Podcasts about msps

Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider, is pursuing a $1 billion market position by the end of 2029, following significant revenue growth and 27 acquisitions since its inception. The company is focusing on enhancing its service offerings, particularly in managed artificial intelligence services, through a $100 million investment in its next-gen 3.0 platform. This shift raises critical questions for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) regarding who controls decision-making in IT operations as AI begins to play a more active role in execution rather than merely advisory functions. The integration of AI into managed services could lead to a concentration of power upstream, potentially undermining the authority and accountability of MSPs.Recent data on IT leadership diversity reveals that representation has stagnated, with 83% of IT leaders being white and over 78% male. This lack of diversity in leadership roles can create strategic blind spots, particularly as technology evolves rapidly. The report indicates that while there has been some improvement in gender representation among larger companies, racial diversity remains largely unchanged. This stability in leadership demographics may limit the perspectives necessary for effective technology governance, especially in a landscape increasingly influenced by AI and automation.Additional developments include the launch of the HiPori Partner Program, which aims to enhance secure mobile access for resellers and MSPs, and TD Cinex's AI Game Plan Workshop designed to assist partners in implementing AI solutions for their customers. These initiatives reflect a growing trend among technology providers to standardize outcomes and streamline processes, which may inadvertently reduce the differentiation and authority of MSPs as they adopt these frameworks.For MSPs and IT service leaders, the implications of these developments are significant. As AI-driven execution becomes more prevalent, MSPs must redefine their responsibility and authority to avoid unpriced liabilities. The current landscape suggests that those who can clearly articulate control and accountability in automated environments will have a competitive advantage. Ignoring these shifts could lead to operational risks and customer dissatisfaction, emphasizing the need for MSPs to adapt their strategies in response to the evolving technological landscape. Three things to know today 00:00 Thrive's $1B Ambition, OpenAI Investment, and AI Automation Push Highlight a Shift in Who Controls “Good IT”05:26 Q4 2025 IT Leadership Data Confirms a Five-Year Stall in Diversity Despite Rapid Technology Change10:56 Hypori, TD Synnex, and N-able Moves Show MSPs Trading Local Control for Centralized AI and Endpoint Frameworks This is the Business of Tech.     Supported by:  ingocni.com/tech10   PROMO CODE: tech10https://cometbackup.com/?utm_source=mspradio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsorship

Ransomware payments may be falling, but attackers are not retreating—they are shifting their focus upstream to hypervisors, where a single compromise can undo years of layered security investment. This change fundamentally alters the risk equation for MSPs whose architectures emphasize shared infrastructure and efficiency. Lower payments reflect reduced victim capacity, not reduced attacker effectiveness, forcing adversaries to increase the impact of each successful breach. Recovery speed, architectural resilience, and catastrophic-failure planning now matter more than detection narratives.At the same time, regulators are tightening expectations around AI safety while modernization funding stalls. State attorneys general are warning major AI vendors about harmful outcomes involving minors, even as Congress allows critical federal IT modernization funding to lapse. This leaves implementers operating in environments where AI is treated as production infrastructure but lacks the controls, funding, and policy clarity required to manage risk. In these conditions, responsibility concentrates on service providers without corresponding authority.Concerns over AI transparency deepen as OpenAI's shift to a for-profit model triggers internal resignations and allegations of suppressed economic impact research. When AI vendors control both platforms and narratives, ecosystem participants lose access to inconvenient truths about displacement, quality degradation, and operational disruption. MSPs experience these impacts directly, often after automation decisions have already reshaped staffing, workflows, and customer expectations.Security vendors are responding by introducing AI governance and control-layer tools, but carefully stopping short of owning outcomes. From AI detection and response to bundled copilots, zero-trust packages, and expanded vulnerability scanning, the message is consistency and experimentation—not accountability. As AI systems move from passive tools to active decision-makers, governance becomes an ongoing service rather than a product feature. MSPs that fail to price, document, and limit decision risk will inherit liabilities they cannot automate away. Four things to know today 00:00 Ransomware Payments Fall 33% as Attacks Persist and Shift Toward Hypervisors04:33 State Attorneys General Warn OpenAI, Microsoft, and Apple on AI Child Safety as Federal IT Modernization Funding Stalls08:24 Former OpenAI Employees Raise Transparency Concerns as Economic Impact Research Is Curtailed10:51 CrowdStrike, Microsoft, Vectra, WatchGuard, and LevelBlue Push AI Security Controls Without Owning Outcomes This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by:  https://mailprotector.com/mspradio/

