Podcasts about msps

There is no doubt in my mind. As of today. SEO and AI Search are the highest ROI marketing and Sales strategy to drive growth at an MSP.That doesn't mean it's easy or immediate. No money printer gets turned on quickly. Tired of waiting on the sidelines?We only have 10 spots: SEO & AI Search Domination Package – Campers MSP Camp

A real-world phishing incident. Real financial impact. Real lessons for MSPs.In this episode, we unpack a phishing attack that led to unauthorized access to an Azure subscription and significant financial loss for an MSP client. The conversation goes beyond the incident itself to examine where policy gaps, weak controls, and unclear ownership increased liability, and what changed when the MSP committed to cybersecurity maturity.Joined by Chad Holstead, we walk through how pursuing the GTIA Cybersecurity Trustmark helped transform the MSP's security posture, improve privileged access controls, and dramatically change the insurance conversation, lowering costs while increasing coverage. This isn't about adding more tools; it's about leadership, governance, and proving maturity before advising clients.If you're an MSP talking cybersecurity to customers, this episode makes one thing clear: secure your own house first.For more GTIA On location interviews, head over to YouTube and just search GTIA On Location or use this link

The Chancellor will deliver the annual Mais lecture today and is expected to focus on closer alignment with the EU, AI and improving Britain's economic geography ('levelling up' in all but name). While her comments on Europe might gain the most headlines, we're more curious about what she will say over AI – given the current geopolitical context. Given the energy requirements of AI, the Iran crisis has only further exposed the holes in Britain's energy policy – can Rachel Reeves convince Ed Miliband to adapt his policies? And is this about the Chancellor's political headroom as much as the economic?Plus: President Zelensky is in town to sign a defence pact with the UK, while Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yusuf are expected to give their final speeches in the Scottish Parliament before standing down as MSPs. Tim Shipman and Michael Simmons join Patrick Gibbons to reflect on their legacies.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The episode reveals a structural shift in the managed services market, where the value proposition for MSPs and IT service providers is moving away from “running the tools” to delivering governance, risk management, and outcome-driven services. This shift is catalyzed by the increasing commoditization of tool-centric operations, as platforms and vendors such as Microsoft (Autopatch), Atera (autonomous agents), Summit Holdings (MSP as a service), and Ruest (RoboRoosty AI Workflow Builder) push standardized automation, workflow tools, and backend service packaging into the market. Cisco's Global State of Security report underscores this trend, identifying tool maintenance and fragmentation as primary sources of inefficiency. Evidence from Cisco shows 59% of security leaders pointing to tool maintenance as the chief inefficiency, with 78% citing tool dispersion and lack of integration. For MSPs, this results in growing unbillable labor spent on connecting systems, onboarding, retraining, and managing exceptions. The report indicates that the cost to deliver services is escalating faster than the value captured in contracts, exposing a margin squeeze and highlighting the risk that unmanaged operational complexity poses to profitability. Secondary developments reinforce the structural shift. Atera's no-ticket operational model and Microsoft's implementation of security updates through Intune and Autopatch transfer control and cadence of IT operations upstream, leaving MSPs responsible for policy exceptions and business risk translation rather than day-to-day execution. Summit Holdings' “MSP as a service” and D&H's expansion into enablement and training further commoditize backend functions, reducing differentiation for providers who fail to retain independent client intelligence and risk management. Operationally, the implications for MSPs and IT leaders are clear: dependency on vendor platforms and wholesale backend solutions increases, making risk ownership and client-specific intelligence the remaining sources of defensible value. Providers unable to price or document governance and exception management risk seeing margins erode as they absorb unbillable labor and liability. Future operational strategy will require clear mapping of tools to billable outcomes, explicit governance layers, and careful evaluation of which client insights remain uniquely held versus replicated across standardized platforms. Three things to know today 00:00 Tools vs Outcomes 02:50 Delivery Gets Packaged 05:17 Defaults Have Costs 07:42 Why Do We Care?  Supported by:  TimeZest Small Biz Thoughts Community

Vincent Gianfrancesco, Channel Account Manager for Cloud Service Providers and MSPs at Snom Americas, spoke with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, during the Enterprise Connect conference about how Snom is helping partners expand opportunities in the rapidly evolving communications market. Gianfrancesco discussed the growing importance of channel partnerships as MSPs and cloud providers look to deliver reliable, scalable communications solutions for businesses of all sizes. As organizations continue to migrate to cloud-based collaboration platforms, the role of high-quality IP phones and endpoint devices remains essential for delivering a consistent and professional communications experience. “Snom has always focused on providing reliable, partner-friendly solutions that help MSPs and service providers deliver real value to their customers,” Gianfrancesco said. By working closely with channel partners, Snom aims to simplify deployment and ensure that partners have the tools they need to support modern cloud communications environments. The conversation also highlighted how Snom's device portfolio integrates with a wide range of UC and collaboration platforms, giving partners flexibility when designing solutions for enterprise, SMB, and vertical industry deployments. As companies gathered at Enterprise Connect to explore the next generation of communications technologies, Snom emphasized its continued focus on supporting MSPs and cloud providers with dependable devices and strong channel partnerships. Learn more about Snom Americas: https://www.snomamericas.com/

Charlene Ignacio of Fornix Marketing spoke with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, during the Enterprise Connect conference about Beyond the Box, a CRM platform designed to help MSPs and channel partners better manage customer relationships and business operations. Ignacio explained that many service providers struggle with fragmented tools and processes when managing sales pipelines, customer engagement, and service delivery. Beyond the Box addresses this challenge by providing a platform tailored specifically to the needs of the channel, allowing MSPs to manage leads, automate workflows, and maintain better visibility into their business performance. “Beyond the Box was built with the channel in mind, helping partners streamline operations while maintaining strong relationships with their customers,” she said. The platform is designed to integrate CRM capabilities with operational workflows, helping organizations align their marketing, sales, and service functions more effectively. This integration can help partners improve customer engagement while simplifying the management of ongoing client relationships. During the conversation, Ignacio emphasized that effective CRM systems are becoming increasingly important as MSPs grow their customer bases and expand their service portfolios. By adopting tools that are purpose-built for the channel, partners can improve efficiency and scale their operations more effectively. As conversations at Enterprise Connect continue to highlight the importance of digital transformation and operational efficiency, solutions like Beyond the Box are helping channel partners build stronger, more organized customer engagement strategies. Learn more about Fornix Marketing: https://fornixmarketing.com/ Learn more about Beyond the Box: https://www.btbcrm.ca/

Members of the Scottish Parliament have voted 67 to 59 against legalising assisted dying. The debate featured tears, applause and impassioned pleas, and we hear from MSPs on both sides of the debate.Also on the programme: in the US a top counter-terrorism official resigns over the Iran war, saying the country posed “no imminent threat" to America. And remembering the writer Len Deighton, who rode the wave of social change in post-war Britain, and created the working-class spy.

The episode details a structural shift in the technology landscape: AI models are increasingly being treated as commodity components, with operational control and procurement decisions moving to the orchestration layer. This change is illustrated by government procurement actions, specifically the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic's Claude model as a supply chain risk and the subsequent shift in model eligibility requirements. Policymaking authorities are now directly dictating which models can be used within national security supply chains, reconfiguring where power, liability, and decision-making sit. The primary development is the Department of Defense's recent disqualification of Anthropic's Claude from eligible contracts, leading to both contract cancellations and legal disputes. Anthropic has responded with lawsuits contesting its supply chain risk designation, while Microsoft has sought court intervention to block the Pentagon's ban, asserting this would prevent disruption to military AI workflows. The State Department has also moved its internal chatbot infrastructure from Claude Sonic 4.5 to OpenAI's GPT-4.1, aligning with the President's compliance directive. Supporting developments include Google's deployment of Gemini-powered AI agents within the Department of Defense, and the emergence of tools such as Perplexity's APIs, which aim to simplify workflow construction across multiple models. The episode emphasizes that model swaps by agencies are not merely technical updates, but policy-driven control decisions. These actions underscore a climate in which model eligibility and operational portability are shaped by compliance and procurement authorities rather than technical teams or vendors. Operational implications for MSPs and IT providers are profound. Single-model dependencies now present measurable contract risk, especially for clients in defense, healthcare, or finance sectors. Swapping models requires revalidation of prompts, outputs, and integrations, rather than simple API repointing. Providers are advised to audit workflows for reliance on any one model, prioritize abstraction layers that enable smooth transitions, and position model-agnostic architectures as proactive risk management. In a landscape defined by commodity models and policy-driven eligibility, model diversification now represents continuity planning rather than an engineering preference. Three things to know today: 00:00 Pentagon vs. Anthropic 02:19 Beyond the Model 05:07 Why Do We Care?  Supported by:  ScalePad, Small Biz Thoughts Community

In this episode of the No Fluff MSP Marketing Podcast, Melissa introduces a new series called Campfire Conversations. This series takes the ideas, discussions, and patterns happening inside the MSP Camp community. Melissa talks about what MSP Camp has been building behind the scenes, why new content has been dropping every week, and the thinking behind some of the strategy shifts happening inside the community. She also covers: • Why MSP websites often end up looking interchangeable• The “invisibility problem” many MSPs face during the buyer's research process• Why simple, consistent video is becoming one of the most powerful marketing tools for MSPs• What went into the recent refresh of the MSP Camp signup page• The role community conversations play in shaping the content and campaigns inside MSP Camp• What to expect from the upcoming Fireside Chat with SEO specialist Genesis Rosado This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at how ideas inside MSP Camp turn into guides, campaigns, and conversations that help MSP owners improve their marketing and positioning.

