Podcasts about it nation

Send us a textFrom Wine Tastings to IT Nation Leadership!

Send us a textFrom Military Mindset to MSP Mastery! ⚙️

In this episode, Richard speaks to Peter Kujawa. Peter is a seasoned executive attorney and industry leader with a wealth of experience in the MSP space. He now heads up the service leadership at IT Nation, part of the team at ConnectWise, overseeing IT Nation Connect, IT Nation Evolve peer groups and the partner advisory councils. Peter tells Richard how they foster and cultivate a strong community, and why it's important that everyone in the leadership team has a go-giver mentality. He also touches on the types of MSP who join IT Nation, and how they use their membership for success.Richard asks Peter to explain the service leadership index 2025 annual IT solution provider compensation report and they discuss a couple of key points from it – around wage inflation and the fact that the more profitable MSPs tend to pay lower salaries.Peter also shares his advice from his time running an MSP and how he grew it, the mistakes he sees others make when trying to scale and the big opportunities for MSPs at the moment, as well as why AI isn't taking away jobs.This episode was recorded live in London at IT Nation Connect Europe 25, so Peter explains what organisers ConnectWise were hoping to achieve, the attendance figures, why competitors are welcome and the decision to make the conference an annual event.Mentioned in This EpisodeIT NationIT Software: ConnectWiseMSP community event: IT Nation ConnectPeer groups: IT Nation EvolveBook: Bob Burg: The Go-GiverConsultation solutions: Service LeadershipPodcast: Richard's interview with Dan Scott

Welcome to episode one of Wired for Connection! This is a TubbTalk spinoff show, hosted by Operations Manager Lenka Koppova and Vera Tucci, the co-founder and CEO of T-Consulting, an MSP and COMIT.Vera is a passionate advocate for diversity, inclusion, and authentic leadership in the IT and MSP space. Inspired by a conversation she had with Lenka and Team Tubb's Kareena Barat, Vera agreed to be the co-host of this new show. Wired for Connection isn't just a podcast; it's a mission. It creates a space for every perspective and voice in tech. And every guest can share their unfiltered and unapologetic story and take on the industry. Lenka and Vera will champion those voices that too often have been left out and unheard.Vera shares her experiences as a female leader in the tech space and Lenka discusses how she's found things as someone new to the industry. The co-hosts share their hopes and aims for Wired for Connection, the types of guests they're looking for, and why everyone can and should have a seat at the table.Mentioned in This EpisodeT-Consulting Cloud marketplace: Pax8IT conference: Pax8 BeyondIT peer group: IT Nation

In this episode of Partnerships Unraveled, we sit down with Craig Fulton, industry veteran and M&A advisor at Evergreen, to break down what it takes to scale an MSP beyond founder-led sales.Craig brings 20+ years of experience building high-impact MSP communities (including IT Nation at ConnectWise) and now advises business owners on driving enterprise value and successful exits.Here's what we unravel in this episode: Why Founder-Led Sales Caps Growth – The hidden bottlenecks in MSP sales and why hiring a dedicated salesperson can double or triple customer acquisition. Building Scalable Sales & Referral Systems – How top MSPs create repeatable processes for generating consistent inbound business. The Power of MSP Collaboration – Real-world examples of MSPs working together—even with competitors—to drive growth. Localizing MSP Marketing for Maximum Impact – Why small businesses buy from people they trust, and how sponsoring local events and sports teams can be a game-changer.Mastering MDF & Partner Programs – The right way for MSPs to secure and leverage vendor marketing development funds to drive real ROI—and why tracking & reporting is the secret to getting more funding.Why Vendor Partner Programs Often Fall Short – The gaps in vendor support that are failing MSPs and how vendors can better enable their partners to succeed.Craig's insights cut through the noise with hard-earned lessons on MSP growth, sales, and marketing. If you're an MSP leader looking to scale smarter, this is an episode you can't afford to miss.Connect with Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigmfulton/_________________________Learn more about Channext

Send us a textIn this episode, Joey Pinz and Jay McBain discuss key insights from the IT Nation conference, where 7,000 MSPs gathered to explore industry trends and challenges. Jay, a veteran industry analyst, shares insights on the growth of managed services, the influence of private equity, and the shift towards subscription models preferred by millennial buyers.

In this engaging episode of the MSP Business School podcast, host Brian Doyle welcomes Doug Kreitzberg of SeedPod Cyber as a Pitch IT finalist. Doug, joined by recurring guest and ConnectWise Evangelist, Sean Lardo and his coach Matt Koenig, a PitchIT finalist with Nodeware. They discuss the significance of cyber insurance within the MSP space. Brian humorously acknowledges Sean's growth as a regular contributor on the show before diving deep into how SeedPod Cyber's innovative solutions are bridging critical gaps in the industry. Matt, a coach from across the globe, shares insights from Tokyo, Japan, adding a multicultural dimension to the lively discussion. The conversation highlights the critical role of proactive risk management in safeguarding businesses against cyber threats. "There is something sexy about getting your claim paid in full," Brian states, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive cyber policies. With less than three weeks to the finals at It Nation, Doug draws attention to how Seed Pod Cyber is elevating MSPs' capabilities by facilitating conversations around cyber liability insurance. The competition underscores each contestant's unique narrative, promising an intense showdown with Doug's product potentially emerging as a frontrunner. Key Takeaways: Cyber Insurance Importance: Cyber insurance is vital to safeguarding businesses, especially SMBs, post-breach, potentially saving their existence. MSP Empowerment: Seed Pod Cyber aids MSPs in risk conversations, offering insightful tools to guide clients on cyber policies. Product Differentiation: Understanding and explaining the coverage details of insurance policies can set MSPs apart in client interactions. Market Positioning: Matt emphasizes the sexiness of a product that ensures clients' claims will be paid, illustrating market needs. Integration and Involvement: The show discusses vendors' integration within MSP offerings, maintaining efficiency and agnosticism. Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Guest Name: Doug Kreitzberg  LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougkreitzberg/ Company: Seedpod Cyber Website: https://seedpodcyber.com/ Name: Matthew Koenig LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkkoenig/ Company: Nodeware Website: https://nodeware.com/ Name: Sean Lardo LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanlardo/ Company: ConnectWise Website: https://connectwise.com Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/

Send us a textPodcast Episode Summary: Chris Reid on MSPs and Identity Verification

