live members-only Zoom calls. The average member saves more than 200% of their membership cost each year. We are totally dedicated to YOUR success. 

Just because you're in business for yourself doesn't mean you have to go it alone. Join us today at http://www.SmallBizThoughts.org

 

:-)

Host Karl speaks with Robert Scott of Scott & Scott LLP.

Robert Scott represents mid-market and large enterprise companies in software license transactions and disputes with major software publishers such as Adobe, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and SAP. He has defended over 250 software audit matters initiated by software piracy trade groups such as the BSA and SIIA. He is counsel to some of the world’s largest corporations, such as Schlumberger, PepsiCo, Iron Mountain and American Express, on information technology matters including intellectual property licensing, risk management, data privacy, and outsourcing.

As an attorney for 26 years, Robert Scott understands that law firms rarely get fans. Yet, that’s exactly what his firm, Scott & Scott, LLP, has in owners of managed services provider companies. In what Scott, who has spent 15 years serving MSPs, called an “exciting” time, the firm earned the enthusiasts through its cloud-based customer contracting solution. 

Believing that collaboration between legal and technology professionals is the key to solving complex business problems, Scott & Scott, LLP helps with software disputes, intellectual property matters, corporate transactions, copyright litigation, security and privacy issues and information technology. The firm is committed to monitoring developing technologies and emerging law – as technology evolves rapidly, so do laws governing it – in order to provide efficient, highly focused representation. In its 15 years of practice, Scott & Scott has handled more 500 engagements involving software license transactions and audit disputes against Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Adobe, Autodesk, and many other companies. The firm has defended copyright infringement litigation by Microsoft, initiated wrongful termination litigation against Aptean, fought Adobe’s damage calculations, and filed declaratory judgment litigation against Autodesk. Scott & Scott’s client roster includes Fortune 500 companies and other leading companies of all sizes.

Resources and Links:

website: https://scottandscottllp.com/

blogs: https://scottandscottllp.com/blogs/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scottandscott

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScottandScott

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1loqaWnAyc0__O6EuhVACw?view_as=subscriber

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scott-&-scott-llp/

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Sponsor Memo: Acronis

Are you still relying on a frustrating patchwork of legacy solutions Modernize your cybersecurity and data protection with Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud.

It’s a single solution that combines backup, anti-malware, and endpoint protection management. As an MSP, you can easily improve clients’ security posture, eliminate complexity, and generate more recurring revenue.

Learn more about Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud at Acronis.com. 

Host Karl speaks with Lee Darke of Information Technology Service Providers of Canada, a non-Profit organization dedicated to the Canadian IT Services Sector. ITSPC's goal is to provide a membership-based approach to industry standardization that helps IT Service Providers align to a common standard of service delivery curated by industry peers.

And like other professional bodies ITSPC felt the need for standards in service delivery and conduct. ITSPC believes that we need a "Hippocratic oath" of IT service delivery, aligned with a set of standards that professionalize the provider and empower the client.

The time has come to ensure that IT services are delivered with a common goal and set of standards that clients can trust.

Resources and Links: 

https://join.itspc.ca

https://www.linkedin.com/company/itspc

https://twitter.com/itspcanada

https://www.facebook.com/itspcanada

 

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Sponsor Memo: Cisco

Did you know Cisco helps Managed Services Providers directly? Know about the Cisco Partner Program?

Focused on helping partners combine managed services expertise and service creation with innovative Cisco technology and proven go-to-market resources, there’s a program option for you.

With provider pricing, MDF, and marketing resources coupled with Cisco’s leading technologies including Meraki, Duo, and Umbrella, learn more with the link right in the show notes.  
 
https://lnkd.in/gsydMya 

 

Host Karl chats with Richard Tallman & Michael Reeves of Bitdefender. 

Richard Tallman is a 20+ year veteran in the technology industry merging the physical & virtual worlds under one umbrella.

At Bitdefender, he manages Global Cloud Markets & Managed Service Providers (MSP) working directly with the Remote Monitoring & Management (RMM) Platforms and Cloud & Distribution Marketplaces.

Prior to Bitdefender, Richard led the charge at some of the biggest technology companies in the world to streamline and secure customer and partner application enhancements to the cloud for both on and off premise solutions.

When not at work he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children while sharing his love of beach volleyball, mountain biking and surfing. 