Analyst firm Forrester has projected that AI-native cloud solutions could generate $20 billion in revenue by 2026, significantly reshaping enterprise IT operations. However, the transition to these solutions raises concerns about governance gaps that could lead to outages. Organizations are increasingly redesigning their systems across various sectors, including education and infrastructure financing, to manage the risks associated with AI. This shift is underscored by a recent Gallup poll indicating that 45% of U.S. employees are using AI at work, reflecting a growing reliance on AI tools for operational efficiency.The term "SLOP" has been designated as Merriam-Webster's 2025 Word of the Year, highlighting the cultural implications of AI's integration into daily communication. This term encapsulates the challenges of quality control in AI outputs, as the rapid scaling of AI tools often outpaces human judgment. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are urged to focus on helping clients discern which AI outputs are reliable and which require scrutiny, emphasizing the need for quality control over mere automation.In the education sector, a notable trend is the adoption of oral exams to assess student learning, ensuring evaluations reflect genuine understanding rather than reliance on AI-generated content. Additionally, major tech companies like Microsoft and Google are adopting innovative financing strategies, such as short-term leasing agreements for computing power, to mitigate financial risks associated with AI infrastructure investments. These strategies allow companies to scale their AI capabilities while maintaining flexibility in their financial commitments.For MSPs and IT service leaders, the evolving landscape of AI presents both challenges and opportunities. The emphasis on governance and quality control in AI tools indicates a shift in how organizations will approach AI adoption, necessitating new validation steps and risk models. MSPs can leverage this moment by providing guidance on AI evaluation and compliance, ensuring that clients can navigate the complexities of AI integration while minimizing potential liabilities. Four things to know today 00:00 AI Adoption Surges as Forrester, Gallup, and Merriam-Webster Signal a Quality Problem04:40 -Education and Big Tech Respond to AI by Reworking Assessment and Risk Models07:13 OMB Uses Procurement Power to Set Federal Standards for Truthful, Unbiased AI Tools09:11 Disney Sets AI Rules:  This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by:  https://cometbackup.com/?utm_source=mspradio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsorship

Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, sat down with Elie Y. Katz, Founder, President & CEO of National Retail Solutions (NRS), to discuss how payments, telecom, and point-of-sale technology are converging to reshape small and independent businesses. Katz explained how NRS, incubated within IDT, was created to give independent convenience stores and small merchants the same tools and insights long available to large national chains. At the center of NRS's success is its integrated point-of-sale platform, now deployed in more than 38,000 locations nationwide. Katz described how NRS combines POS, credit card processing, payroll, cash advance services, and telecom products into a single system. “We didn't just build a register,” Katz said. “We built a platform that lets independent merchants compete with corporate America.” The conversation highlighted the accelerating shift away from cash toward cards, mobile wallets, and peer-to-peer payment apps such as Venmo and Zelle—especially among younger consumers. Katz noted that safety, efficiency, and cost are driving merchants toward cashless or low-cash environments. “The phone has become the bank,” he said, pointing to how mobile payments are now central to everyday commerce. Katz also outlined the opportunity this shift creates for telecom channel partners, MSPs, and resellers. By leveraging existing customer relationships, partners can expand into POS, payment processing, payroll, and cash advance services through NRS. “If you didn't pivot, you went out of business,” Katz said. “Our platform gives channel partners a new stream of recurring revenue using relationships they already have.” Finally, Katz detailed NRS's growing ecosystem of integrations, including DoorDash, Grubhub, and NationsBenefits, which help independent merchants increase revenue and compete more effectively. With offerings like NRSPay and flexible, no-penalty credit card processing, NRS is positioning itself as a long-term partner for small businesses navigating the transition to a digital, cashless economy. For more information, visit https://nrsplus.com/.

Global IT spending is projected to reach its highest level in 30 years, driven primarily by investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud services. According to a report from the International Data Corporation, spending on hardware, software, and IT services is expected to rise by 14%, marking the fastest growth rate since 1996. However, the benefits of this spending surge are not being realized by Managed Service Providers (MSPs), as hyperscalers dominate the market by building extensive AI infrastructure and integrated platforms. This shift in control raises questions about the future value proposition for MSPs, who may find themselves increasingly marginalized.Small businesses are experiencing hiring challenges despite a reported increase in job growth plans. The National Federation of Independent Business Jobs report indicates that 33% of small business owners have unfilled job openings, with 19% planning to create new jobs in the next three months. However, 56% of these businesses attempted to hire in November, with half citing a lack of suitable candidates. Compounding this issue, federal statistical agencies are facing significant staffing and budget cuts, leading to a decline in the availability of reliable economic data. This erosion of data could hinder small businesses' ability to make informed hiring and investment decisions.In a notable leadership change, Jim Siders has been appointed CEO of Shield Technology Partners, an IT services platform focused on integrating AI with operational expertise. Siders aims to enhance service delivery through AI innovations, positioning