Send us a Text Message.Title: "Balancing Leadership and Success: Insights from Andre Gilmore"Summary: In this engaging episode, Andre Gilmore dives deep into the principles of leadership, the evolving nature of college athletics, and the importance of holistic growth in the MSP space. Andre discusses how great leadership is rooted in building trust and inspiring others, making tough feedback more palatable when it comes from someone who believes in you. He also explores the balance between personal and professional life, particularly in the context of small business owners who bear immense responsibility. The conversation touches on the complexities of paying student-athletes, advocating for financial literacy before athletes can access their earnings.Top 3 Highlights:Leadership Beyond the Field: Andre emphasizes that great leadership is about inspiring others and building trust, much like a mentor giving tough but valuable feedback.Holistic Success in Business: Andre shares how MSP owners must balance professional success with personal well-being, a philosophy integral to the IT Nation Evolve peer groups.Future of College Athletics: Insightful thoughts on student-athlete compensation and the importance of financial education in safeguarding their future.Hashtags: #LeadershipMatters #MSPInsights #CollegeAthletics #SmallBusinessGrowth #HolisticSuccess #ITNationEvolve  Join us for enlightening discussions that spark growth and exploration. Hosted by Joey Pinz, this Discipline Conversations Podcast offers insights and inspiration. 

Send us a Text Message.In this episode of Joey Pinz Disciple Conversations, Joey sits down with a military veteran and current IT leader at the ConnectWise IT Nation Evolve and Grow event in Denver. They delve into the veteran's journey from the Marine Corps to a successful career in tech, exploring the impact of military discipline on navigating the complex world of IT and business. The conversation highlights the importance of structured living, the evolution of the IT Nation community, and the ongoing efforts to support managed service providers (MSPs) through knowledge-sharing and innovation.Top 3 Highlights:Military to Tech: How military discipline shaped a thriving career in IT.IT Nation Evolution: The shift towards an open ecosystem for MSPs.Balancing Act: The importance of balancing work, health, and personal life.

The burden of responsibility placed on MSPs (managed service providers) is huge. They not only must keep all their clients' IT systems running and secure, but they also have to be proactive in data governance, backups, cybersecurity and much more. Plus, there are the small matters of internal HR, Finance, Marketing and the rest!The ConnectWise ASIO platform is the go-to software that MSPs use to run their businesses, and on this episode of the Tech Means Business podcast, we talk to APAC Evangelism Director, Nick Moran.Nick ran his own highly successful MSP business in Australia for nearly three decades, a company he started from scratch and built to a point where it was acquired last year. Instead of enjoying a well-earned retirement however, Nick soon joined ConnectWise to share his experiences and promote the capabilities of the company, plus he's helping improve the platform further still, in line with feedback from frontline staff in MSPs across the APAC region.Entirely developed from the ground up on cloud-native, containerised technology, and integrating AI functionality, the ConnectWise ASIO™ platform is the world's first purpose-built platform for TSPs, taking ConnectWise ahead of its competitors in this highly specialised software space.You can check out ConnectWise here:https://www.connectwise.com/Information on the IT Nation event in Sydney is here:https://www.connectwise.com/theitnation/apacConnectWise ASIO platform:https://www.connectwise.com/platformNick Moran's LinkedIn profile is here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickmoran/The show's host, Joe Green, is here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/

Summary for the Episode with David Bellini

Navigating Business and Life with Abraham Garver

In this engaging episode of Joey Pinz Disciple Conversations, Amanda Lee delves into the dynamic world of the IT Nation community and ConnectWise Secure event. Amanda, a seasoned professional with 18 years in the channel, shares her insights on the importance of collaboration, continuous learning, and cybersecurity for MSPs. She emphasizes the critical role of media in driving growth and efficiency within the ecosystem, highlighting how innovation and competition benefit all stakeholders.Top Highlights:Innovation and AI in Security: Amanda discusses the intersection of AI and security at ConnectWise, emphasizing the importance of protecting small to medium-sized businesses from cybersecurity threats.Effective Marketing Strategies: The conversation touches on cost-effective marketing strategies for MSPs, such as leveraging social media and building relationships with local media to enhance visibility.ConnectWise Partner Program: Amanda highlights the free marketing tools available through the ConnectWise Partner Program, encouraging MSPs to engage with these resources for growth and operational efficiency.Listeners will also enjoy Amanda's personal anecdotes, including her love for dogs and her sons' involvement in lacrosse. This episode is packed with valuable insights for MSPs looking to thrive in an ever-evolving technological landscape.

Exploring SaaS Protection with Stephen Thomas & Jeannine EdwardsDescriptionJoin Joey Pinz as he dives into an enlightening conversation with Stephen Thomas and Jeannine Edwards. With a rich history in the IT and MSP sectors, Stephen and Jeannine share their experiences from ArcServe Storage Graph and their insights on the transformative potential of SaaS Assure. Discover the critical role of MSPs in educating clients about comprehensive SaaS data protection and the importance of building robust vendor-partner relationships. This episode highlights the need for MSPs to go beyond M365, emphasizing the broader applications of SaaS and its untapped potential in the MSP community.Highlights:SaaS Assure Development: Understand the creation and benefits of SaaS Assure as a consumption-based, easy-to-use solution for comprehensive data protection.Vendor-Partner Relationships: Learn about the importance of trust and passion in building successful vendor-partner collaborations.Personal Insights: Enjoy surprising personal anecdotes, including having a one-eyed dog and the experience of traveling in an Airstream at Fort Wilderness.

Join us in this insightful episode as Jeff Bishop delves into the dynamic world of IT Nation events and the transformative impact of AI and automation on the industry. Discover how these technologies are driving business innovation and efficiency, and explore the challenges and opportunities they present for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Jeff shares his thoughts on the importance of maintaining control and privacy in the face of rapid technological advancements, emphasizing the need for meaningful conversations and networking at industry events.Top 3 Highlights:AI & Automation: Jeff discusses the role of AI and automation in revolutionizing the IT industry, highlighting both the opportunities and potential risks involved.MSP Networking: The conversation emphasizes the value of MSPs engaging in deep, meaningful discussions to share insights and solve common problems, rather than just attending demos and sessions.Customer Engagement: Jeff underscores the importance of engineers, UX designers, and product managers directly interacting with customers to fully understand their needs and challenges, ensuring the development of effective solutions.Hashtags: #Innovation #AI #Automation #MSP #ITNation #Networking Possible Titles with Icons