Michael Reeves is the CISSP - Technical Director, Cloud & MSP at BitDefender. With over 22 years in the industry, Mike is a true pioneer of cloud security. His ability to translate engineering concepts to a business audience is unmatched.

He enjoys spending time with his family, playing bass guitar, and four wheeling in his Jeep - especially at the same time!

 

Bitdefender is a cybersecurity leader delivering best-in-class threat prevention, detection, and response solutions worldwide.

Guardian over millions of consumer, business, and government environments, Bitdefender is one of the industry’s most trusted experts for eliminating threats, protecting privacy and data, and enabling cyber resilience.

With deep investments in research and development, Bitdefender Labs discovers over 400 new threats each minute and validates around 40 billion daily threat queries.

The company has pioneered breakthrough innovations in antimalware, IoT security, behavioral analytics, and artificial intelligence, and its technology is licensed by more than 150 of the world’s most recognized technology brands. Launched in 2001, Bitdefender has customers in 170+ countries with offices around the world. 

In this edition of SMBCP, we briefly overview the current threat landscape for MSPs and SMBs and how these segments are impacted by the current market trends. 

Skills gap, complex tooling, alert fatigue, insufficient or poor onboarding all lead to slow provisioning and license restrictions. Richard and Michael discuss how an MDR service can address these struggles. 

Resources and links: 

https://www.bitdefender.com

Blog:

MDR—What is it and Why Should SMBs Care?

https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/mdr-what-is-it-and-why-should-smbs-care

Article (MSPs): 10 Things MSPs Should Know About Cybersecurity Insurance

https://connect.comptia.org/blog/10-things-msps-should-know-about-cybersecurity-insurance

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Host Karl interviewed Susanne Tedrick.

Susanne is a Cloud Infrastructure Specialist for Azure. She's also a published author, and President of CompTIA's Advancing Tech Talent and Diversity executive council.

The conversation covers all of those topics: Susanne's book (Advancing Women in Tech), diversity in the IT workspace, an right-sizing Azure cloud services. 

Susanne's speciality at Microsoft is supporting professional sports teams and leagues. Leagues are clearly at the enterprise level with one set of challenges. Teams are generally more in the SMB space, often as small as twenty actual users.

 

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Sponsor Memo: Egnyte 

Are you still using on-prem file servers and VPNs to share files with remote workers?

Egnyte is a business class cloud sharing solution that works more like your on-prem server than other solutions. 

With a security first approach to file sharing and collaboration, Egnyte offers multiple options for sharing files and collecting files from outside sources.And do it all addressing data governance and compliance. 

Want to learn more?

Check out Egnyte.com/mspradio, and when you do, tell them we sent you. 

:-)

 

Host James speaks to Alex Farling on the QBR Process. 

As a recovering MSP owner and co-founder of Lifecycle Insights, Alex is working with hundreds of MSPs to help them automate the QBR process and deliver actionable information to their clients. 

Resources and links: 
https://lifecycleinsights.io
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexjfarling/

 

 

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 Sponsor Memo: Acronis

Are you still relying on a frustrating patchwork of legacy solutions?

Modernize your cybersecurity and 
data protection with Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud.

It’s a single solution that combines backup, anti-malware, and endpoint protection management.

As an MSP, you can easily improve clients’ security posture, eliminate complexity, and generate more recurring revenue.

Learn more about Acronis Cyber 
Protect Cloud at Acronis.com. 

Host Karl chats with Bob Coppedge on his book The MSP’S Survival Guide to Co-Managed IT Services

Bob has written the only two books on the topic of Co-Managed IT services and has helped numerous MSP's improve their Co-Managed pratices.

 

Resources and links: 
https://Simplex-IT.com

https://CoMITs4MSPs.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrAQXmClGb2X6GH1WgaNyZA

 

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Sponsor Memo: SBTTC

This podcast is sponsored by the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community. Check us out at www.SmallBizThoughts.org

Forms, templates, and checklists are just the start. Our Community includes ALL of the best-selling books on managed services in all available formats, plus free training, members-only programs, and the best business training available to managed service providers anywhere.

Plus, we have weekly live members-only Zoom calls. The average member saves more than 200% of their membership cost each year. We are totally dedicated to YOUR success. 

Just because you're in business for yourself doesn't mean you have to go it alone. Join us today at www.SmallBizThoughts.org

:-)

Host Karl speaks with Jeffery Ponts.