Shield as a vital resource for businesses in sectors like construction and healthcare. This move reflects a broader trend of IT services being restructured as AI-driven platforms rather than traditional roll-ups, emphasizing the importance of operational discipline and clean data in leveraging AI effectively.The episode highlights a concerning trend in corporate spending on AI, where companies allocate 93% of their budgets to technology and only 7% to the people who will utilize it. This imbalance can lead to a decline in trust among employees and an increase in the use of unapproved AI tools, complicating compliance and operational efficiency. For MSPs and IT service leaders, the key takeaway is the necessity to shift focus from merely adopting technology to fostering a disciplined approach to AI integration, emphasizing governance, workflow redesign, and clear decision-making boundaries to ensure that clients can navigate the complexities of AI effectively. Four things to know today00:00 Global IT Spending Hits 30-Year High as AI and Cloud Investments Accelerate, IDC Reports05:24 Small Businesses Plan More Hiring but Still Can't Find Qualified Workers, NFIB Reports08:33 Shield Names Former Palantir CIO Jim Siders CEO as It Builds an AI-First IT Services Platform With OpenAI and Thrive11:19 Deloitte: Lopsided AI Spending, Declining Trust, and Shadow AI Signal a Growing Management Failure This is the Business of Tech.     Supported by:  https://saasalerts.com/mspradio/

Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. AI agents are your next customers. Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX:https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Jen Odess, Group Vice President of Partner Excellence at ServiceNow, joins Vince Menzione to discuss the company’s incredible transformation from an IT ticketing solution to a leading AI-native platform for business transformation. Jen dives deep into how ServiceNow has strategically invested in and infused AI into its unified platform over the last decade, enabling over a billion workflows daily. She also outlines the critical role of the partner ecosystem, which executes 87% of all implementations, and reveals the company’s strategic initiatives, including its commitment to the hyperscaler marketplaces, the goal to hit half a billion dollars in annual contract value for its Now Assist AI product, and the push for partners to adopt an ‘AI-native’ methodology to capitalize on the fact that customers still want over 70% of AI buying to be done through partners. Key Takeaways ServiceNow is an ‘AI-native’ company, having invested in and built AI directly into its unified platform for over a decade. The company’s core value today is in its unified AI platform, single data model, and leadership in workflows that connect the entire enterprise. ServiceNow will hit $500 million in annual contract value for its Now Assist AI products by the end of 2025, making it the fastest-growing product in company history. An astonishing 87% of all ServiceNow implementations are done by its global partner ecosystem, highlighting their crucial role. The company is leveraging the half-trillion-dollar opportunity of durable cloud budgets by driving marketplace transactions and helping customers burn down cloud commits using ServiceNow solutions. To win in the AI era, partners must adopt AI internally, co-innovate on the platform, and strategically differentiate themselves to rank higher in the forthcoming agentic matching system. Key Tags: ServiceNow, AI-native platform, Now Assist, Jen Odess, partner excellence, workflow leader, AI platform for business transformation, hyperscalers, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, AWS, marketplace transactions, cloud commits, AIDA model, agentic matching, F-Pattern, Z-Pattern, group vice president, MSP, GSI, co-innovation, autonomous implementation, technical constraints, visual hierarchy, UX, UI, responsive design. Ultimate Partner is the independent community for technology leaders navigating the tectonic shifts in cloud, AI, marketplaces, and co-selling. Through live events, UPX membership, advisory, and the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® podcast, we help organizations align with hyperscalers, accelerate growth, and achieve their greatest results through successful partnering. Transcript: Jen Odess Audio Podcast [00:00:00] Jen Odess: The AI platform for business transformation, and I love to say to people, it sounds like a handful of cliche words that just got stacked together. The AI platform for business transformation. Yeah. We all know these words, so many companies use ’em, but it is such deliberate language and I love to explain why. [00:00:20] Vince Menzione: Welcome to, or welcome back to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi on your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. Today we have a special leader, Jen Odes is the GVP for Partner Excellence at ServiceNow. And joins me here in the studio in Boca Raton. [00:00:40] Vince Menzione: Jen, welcome to the podcast. Thanks, Vince. It’s so great to be here. I am so thrilled to welcome you. To Boca Raton, Florida. Our podcast home look at this amazing background we have Here is this, and this is where we host our ultimate partner Winter retreat. Actually, in February, we’re gonna give that a plug. [00:00:58] Vince Menzione: Okay. I’d love to have you come back. I’d love to have an invite. And you flew in this morning from Washington DC [00:01:04] Jen Odess: I did. It was 20 degrees when I left my house this morning and this backdrop. Is definitely giving me, island South Florida like vibes. It’s fabulous. [00:01:13] Vince Menzione: And we’re gonna talk about ServiceNow. [00:01:14] Vince Menzione: And you’re also opening an office down here? We [00:01:17] Jen Odess: are [00:01:17] Vince Menzione: in West Palm Beach. Not too far from where we are. Yes. Later 2026. Yeah. I love that. And then so we’ll work on the recruiting year, but let’s dive in. Okay. So