The episode identifies a fundamental structural shift in the MSP and IT services landscape: vendor channel consolidation and ecosystem dependency are increasingly determining who controls customer relationships, margins, and access to recurring revenue streams. Companies such as Microsoft, Anthropic, and Huntress are actively reshaping the ecosystem by investing significant resources in partner programs and platform strategies that dictate operational baselines and restrict neutrality. This realignment is driving MSPs to deliberately choose platform alignments, as attempting to remain neutral increasingly results in a loss of relevance and market access. Central to this shift is Anthropic's $100 million investment in launching the Claude Partner Network for 2026, which creates certification and co-sell incentives for firms capable of implementing Claude within enterprise environments. According to Dave Sobel, this is not long-range product development but a concentrated customer acquisition cost to rapidly build channel coverage. In parallel, Microsoft is embedding Anthropic models within Copilot, shifting to a multi-model approach that retains flexibility at the AI model layer while keeping Azure as the entrenched operational platform. Supporting developments reinforce these channel and ecosystem pressures. Huntress's move to expand its partner program to value-added resellers (VARs) dilutes its previously MSP-exclusive channel, removing some of the distribution advantages MSPs may have relied upon. Sonomi's positioning of third-party risk management as an MSP revenue opportunity comes amid rising supply chain risk, as supported by ConnectWise's 2026 MSP Threat Report highlighting increased identity abuse and supply chain attacks. Simultaneously, declining PC shipments—especially for budget devices—are shifting the economic emphasis from hardware projects to operational service engagements such as identity governance and lifecycle management. The operational implications for MSPs are clear: partner program frameworks have become the gatekeepers of pricing, leads, and ongoing service annuities, reducing the room for independent strategy or procurement-driven decisions. Ecosystem alignment must be intentional and based on a realistic assessment of program timelines, certification windows, and revenue structure. As hardware refresh cycles slow and vendors consolidate services and identity requirements, MSPs face increased dependency risk, potential margin erosion, and diminished negotiating leverage. Those failing to anticipate or adapt to these shifts risk being relegated to subcontractor roles without control over customer relationships or recurring revenues. Three things to know today 00:00 AI Channel War 02:27 Identity Baseline Shift 03:43 Refresh Revenue Shift 04:46 Why Do We Care?  Supported by:  Small Biz Thoughts Community   

In CI News this week: An anti-Muslim hostility definition is adopted by the UK Government, controversial non-crime hate incidents are to be abolished, and the NHS halts the prescription of sex-swap drugs to gender-confused 16 and 17-year-olds. You can download the video via this link. Featured stories ‘Anti-Muslim hostility' definition released Govt ditches non-crime hate incidents MSPs debate scores of amendments to dangerous assisted suicide Bill NHS to review prescribing sex-swap drugs for teenagers

In this episode, Lamar Garrett from Redbird Security delves into the critical importance of agency-specific cybersecurity tailored for insurance businesses. He discusses how proactive hardware and software maintenance can significantly reduce downtime, while the integration of AI streamlines operations and enhances security protocols. Lamar highlights the differences between general IT providers and insurance-specific MSPs, emphasizing the need for compliance with state and federal data regulations. He also shares best practices for integrating new technology, managing shiny objects, and preventing breaches through layered security and cyber awareness training. Additionally, Lamar addresses the impact of legacy hardware on security vulnerabilities and the importance of building strong relationships and trust within the insurance industry, along with strategies to improve communication about cybersecurity to agency owners.Lamar emphasizes that tailored cybersecurity, proactive hardware management, and clear communication are crucial for insurance agencies to protect their data and scale efficiently. His insights highlight that investing in industry-specific IT solutions is not just smart but necessary in today's digital landscape.Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction to Lamar Garrett and Redbird Security06:25 - The importance of insurance-specific IT solutions08:41 - How cybersecurity breaches impact large organizations and why agencies are at risk12:48 - Common misconceptions about insurance cybersecurity needs16:41 - Optimizing agency tech stacks for efficiency and compliance24:23 - Response times and minimizing downtime for agency management systems28:40 - How AI is transforming insurance IT security and operations32:38 - The hidden costs of aging hardware and legacy systems37:40 - Final thoughts on securing agency data and building industry trustResources & Links:Redbird SecurityRedbird Security on LinkedInApplied Epic MSP PartnershipMicrosoft CopilotEZLinks SoftwareCybersecurity Awareness CartoonsBook: "The Art of Cybersecurity" by David S. TanenbaumConnect with Lamar Garrett:LinkedIn - Lamar GarrettRedbird SecuritySponsors:MavCanopy ConnectGOLI

AI deployment is compressing margins and altering the economic structure of the IT services market, with digital platforms and private equity–backed consulting now determining who controls distribution, interfaces, and downstream value capture. As referenced by Dave Sobel, developments such as large language models reshaping search, IT distributors repositioning as digital marketplaces, and private equity standardizing AI consulting are reducing the role of traditional MSPs to commoditized implementation labor. Concrete market evidence includes the Global Technology Distribution Council's report citing that 80% of vendors see partner ecosystem growth as key, while 86% are using or testing digital platforms to drive cloud and AI services. Examples such as Anthropic's discussions to create AI consulting joint ventures with Blackstone and Hellman Friedman, as well as OpenAI's partnerships with Thrive Holdings and Shield Technology Partners, show that operational models are being standardized and consolidated. Meanwhile, AI-powered search is reducing clicks to original content by up to 89%, transferring value to whoever controls the user interface. Supporting data from surveys conducted by the SMB Group, Pega Systems, and Atlassian highlight that 53% of SMBs are using AI, but only 3% of organizations report measurable business transformation despite a 33% productivity boost. Consumers show distrust in AI-driven customer service, and employee burnout and reduced confidence indicate that MSPs are absorbing increased operational complexity and support burdens even as margins compress. These developments reinforce the channel consolidation and margin repricing mechanisms described above. For MSPs and IT leaders, the practical risks include growing dependency on distributor and vendor digital marketplaces, narrowing ability to influence platform economics, and the transfer of governance obligations without matching margin. Priority areas are building defensible, repeatable governance frameworks around AI, owning escalation and validation paths, and repositioning services toward process redesign engagements—not commoditized tool deployment. Failing to establish an IP or governance wedge may result in MSPs being locked into subcontractor roles with little leverage over pricing or client outcomes. Three things to know today: 00:00 Channel Bypassed 02:26 Delivery Commoditized 04:15 MSPs Left Holding 07:12 Why Do We Care?  Supported by:  ScalePadSmall biz Thought Community    

Jeff Winnett, General Manager for the Americas at Wildix, spoke with Moshe Beauford of Technology Reseller News during the Enterprise Connect conference about how AI and cloud-native communications platforms are reshaping collaboration and customer engagement strategies for enterprises and channel partners. Winnett explained that Wildix has focused on building a fully integrated communications and collaboration platform designed to simplify deployments for partners while delivering advanced capabilities for businesses. Rather than relying on multiple third-party integrations, the company emphasizes a tightly integrated approach that combines voice, messaging, video, and customer engagement tools within a single platform. A major topic at Enterprise Connect was the growing role of artificial intelligence in enterprise communications. Winnett noted that AI is increasingly being applied to improve workflows, assist users during conversations, and deliver deeper insights from communications data. “AI is becoming a natural extension of communications platforms, helping organizations automate routine tasks and improve how teams interact with customers,” he said. Winnett also highlighted the importance of the partner ecosystem in bringing modern collaboration solutions to market. Wildix's partner-focused model enables MSPs and channel providers to deliver unified communications solutions that are easier to deploy and manage while creating new opportunities for recurring revenue. As organizations continue shifting toward cloud-based communications and AI-enhanced collaboration tools, discussions at Enterprise Connect underscored how platforms like Wildix are helping partners and enterprises adapt to the next phase of digital workplace transformation. Learn more about Wildix: https://www.wildix.com/

Most MSP leaders wildly underestimate how long it takes a new sales rep to actually produce.On a recent coaching call with 15 MSPs, someone asked me a simple question: How long should it really take to ramp a full-cycle outside sales rep? The common answers—“six months,” “nine months,” “once they learn the product”—all miss the point.In this episode, I break down a rule of thumb I've used for years: your real ramp time is 2.5–3× your average sales cycle. That ratio captures the hidden work most leaders forget—learning the company, building pipeline, and then actually running deals through your process.If you're hiring sales reps, planning headcount, or trying to figure out whether a new rep is actually behind—or just on a realistic timeline—this framework will change how you think about ramp time.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy the real ramp time for a sales rep is 2.5–3× your average sales cycleThe three phases of ramp most companies underestimate: learning the company, building pipeline, and running dealsWhy using a fixed ramp number like “nine months” creates bad expectations for leadership and reps//Welcome to The Ray J. Green Show, your destination for tips on sales, strategy, and self-mastery from an operator, not a guru.About Ray:→ Former Managing Director of National Small & Midsize Business at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he doubled revenue per sale in fundraising, led the first increase in SMB membership, co-built a national Mid-Market sales channel, and more.→ Former CEO operator for several investor groups where he led turnarounds of recently acquired small businesses.→ Current founder of MSP Sales Partners, where we currently help IT companies scale sales: www.MSPSalesPartners.com→ Current Sales & Sales Management Expert in Residence at the world's largest IT business mastermind.→ Current Managing Partner of Repeatable Revenue Ventures, where we scale B2B companies we have equity in: www.RayJGreen.com//Follow Ray on:YouTube | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time. Topics covered this week include: Christine Grahame To ask the First Minister what measures the Scottish Government can take, in discussion with the UK Government, to assist households in very rural areas that are wholly dependent on oil or liquefied natural gas for heating, and are not connected to the gas mains, to assist with increased costs. Brian Whittle To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of any impact on the NHS arising from reports that the number of consultants working in the private healthcare system is the highest on record. Kevin Stewart To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to promote vaccinations to combat measles, in light of reports of recent diagnoses in the NHS Grampian area. A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions will be available on the Scottish Parliament website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report