 

Jeffery is COO and Co-Founder of Datatel Solutions Inc (www.datatelsolutions.com) which was founded in early 2003. Jeffery has more than 30 years in the telecom business, the past 19 as an entrepreneur. 

 

Jeff and his business partner, Daniel Langton, have grown Datatel Solutions into a national entity. He has more than 30 years of telecom and technology industries experience covering telecom master agency, and software development/integration.

 

He has spent the vast majority of his career focused on channel development, sales and management. Jeff has held many industry association positions including the President of the Technology Channel Association (TCA), many previous council and community seats with CompTIA, and currently sits on the executive council of Advancing Women in Technology., he also Co-Founded software development, and ISV firm Concordus Applications (www.concordusapps.com) in 2011. Concordus specializes in Integration, IoT, mobile solutions, and financial technologies.

 

Resources and links:

www.datatelsolutions.com

 

 

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Sponsor Memo: PCMatic 

PC Matic — Endpoint Security built on a zero trust/default deny foundation  Finally - a light weight, simple to deploy & easy to manage approach to application allowlisting.

The perfect compliment to your current security stack.  No minimums and no annual contracts.  

 

Find out more about PC Matic by 
visiting PCMatic.com/MSP today. 
 

 

:-)

Host Karl chats with Dave Sobel from MSP Radio and The Business of Tech (and the Killing IT podcast).

 

Dave is regarded as a leading expert on IT and managed services, cloud computing, and virtualization, and is a featured speaker at industry events including Channel Partners, Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, IT Nation, SITS London, and as a CompTIA trainer at multiple events, and is often quoted in business and technology publications.

 

Dave started his career as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies, as well as a product developer and designer. He owned and operated a IT Solution Provider and MSP for over a decade, both acquiring other organizations and eventually being acquired.

 

Since his MSP experience, he has worked for multiple vendors at such companies as Level Platforms, GFI, LogicNow, and Solarwinds, leading community, event, marketing, and product strategies, as well as several M&A activities.

 

 

Resources and links:

MSP Radio: https://www.mspradio.com/

Killing IT Podcast: https://killingit.smallbizthoughts.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesobel/

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Sponsor Memo: Cisco 

Did you know Cisco helps Managed Services Providers directly? Know about the Cisco Partner Program?

Focused on helping partners combine managed services expertise and service creation with innovative Cisco technology and proven go-to-market resources, there’s a program option for you.

With provider pricing, MDF, and marketing resources coupled with Cisco’s leading technologies inculding  Meraki, Duo, and Umbrella, learn more with the link right in the show notes.  
 
https://lnkd.in/gsydMya 

 

 

:-)

 

 

 

Host Amy speaks with the Zack Fair on web filtering with SafeDNS.

Zack is the Business Development Manager at SafeDNS and an IT enthusiast

SafeDNS breathes to make the internet safer for people all over the world with solutions ranging from AI & ML-powered web filtering, cybersecurity to threat intelligence.

Moreover, SafeDNS strives to create the next generation of safer and more affordable web filtering products.

 

Resources and links:

www.safedns.com

https://blog.safedns.com/

 

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Did you know that the average MSP spends 10 hours manually inputting accounting data each week? 

That time is 120 prospect calls, a month’s worth of the Business of Tech, or building an entire lego death 
star.

Gozynta Mobius can make your life easier through accounting automation.

Automatic sync of 
invoices, expenses and inventory from ConnectWise Manage into QuickBooks Online in just a single click 
of a button. 
 
With onboarding, direct support, and regular feature releases, Gozynta is a family owned company dedicated to making software suck a little less each day.

Visit us at g-o-z-y-n-t-a dot com 

:-)

Corey Kirkendoll is the President & CEO of 5K Technical Services. 5K Technical Service, is an award-
winning Managed Service Provider (MSP) company that is committed to establishing solid IT solutions 
for Small-to-Medium sized Businesses (SMB) throughout the North Texas area. 

Corey is recognized by his peers as an IT Expert. Through his leadership, his relentless focus on being 
process-oriented and his commitment to delivering excellence in security and compliance, he has been a 
major influence on the rapid growth not only within his own MSP but with other MSP’s across the 
country as well.  

Corey is a Tech Titan and has received numerous awards in the IT industry.

 

References and links: www.5ktech.com