thrilled to have ServiceNow and to have you in the room. This has been an incredible time for your organization. [00:01:31] Vince Menzione: I have been watching, obviously I work with Microsoft. We’ve had Google. In the studio, Amazon onboard as well. And other than those three organizations, I can’t think of any other legacy organization that has embraced AI more succinctly than ServiceNow. And I thought we’d start there, but I really wanna spend some time getting to know you and getting to know your role, your mission, and your journey to this incredible. [00:01:57] Vince Menzione: Leadership role as a global vice president. We’ll talk about Or [00:02:01] Jen Odess: group. Group Vice president. I know it doesn’t roll off the tongue. I get it. A group vice president doesn’t roll. [00:02:05] Vince Menzione: G-V-P-G-V-P doesn’t roll off the time. And in some organizations it is global. It is in other organizations, it’s group. So let’s, you’re not [00:02:12] Jen Odess: the first to say global vice president. [00:02:14] Jen Odess: Okay. I’ll take either way. It’s fine. [00:02:15] Vince Menzione: Yeah. Yeah. And might be a promotion. Let’s talk. Let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about you and your career journey and your mission. [00:02:22] Jen Odess: Yeah, so I’ve been at ServiceNow for five years. In fact, January will be like the five year anniversary and then it will be the beginning of my sixth year. [00:02:31] Jen Odess: Amazing. And I actually got hired originally to build out the initial partner enablement function. So it didn’t really exist five years ago. There was certainly enablement that happened to Sure. All individuals that were. Using, consuming, buying ServiceNow, working with ServiceNow. But the partner enablement function from pre to post-sale, that whole life cycle didn’t exist yet. [00:02:54] Jen Odess: So that was my initial job. I got hired to run partner enablement and it before. And how big [00:02:59] Vince Menzione: was your partner organization at that point? It must have been pretty small. [00:03:01] Jen Odess: It was actually not as small as you would think. Gosh, that’s a great question. You’re challenging my memory from five years ago. [00:03:08] Jen Odess: I know that we’re over 2,500 partners today and we add hundreds every year, so it had to have been in the low one thousands. Wow. Is where we were five years ago. But the maturity of the ecosystem is grossly larger today than it was then. I can imagine. So back then there was less than 30,000 individuals that were skilled on ServiceNow to sell or solution or deliver. [00:03:34] Jen Odess: Today there’s almost a hundred thousand. Wow. So yeah that’s like the maturity in the capability within the ecosystem. But before I start on my ServiceNow and my group vice president. Which is a great role, by the way. Group Vice President. Yeah. Partner Excellence group. I’m very proud of it. [00:03:49] Jen Odess: But but let me tell you what brought me here, please. So I actually came from a partner, but not in the ServiceNow ecosystem. Okay. I won’t name the partner, but let’s just say it’s a competitor, a competitive ecosystem. And I worked for a services shop that today I would refer to as multinational. [00:04:11] Jen Odess: Kind of a boutique darling, but with over 1,500 consultants, so Okay. A behemoth as well? Yeah. Privately held. And we were a force to be reckoned with, and it was really fun. I held so many roles. I was a customer success manager. I led the data science practice at one point. I ran global alliances and partnerships. [00:04:35] Jen Odess: At one point I was the chief of staff to the CEO at the time that company was acquired. Big global si. And and then at one point I even spun off for the big global SI and helped run a culture initiative to transform co corporate culture. Wow. Very inside the whole organization. Wow. That is very, yeah. [00:04:54] Jen Odess: Really interesting set of roles. And the whole reason I came to ServiceNow is by the time I was concluding that journey in that ecosystem on the services side, I felt like. I didn’t fully understand what it meant to be on the software product side. And I often felt like I approached friction or moments of frustration and heartache with resentment for the software company. [00:05:20] Jen Odess: Sure. Or maybe just a lack of empathy for what they must be going through as well. It always felt like I was on the kind of [00:05:26] Vince Menzione: negative you were on the other side of the table. Totally. [00:05:27] Jen Odess: Yeah. And, or maybe like the redheaded stepchild kind of a concept as a partner. And so I sought out to. Learn more, which is probably a big piece of my journey is just constant curiosity. [00:05:38] Jen Odess: Nice. And I thought I think the thing I’m missing is seeing what it means firsthand to be on the software product side. And that was what led me to a career at ServiceNow. Five years strong. Yeah. So [00:05:50] Vince Menzione: talk about partner experience for those who don’t know what that means. [00:05:53] Jen Odess: Yeah. Today my role is partner excellence, but it used to be partner experience. [00:05:58] Jen Odess: Okay. And so the don’t. Yeah, that’s normal to say both things. And they actually mean two very different things. [00:06:04] Vince Menzione: Yeah, I would say so. [00:06:05] Jen Odess: And we deliberately changed the title about a year ago. So today, partner Excellence is about really ensuring that we build a vibrant AI led ecosystem. And that’s from the whole life cycle of the partner, from the day they choose to be a partner and onboard, and hopefully to the day they’re just. [00:06:23] Jen Odess: Thriving and growing like crazy, and then across the whole life cycle of the customer pre to post sale. So it’s, we are almost like the underpinning and the infras infrastructure. Someone once said it’s like we’re the insurance policy of all global partnerships and channels. That’s how we operate across global partnerships and channels and service Now. [00:06:42] Vince