A significant risk area discussed is the challenge of “invisible work” in managed services due to increasing automation and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Customers, according to participants, increasingly lack awareness of the work being performed on their behalf, which raises doubts about the value of services provided by MSPs. With prices for services escalating, clients are demanding higher-touch engagement and visibility into operations, creating a disconnect between automated backend activities and client expectations for tangible service. Supporting this, hosts cited the difficulties in proving the value of proactive prevention, such as security incidents that did not occur, and noted that with further automation, particularly through AI, this challenge will intensify. Customers may question why they continue to pay elevated fees if tasks can be completed by AI or low-cost competitors, amplifying price pressure and the potential for misaligned perceptions of value. Examples included references to the current technology stack, where some tools cost more to integrate and operate—particularly with new AI workloads—than previous turnkey supplier models, often with increased operational complexity and support risks. The episode addressed secondary risks stemming from overreliance on both small, unproven vendors and on large-scale automation. Hosts highlighted the volatility of new entrants in security and infrastructure, pointing out that many lack lifecycle support or robustness, making them unreliable partners for business-critical tasks. Recent events, such as the OpenAI boycott following its Department of Defense contract and operational disruptions at AI provider Claude, were used to illustrate instability among technology suppliers. The conversation also covered the risks of unchecked AI deployment, with examples from military and financial sectors where automation led to errors or was used to rationalize significant workforce reductions. The practical implications for MSPs and IT service providers center on maintaining transparency with clients, reassessing vendor risk (particularly with AI and new software providers), and calibrating expectations for automation. The hosts recommended reinforcing client communication regarding the nature and value of services, conducting due diligence on technology partners, and aligning automation strategies with operational risk management frameworks. Emphasis was placed on the need for ongoing human oversight, especially where automated decisions could lead to adverse outcomes, and on approaching AI adoption as a phase for careful experimentation rather than wholesale business transformation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The dominant structural mechanism highlighted is the industry-wide shift toward liability transfer and governance gaps in AI procurement, deployment, and incident response. According to Dave Sobel, both vendors and organizations are accelerating AI adoption without corresponding investments in oversight, training, or clear accountability structures. This is reflected across multiple sectors, from software vendors such as Grammarly, Eightfold.ai, Cohesity, and Rubrik, to business leaders and policymakers, where risk is systematically deferred downstream rather than managed at the point of adoption. The most consequential evidence is the quantitative disconnect between stated AI priorities and functional oversight. Research cited by Dave Sobel from Economist Impact and HR Dive found that while 38% of organizations budget for AI and 86% of executives rate AI as essential, only 16% offer internal training and over half of department-level AI initiatives lack formal oversight (Ernst & Young). Additionally, 88% of AI vendors limit their liability, and only 17% align with regulatory compliance, per cited surveys, leaving substantial legal and operational risk for end users and service providers. Supporting this trend, Dave Sobel points to Grammarly's opt-out identity usage in new features and a class action lawsuit against Eightfold.ai regarding AI-driven employment decisions. Vendors such as Cohesity, Rubrik, ServiceNow, and Datadog are responding by building tools focused on remediation and recovery from AI-driven incidents, underscoring a shift from preventive governance to reactive containment. Policy moves—such as expanded operational cyber roles for the private sector—further offload accountability without addressing contractual and insurance exposure. For MSPs and technology leaders, these developments create practical risks: unclear service scope around AI tool usage in contracts, increased exposure to billable incidents and legal action, and rising labor costs for incident recovery. Service providers must audit agreements for AI-specific language, distinguish AI-related incidents from standard SLAs, and treat AI governance as a managed risk service. The pressure will increasingly fall on MSPs to account for training gaps, audit trails, compliance attestations, and recovery procedures—not simply the technology itself. Three things to know today 00:00 ROI Reality Check 02:12 Governance Gap Widens 03:14 Cleanup Economy Rises 05:45 Why Do We Care?  Supported by:  CometBackup 

Kevin Nethercott, CEO of Tresic, spoke with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News at the Enterprise Connect conference about how organizations can turn everyday business conversations into actionable intelligence that improves performance and revenue outcomes. Nethercott explained that Tresic focuses on analyzing conversations across voice, video, and messaging channels to uncover insights that help organizations understand customer needs, sales performance, and operational gaps. Rather than treating conversations as disposable communications, Tresic's platform captures and analyzes them as valuable business data that can drive better decision-making. A key theme of the discussion was how conversational intelligence can empower service providers, MSPs, and enterprises to improve customer engagement and internal collaboration. By identifying patterns and key moments within conversations, companies can surface opportunities to coach teams, refine messaging, and better align with customer expectations. Nethercott emphasized that many organizations already possess an enormous amount of conversational data but lack the tools to turn it into meaningful insights. “Conversations are one of the richest sources of business intelligence, but most companies have never had a way to analyze them at scale,” he said. As industry leaders gathered at Enterprise Connect to explore AI, communications platforms, and the future of work, Tresic highlighted how conversation intelligence is emerging as a powerful tool for enterprises seeking to transform communications into measurable business outcomes. Learn more about Tresic: https://www.tresic.cloud/

A structural shift is occurring in the managed IT services landscape as AI capabilities are rapidly embedded across enterprise applications, with oversight and risk management functions increasingly separated out and monetized as add-on services. Vendors, including Microsoft and OpenAI, are deploying AI agents in essential tools such as Outlook, Teams, and Excel, then selling governance, security, and compliance capabilities as additional paid layers. The core mechanism is the transfer of operational and liability risk downstream to IT service providers and their clients, while ownership of the control plane and margin on risk mitigation remain with the vendors. The episode highlights consequential findings regarding AI reliability and adoption. A Nature Medicine study found that OpenAI's ChatGPT Health underestimated emergency severity in 51.6% of cases, prompting concerns about overreliance on AI for critical decisions. Additionally, Confluent's UK executive survey indicated that 62% of organizations are already shifting decision-making to AI, but only 7% have a company-wide AI strategy, and fewer than half of executives and employees agree on actual daily AI usage. Most leaders receive little formal AI training yet are second-guessing their own judgment in favor of AI output. Further reinforcing the governance gap, Microsoft is launching Agent 365 and new enterprise security tiers, while OpenAI's acquisition of Promptfoo signals a focus on AI reliability testing and compliance monitoring. Funding for GRC platforms like IntelliGRC demonstrates capital flowing into third-party oversight solutions. The recurring pattern is vendors first pushing broad agent adoption, then introducing and monetizing governance as a discrete add-on, often outside the default package. Operationally, MSPs and IT leaders face increased liability exposure if they rely on vendor-native governance without independent audit or measurement capability. The absence of industry-standard reliability metrics for AI, combined with the perception and usage gaps inside organizations, calls for MSPs to lead in auditing, documenting, and independently measuring AI usage and performance. Failing to proactively manage these controls can result in silent risk absorption and unfavorable positioning as vendors bundle compliance and pass residual risk downstream to service providers. Three things to know today 00:00 AI vs. Judgment                            02:35 Agents vs. Oversight 04:04 AI Reliability Gap 05:15 Why Do We Care?  Supported by:  ScalePad 

The dominant structural shift identified centers on liability allocation and governance in the context of agentic AI deployment across IT and managed services. The episode underscores how automation is moving beyond content generation to direct operational and security actions, referencing technology from OpenAI (GPT-5.3 Instant), Anthropic (Claude Marketplace), Google Workspace CLI, Microsoft's SharePoint AI features, and Hexnode's Genie AI. Vendors are embedding AI deeper into productivity and endpoint infrastructure, increasing both operational efficiency and the risk footprint—making governance, reliability, and accountability the new competitive differentiators. The most consequential development highlighted is the industry-wide disconnect between rapid AI remediation adoption and lagging governance. According to Omdia, 88% of organizations are using AI-driven remediation, but only 44% have implemented it for most exposure types, and nearly half (49%) of security teams lack trust in these systems. IBM data shows that 63% of organizations lack formal AI incident response policies, meaning deployment often outpaces the development of auditability and risk management. This creates a landscape where automated decisions are taken at scale without clear accountability structures or incident protocols. Supporting developments reinforce these governance and risk concerns. Reports of cognitive fatigue—termed “AI brain fry”—affecting over 14% of users (Boston Consulting Group/UC Riverside) and a 39% increase in error rates among those affected, point to compounding human and system risk when automation outpaces oversight. Market analysis from Accenture, Wharton, and the Dallas Fed notes that AI has shifted skill demand, displaced younger tech workers, and pressured traditional fixed-fee business models. Meanwhile, vendors are migrating from predictable per-seat pricing to variable token-based consumption, passing operational uncertainty onto MSPs and their clients. For MSPs, IT service providers, and technology leaders, the practical implications are clear. Failure to implement explicit governance, contract clauses, and incident protocols exposes providers to unpredictable liability. Passing through ungoverned consumption costs under fixed-contracts damages margins as AI use expands. The increasing cognitive load on staff supervising partially trusted automation further compounds operational risk. As the pricing model shifts, providers must negotiate new contract terms, institute AI incident playbooks, audit tool autonomy, and manage the blast radius of AI with the same rigor as legacy security controls. 00:00 Platform Land Grab 03:56 Who Owns Failure 07:27 Skills Over Titles 09:52 Why Do We Care?  Supported by: JumpCloud  

The episode centers on D&H's strategic approach to vendor selection, AI program development, and partner enablement within the evolving landscape for MSPs and IT solution providers. Colin Blair, Executive Vice President for cybersecurity at D&H, details a governance-driven process for curating vendor relationships, with emphasis on aligning with Gartner quadrant leaders, peer insight metrics, and channel-partner readiness. D&H's focus remains on SMB and mid-market segments where complexity is increasing, especially around compliance, data governance, and cybersecurity. Supporting this curated model, Colin Blair notes that D&H maintains onboarding rigor but rarely offboards vendors within its advanced solutions group, citing ongoing hyper-growth and the need to continuously add value for partners. The vendor evaluation emphasizes data-driven benchmarks and sustained relationship-building at industry events. The company is prioritizing supply chain strength for MSPs, driven by measurable factors such as profitability, cultural compatibility, and proven channel strategies. The conversation also highlights the expansion of the Go Big AI program, which aims to increase AI literacy among both partners and end customers. Training initiatives reached over 5,000 partners, focusing on foundational applications like Microsoft Copilot and AI PCs, while acknowledging that project success is heavily dependent on data quality and governance. Use cases where implementations see traction are typically well-defined, such as Vision AI for video analytics in healthcare and security verticals. The need for tailored, consultative conversations is cited as significant, as end customers and partners often lack clarity on automation priorities or AI readiness. The implications for MSPs and IT leaders are pragmatic: sustainable advantage is less about technology adoption and more about managing operational complexity, ensuring data governance, and enhancing cybersecurity postures. Decision-makers are cautioned to assess both the maturity and applicability of AI solutions, invest in targeted literacy and consultation, and anchor their vendor relationships in measurable business value. The focus should be on careful risk management, transparent partnership evaluation, and supporting clients through consultative, outcome-driven initiatives rather than broad or speculative technology bets.