Welcome to Season Seven of Tate Talks In this episode I chatted to Gregg Lalle of ConnectWise About Gregg MSP leader with over 14 years in the space – entrepreneurial spirit with a history of starting and growing businesses from incubation.   Former SVP of International Sales for ConnectWise and now SVP and GM of IT Nation. Connect with Gregg on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and check out the ConnectWise website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music - https://www.purple-planet.com

The application window for PitchIT 2024 is still open. The annual PitchIT Accelerator Program is now in its 5th year, and we are thrilled to partner again with Sean Lardo, ConnectWise and the IT Nation community.Sean Lardo, Head Evangelist and a true voice for the partner joins us once again to talk about IT Nation and the upcoming PitchIT Accelerator Program. PitchIT is a worldwide ‘Shark Tank' like competition that invites organizations to highlight their innovative solutions, be discovered and to learn from the community. 26 vendors are chosen to be a part of this amazing 16-week incubator program, led by industry experts, covering sales, marketing, branding, messaging, product security, and more. From that cohort group, 3 will become Finalists and present live at IT Nation Connect. Additional highlights include:PitchIT winning prize of $70,000.ConnectWise marketplace.The 3 Finalists alone have generated over $3M in ARR.To learn more about the Accelerator program and to become a participant:https://www.connectwise.com/theitnation/pitchit--- more ---If you are looking to learn the art of audience engagement while listening for methods to conquer speaking anxiety, deliver persuasive presentations, and close more deals, then this is the podcast for you.Twins Talk it Up is a podcast where identical twin brothers Danny Suk Brown and David Suk Brown discuss leadership communication strategies to support professionals who believe in the power of their own authentic voice. Together, we will explore tips and tools to increase both your influence and value. Along the way, let's crush some goals, deliver winning sales pitches, and enjoy some laughs.Danny Suk Brown and David Suk Brown train on speaking and presentation skills. They also share from their keynote entitled, “Identically Opposite: the Pursuit of Identity”.Support and Follow us:YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCL18KYXdzVdzEwMH8uwLf6gInstagram: @twinstalkitupInstagram: @dsbleadershipgroupTwitter: @dsbleadershipLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/twins-talk-it-up/LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/dsbleadershipgroup/Facebook: facebook.com/TwinsTalkitUpFacebook: facebook.com/dsbleadership/Website: dsbleadershipgroup.com/TwinsTalkitUp

In this episode, Dave Sobel brings us three important tech news updates. He starts off by discussing ConnectWise's IT Nation announcements, including the shift from Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) to Unified Monitoring and Management (UMM). ConnectWise UMM aims to provide a more comprehensive solution for backup monitoring and service-level management. Dave also mentions the enhancements made to ConnectWise's Business Management Solutions (BMS) based on partner feedback.Next, he highlights Comet Backup's partnership with Wasabi at Cronus Launch's MSP Academy and SAS Alerts, which offers real-time mobile security. He also touches on the topic of self-perception and how AI disruptions are impacting business models.Three things to know today00:00 ConnectWise's IT Nation Announcements: Sidekick, UMM, and more04:02 Comet Backup Partners with Wasabi, Acronis Launches MSP Academy, and SaaS Alerts Goes Mobile for Real-time Security05:58 Self-Perception, AI Disruptions to Business models, and Leading Like LassoAdvertiser: https://rejectioncon.com/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.comFollow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftech.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Hosts Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoyl... Robb Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-roge... Tim McNeil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ Sponsors vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com OSR Manage: https://osrmanage.com 1:09 Robb starts the podcast enthusiastically as he mentions that both companies, OSR and vCIOToolbox, are attendees for IT Nation.  4:40 Robb commends Brian for his improved 30-second pitch and expresses pride in his progress in delivering a concise message. Brian then discusses the challenges of crafting a 30-second pitch and how he improved through the PitchIT program. 6:11 Brian talks about his journey from avoiding self-promotion to becoming more comfortable with it. They discuss the benefits of receiving constructive criticism and the importance of embracing it to grow. 12:43 They discuss the impact of PitchIT and how it has helped them refine their pitches and brand messages. 15:02 The hosts encourage listeners to attend the PitchIT competition at IT Nation and witness vendors' well-crafted 30-second pitches. 19:44 Brian delivers a short and concise pitch for vCIOToolbox and asks for the audience's support in the competition.

Mike Giovaninni and Adam Walter will be giving a talk at 4:00 Friday November 10th at IT Nation connect. This podcast is a preview of that talk and how you can effectively step into a CIO or CISO role to do a risk assessment with a versitile tool...the SWOT.

1:13 – Abe outlines his plans to discuss three topics in today's podcast. First is his lunch conversation with an IT Nation member, which he thinks would be very helpful for the listeners. Second, an update on the overall market (acquisition). Lastly, IT Nation on Denver this August 2023. 5:26 – Abe shared a slide of the lunch conversation. He explains that in just 3.5 years, there are already 73 parties now involved and it includes 11 platform investments. 7:46 – The guest talks about the Modes Theory™. Robb does a follow-up to what is the Modes Theory™ about and what it is for. He emphasizes that one best aspect of the Modes Theory is that, you can have your leadership team take the assessment which means you can see and understand where your people are coming from.  12:50 –  “Organic growth is more valuable than M&A growth”, Abe emphasizes. Although he himself is an m&a advisor, he advocates organic growth. The business should have and focus on its secret sauce and grow organically, then later venture into m&a.  He urges that these three should be satisfied: the business core, the best customers, and use m&a to help complement the first two strategies.  17:01 – Brian raises the question about vertical shifting. Abe gives advice and expands on how important having deep expertise in whatever vertical you are in.  20:51– Robb clarifies Abe's early statement in which the latter says that having 20% growth than a good profit is better. Abe explains further and discusses his previous point. 25:16 – To increase valuation, Abe suggests attending peer groups such as IT Nation every year. Lastly, he emphasized MSPs making a strategy to grow organically.   26:40 – Tim talks about how Sales Maturity helps a lot of MSPs during their pre-peer group stage but in the organic growth phase to get up and make an organic sales model