Menzione: And you have a very intimate relationship with those partners. We’re gonna dive in on that as well. Yes. But let’s talk about this time like no other. I talk about tectonic shifts at all of our events. People that listen to our podcasts know we talk about the acceleration of transformation, and it’s happening so fast. [00:06:58] Vince Menzione: It was happening fast even during COVID. But then. I’ll call this date or time period, the November 20, 22 time period when Chat GPT launched. Oh yeah. And that really changed the world in many respects, right? Yeah. Microsoft had already leaned in with chat, GPT, Google, we talked to Google about this. [00:07:17] Vince Menzione: Even having them in the room was like, they were caught flatfooted in a way, and they had a lot of the technology and they didn’t lean in. But it feels like ServiceNow was one of the first, certainly on the ISV side of the house and refer to the term ISV. Loosely, because hyperscalers are ISVs as well. [00:07:34] Vince Menzione: They were early to lean in and have leaned it in such a way from a business application perspective that I believe we haven’t seen embracing and infusing AI into your platform. I was hoping we could dive in a little bit on ServiceNow from a. Kinda legacy, what the organization was and is today. [00:07:56] Vince Menzione: And then also this infusion of AI into the platform. If you don’t mind, [00:07:59] Jen Odess: I love this topic. Okay. And I feel like it’s such a privilege to talk about ServiceNow on this topic because we really are a leader in the category. I’ll almost rewind back to over 20 years ago when the company was founded. [00:08:11] Jen Odess: Today, fast forward, we are so much more than an IT ticketing company. We are, [00:08:16] Vince Menzione: but that was the legacy. That’s how I knew service now 20 years ago. [00:08:19] Jen Odess: And what a beautiful legacy. Yeah. But we have expanded immensely beyond that. And that’s the beautiful story to tell customers. That’s so fun. [00:08:28] Jen Odess: But what what I love is that. So 20 years ago, that was where we started. And today, do you know that over a billion workflows are put to work every single day for our customers? A billion [00:08:38] Vince Menzione: workflows, over a billion workflows. That’s crazy. [00:08:40] Jen Odess: And 87% of all implementations for ServiceNow were done by partnerships. [00:08:46] Jen Odess: And channels. That’s fantastic. So you think about those billion plus workflows daily, all because of our partner ecosystem. This is my small plug. I’m just very proud 80, proud 86%. [00:08:56] Vince Menzione: Did you hear that? Part’s 86%. [00:08:57] Jen Odess: Amazing. And so that’s like what we’re, that’s what we’re a leader in the category. We are a leader in workflows categorically. [00:09:05] Jen Odess: But then over a decade ago, we started investing in ai. We started building it right into our platform, and this becomes the next kind of notch on our belt, which is we are a unified platform. Nothing is bolted on, nothing is just apid in. Yeah, it is a unified platform. So all of that AI that for the past decade we’ve been building in into our platform. [00:09:28] Jen Odess: Just in our AI platform, which is now what we are calling it, the AI platform. [00:09:34] Vince Menzione: And I would say that unless you were a startup starting up from scratch today and building on an LLM, we were building in a way I don’t think any other organization’s gonna actually state that [00:09:45] Jen Odess: what’s actually why we call ourselves AI native. [00:09:47] Jen Odess: Yeah, beca for that exact reason. And that’s who we’re competing with a lot these days, is the truly AI native startups where they didn’t have, the 20 years. Previously that we had, but that’s what makes us so unique in the situation, is that unified AI platform, a single data model that can connect to anything. [00:10:07] Jen Odess: And then the workflow leader. And when you put all those things together, AI plus data, plus workflows and that’s where the magic happens. Yeah. Across the enterprise. It’s pretty cool. [00:10:17] Vince Menzione: That is very cool. And you start thinking about, and we start talking about agent as a, as an example. Let’s talk about this for a second. [00:10:23] Vince Menzione: You, when what is this bolt-on, we could use the terms co-pilot, we could use Ag Agent ai, but they are generally bolted onto an existing application today. So take us through the 10 years and how it has become a portion or a significant portion. Of ServiceNow. [00:10:41] Jen Odess: When say the question a little bit more. [00:10:43] Jen Odess: Like when you say it’s, yeah, when which examples have bolted on? [00:10:47] Vince Menzione: So exa, we, what we see today is the hyperscalers coming out with their own solution sets, right? They’re taking and they’re offering it up to their ecosystem to infuse it into their product and portfolio. To me, those that look like bolted on in many respects, unless it’s an AI need as a native organization, a startup organization. [00:11:07] Vince Menzione: They’re mostly taking and re-engineering or bolting onto their existing solutions. [00:11:12] Jen Odess: I follow. Yeah. Thank you for giving me a little more context. So I call this our any problem. It’s like one of the best problems to have we can connect into. Anything, any cloud, any ai, any platform, any system, any data, any workflow, and that’s where any hyperscaler, and that’s the part that makes it so incredible. [00:11:32] Jen Odess: So your word is bolt on, and I use the word any the, any problem. Yeah. We’ve got this beautiful kind of stack visual that just, it’s like it just one on top of the other. Any. Any, and no one else can really say that. I gotta see [00:11:45] Vince Menzione: that visual. Yeah. Yeah. So talk about this a little bit more. So you’re uniquely positioned. [00:11:52] Vince Menzione: Let’s talk about how you position, you talked about being AI native. What does that imply and what does that mean in terms of