Research presented by Dave Sobel and Anurag Agarwal highlights a steep decline in profitability for core MSP services, driven by heightened commoditization and vendor-led automation of basic offerings such as endpoint management and help desk operations. According to Techaisle's 2026 data, the traditional labor-plus-license model is no longer sustainable, as shrinking margins force service providers to reconsider foundational strategies. The central message underscores an urgent need for MSPs to prioritize proprietary intellectual property (IP) and vertical-specific solutions—not for incremental growth, but as a matter of operational survival. Supporting this assessment, the discussion details how market demand has shifted: MSPs can no longer depend on generic solutions but must differentiate with specialized, repeatable offerings that address the financial optimization and liability concerns of business clients. The data indicates that SMBs are increasingly unwilling to invest in pilots or “all-you-can-eat” AI models without visible ROI and demand concrete solutions linked to business outcomes. Vendors and MSPs alike are being tasked with providing smaller, outcome-focused wins and developing skillsets in agentic orchestration, where AI-enabled digital agents and human technicians operate as co-equal components of the workforce. A related trend explored is the shift toward agentic AI and “zero-touch” MSP models, featuring automation of routine IT tasks and focus on workflow engineering rather than manual services. However, the episode notes that most providers are unprepared for the new set of risks and governance liabilities: as clients increasingly utilize AI agents, accountability for errors and regulatory compliance will rest heavily with MSPs, especially in sensitive geographies such as Europe where contractual governance is becoming standard. Conversations on whether to “build or buy” new capabilities reflect a split market, with only the top tier capable of meaningful in-house development, and the majority relying on third-party platforms with limited differentiation. For MSPs, IT service firms, and decision-makers, the core implication is the need to rapidly develop operational and governance maturity around automation, AI orchestration, and packaged offerings. Clinging to traditional models or treating AI as a mere add-on introduces significant risk, including shrinking margins, increased liability, and potential obsolescence. Providers are advised to narrow focus, specialize in vertical solutions, invest in internal competency with AI-enabled platforms, and shift toward packaged IP to avoid falling behind as both client expectations and regulatory requirements escalate.

Cybersecurity Today Month in Review: Iran Conflict Cyber Spillover, IoT Cameras, AI Hacking Tools, and Resilience Planning In this weekend month-in-review episode, host Jim Love and panelists David Shipley, Laura Payne, Neil Bisson, and Chris "CJ" Johnson discuss cyber and infrastructure impacts tied to the US/Israel–Iran conflict, including reported compromise of traffic camera networks for targeting, Iran's defensive internet shutdown, propaganda via a hacked prayer app, and GPS/AIS spoofing that misdirected ships in the Strait of Hormuz, raising oil and helium supply-chain concerns. They warn of potential Iranian retaliation via DDoS, ransomware, and critical infrastructure attacks (especially water/OT), amplified by insecure IoT and camera vulnerabilities (e.g., Hikvision). The group critiques weakened government cyber capabilities (including CISA turmoil and CVE program risk), highlights AI-enabled attack automation (CyberStrike AI) shrinking time-to-exploit, and stresses practical resilience planning, including protecting AI API keys after an $82,000 billing incident and noting a law-enforcement takedown of LeakBase. Cybersecurity Today  would like to thank Meter for their support in bringing you this podcast. Meter delivers a complete networking stack, wired, wireless and cellular in one integrated solution that's built for performance and scale.  You can find them at Meter.com/cst 00:00 Sponsor Message Meter 00:18 Meet the Panel 01:41 MSPs and Security Assumptions 03:36 War and Cyber Spillover 06:52 Iran Internet Shutdown Explained 08:27 GPS Spoofing in Strait 10:32 Retaliation Risks to West 17:02 IoT Cameras as Targets 18:56 What IT Providers Should Do 22:03 Who Should Worry Most 26:18 Regulation and IoT Standards 28:58 Supply Chain and State Actors 31:36 CISA and CVE Turmoil 35:53 Ring Backlash and Big Tech 37:43 OpenAI Alerts and Privacy 39:25 AI Cultural Blind Spots 40:05 Therapy Duty to Report 41:17 Licensing AI Advice 42:16 Data Centers Under Fire 43:59 Continuity Without Claude 45:05 Power Grid Reality Check 46:47 MSPs and AI Dependence 49:58 Hype Versus Security Markets 51:02 CyberStrike AI Tooling 56:37 Nation State Plausible Deniability 59:58 Exploit Speed and Software Debt 01:03:37 Practical Tips and Wrap Up

The episode centers on a structural governance gap within the managed services industry as it attempts to address mental health using relationship-driven models typical of event and community management. This approach is exemplified by the launch of MSPWell, a not-for-profit mental wellness initiative incorporated in Ontario, Canada, targeting participants in the IT channel. The initiative operates as a live community—particularly via Discord—without formalized clinical oversight or published operational guardrails such as moderation standards, crisis escalation protocols, or sponsor influence controls. Evidence for an urgent governance concern is provided by industry data and operational decisions. According to MSPWell, burnout affects significant percentages of the workforce—citing an 82% burnout risk from a Mercer report and 66% from separate research. Despite the recurrence of staffing challenges in the MSP industry, MSPWell's infrastructure is underway with participation at industry events and vendor sponsorship, but formal governance documentation remains incomplete. The initiative explicitly confirms the absence of licensed mental health professionals in published leadership or advisory roles, positioning its support as peer-led. Supporting developments highlight how rapid community launch and sponsor-driven funding amplify risks when core protections are missing. Early coverage focused on recognizable names and event presence, while Dave Sobel emphasizes that, in mental health-adjacent contexts, moderation, privacy, and escalation protocols are not only differentiators but essential safeguards. At present, MSPWell's Discord community operates without visible guidelines or documented procedures, which exposes participants to predictable failure modes such as oversharing, privacy breaches, and harmful peer advice. Operationally, MSPs and IT service providers face heightened liability when participating in or supporting such initiatives without robust controls. Dave Sobel advises operators to request moderation, crisis, and data retention policies before endorsing participation, to treat involvement as networking rather than clinical support, and to monitor for the integration of licensed professionals into governance. The absence of enforceable governance exposes both individuals and sponsoring vendors to reputational and legal risk, and sets problematic precedent for future wellness platforms in the industry. 00:00 MSPWell Builds Mental-Health Platform on Sponsor-Funded Community Model 03:21 Guardrails, Guidelines, and Moderation  06:15 The Consequences 08:09 Why Do We Care? & What to Consider Supported by:  TimeZest   

In CI News this week: Church leaders and medics urge MSPs not to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland, Global Anglicans create an alternative authority to Canterbury, and passionate advocate for the unborn Professor Jack Scarisbrick dies aged 97. You can download the video via this link. Featured stories Church leaders urge MSPs not to ‘abandon vulnerable to an early death' From coercion to conscience: Medics warn MSPs of assisted suicide Bill's risk to the vulnerable Global Anglicans announce alternative authority to Canterbury Christian teacher awarded $650k after refusing to use ‘preferred pronouns' Jack Scarisbrick, passionate advocate for the unborn: 1928-2026

Market segmentation driven by rising memory costs is actively restructuring the endpoint device landscape, leading to margin redistribution across the technology stack. Apple exemplified this bifurcation strategy by launching an entry-level MacBook Neo at $599 built on the A18 Pro iPhone chip, while simultaneously increasing prices on other MacBook Air and Pro models by $100 to $400 in response to global memory shortages. This deliberate move separates high-margin premium hardware from low-cost devices, effectively diminishing the traditional mid-tier device segment where most SMB and MSP standards have typically been positioned. Supporting data highlights the broader industry impact: 62% of small businesses report ongoing supply chain disruption, affecting pricing, timing, and availability, according to recent NFIB survey data. Component suppliers such as Broadcom are capturing upstream value, with a reported 29% year-over-year revenue increase driven by concentrated AI infrastructure demand. Omnia's forecast anticipates a significant smartphone shipment decline in 2026, primarily attributed to rising memory costs and uneven impact, disproportionately squeezing entry-level devices while preserving premium margins. A parallel challenge emerges within organizational governance and service delivery. The Logicalis Global CIO Report 2026 found over half of CIOs believe AI adoption is outpacing their management capabilities, with 90% of organizations lacking internal technical expertise yet 72% planning further AI investment. This gap between ambition and readiness, combined with traditional ticket-based operating models, means unmanaged risk increases as businesses prioritize speed over structured governance. Internal IT builds are increasingly abandoned, with 71% of IT and security leaders reporting failure to meet on-time and budget targets, signaling that velocity and accountability, not just ticket closure, are becoming core client expectations. Implications for MSPs and IT service providers are immediate and operational. Service models must account for hardware segmentation by incorporating differentiated support structures for entry-level versus premium devices. Increased complexity and support demands from constrained hardware will compress margins unless properly priced and standardized. MSPs are positioned closest to liability accumulation as clients face both hardware refresh and AI adoption without sufficient internal expertise. Advisory frameworks should address total cost of ownership, memory shortage context, and governance gaps, productizing assessments and redesigning service delivery for speed with explicit controls to manage risk. Three things to know today 00:00 Memory Costs Squeeze Entry-Level Hardware as Suppliers Capture Margin Upstream 02:24 Apple's $599 MacBook Neo Signals a Split Hardware Strategy, Not a Budget Play 04:22 IT Service Models Built on Approvals Are Losing to Speed-First Competitors 06:57 Why Do We Care?  Supported by:

“When you're dealing with life-safety systems, power failure simply isn't an option,” says Jake Jacoby, CEO of TELCLOUD. In the latest episode of the TELCLOUD POTS and Shots Podcast Series, Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, speaks with Jacoby about one of the most important but sometimes overlooked elements of modern POTS replacement deployments: reliable backup power. As legacy copper networks disappear, organizations are replacing traditional POTS lines used by elevators, fire alarms, emergency phones, and security systems with modern IP and wireless solutions. While the new technologies provide flexibility and cost savings, Jacoby emphasizes that power resilience must be engineered into every deployment. Historically, copper lines delivered their own power from the central office, allowing analog phones and emergency systems to continue operating during local power outages. Modern replacements must replicate that reliability through battery backup systems and redundant power strategies. Jacoby explains that a properly designed POTS replacement solution must ensure that critical communications remain operational even when a building loses electricity. Backup batteries, remote monitoring, and system alerts are all part of the architecture needed to meet regulatory requirements and maintain life-safety compliance. The discussion also highlights the role of channel partners and MSPs in helping customers navigate this transition. As copper lines are retired worldwide, partners have an opportunity to modernize infrastructure while ensuring that the essential communication path for safety systems remains intact. For organizations deploying POTS replacement, Jacoby advises that reliability should always come first. “You're not just replacing a phone line,” he explains. “You're protecting the communication path for systems people rely on in emergencies.” The episode concludes with the series' signature Shots segment, where Jacoby continues the podcast's tradition of highlighting exceptional sipping tequilas—pairing conversations about mission-critical telecom infrastructure with a lighter moment for listeners. For more information, visit https://www.telcloud.com/ or call 844-900-2270.