Tate Talks with….Vicky Bruns, ConnectWise Listen to me have a great conversation with Vicky Bruns, starting with me totally mispronouncing Asio along with a super fun fact about owls - Trust me. From selling diamonds and business loans, all the way to the world of MSPs and rescuing donkeys. Enjoy.. About Vicky Vicky began her career at ConnectWise in early 2015 as a Business Development Manager. In 2017, she attended CompTia's ChannelCon in Austin, Texas, and was instantly hooked on becoming more involved in the channel community. Later that year, she was promoted to the Growth Org to assist with orchestrating the onboarding, sales, and management of strategic channel vendors within the ConnectWise Ecosystem. In 2020, she took on the additional role of helping to manage partner experience and strategy through the transactional ConnectWise Marketplace, which experienced 40% growth from 2020 to 2021, and 60% growth from 2021 to 2022. As current Manager of the Marketplace Account Management and Vendor Specialist teams, she is responsible for helping to lead customer adoption, expansion and retention efforts of 3rd party products and services within The IT Nation community on a global scale. You can connect with Vicky on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-bruns-a7615420/ ConnectWise - https://www.connectwise.com Vicky spoke about : Group - Carrie Richardson - A Seat at the table weekly peer group Podcast - Killing IT Podcast Podcast - MSP Media Network Podcast - New York Times Daily Podcast Podcast - Ted Talk Radio Hour I mentioned No Such Thing As A Fish Book - The Outward Mindset Book - Never Split the Difference Book - Spare by Prince Harry Credits: Music - https://www.purple-planet.com

Tune in for an all-new episode of the Conquer Local Podcast to learn about Managed Service Providers with Michelle Ragusa-McBain, a highly-visible thought leader in the global technology channel and serves as Provider Elevate Leader for the Global Partner Organization at Cisco.Michelle's mission is to help MSPs elevate and succeed via a partnership with Cisco solutions and the Provider Elevate community. Entrepreneur Magazine named her as one of the top 4 people to inspire women to pursue a career in Tech, and SMB Magazine recognized her as one of the 150 most influential people in the global IT Business Community. CompTIA named her Advancing Women in Technology Leader 2021, and Channel Futures awarded her the Circle of Excellence for Channel Leadership & Innovation and DE&I 101 award and recipient of the prestigious Cisco Worldwide Innovation and Growth Award.Michelle keynoted at the largest and most influential technology conferences globally including Channel Partners, CRN, CompTIA, IT Nation, and Kaseya. Michelle serves as Chair Emeritus of Advancing Women in Technology for CompTIA, sat on the board of CRN's Women of the Channel, is Co-Founder of Tech Worlds Half non-profit; a longstanding member of the National Women in Technology Group, and most recently serves as Florida Leader for Alliance of Channel Women. In her free time, she is a passionate advocate for Women, Diversity, and Inclusion in Technology and enjoys traveling the world with her husband Jay McBain and daughters Brooklyn and Cali with 85 countries and 6 continents to date, or spending time with her fur kids- Husky Auggie Doggy and Calico Kitten Luna Meow.Conquer Local is presented by Vendasta. We have proudly served 5.5+ million local businesses through 60,000+ channel partners. Learn more about Vendasta and we can help your organization or learn more about Vendasta's Affiliate Program and how our listeners (like yourself) are making up to $10,000 off referrals.Are you an entrepreneur, salesperson, or marketer? Keep the learning going in the Conquer Local Academy.

Tate Talks with…. Dan Scott Really good chat with Dan, I am sure you will love this episode as there are some amazing real world tips for MSPs to take away. Learn about Dan's career, his land-rover and how he went from SBS 2003 to where he is today and how I learned a new word. About Dan As Director of The IT Nation Community in EMEA, Dan Scott leads the global IT Nation programs with a focus on the region's culture and needs. Dan's career in technology has spanned internal IT, MSP technical, operations and business transformation roles over 15 years prior to joining ConnectWise & The IT Nation in 2020. In 2021, Dan was elected as Vice-Chair of the CompTIA UK&I Executive Council, in recognition for his work to further grow the community and contribute to the success of the members. You can connect with Dan  on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjpscott/ ConnectWise - https://www.connectwise.com Dan spoke about : Podcast - Kermode & Mayo's Take Podcast - Sweeny Talks  Books/Podcasts - Lee Cockerell Book - The Five Dysfunctions of a Team : A Leadership Fable Book - The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea Website - Holly Scott's Interior Design (Dan's wife's business with great interior design ideas) Credits: Music - https://www.purple-planet.com

In this interview, Richard talks to Dan Scott, the IT Nation Community Director, EMEA, for ConnectWise. The IT Nation is an MSP community group, brought to you by ConnectWise, the IT software and services company.IT Nation membership includes conferences, community events, product trainings and more. The supportive community is what really helps MSPs to grow their business and thrive, even in times of uncertainty. This interview was recorded live at the IT Nation Event in Orlando, Florida, in November 2022.Dan told Richard how IT Nation works and the kinds of events they run, why they're committed to an open eco-system, and how he got started in the industry. They also discussed ConnectWise Evolve, which was previously part of HTG.They also discussed why MSPs should embrace peer groups and how the IT Nation groups work. Dan explained the feedback scorecard and how members measure their progress. He also told Richard about how the peer groups work around the world, and what's coming up next in the event space.Mentioned in This EpisodeConnectWiseDattoEvent: IT Nation ShareCompTIAThe Tech TribeEvent: Acronis CyberFit SummitBook: Bob Burg: The Go-GiverConnectWise EvolveEvent: IT Nation ConnectEvent: IT Nation Secure

Be a fly on the wall and join Vonahi, AlertOps as we discuss IT Nation 2022 highlights. Also guest star appearances from Tom Lawrence and Elizabeth Copland! Amazing discussion, massive margaritas, Guacamole is made fresh and a really fun environment all around!

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Guest Name: Scott Haselkorn https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-haselkorn-1a449282/ Company: Haselkorn, Inc. https://haselkorninc.com/ Hosts Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylemetathinq/ Robb Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-rogers-07415251/ Tim McNeil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ Sponsors vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com OSR Manage: https://osrmanage.com Scott Haselkorn joins us today on MSP Business School. Scott is the president of Haselkorn Inc. 1:25 Scott starts off his backstory by revealing that he had a learning disability when he was younger and shared about the first book he read that he thinks made a significant impact on him starting early in MSP. He also talks about how he started wanting to own a computer store as his first dream. 4:00 Scott describes how, at the age of 12, he ventured to buy computer processors by calling Intel in California and acquiring a credit card, tax ID, and applications aided by his parents. He also states that he started out fixing his parent's computers, friends' parents' computers, and even teachers' computers throughout high school. 6:58 He shares that he got his first job in a local place as a tech support and eventually moved to the commercial support department, transferred to Network Administration, and was laid off twice from the same company. 9:30 Scott speaks about he did a training class in dental offices on how to use dental software and got his first paying client through his dad. He then that time started to think about MSP and sort out what his goals were. 11:43 He shares his first encounter with IT Nation and how surprised he was to see many people who like computers the same as he does and make businesses out of them. He also shared the time he started his journey with ConnectWise and how it changed his life. 15:00 Scott then talks about his objectives and says he focuses on security-focused practice to make sure his clients can prevent or don't experience rainy days. He also points out that we should always keep evolving as threats keep changing every day. 17:44 Brian dives right into the conversation, agreeing with what Scott said and noting that one cool thing about the industry is it is ever-changing. He shares his thoughts that these days it is more on “keeping up with the bad guys” and focused on the security-first model. 20:50 Tim and Brian express their astonishment at how Scott was predestined to be working in MSP since he read that book in 4thgrade. Tim adds that it was the game-changer for Scott. 24:13 Scott closes the podcast by saying that all the MSPs all over the globe are peers and teammates. He hopes that as teammates, we can make the world a safer place for the good guys.