the evolution of the platform? From ticketing to workflows to the business applications? What are the type of applications Yeah. Markets, industries that you’re starting to see. [00:12:08] Jen Odess: So I’ll actually answer this with, taking on a small, maybe marketing or positioning journey. So there was a time when our tagline would be The World Works with ServiceNow. There was a time when it was, we put AI to work for people and today and it, I think it was around Knowledge 2025, this came out. [00:12:28] Jen Odess: It was the AI platform for business transformation. And I love to say to people, it sounds like a handful of. Cliche words that just got stacked together. The AI platform for business transformation. Yeah. We all know these words, so many companies use ’em, but it is such deliberate language and I love to explain why. [00:12:46] Jen Odess: So the first is the AI platform is calling out that we are an AI native platform. We are a unified platform. It’s a chance to say all that goodness I already shared with you. Yeah. And the business transformation is actually telling the story of no longer being a solution. Point or no longer being an individual product that does X. [00:13:06] Jen Odess: It’s about saying. The ServiceNow platform can go north to south and east to west across your entire enterprise. Okay. Up and down the entire tech stack. Any. And then east to west, it can cut across the enterprise, the C-suite, the buying centers, all into one unified AI platform. With one data model. [00:13:26] Jen Odess: I love it. And so I love that AI platform for business transformation actually has so much purpose. [00:13:32] Vince Menzione: It does. So you’re going across the stack, so you’re going all the way from the bottom layer, all the way up to the top from the ue. Ui. And then you’re going across the organization, right? You’re going across the C-suite, you’re going across all the business functions of an organization. [00:13:46] Vince Menzione: Correct. And so the workflows are going across each of those business functions? [00:13:49] Jen Odess: Correct. And then our AI control tower is sitting at the very top, governing over all of it. [00:13:53] Vince Menzione: I love the control tower. [00:13:54] Jen Odess: I know the governance, security risk protocol, managing all the agents interoperability. Yeah. [00:14:01] Vince Menzione: And then data at the very bottom right. [00:14:03] Vince Menzione: Controlling all those elements and the governance of the data and the right, the cleanliness of the data and so on. Yeah. That’s incredible. I we could probably talk about business applications. I know one, in fact, I’ve had a person sit in this, your chair from we’ll call it a large GSIA very significant GSI one of the top five. [00:14:21] Vince Menzione: And they took ServiceNow and they applied it to their business partnering function. And they used, and we, you probably don’t know about this one, but I know that that’s a, an example of taking it and applying it all across all the workflows, across all the geographies of the organization and taking a lot of the process that was all done manually. [00:14:40] Vince Menzione: That was stove pipe business processes that were all stove piped and removing the stove pipe and making for a fluid organizational flow. [00:14:47] Jen Odess: And I’ll bet you the end user didn’t even realize ServiceNow was the backend. That’s some of the greatest examples actually. [00:14:53] Vince Menzione: Yeah. Yeah. So Jen, we work with all the hyperscalers. [00:14:56] Vince Menzione: We have a very strong relationship with Microsoft. Goes back many years, my back to my days at Microsoft and we’ve had Google in the room. We have AWS now as well. We bring them all together because we believe that partners work with, need to work with all three. And I know that you have had an interesting transformation at ServiceNow around the hyperscalers. [00:15:16] Vince Menzione: I was hoping you could dive in a little deeper with us. [00:15:19] Jen Odess: Yeah. We are so proud of our relationships with the hyperscalers, so the same three, so it’s Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS. And really it’s it’s a strategic 360 partnership and our goal is really to drive marketplace transactions. [00:15:34] Jen Odess: So ServiceNow selling in all of their marketplaces and then. Burn down of our customers cloud commits. I love it. It’s really a beautiful story for our customers and for the hyperscalers and for ServiceNow. And so we’ve, it’s brand, it’s a brand new announcement from late in the year 2025. Love it. And we’re really excited about it. [00:15:51] Vince Menzione: Yeah. And then we, and we get all of the marketplace leaders in the room. So we’ve worked with all of those people. And one of the key points about this is there is over a half a trillion dollars in durable cloud budgets with customers that [00:16:08] Vince Menzione: Already committed to, I know, so that tam available, a half a trillion dollars is available to customers to burn down and utilize your solutions and professional services with partners as well in terms of driving a complete solution. [00:16:21] Jen Odess: That’s exactly the motion we’re pushing is to go and leverage those cloud commits to get on ServiceNow and in some cases, maybe even take out other products to go with ServiceNow and actually end up funding the transition to ServiceNow. Yeah. Yeah. [00:16:37] Vince Menzione: So you serve thousands of customers today, thousands of customers. [00:16:42] Vince Menzione: I can’t even. Fathom the exact number, but you have this partner ecosystem that you described, and their reach is even more incredible, like hundreds of thousands. Yeah. So tell us a little bit more about how you think about that, and then how do you drive the partner ecosystem in the right way to drive this partner excellence that you described. [00:17:02] Jen Odess: Yeah, that’s a great question. So yeah, thousands of ServiceNow customers and we’re barely scratching the surface in comparison