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time. Topics covered this week include: Kenneth Gibson To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the UK Government's Spring Statement. Stephen Kerr To ask the First Minister, in light of the recently published Commission on School Reform manifesto warning that the curriculum for excellence has been poorly implemented and is harming long-term prospects, what the Scottish Government's position is on whether a lack of clear, nationally specified curriculum content and standards has contributed to declining attainment and inconsistency across Scotland's schools. Katy Clark  To ask the First Minister, in light of the theme of this year's International Women's Day being equal rights and equal justice, what action the Scottish Government is taking to improve the legal rights of women and girls.  A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions will be available on the Scottish Parliament website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report

The most consequential development highlighted in the episode is Anthropic's refusal to alter its AI contract terms for the US federal government, specifically regarding the prohibition of mass domestic surveillance and the deployment of autonomous lethal robots. Anthropic declined to allow the government unrestricted, legally permitted use of its software, resulting in the cancellation of a $200 million federal contract and the company's designation as a supply chain threat. This sequence underscores ongoing concerns about ethical, operational, and governance risks associated with AI technologies deployed at scale by government agencies. Supporting details reveal that all other major AI providers servicing federal contracts—including OpenAI, Google, and xAI—agreed to the government's revised terms, which permit any legal use without restriction. According to Amy Babinchak, Anthropic's stance was based on reliability and readiness issues in its platform, specifically in domains of domestic surveillance and fully autonomous military systems, which remain controversial from both technical and moral standpoints. The government's response, involving not only contract withdrawal but restrictions on federal contractor usage, demonstrates the gravity of compliance expectations and supply chain security considerations. The episode also addresses practical strategies for MSPs seeking to establish themselves as trusted local providers. James Kernan and Amy Babinchak emphasize consistent community engagement, including recurring events, charitable involvement, and practical low-cost networking tactics such as sponsoring social gatherings at local venues. The importance of consistent marketing, ongoing relationship-building with prospects and partners, and active participation in local business organizations are discussed. Additionally, operational news from the IT sector, such as the moderate decline in wage inflation since 2022 and the continued rise in IT spending, is briefly reviewed, as is product development by vendors like NinjaOne adding asset management capabilities. For MSPs, IT service providers, and technology decision-makers, the episode provides quantifiable insights concerning operational risk, vendor accountability, and compliance tradeoffs. AI adoption at enterprise or governmental levels requires rigorous evaluation of contractual terms, ethical boundaries, and supply chain impact. Local reputation-building demands sustained effort and investment, while operational trends such as wage stabilization and product enhancements reflect current market realities. Taken together, these developments point to the need for increased diligence in risk management, careful vendor selection, and ongoing community-facing operations to achieve sustainable business outcomes.   Topics / Events:   https://businessof.tech/2026/02/02/it-services-market-growth-to-1-09t-coincides-with-declining-wage-inflation/ North America IT Services Market is projected to grow significantly, rising from approximately $602.15 billion in 2025 to about $1.09 trillion by 2033, representing a compound annual growth rate of 7.72%. Global technology spending is on the rise,  marking a 7.8% increase as generative artificial intelligence drives the surge. Enterprises are focusing on AI talent, with job postings related to AI accounting for 20% of available tech roles Terms of Service – FEDERAL GOVT  AI   - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pentagon-vs-anthropic-an-a-i-agent-slandered/id1528594034?i=1000750653008 https://businessof.tech/2026/02/10/ninjaone-adds-asset-management-zoom-launches-ai-workspace-tool-jumpcloud-opens-vc-arm/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send a textSecurity readiness is slipping while threats race ahead—so we zero in on what actually moves the needle. We start with a frank look at why so many teams feel behind: AI-driven attacks, budget constraints, and a hiring market that demands senior talent at entry-level pay. Then we get practical, connecting CISSP Domain 1 concepts to real decisions leaders make every week: how to align risk management with business goals, how to write policies that drive action, and how to use standards, baselines, guidelines, and SOPs to turn strategy into measurable outcomes.From there, we dig into quantitative risk without the fluff. You'll hear how to compute Single Loss Expectancy and Annualized Loss Expectancy, and why ALE clarifies budget asks better than any slide deck. We contrast due care and due diligence in plain terms: patch what's critical now, and keep a repeatable process that proves you act responsibly over time. We also revisit ISC2 ethics, centering the top priority—protect society and the common good—and show how that principle shapes daily choices around audits, monitoring, and vendor assurance.Cloud security gets its own spotlight. When penetration tests are restricted, we show how to leverage SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 under NDA, map those assurances to your control set and risk appetite, and close gaps with compensating controls. Along the way, we challenge common hiring myths, explore smart uses of MSPs, and show why cross-training software engineers into security often outperforms chasing more certifications. The result is a clear, actionable path from policy to practice that helps you harden faster and justify every control with data.If you're studying for the CISSP or leading a team that needs wins now, this session brings usable strategies, not buzzwords. Subscribe, share with a teammate who needs it, and leave a review to tell us which takeaway you'll implement first.Gain exclusive access to 360 FREE CISSP Practice Questions at FreeCISSPQuestions.com and have them delivered directly to your inbox! Don't miss this valuable opportunity to strengthen your CISSP exam preparation and boost your chances of certification success. Join now and start your journey toward CISSP mastery today!

Controversial plans to legalise assisted dying in Scotland will come back before MSPs next week. We hear from Liam McArthur, the MSP behind the Bill, and opponent Tanni Grey-Thompson, the paralympic multi-gold medallist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The MSP market is undergoing a critical shift toward risk management as the central value proposition, with operational accountability now defined by the ability to produce defensible documentation and deliver rapid incident response. According to Dave Sobel, MSPs are no longer primarily offering stack management, but are increasingly brokering risk through cyber warranties, insurance underwriting, incident retainers, and AI governance frameworks. Those unable to support their claims with evidence and formal processes risk becoming mere facilitators for third-party terms and losing control over their margins. Recent developments reinforce this shift. A Splunk report finds that nearly all CISOs now view AI governance and risk management as their responsibility, citing threat actor sophistication as a primary driver. AI is assisting with event triage and data correlation, but verification—especially around AI-generated content—is unreliable, with detection tools struggling against advanced fakes. Insurance mechanisms are becoming productized with prioritized incident response, and legal intelligence is being embedded into MSP workflows. Vendors like N-able, Monjur, SentinelOne, and DocuSign are directly integrating financial, legal, and governance functions into their offerings, fundamentally altering client and vendor relationships. Adjacent stories illustrate volatility in traditional safeguards and the operational reality of adaptive threats. CISA leadership changes indicate instability in public response institutions. AI-powered malware exemplifies the challenge: ESET's PromptSpy uses Gemini to continuously adapt its persistence, outpacing static detection models. Insurance underwriters are increasingly demanding machine-verifiable evidence of controls, using detailed questionnaires to distinguish autonomous AI from marketing claims. The risk is no longer just technical; it is structural. For MSPs and IT leaders, operational posture is now shaped by an ecosystem of embedded warranties, legal terms, governance requirements, and adaptive threats. The ability to document, defend, and productize risk controls becomes a baseline for credibility and insurance eligibility. Failure to build evidence pipelines and clarify vendor-imposed liabilities exposes service providers to compounded risk. The practical implication is a necessity for MSPs to treat governance and detection as measurable, documented capabilities—not assumptions or routine paperwork. Three things to know today: 00:00 CISOs Own Governance, Detectors Lag Fakes, Response Gets Contracted — Accountability Follows 03:14 N-able, SentinelOne, DocuSign Move Risk Management Into the Stack — MSP Terms Follow 05:10 CISOs Want Agentic AI, But Insurers and Adaptive Malware Are Forcing the Timeline 07:32 Why Do We Care?  Supported by:  CometBackUpSmall Biz Thoughts Community