We took a different approach for this podcast and brought on a group of people to talk about how to make the most of an industry conference. 6 guests from across the IT landscape converged on Stride 2 Freedom to throw down some pro tips like Fudcutter and Dare to Suck! You don't want to miss this one in prep for IT Nation.

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/ --- --- ---  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      :-)      

Our last episode of the year is a "best of", but we'll be back with brand new shows in 2022. Happy New Year, Doin' It Nation! 01:20 Guest Introduction 03:45 Josh's only trip to Aruba 7:01 Bill Hader impressions 10:19 “Worst case scenario” 11:20 Does Josh get nightmares? 17:45 What “makes” the story? 21:09 Establishing a relationship 23:13 Not giving away the story 31:20 Lauren Sivan 31:21 Betonline.AG Promocode CLNS 50 34:40 Dick joke 37:07 How Jenny watches Dateline 42:40 An attorney with a pony tail 50:43 Tex McIver 55:04 Everyone knew about Bill Cosby… 62:40 Josh starts at ABC 65:19 Project Smile (Donate Here: http://www.projectsmile.org/ )   Follow us all on twitter : @JoshMankiewicz @jennyjohnsonhi5 @dannyzuker @theguydf @doinitpodcast

IT Nation is excited to be starting Partner Led User Groups this year. Join us as Susan Rhodes, Lisa Desimine, and Juan Mack talk about the ins and outs of Partner Led User Groups.   Susan Rhodes - Director of IT Nation Communications Lisa Desimine - IT Nation Program Manager Juan Mack - IT Manager at Matrix Integration

On this week's episode of Stories from The IT Nation, join us as we discuss the latest and greatest news about IT Nation Certify. In this podcast, we were joined by Brian Kelly, partner, and Chief Operating Officer at Longleaf Network. Tune in and learn about an exciting new feature The IT Nation is now offering.

When all your competitors are merging or being bought outright, what do you do? Do you stay independent or do you look to do the same as them? When they all lock into one business focus, do you do the same or do you carve your own path? Jason Bystrak and Peter DiMarco, Vice Presidents at D&H Distributing (104 year old family owned company), join me on this episode to talk about how to know what you should do for your business. They know firsthand the questions you need to ask yourself and whether you should care what your competitors are doing. The conversation also goes into how a $5 billion company operates with 36% employee ownership versus a $50 billion company. I especially loved the conversation about egos, complicating things and the bottoms-up versus top-down method of deciding your businesses next steps. If you have employees, or are thinking about adding staff for the first time, Peter's insights into hiring practices will open your eyes. Jason Bystrak is the vice president of the cloud and services business unit for D&H Distributing, and leads a team of cross-functional experts responsible for the strategy and execution of the company’s XaaS ("Everything as a Service") business, helping channel partners deliver total solutions in a subscription model. He oversees technology practice areas including cloud, professional services, security and unified communications. He is the chair of the Channel Development Advisory Council for CompTIA, previously served as chair for CompTIA’s cloud community, and has been named to ChannelPro-SMB’s list of 20/20 Visionaries, as well as CRN’s 100 People You Don’t Know But Should. He frequently offers insight into the opportunity and future of cloud at strategic industry events, including CompTIA’s ChannelCon, Channel Partners and IT Nation. Peter DiMarco joined D&H in 2015 as vice president of VAR sales, Computer Products Division (CPD). He oversees sales teams working with all value-added resellers that sell through the CPD division, including commercial, government and education solution providers as well as managed service providers. Peter manages the inside and outside sales teams, solutions and Cloud support teams focused on new market growth strategies, aimed at helping its SMB solution providers evolve towards larger mid-market sales opportunities and solutions. He is focused on driving VAR engagement efforts including the VAR Track events at D&H's trade shows, and a new K-12 Advisory Board focusing on this vertical market, in addition to driving new programs and support services. Peter previously served as an IT channel development leader at EarthLink, and has coordinated sales initiatives with partners such as Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, Lenovo, VMware, Apple, Juniper, Citrix and HP. His IT distribution experience includes a vice president of VAR sales position at Ingram Micro.

To get the most out of The IT Nation, you have to be engaged! Join Craig Fulton and Bradley Schow as they talk about engaging within the best community around.

This International Women's Day is themed Choose to Challenge and The IT Nation women definitely choose to challenge. Join our partner, Stephanie Kingslien, and a few members of The IT Nation team, Paige Degidio, Susan Rhodes, and Nancy Bosek, as they reflect on why this day is so important.

Susan Rhodes - Director, IT Nation Communications Andre Gilmore - Director, IT Nation Programs Lisa Desimine - IT Nation Program Manager Jay Ryerse - VP Cybersecurity Initiative   Discussing Evolve, Share, and why to join peer groups and the IT Nation.  

Join Susan Rhodes, Director of Communications for the IT Nation, as she chats with Jay Ryerse, VP of Security Initiatives at ConnectWise, and Nick Espinosa, Chief Security Fanatic and CIO at Security Fanatics, as they get excited for IT Nation Secure, happening virtually on October 14 and 15th!