to our partners customers. So we have over 2,500 partners Wow. In our ecosystem. And today they cut across what I would call five routes to market. That partners can go to market with ServiceNow. [00:17:21] Jen Odess: Okay. The first is consulting and implementation. This will be your classic kind of consulting shop or GSI approach. The second is resell, just like it sounds. Yep. [00:17:30] Vince Menzione: Transactional. [00:17:31] Jen Odess: Yep. The third is managed service provider. [00:17:33] Vince Menzione: Okay. [00:17:34] Jen Odess: The fourth is what we call build, which is. The ISV, strategic Tech partner realm, and then the fifth is hyperscaler. [00:17:43] Jen Odess: Those are the five routes to market. So partners can choose to be in one or all or two. It doesn’t matter. It’s whichever one fits the kind of business they want to go drive. Nice. Where they’re. Expertise lies. And then we’ve got partners that show up globally, partners that show up multinational and partners that show up regionally and then partners that show up locally, in country and that’s it. [00:18:06] Jen Odess: And we really want a diverse set of partners capable of delivering where any of our customers are. So it’s important that we have that dynamic ecosystem where we really push them. We’re actually trying hard to balance this. Yeah, you would’ve heard it from many of your other partners. This direct versus indirect. [00:18:24] Jen Odess: Yes. Motion. For anyone listening that doesn’t know the difference, right? Direct is ServiceNow is selling direct to a customer, there might be a partner involved influencing that will implement. Yeah, likely but ServiceNow is really driving the sale versus indirect where the whole thing routes through the partner. [00:18:39] Jen Odess: Right? Which is your classic reseller or managed service provider and often a an ISV. And you know that balance is never gonna be perfect ’cause we’re not gonna commit to go all direct or all indirect. We’re gonna continue to sit in this space where we’re trying to find a healthy balance. [00:18:56] Jen Odess: So I find a lot of our time trying to figure out how do you set all those parties up for success? Yeah. The parties are the ServiceNow field sellers? And then you’ve also got the partnerships and channels, so the ecosystem, and then you’ve got the people in global partnerships and channels. So my broader organization, and we’re all trying to figure out how to work harmoniously together and it’s a lot of, it is my job to get us there. [00:19:19] Jen Odess: And so we use lots of things like incentives and benefits and we will put in place gated entry, really strategic gated entry. What does [00:19:29] Vince Menzione: gated entry mean? [00:19:30] Jen Odess: Yeah. What I mean is if you want to have a chance at being matched with a customer Yeah. For a very specific deal. Or it’s really one of three to get matched. [00:19:41] Jen Odess: ‘Cause you can never match one-to-one. It has to be three or more. Okay. We have good compliance rules in place. Yeah. But in order to even. Like surface to the top of the list to be matched. There’s a gated entry, which is, you’ve gotta have validated practices. Okay. Which is how, it’s these various ways, as you described, you quantify and qualify the partner’s capabilities. [00:20:00] Vince Menzione: Yeah. So you have to meet these qualifications. Yes. And you could be one of three to enter and be. Potentially matched, considered significant or Yes. Match for this deal? [00:20:08] Jen Odess: Yes, that’s exactly right. So we use, various things like that. And then we try to carve what I would call dance card space reseller in commercial, try to sit here and like carve by geo, by region, by country dance card space as well to help the partners really know exactly where they can unleash versus, hey, this is the process and the rules of engagement. To go and sell alongside the direct org sales organization [00:20:33] Vince Menzione: and you’re gonna have multiple partners in the same opportunities. [00:20:37] Vince Menzione: Absolutely not. Not necessarily competing with each other. There’s three competing each with each other, but also you’re gonna have other partners that provide different capabilities as well. You might have that have some that are just transac. Those are gonna be those channel or reseller partners. [00:20:52] Vince Menzione: You might have an MSP that’s actually delivering, or at least providing some type of managed service on top of the stack. Like supporting the customer. Yeah. And then you might have an SI GSI an integration partner that’s also doing the con the consulting work around getting the solution to meet with the customer’s requirements. [00:21:12] Vince Menzione: Would you say [00:21:13] Jen Odess: so? That’s exactly right. Yeah. And actually in. AI era, we’re seeing more of it than ever. And even on the smaller deals, maybe not the GSIs on the smaller deals, but we’re seeing multiple partners come in to serve up their specific expertise, which is actually a best practice. That’s [00:21:33] Vince Menzione: terrific. [00:21:33] Jen Odess: We don’t want. If you’ve got an area that’s a blind spot and you’re a partner, but that’s something your customer is buying from you, there’s no harm in saying let’s bring in an expert in that category to deliver that piece of the business. That’s right. And we’ll maybe shadow and watch alongside. [00:21:46] Jen Odess: So we’re seeing more and more of it. And I actually think like the world of. Partnerships and ecosystems. If I go back to like my previous ecosystem as well, it’s become so much more communal than ever before. Yes. This idea that we can share and be more open and maybe even commiserate over the things, gosh, I can’t believe we have the same frustrations or we have the same. [00:22:09] Jen Odess: Wow, that’s amazing. And you’re in this country. And I’m in this country. And so we’re seeing more and more coming together on deals which I really respect a lot. ’cause So one of the new facts we’ve just learned