The episode centers on the federal government's evolving approach to AI vendor governance, underscored by the recent directive from President Donald Trump for federal agencies to halt the use of Anthropic's AI technology. This shift follows the Pentagon's termination of its relationship with Anthropic over the company's refusal to relax contract restrictions around citizen data and autonomous weapons, ultimately resulting in Anthropic being designated as a “supply chain risk” by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. For MSPs and IT providers serving federal and SLED clients, this designation functions as an immediate procurement barrier rather than a negotiable label, directly impacting vendor eligibility and contract continuity. Contextually, 70% of federal agencies are reassessing their use of AI tools amid fluid regulations and heightened concerns around transparency and accountability, according to recent reports. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched the AI Agent Standards Initiative, but enforcement is several years away, with only a request for information planned by March 2026. In parallel, a diplomatic initiative led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio opposes international regulations on foreign data handling, though this stance does not supersede foreign law, creating a complex compliance landscape, especially for multinationals. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to hear an AI copyright case reaffirms the lack of copyright protection for purely AI-generated works. The episode also discusses OpenAI's agreement with the Pentagon, described by CEO Sam Altman as "rushed," and criticized for permitting domestic surveillance under flexible legal interpretations. Public and employee backlash prompted OpenAI to revise contract terms, but critics argue essential permission structures remain. Anthropic's rollout of an AI migration feature during this period is flagged as a compliance event, raising risk when transferring data histories across vendor boundaries without audit or logging. Notably, consumer responses to AI vendor practices—evidenced by surges in Claude signups and ChatGPT uninstalls—are now influencing enterprise technology procurement as values-based purchasing enters the operational conversation for service providers. Operationally, the lack of a stable legislative or regulatory framework means MSPs and their clients face rapidly shifting governance through contract terms and procurement policy rather than law. The episode cautions that vendor selection cannot be guided by assumptions of ethical safeguards in provider policies or by default transitions to alternative vendors such as OpenAI, whose legal standing remains unsettled. Key recommendations include auditing client environments for exposure to designated supply chain risks, refraining from rigid vendor integrations, updating contractual IP language in light of the absence of AI copyright, and maintaining ongoing awareness of governance developments. Multi-vendor strategies and adaptable compliance positions are identified as essential risk mitigation practices in an environment marked by administrative fiat and reactive vendor positions. Three things to know today 00:00 Anthropic Blacklisted After Rejecting Pentagon's Autonomous Weapons Data Demands 04:58 OpenAI Wins Federal AI Contract Anthropic Refused, Then Rewrites It Under Pressure 07:38 Anthropic Outages Hit as Claude Sign-Ups Quadruple, ChatGPT Uninstalls Surge 295% Supported by: ScalePadSmall Biz Thoughts Community  

In this engaging episode of MSP Business School, host Brian Doyle sits down with Shane Naugher, a pioneering figure in the world of AI and automation for MSPs. The discussion takes a deep dive into the real-world application of AI, focusing on how it can be utilized to streamline operations and deliver tangible ROI for businesses. Whether you're curious about how AI fits into your MSP strategy or eager to learn about automation opportunities, this episode delivers practical insights into what Shane calls the "mature business model" of MSPs. As the conversation unfolds, Shane shares his dual expertise as the CEO of DaZZee IT Services and founder of Innovative Automations, offering a rare glimpse into the intersection of AI, automation, and managed services. The episode explores the challenges of integrating AI into everyday business operations, shedding light on how AI-enabled automations can transform traditional processes, particularly in professional services and industries reliant on legacy systems. Shane shares valuable experiences and success stories, highlighting key automation opportunities and the significance of partnering with trusted AI advisors to navigate the rapidly evolving tech landscape. Key Takeaways: Practical AI Application: Understanding the difference between shiny AI tools and meaningful automation that drives business outcomes. Industry-Specific Automation: How different sectors, particularly professional services, can benefit from AI to achieve significant ROI. The Role of APIs: Leveraging open APIs and traditional RPA platforms for connecting disparate business applications and optimizing workflows. Partnership Model: The importance of MSPs partnering with AI and automation specialists to provide comprehensive client solutions. Strategic AI Conversations: Encouraging MSPs to lead AI integration discussions with clients to maintain a competitive edge. Guest Name: Shane Naugher LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanenaugher/ Company: Innovative Automations / DaZZee IT Website: https://innovativeautomations.ai/ / https://dazzee.com/ Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/ Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com  

This week's Security Squawk episode isn't about phishing. It's about structural weakness. Three separate incidents. Three different industries. One uncomfortable pattern: the systems organizations trust most are expanding risk quietly — and in some cases, architecturally. First, a lawsuit that should make every board member pay attention. Marquis Software Solutions, a fintech serving 74 U.S. banks, is suing SonicWall. The allegation centers on SonicWall's cloud backup system, where firewall configuration backups were allegedly accessible and contained credentials — including MFA scratch codes. Those backups were reportedly used to compromise Marquis, leading to a ransomware incident and downstream exposure. What began as a scoped 5% customer exposure was later reported as potentially impacting all customers. This is not a misconfigured endpoint. This is a control-plane failure. For CEOs, this reframes vendor risk. It's no longer a questionnaire exercise. It's a litigation vector. If a security provider's design exposes authentication artifacts, your internal diligence may not matter. The liability chain now includes vendors and MSPs in a very direct way. For IT Directors, the operational question is simple: what exactly is inside your firewall backups? Are reusable authentication artifacts stored? Who can access vendor-hosted exports? If attackers obtain your configuration backups, can they replay your defenses? For MSPs, the exposure is real. If you manage firewall exports or MFA deployments, you are part of the architecture. And potentially part of the courtroom. Then we shift to UFP Technologies, a medical device manufacturer. Intrusion detected. Billing and shipping label systems disrupted. Data stolen or destroyed. Insurance expected to offset financial impact. But this isn't primarily a data story. Attackers disrupted order-to-cash and fulfillment velocity. In healthcare supply chains, slowing billing and labeling can create immediate executive escalation without touching the factory floor. Modern ransomware groups increasingly target business process choke points — ERP, labeling, scheduling — because leverage doesn't require full encryption anymore. For CEOs, “no material impact expected” is accounting language. Customers measure impact in delayed shipments. For IT leaders, the question becomes operational: can billing, labeling, and fulfillment functions recover independently? Are those systems segmented? Tested? Immutable? For risk managers and insurers, this represents a shift in underwriting focus — from endpoints to process resilience. Finally, the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center ransomware incident. Roughly 87,000 study participants directly impacted. But historical datasets, including Social Security numbers collected from driver's license and voter registration data dating back to 1998, expanded potential exposure to nearly 1.2 million individuals. They engaged the threat actors. They received a decryptor. They received “assurances” that data was destroyed. That's not verification. That's negotiation. The uncomfortable truth: legacy identity data becomes modern ransom currency. Research environments often have weaker governance than clinical systems, yet they can contain decades of sensitive identifiers. For boards, the issue isn't just security posture. It's data retention discipline. What obsolete identity data are you still holding? Why? For how long? And who owns the risk? Across these stories, three themes emerge: Control-plane trust is fragile. Operational choke points are the new leverage strategy. Data retention is compounded liability. Cybersecurity is no longer just about stopping intrusion. It's about architectural accountability and governance maturity. If you value independent, executive-level analysis without vendor spin, support the show at: buymeacoffee.com/securitysquawk The real question is this: Are your greatest cyber risks coming from external attackers — or from design decisions you haven't revisited in years?

Enterprise IT spending is projected to reach $4.5 trillion by 2026, but this growth is concentrated in software, cloud services, and AI infrastructure for large organizations, according to HG Insights and Omdia research cited by Dave Sobel. The system integration market is positioned to approach $950 billion in 2025, with enterprises working with an average of 6.3 technology partners. A substantial surge in AI-optimized server sales, as reflected in Dell Technologies' reported 342% year-over-year increase in revenue for those systems, is reshaping supply chains and vendor dynamics, leading to shortages of DRAM, SSDs, and hard drives. Underlying this development are volatile component costs. DRAM prices have doubled quarter over quarter, and both Micron Technologies and Western Digital have indicated they are sold out for 2026. HP reports that RAM now constitutes 35% of new PC materials costs, up dramatically from 18% the previous quarter. Such cost shifts are creating downstream risks for managed service providers (MSPs) with fixed-price agreements, as the economic assumptions underpinning many contracts—stable hardware prices and predictable cloud costs—no longer hold. The episode also highlights an increase in application sprawl and a widening gap between IT budgets and other operational costs. A Torii report shows large enterprises use over 2,191 applications on average, with more than 61% bypassing formal IT approvals, resulting in unmanaged security and compliance exposure. Additionally, 80% of small businesses report rising energy costs that directly compete with IT budget allocations. Industry analysis from Jefferies and Boston Consulting Group signals that AI and automation are not viewed uniformly as productivity boosters and may compress revenue models in both Indian and domestic IT services sectors. The practical implication for MSPs is the urgent need to audit and reprice contracts related to hardware procurement and refresh cycles, clearly documenting and communicating current cost realities with clients. Dave Sobel stresses reframing device lifecycle extensions as a security risk rather than a cost-saving measure and warns against selling clients on speculative AI market projections. The advice is to focus on specific, scoped use cases and to structure agreements that accurately reflect volatility in component costs and the operational burden of application sprawl, ensuring financial and legal accountability as the IT services landscape evolves. 00:00 $4.96T IT Spend Surge Bypasses SMBs as AI Infrastructure Captures Enterprise Budgets 03:58 Dell's $43B AI Server Backlog Triggers DRAM Shortage, Repricing Downstream Hardware 05:52 AI Shrinks IT Services Revenue Model; MSPs Face Contested Implementation Role   This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by:

The episode centers on the evolving responsibility and risk allocation within cybersecurity distribution, with particular focus on Exclusive Networks' approach. Jason Beal, as president of Exclusive Networks North America, outlines their emphasis on a technical workforce, maintaining a 1:3 ratio of engineers to sales representatives. This structure is positioned to address the increasing complexity of cybersecurity and the demands faced by service provider partners, aiming to support solution integration and customer needs while clarifying each party's liability. Supporting this structure, Jason Beal identifies the role of the distributor as both an extension and enabler for MSPs and IT services companies. Distributors are expected to supplement partners' capabilities—whether technical, financial, or operational—without assuming technology failure risk, which remains with the original technology vendors. Discussion of shared responsibility models also distinguishes between sales success (customer adoption, retention) and risk management. Recent developments in cyber insurance are cited as having reduced the direct risk burden on MSPs, shifting much of the liability away from service providers toward technology creators, albeit within contractually defined limits. Adjacent to cybersecurity, the conversation addresses skill and adoption gaps prompted by rapid technical innovation, specifically referencing artificial intelligence (AI). Jason Beal quantifies educational efforts by highlighting a collaboration with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, which has seen 100 students engaged to help address workforce shortfalls in cybersecurity and AI. Additionally, academic experience informs the importance of modernizing IT operations curricula to better reflect current business challenges, such as cloud, AI, and global supply chain impacts. For MSPs and IT service providers, implications include the growing necessity to audit core competencies and allocate resources strategically, leveraging distributors not just for sourcing products but for specialized expertise, integration, and operational support. Risk mitigation remains tied to understanding contract language, vendor accountability, and developments in cyber insurance. The pace of AI and other technology adoption requires continuous education and careful evaluation of both operational risk and the practical limitations of solutions promoted by the channel and distribution partners.