In this episode of Stories from The IT Nation, Susan Rhodes, Director of IT Nation Communications at ConnectWise, speaks with Dan Saxby, IT Nation Program Manager at ConnectWise, about the benefits of peer groups offered by IT Nation Evolve, and more specifically, the unique value of its service executive peer groups. The two are also joined by special guest Adam Hannemann, Director of Operations at ImagineIT, to hear his story of how he’s grown personally and professionally through service-focused peer groups designed for his role. If you’d like to learn more about IT Nation Evolve, please visit: https://www.connectwise.com/theitnation/evolve

In this episode, we get to know another special member of The IT Nation: Joe Somerville of Network People, Inc. Speaking with our host Craig Fulton, Joe gives us a look into the success that Network People has had with shifting focus to putting people and the customer experience first. Craig and Joe also share the story of how they met and how Joe has gotten both himself and his staff more involved in The IT Nation.

In this episode, we get to know a special member of The IT Nation: April Westervelt, ConnectWise Admin at Portland Internetworks. Speaking to our host Craig Fulton, April tells her story of succeeding as a woman in IT, shares tips for fostering a positive company culture, and explains how she maximizes her time with The IT Nation community.

In this episode, join Craig Fulton as he gets to know one of our newer members of The IT Nation, Nathalia Fernandes from Eola Technology Partners. Nathalia shares her story of how she turned to The IT Nation to bolster her knowledge of ticket management, dispatching best practices, and more.

On this episode of Stories from the IT Nation, we sit down with Corie Leaman, ConnectWise’s Director of IT Nation Events, to talk about all of the changes, challenges, and opportunities that are unfolding in the world of virtual events. We also share some exciting updates about IT Nation Explore. To find more information on our IT Nation events, you can visit: ConnectWise.com/TheITNation.

In the latest episode of Stories from the IT Nation, ConnectWise Chief Talent Officer Jennifer Locklear and Doug Westervelt, president and CEO of Portland Internetworks, discuss how successful businesses can attract and retain an all-star team. Learn more about how to invest in and develop top talent within an organization, how to screen job candidates, and how your company can differentiate itself from the competition to become a desirable workplace to prospective employees.

In this episode of our Stories from The IT Nation podcast series, Alona Bolotnikova, Chief Perfectionist at Perfecting Service, and Topher Barrow, Product Marketing Manager at ConnectWise, talk about the steps and audits to put in place to measure customer service levels. Learn how to create an immediate improvement in your customer service experience by following the advice outlined in this podcast.

Customer service is one of the biggest differentiators when choosing between MSPs today, but how do you know whether you’re doing it correctly? In this episode of our Stories from The IT Nation podcast series, Brian Troy, Director of Product Marketing at ConnectWise, and Alona Bolotnikova, Chief Perfectionist at Perfecting Service, discuss the role customer service plays in client retention, how to create a better customer experience, and the risks of not getting customer service right.

Arnie Bellini, CEO of Connectwise nailed it.  All MSPs have a social responsibility to protect their client data.  Watch Arnie's full keynote from IT Nation 2018 here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csjMxc4q7EM&t=1682s.  The entire youtube video is amazing but the last third really drives home the point of MSPs owning the responsibility of cybersecurity for their clients. Need help marketing your managed IT services business and wanting to steal business away from those MSPs who still don't understand the importance of a great cyber security offering...talk to Ulistic at https://www.uistic.com.

How many IT conferences do you attend throughout the year? How many money are you spending going to IT Nation, MSP World, DattoCon, GlueCon every single year? Are you getting value from this investment? In this edition of the "From The Driver's Seat," we crack the seal on how much money are you wasting attending conferences when you could be putting that money towards connecting with your target audience and investing in marketing. Connect with Stuart at https://www.ulistic.com

Navigate is Continuum’s annual user conference—and it’s packed with great content, networking opportunities, and actionable insights that attendees can leverage across a number of key aspects of their businesses. Tune into this episode of Stories from the IT Nation to discover four can’t-miss attractions at Navigate 2018!

SIP? PRI? Hosted VoIP? We know you don't care about any of them but which should your company be using? Mike takes the mic and answers this question for IT Nation. Having worked with voice from every provider imaginable for 17 years, and a consumer of business voice for 13, Mike has strong opinions on this topic and let's 'em fly.

AVG Announces Cloud Care As I was wandering the floor at IT Nation, Jessica Turner from AVG stopped me to give me some information about the new AVG program: Cloud Care. Then Austen Clark wandered up to hand me to AVG marketing goodies. I assumed he was an AVG employee, but he’s a very happy client of theirs and volunteered to hand things out. So I snapped this picture:   Jessica agreed to an interview. She brought me up to speed on the new AVG program and the revenue opportunities for MSPs. This service is provided on an as-needed basis with month-to-month payments. Includes anti-virus, content filtering, and remote IT services. We also went into deployment options, installation, their dashboard, how new users are added to the system, and more.   Download the Interview with Jessica Turner from AVG. For more information on AVG Cloud Care, visit www.avg.com/cloudcare. For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.     Side story: Jessica has a great sense of humor. When I interview people, I take a picture of their badge so I get the name right, like this:   I asked Jessica if I could take a picture of her badge. She said yes. And as I focusing in I heard her say “Uh. I’m up here.” I’m up here!    

I always like catching up with Dan Wensley from Level Platforms. Dan makes a point of starting out this interview with a ringing endorsement of the IT Nation conference. Level Platforms recently added helpdesk and NOC support for MSPs. The phones are answered in North America – primarily in Ottawa, Ontario. The key to success is the integration with clients’ existing RMM solution. We talked quite a bit about the lessons from Hurricane Sandy and the power of cloud services during a disaster. Hurricane Sandy was a real test for how MSPs will react to disasters in the age of cloud-based management and disaster recovery. Dan is proud of the performance of their NOC during the hurricane, and he’s confident that they will perform just as well in the next disaster. Download the Interview with Dan Wensley from Level Platforms here. For more information on Level Platforms, visit www.levelplatforms.com. For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.

As the IT Nation show was winding down, I talked to some guys from Continuum. Joe Consolmagno is a Technical Account Manager for the Mid Atlantic Region. Raymond Vrabel is Director of Technical Account Management. Continuum was at IT Nation to talk to partners about how they integrate with a variety software programs. In addition, they introduce a variety of products. I asked Joe about the performance of Continuum worked during Hurricane Sandy’s visit to New York and New Jersey. The result was pretty impressive. The combination of Continuum and Datto made response to the disaster fast and easy. In addition to “Continuum Vault” for disaster recovery, the performance of the cloud-based NOC was excellent. Ray mentioned that during the disaster, about 3,000 virtual servers were spun up in the cloud – many of them in advance of the hurricane just to make sure that companies would have no downtime. Download the Interview with Joe and Ray from Continuum here. For more information about Continuum, visit www.continuum.net.   For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.

Interview with Erinn Davis, Community Manager for ConnectWise, Labtech, and Quosal Erinn Davis is one of the hardest working people I ran into at IT Nation. We grabbed an empty boardroom to talk about these three products and her role connecting with the community. The “Community Team” currently has 12 people. They manage all partner-facing activities at ConnectWise, Labtech, and Quosal. These activities include facilitating user groups and working with social media. One person on this team is Holly Soule. I mention the Pinterest pages she manages. You can see a taste of this at http://pinterest.com/connectwise/look-learn/. When we took the picture, the first shot didn’t capture Erinn’s hot shoes, so we had to redo this. Download the Interview with Erinn Davis from ConnectWise, Labtech, and Quosal here. For more information on LabTech, visit www.labtechsoftware.com. For more information on Quosal, visit www.quosal.com. For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.

ChannelEyes is now in its second year and Jay McBain was on the floor at IT Nation to talk to vendors about connecting with partners. According to Jay, most MSPs work with an average of eight vendors, and yet they are overwhelmed with the information flooding from vendors to partners. Jay explains the mobile “Channel Candy” apps that ChannelEyes makes available for vendors to develop. Channel Candy apps will live on your cell phone/mobile device and be a direct communication system between vendors and their channel partners. Jay gives us a great deal of detail on channel relations and how ChannelEyes is working to improve those relations. Download the Interview with Jay McBain from ChannelEyes here. For more information on ChannelEyes, everyone should visit www.channeleyes.com. For vendors to view the mobile app, visit www.channelcandy.com. For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.

While hanging out in the PacketTrap booth, the talk turned to an interesting product combination that surprised me. Geoff Parker from PacketTrap tells me that a number of partners came by the booth and mentioned that they use these tools together. Hmmm . . . aren’t they both RMM tools? Well, yes, but they each have some outstanding features that makes them even better in combination. This is a quick interview but very interesting. Download the Interview with Geoff Parker from PacketTrap here. For more information on PacketTrap, visit www.packettrap.com. For more information on LabTech, visit www.labtechsoftware.com. For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.

One of the fun people I don’t get to see enough is Ian Watkins from the UK. He has been using ConnectWise for seven years. I caught up with Ian as he was in line to get into one of the breakout sessions. So we recorded this podcast in the hallway. He gives us his perspective on the data protection issues for companies in the UK and European Union. We also talked about other vendors — and some comments about the music at the event. Download the Interview with Ian Watkins – ConnectWise user from the UK. For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.

While at IT Nation last weekend, I grabbed Kent McNall, CEO of Quosal for a quick interview. This “killer combo” of products is one of the most impressive things I saw over the weekend. Quosal was one of the highlighted products in Arnie Bellini’s keynote speech. Kent gave us some of the details about how Quosal connects the LabTech RMM to the ConnectWise PSA. We talked in some depth about the “possibility engine” in LabTech that triggers quotes from Quosal. From little things like the need for RAM, all the way up to creating an automated proposal for replacing an entire server, the LabTech/Quosal combination can help you find opportunities among your clients that you might otherwise miss. Quosal was written as an open application, so it works nicely with Autotask and other products in addition to ConnectWise. And with the LabTech integration it is very obvious that other RMM tools will want to develop a competing product as well. Download the Interview with Kent McNall from Quosal here. For more information on Quosal, visit www.quosal.com.   For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.

Alan McDonald is President and CTO of Xilocore. Xilocore is a “business continuity and disaster recovery” company focused value added resellers. The develop entire disaster preparedness plans that can be added to managed service offerings. In addition to simply having a business continuity plan, Alan talks about testing recovery systems on a regular basis. He notes that the most successful partners for his product are those that focus their business around disaster recovery. And of course I made him answer some questions about their partner program. Download the Interview with Alan McDonald from Xilocore here. For more information on Quosal, visit www.xilocore.com. For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.

My friend Nancy Hammervik is the Senior Vice President, Industry Relations at CompTIA. On November 9th she was awarded a Bronze Stevie Award as “Female Innovator of the Year – Government or Non-Profit – 11 to 2,500 Employees.” The Stevie Awards were created to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and business people worldwide. All organizations and individuals worldwide may submit nominations to the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The Stevie Awards are given out by the American Business Association. We talked about her role mentoring women in business and specifically women in IT. Nancy deals with pretty much everything in CompTIA that deals with partners: Communications, education, and a lot more. Their goal is to be vendor neutral while providing education and opportunities for VARs and MSPs. Download the Interview with Nancy Hammervik from CompTIA here. For more information on CompTIA, visit www.comptia.org. For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.

Kim’s cloud display was very clever. In fact, it caught my eye and I had to take a picture. Then, of course, I turned on the microphone to ask what they do. Integral is a “full IT solution provider.” They were recruiting partners to resell their managed service offerings, including cloud services and hosting/colo services. SSAE 16 SOC2 Audit Compliant. (See http://www.ssae16.org/ssae-16-reporting/ssae-16-type-2-reports.html) Their channel program has no minimums and no quotas. They will help train you to sell their solutions, so they can help you with both sales and technical support. Download the Interview with Kim Mann from Integral here.   For more information on Integral, visit www.integralsg.com.   For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.

Karl with Jenna from Spam Soap Jenna Chase is always in a good mood, and she really enjoyed the IT Nation vendor floor this year. We caught up with her on the last day. Spam Soap is a cloud based email and security provider. Which means cloud-based spam filtering, archiving, encryption, and hosted Exchange services. Of course they’ll filter any email you need filtering, so you don’t have to be hosted with them. Download the Interview with Jenna Chase from Spam Soap. For more information on Spam Soap, visit http://spamsoap.com or Call 866-772-6688.   For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.    

I dropped by the Symantec booth at IT Nation and had some fun horsing around with Anne Stobaugh and Dal Gemmell. They brought me up to speed with some of the latest programs at Syamantec. Anne made a point that Symantec is trying to be very MSP friendly. They offer a monthly subscription buying program AND promised that you don’t have to worry about Symantec contacting end users! The monthly program is a buy-what-you-need model and great for cash flow. A few products are available in this program either on-premise or in the Cloud, including End Point Protection and Backup Exec. Dal focuses on that Endpoint Protection piece and says Symantec is totally supporting Windows 8 devices at this time. As he says, “In this business, if you don’t adapt quickly to change, you’re not going to be in business for very long.” Symantec is also a big supporter of HTG. They support some groups directly and try to have a tight relationship. Their goal her is to stay tuned to what MSPs are looking for. Symantec has an “MSP Specialist” team that focuses completely on MSP products and issues. You can contact the MSP team at … msp@symantec.com or call 855-210-1101. Download the Interview with Anne Stobaugh and Dal Gemmell from Symantec here. For more information on Symantec, visit www.symatec.com.   For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.  