Anthropic's refusal to remove safeguards against mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons in its interactions with the Department of Defense establishes an explicit boundary on the use of AI in federal contracts. The company cited specific civic and legal risks, emphasizing that current AI systems are not reliable enough for autonomous weapon deployment and warning that government pressure on vendors to bypass statutory constraints poses broader accountability issues. This underscores a shift in liability for MSPs and IT providers—any weakening of safeguards under contract does not eliminate risk but instead transfers possible exposure down the technology supply chain. This position is reinforced by the lack of unconditional trust in military oversight, as highlighted by the Pentagon CTO's remarks, and by clear legal challenges, including violations of the Fourth Amendment and Department of Defense Directive 3000.09. Dave Sobel asserts that professional liability and cyber policies do not typically cover actions undertaken solely at government request where legal limits are breached. This increases the necessity for MSPs and IT leaders to verify that contract language explicitly defines acceptable AI use and to ensure written documentation before government or enterprise client demands arise. Additional analysis includes operational deployments of AI in service and workplace environments. Burger King's AI chatbot, Patty, and ServiceNow's autonomous request resolution underscore the friction between efficiency claims and trust gaps, as evidenced by a YouGov survey that found 68% of consumers lack confidence in AI customer service. Dave Sobel notes that MSP benchmarks tied to vendor ticket closure rates may not reflect real client satisfaction or risk, especially when legal requirements for monitoring and consent are not met. The episode further covers market reactions to speculative reports on AI-driven job displacement, studies demonstrating AI's failure to maintain human-like restraint in conflict scenarios, and IBM's valuation drop due to AI modernization tools. For MSPs and IT decision-makers, the practical takeaway is the need for documented governance, explicit contractual safeguards, and ongoing risk assessments when deploying or recommending AI solutions—particularly in environments where trust, human oversight, and insurability are not yet aligned with technical capability. Three things to know today: 00:00 Anthropic Refuses Pentagon Demands on Surveillance and Autonomous Weapons, Risks Contract 03:40 AI Hits the Human Layer — and Governance, Consent, and Trust Infrastructure Aren't Ready 07:37 AI Moves Markets, Escalates Wars, and Splits Partner Ecosystems — In One Week   This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by:  IT Service Provider University

The episode's central development is the ongoing dispute between the U.S. Department of Defense and Anthropic regarding Pentagon demands for unrestricted access to Claude, Anthropic's AI model. According to Dave Sobel, the Pentagon has threatened to sever ties or invoke the Defense Production Act if the company does not comply, seeking capabilities that Anthropic argues may be illegal—specifically mass surveillance without warrants and autonomous weapons systems without human control. This move exposes Managed Service Providers (MSPs) serving defense contractors to unpredictable legal, operational, and compliance risks embedded in their AI workflows. The analysis highlights that a commercial AI provider's acceptable use policy now intersects directly with national security policy, and even partial vendor compliance can trigger regulatory or legal instability for dependent organizations. For MSPs, this means that building service offerings on AI infrastructures without clear fallback strategies or documented policy change clauses can lead to unmanageable risk and liability in the event of provider or legal regime shifts. Dave Sobel stresses that failing to address policy volatility as part of a managed service amounts to underwriting geopolitical risk without compensation. Other notable developments include the passage of the Small Business Artificial Intelligence Advancement Act, federal cybersecurity resource contraction as CISA operates with 38% staffing after layoffs, and heightened uncertainty around cloud infrastructure due to Microsoft's Azure Local “air-gapped” offering not wholly mitigating U.S. CLOUD Act exposure. Vendor news covered new AI-powered compliance features from Compliance Scorecard (version 10) and Beachhead Solutions (ComplianceEZ 2.0), Apple's accelerated retirement of Rosetta 2 translation technology, a Microsoft 365 Copilot DLP change, and continued fallout from VMware's acquisition by Broadcom, which has led to ongoing cost and trust challenges for cloud and infrastructure partners. The episode's clear implications for MSPs and IT providers are operational. Service catalogs and statements of work should actively address AI provider liability, dependency exit planning, and degraded federal cybersecurity support. Without scheduled and documented compatibility and risk reviews, MSPs absorb hidden exposure into their margins. Vendor stability can no longer be assumed, and proactive policy, renewal intelligence, and transparent advisory sessions are now required to avoid unplanned liability, budget crises, and damaged client trust. Four things to know today 00:00 Pentagon Threatens Anthropic Over Claude Access, Demands Autonomous Weapons Use 04:31 CISA Cuts, Azure Sovereignty Push Signal End of Federal MSP Safety Net 06:56 AI Compliance Tools Flood Market as MSPs Face Validation Gap 09:54 86% of Firms Cutting VMware Ties as Broadcom Renewal Costs Loom   This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by: Small Biz Thoughts Community

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time. Topics covered this week include: Michelle Thomson MSP To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of warnings from industry leaders that high transmission charges are making wind farms in the north of Scotland uncompetitive, including any implications for its work to grow the renewable energy sector. Liam Kerr MSP To ask the First Minister, in light of reported renewed calls over the weekend to end the Lord Advocate's dual role, when the Scottish Government will publish its proposals and begin a consultation on separating the prosecution function from the role of providing legal advice to the Scottish Ministers.  Mercedes Villalba MSP To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the outcome of the University of Aberdeen UCU ballot, which resulted in 83% of those voting in support of strike action and 90% in favour of action short of a strike. A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions will be available on the Scottish Parliament website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report

The primary discussion in the episode centers on the increasing risk to data privacy posed by the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) applications within SMB environments. Panelists highlighted the challenge of educating clients on how AI systems may access, process, and transmit sensitive information, sometimes integrating client data into broader training datasets owned by third parties. Specific emphasis was placed on the operational reality that data, once shared with AI models, may no longer be under the original owner's control. This development directly affects both regulatory compliance and client trust, especially for service providers tasked with protecting client environments. Supporting details referenced both technical and procedural countermeasures available to MSPs. Tools such as browser-based security assessments (e.g., Atacama), network analysis at the firewall, and Microsoft 365's built-in security features (Defender and Cloud App Security) were identified as practical resources for monitoring data flow and enforcing restrictions on AI integration. The approach recommended focuses on assessment-driven education—using tangible network data to demonstrate risks and capabilities, supporting MSPs in facilitating more accountable, informed decision-making among clients. Adjacent topics included a workforce transition in the MSP sector, driven by compliance and security requirements. The discussion referenced an industry demographic shift, with a substantive proportion of MSP owners above the age of 55, and many considering mergers or exits rather than evolving to meet new consulting, compliance, and productivity challenges introduced by AI. Additional coverage addressed the impact of AI and data center expansion on community resources (e.g., demands on electrical grids and water supply), as well as divergent organizational responses to emerging consumer technologies such as smart glasses.   Evolve or Exit -  Many MSP's are facing this reality https://mspglobal.com/blog/exit-or-evolve-msp-reinvention-cycle/ Browser based security assessment tool http://www.atakama.com   States moving to require AI to pay for its own electricity. https://www.perplexity.ai/page/states-move-to-shield-ratepaye-0_4v24YTRWGbech52eWGZw   Airforce ban meta glasses while army adopts them.  https://www.perplexity.ai/page/air-force-bans-meta-ai-glasses-KTBzW6_tQom3lJ6XuWNcZg Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Recent analysis from Goldman Sachs indicates that $700 billion in AI investment during 2025 resulted in no measurable U.S. GDP growth, with most AI equipment imports negating domestic benefits and 80% of surveyed firms reporting no productivity or employment improvements. This pattern suggests that AI-related spending has primarily shifted margins from enterprise IT budgets to a small number of infrastructure vendors rather than delivering distributed value. Internal concerns are rising, with 90% of IT leaders questioning AI's return on investment, and 80% citing fragmented data as a primary challenge to measuring outcomes. Further context reveals that agentic AI initiatives face operational headwinds: Gartner expects 40% of such projects to be cancelled by 2027, and S&P Global found nearly half are abandoned before production, most often due to inadequate planning and data foundations. Margin erosion is widespread, attributed to AI implementation costs, and attempts to scale AI agents into production remain limited by inference costs and insufficient infrastructure. Despite increased adoption efforts, sustainable value delivery from AI platforms remains elusive for most organizations. Enterprise AI access is becoming increasingly concentrated. OpenAI's partnership with consulting firms such as BCG, McKinsey, Accenture, and Capgemini consolidates control of the enterprise distribution layer, narrowing competitive opportunities for smaller providers. Meanwhile, Amazon's 13-hour AWS outage, linked to the misconfiguration of an internal AI tool, underscores the liability ambiguity in agentic systems—where vendors may attribute autonomous actions to user error, complicating risk assignment. Additional updates from vendors such as Anthropic, Cloudflare, and New Relic address incremental technical capabilities, with a distinct focus on cost, operational governance, and policy enforcement. The prevailing themes for MSPs and IT leaders are increased scrutiny of AI value, heightened exposure to cost and accountability risk, and the emergence of managed service opportunities around data governance, cost instrumentation, and liability management. With enterprise market channels consolidating and risk shifting toward service providers, integrating robust contractual definitions for autonomy, incident attribution, and financial boundaries is essential to limit harm and clarify responsibility before incidents occur. Four things to know today 00:00 Goldman: $700B AI Spend Delivered Near-Zero U.S. GDP Growth in 2025 03:49 OpenAI Enlists BCG, McKinsey, Accenture to Distribute Enterprise AI Agents 06:44 Report: Amazon's Own Engineers Prefer Claude Over Its Mandated Internal Tools 08:56 AI Inference Costs Are Falling — But Governance Gaps Are Growing This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by: CometBackup  Small Biz Thoughts Community   

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with mission-driven tech founder Dekel Skoop, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree who has built companies serving underserved markets—from web accessibility to cybersecurity. Dekel shares hard-earned leadership lessons on scaling organizations, hiring for adaptability and common sense, and why people always come before process and product. He also unpacks how real growth guarantees change—and why great leaders plan for it instead of resisting it. This is a grounded, practical conversation for founders, executives, and leaders navigating growth in fast-changing environments. Key Takeaways Why people—not products—are the foundation of scalable organizations How successful growth guarantees change (and why that's a good thing) The leadership discipline of hiring people who are better than you How to assess adaptability, culture fit, and common sense when hiring Why small and midsize businesses are the backbone of the global economy How Guardz is simplifying cybersecurity for MSPs and SMBs Connect with Dekel ● LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dekel-skoop-469335118

Cybercrime's escalation has reached a projected $12.2 trillion annual impact by 2031, with a notable surge in remote monitoring and management (RMM) tool abuse—up 277% year-over-year, according to Huntress and supporting vendor reports. Attackers utilize legitimate IT tools to facilitate stealthier ransomware and phishing campaigns, amplifying structural vulnerabilities within MSP technology stacks. Key metrics from Acronis, WatchGuard, and Vectra AI indicate a shift to smaller, more evasive malware campaigns, longer times to ransomware deployment (averaging 20 hours), and widespread unaddressed security alerts, raising questions about the adequacy of current defenses and incident response practices. Vendor-supplied threat intelligence further shows that MSPs' reliance on signature-based platforms and insufficient visibility leaves them exposed to evolving attack techniques. Data reviewed suggests phishing footholds can quickly compromise cross-client environments, and legal ramifications heavily fall on the service provider when RMM or monitoring tools act as entry points. Notably, only about 58-60% of organizations report full visibility across their systems, with a majority of alerts remaining unaddressed, underscoring gaps in operational maturity and preparedness. Adjacent coverage highlighted Microsoft Copilot's repeated security control failures within regulated environments, specifically its inability to enforce sensitivity labels and boundaries across emails—most recently affecting the UK's National Health Service. The lack of vendor-announced architectural changes calls into question the viability of deploying AI tools in compliance-driven contexts. Separately, political and public backlash against surveillance technologies (such as Flock cameras) demonstrates that unchecked data collection is no longer a manageable passive risk, as data becomes increasingly actionable and retains liability beyond technical considerations. The practical takeaway for MSPs and IT leaders is a need to prioritize audit, documentation, and enforcement of controls within their technology stacks, especially where vendor tools or AI-driven automation intersect with compliance and client trust. Preserving operational optionality and scrutinizing vendor terms—particularly data sharing and architectural enforcement—are essential to reduce exposure. Waiting for vendor patches, disregarding documented control failures, or underestimating public scrutiny elevate liability across legal, reputational, and client relationship domains. Four things to know today: 00:00 Vendor Threat Reports Converge on One Risk MSPs Can't Outsource: The RMM as Breach Vector 05:11 Copilot Failed Compliance Controls Twice in Eight Months — A Patch Won't Fix That 07:03 Flock Backlash Exposes the Liability Hidden in Every Vendor Data-Sharing Contract 09:42 GTDC Summit: Distributors Pitch AI On-Ramp as Hyperscalers Compress Their Margin Sponsored by:  

Recent data highlights a growing disconnect between technology spending and measurable business outcomes, with small business optimism softening and widespread skepticism about the benefits of artificial intelligence. The transcript cites an 80% rate of firms seeing no noticeable AI-driven productivity improvements, while trust in technology companies, particularly AI vendors, has declined globally according to the Edelman report. For MSPs, this presents a risk of credibility gaps, especially for those selling AI solutions without corresponding outcome data, as client trust and spending habits grow more discerning in the face of unfulfilled promises. Further context is provided by economic indicators showing a resilient U.S. economy, yet persistent challenges for small businesses. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index has dropped slightly to 99.3, with insurance costs and labor quality as major pain points; only 16% of business owners expect higher sales. At the same time, IT professionals face salary compression—median IT salaries fell from $145,000 in 2023 to $115,000 in 2024—despite a severe shortage of skilled cloud, AI, and infrastructure talent, as less than 10% of hiring managers are confident in filling in-demand roles. Additional market pressures include rising technology budgets—three-quarters of CFOs anticipate larger tech allocations, but headcount increases are slowing and tech spending faces a widening affordability gap due to sector-specific inflation outpacing budget growth. Vendor-specific developments, such as Western Digital exhausting hard drive capacity for 2026 and Enable reporting 12.8% revenue growth alongside ongoing losses and a 65% stock decline since 2021, illustrate structural risks. Vendor rationalization and strategic uncertainty are likely outcomes for MSPs relying heavily on underperforming partners. Key takeaways for service providers and IT leaders include the need for caution in messaging and solution positioning: outcome data and defensible value propositions are essential when advocating AI or cloud services. Salary data should be weighed against demand-side evidence to avoid retention failures. Finally, dependency on vendors with deteriorating financial outlooks heightens operational risk; providers should proactively assess alternatives and align with financially sustainable partners to reduce exposure during vendor consolidation cycles or market restructures. Four things to know today 00:00 AI Productivity Gap Widens as Trust Drops — MSPs Selling Outcomes They Can't Measure Face CFO Audits  04:51 IT Median Salary Dropped 20% in 2024, But Only 7% of Hiring Managers Can Fill AI and Cloud Roles 07:26 IT Inflation Hits 6.9% as CFOs Concentrate Spend; Western Digital Fully Booked Through 2026 10:28 N-Able Beats Revenue, Misses Earnings as 2026 Growth Guidance Drops to 8–9%   Sponsored by: CometBackup Small Biz Thoughts Community

What does it take to turn the dream of an autonomous SOC into something organizations can actually deploy? Subo Guha, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Stellar Cyber, joins Sean Martin to share how the company's AI-driven security operations platform is making that vision a reality. Stellar Cyber serves SOC teams across more than 50 countries, with a primary focus on MSPs and MSSPs supporting the underserved mid-market, though marquee enterprise customers like Canon are also part of the portfolio.How can agentic AI change the way SOC teams handle alert overload? Guha describes what he calls a "digital army" of AI agents that work around the clock to automate alert triage and catch phishing attacks. The system filters 70 to 80 percent of incoming alerts, allowing analysts to focus on the 20 percent that matter most. With attackers using AI to launch faster and more frequent campaigns, Stellar Cyber takes a human-augmented approach, meaning the AI learns from analyst interactions and continuously guides the SOC team toward faster, more accurate remediation.Why does this matter for MSPs operating on thin margins? Guha explains that the autonomous SOC capability layered on top of Stellar Cyber's XDR platform allows MSSPs to serve more customers, reduce mean time to repair, and grow their tenant base without proportionally increasing staff. When MSSPs grow revenue, Stellar Cyber grows alongside them, creating a mutually beneficial model that ultimately means more organizations get protected.This is a Brand Highlight. A Brand Highlight is a ~5 minute introductory conversation designed to put a spotlight on the guest and their company. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#highlightGUESTSubo Guha, Senior Vice President of Product Management, Stellar Cyber @LinkedInRESOURCESLearn more about Stellar Cyber: https://stellarcyber.aiAre you interested in telling your story?▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full▶︎ Brand Spotlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight▶︎ Brand Highlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlightKEYWORDSSubo Guha, Stellar Cyber, Sean Martin, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand highlight, autonomous SOC, agentic AI, security operations, XDR, NDR, MSSP, MSP, alert triage, AI-driven security, Open XDR, Gartner Magic Quadrant, phishing detection, SOC automation Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to a feed drop ofthe SMB Community Podcast, the longest-running MSP-focused podcast in the industry.  Hosts James Kernan and Amy Babinchak dive deep into AI go-to-market strategies for 2026, inspired by insights from Amy Babinchak's recent AI class for MSPs.They open with the latest news on Microsoft Copilot and Anthropic's integration, highlighting new privacy and security features for Office apps. Then, they explore how MSPs can not only adopt AI internally but also create new, innovative service offerings for their clients—like custom AI grant-writing agents for nonprofits, real-world business demonstrations, and the integration of AI readiness assessments.Pricing strategies, project sales versus monthly recurring revenue, and the importance of meaningful quarterly business reviews also come under the spotlight. Throughout the conversation, Amy Babinchak and James Kernan share practical examples, discuss industry challenges, and encourage listeners to rethink and monetize their approach to AI as we move toward 2026.Tune in for fresh ideas, actionable strategies, and a glimpse into the real-world experiences of MSPs shaping the future with AI, and find it on your favorite podcast player.   Links at https://smbcommunitypodcast.com

Send a textIn this wide-ranging and deeply thoughtful conversation, Joey Pinz sits down with Jason Magee, former CEO of ConnectWise and current CEO of Cynet, to unpack what leadership really looks like when the stakes are high and the noise is constant.Jason shares his personal journey through a major health challenge, a high-profile CEO transition, and the mindset shift required when moving from leading a global platform company to scaling a fast-growing cybersecurity organization. Together, they explore the difference between leaders and managers, how to spot real growth versus empty visibility, and why disciplined decision-making matters more than ever.The conversation dives deep into AI, automation, cybersecurity, and the realities MSPs face today—from talent shortages to increasing threat pressure and consolidation. Jason also opens up about motivation, legacy, burnout avoidance, and how leaders can stay grounded while navigating complexity.This episode is a masterclass in modern leadership, focus, and long-term thinking—for CEOs, founders, MSPs, and anyone responsible for building teams, platforms, and trust in a rapidly evolving industry. 

In this episode, Eric talks with Michael Bakaic of Iceberg Cyber about practical ways to generate more business—whether you're an MSP or any service company.They break down how to:Use lead magnets that actually start sales conversationsTurn in-person events into a steady stream of opportunitiesMove beyond referrals and build a repeatable lead engineGet over the fear of rejection and the myth that “great products sell themselves”If you're serious about filling your pipeline and winning more clients, this one's for you.For even more on cybersecurity, startups, MSPs, and entrepreneurship, join Michael on the Cyber Confidential podcast.