One of the vendors that seems to make every show is eFolder (www.eFolder.net). I talked to Booth Dude Tel Hulsy about the eFolder product and what they’re up to. eFolder Crew at IT Nation Ted’s big push is the eFolder/AppAssure combination that allows client systems to be imaged to the eFolder cloud. This gives them on-site data recovery plus cloud-based recovery options. We also talked a bit about the explosion of data on client sites and how that affects backups. Ted explained a bit about eFolder’s de-duplication feature. Other topics included . . . – Why public cloud? – How does the availability of bandwidth affect recovery? – Running clients in the virtual environment in the cloud – The “eFolder Continuity Cloud” Download the Interview with Ted Hulsy from eFolder. For more information on eFolder, visit www.eFolder.net. For more information on IT Nation, visit www.TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit www.ConnectWise.com.

ConnectWise Goes Way Beyond PSA I had a chance to sit down with Arnie and David Bellini near the end of IT Nation and get some insights into what they’re doing and where the company is going. Arnie Bellini is the CEO of ConnectWise and David is the COO. Arnie Bellini, Karl Palachuk, David Bellini As Arnie describes ConnectWise, their mission is to help you run your business better by bringing all of your “Silos of Chaos” into a common interface. Now, in addition to the features built into ConnectWise, they are building strong alliances with other products in order to take integration to a higher level. Two of the coolest things I saw at the keynote were the “Marketplace” and the “Partner Kits.” You can check out the Marketplace at www.connectwise.com/marketplace. They list all of their all integration partners – about 400 in all. The Partner kits are available at www.connectwise.com/partnerkits and include quick-start kits for sales, helpdesk, human resources, and more. Arnie is justifiably proud of their success with product integration. One of the coolest things he demonstrated in his keynote was the ability for Labtech to find problems and connect to Quosal so Quosal and automatically generate a sales opportunity in ConnectWise with a draft sales quote. At that point the sales team can fine-tune the quote, collaborate with the tech department, and get the quote out to the client. And of course Arnie loves the partnership ConnectWise shares with HTG – the Heartland Technology Group. He looks at HTG as the group that’s going to push innovation in the IT support business. . . . And there’s a lot more covered in this 12 minute interview. Download the Interview with Arnie Bellini from ConnectWise here. For more information on IT Nation, visit TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit ConnectWise.com.

I sat down with Larry Walsh, CEO of The 2112 Group at IT Nation. The 2112 Group is an analyst firm that supports vendors in the solution provider community. They provide “leadership and best practices” for solution providers. Larry Walsh – The 2112 Group On the topic of having vendors selling direct versus selling through the channel, Larry says that this has always been true. He explains how you differentiate yourself so the vendors’ practices become irrelevant. On the question of how vendors can help get the right information to solution providers, he says “The channel is awash in content.” So he is not worried about whether solution providers will have access to information. But he argues that solution providers need to figure out what their business model is going forward. Once they do that, they can get the information they need from their vendors. Download the Interview with Larry Walsh here.  (17 MB) For more information . . . ChannelNomics.com ChannelNomics on Twitter and Facebook lmwalsh2112 on Twitter and Facebook – – – – – For more information on IT Nation, visit TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit ConnectWise.com.    

One of my old friends Steve Noel talked to me about his role at Axcient and what the company’s up to these days. Steve is a Techno Sales Engineer at Axcient. Steve Noel Axcient is a 100% Channel focused backup and BDR solution. Steven doesn’t describe their solution as “BDR” but he says, “We eliminate downtime.” Whether your systems are physical, virtual, or some combination of things, Axcient can back up your stuff. Steve gives us a few notes on the new people who working at Axcient development. He promises that they have a lot of new developments in the funnel. Axcient is on a 6-week development cycle, so he expects some big changes very soon. Because the appliances are in constant communication with Axcient, they can increase functionality and update systems remotely and automatically. And of course quality assurance is very important in this process. Steve also gave us some information on their integration strategies for LabTech, ConnectWise, and other products. In addition, they have a strong relationship with the HTG groups who were present at IT Nation. Download the Interview with Steve Noel from Axcient here. For more information on Axcient, visit http://www.axcient.com. – – – – – For more information on IT Nation, visit TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit ConnectWise.com.  

Kevin McGibben – CEO of LogicMonitor – met up with me at the ConnectWise IT Nation conference in Orlando Friday. LogicMonitor is a “pure SaaS based IT infrastructure monitoring service.” We talked about what that means and why it is NOT an RMM tool. LogicMonitor discovers and analyzes everything at the hardware level and up through virtual environments and hosted services. As a SaaS model, there is no on-premise tool. And because they deploy to any location at once, you can monitor everything from database performance in hosted environments all the way down to hardware at your colo facility. The price is also very good . . . and very much in line with standard Managed Services pricing. Everything can be based on pure usage for you while you parcel out monitoring across all your clients. There is one master portal that you can customize. Kevin McGibben of LogicMonitor In case you want to take a closer look and see if this is something you can integrate into your managed service business, LogicMonitor is happy to extend a trial to partners. To get a better idea of the price point, please listen to the podcast: Download the Interview with Kevin McGibben from Logic Monitor here. For more information on Logic Monitor, visit LogicMonitor.com. – – – – – For more information on IT Nation, visit TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit ConnectWise.com

I caught up with Jason Samples from PacketTrap at the ConnectWise IT Nation conference in Orlando. My first question was “What are you doing here?” PacketTrap has both a PSA and an RMM tool. Their RMM tool is an “agent/agent-less hybrid” that integrates fully with other PSA systems – including ConnectWise. So they are having good luck talking to their clients and prospects on the vendor floor. Jason Samples from PacketTrap PacketTrap offers trials for their tools. Jason recommends that you start with the RMM side. Once you’re comfortable with that, then they invite you to look at the PSA. They have a number of online training videos and we’re planning to do a webinar together in the next month. Download the Interview with Jason Samples from PacketTrap here. You can find out more about PacketTrap at www.packettrap.com. – – – – – For more information on IT Nation, visit TheITNation.com. For more information on ConnectWise, visit ConnectWise.com.