actually, Vince, is that. Of all the ai buying that customers are doing out there, they actually still want over 70% of it to be done by partners. [00:22:32] Vince Menzione: Yes. [00:22:33] Jen Odess: So even though it looks like it could be maybe set up easy configured, easy plug and play it. It to get, it’s not real ROI. You still need a partner with expertise in that industry or that domain, or in that location or in that language to come and bring the value to life. And we will certainly accelerate, help accelerate time to value with things that ServiceNow will do for our partners. [00:22:56] Jen Odess: But if over 70% is gonna go to partners and AI is so new, wouldn’t you want more than one partner Sometimes on a absolutely on a deal, at least while we’re all learning. I think we can keep ebbing and flowing [00:23:07] Vince Menzione: on this. We you, I dunno if Jay McBain, ’cause we’ve had him in the room here and he is a, he’s an analyst that does a lot of work around this topic. [00:23:14] Vince Menzione: And we talk about the seven seats at the table because there are, again, you need more you, first of all, you need to have your trusted, you need to have the organizations that you work with. And you also, in the world of ai, with all of the tectonic shifts, all the constant changing that’s going on right now, I need to make sure that I have the right. [00:23:31] Vince Menzione: People by my side that I can trust, they can help me deliver what I need to deliver. ’cause it might have changed from six months ago. And the technology is changing. Everything is changing so rapidly right now. So again, having all those right people I want to pick up on something ’cause we talked a little bit about MSPs and they’ve become a favorite topic of ours. [00:23:52] Vince Menzione: I have become acutely aware of the Ms P community recently. I kinda looked at them as well. There’s little small partners, but you’ve suggested this as well. They have regional expert, they have expertise in a specific area. And can be trusted, and maybe you’re integrating multiple solution sets for a customer. [00:24:11] Vince Menzione: But we’ve seen this MSP community become very vibrant lately, and I feel like they woke up to technology and to AI in such a big way. Can you comment on that? [00:24:20] Jen Odess: So we feel and see the same thing I’ve always valued what managed service providers bring to the table. It’s like that. [00:24:26] Jen Odess: Classic are you a transformation shop or are you a ta? The tail end or the run business shop? And so many partners are like we’re both, and I wanna be like, but are you? But now I feel like we finally are seeing the run business is so fruitful. So AI is innovating. All the time. [00:24:46] Jen Odess: We, we are innovating as a AI platform all the time. What used to be six month, every six months family releases of our software. Yeah. It became quarterly and now we’re practically seeing releases of new innovation every six to eight weeks. So why wouldn’t you want a managed service provider? Paying close attention to your whole instance on ServiceNow and taking into account all the latest innovation and building it into your existing instance, and then looking out for what new things you should be bringing in. [00:25:20] Jen Odess: So that’s the beauty of the, it’s almost partnerships, observing, and then suggesting how to keep. Doing better and more and better versus always jumping straight back to complete redesign and transformation. Yeah, and that’s one of the things I like about the MSPs in this space. [00:25:36] Vince Menzione: So let’s broaden out from this part of the conversation ’cause you’re giving specific guidance to the MSPs, but let’s think about this whole partner community. [00:25:43] Vince Menzione: And you’ve seen this transformation coming over to ServiceNow and even within ServiceNow these last five years. How do these organizations need to think differently? And how do they need to structure their services in this newent world? [00:25:58] Jen Odess: Great question. There’s really four things that I think they have to be thoughtful of. [00:26:02] Jen Odess: The first is maybe the most obvious they have to adopt AI as their own ways of doing work methodology. Delivery, whatever it is, because only through the, it’s not about taking out people in jobs, it’s about doing the job faster, right? It’s about getting the customer to value faster so that adoption of AI will make or break some partners. [00:26:24] Jen Odess: And our goal is that every partner comes on the other side of this AI journey, thriving and surviving. So we’re really pushing. This agenda. And maybe later I can talk to you a little bit more about this autonomous implementation concept. Please. ’cause I that will [00:26:37] Vince Menzione: resonate. So you’re saying they need to, we used to use the term eat their own dog food. [00:26:41] Vince Menzione: Now it’s drink your own champagne. Yeah. But they need to adopt it as well internally. [00:26:46] Jen Odess: Yeah. And I think whether they’re using, I hope they’re using ServiceNow as like a client, zero. To do some of that adoption. But there’s lots of other tools that are great AI tools that will make your job and your day-to-day life and the execution of that job easier. [00:26:59] Jen Odess: So we want them adopting all of that. The second is, we really need to see partners. Innovating on the ServiceNow platform. Yeah. And whether that’s building agents AI agents that go into the ServiceNow store, whether it’s building a really fantastic solution that we wanna joint jointly go to market with, or maybe it’s one of those embedded solutions you were commenting where the end user doesn’t even know that the backend, like a tax and audit solution that is actually just. [00:27:29] Jen Odess: The backend is all ServiceNow. Yeah. But that partner is going to market and selling it to all their customers. Exactly. So I think this co-innovation is gonna be a place that we will really win in market. The third is if a partner wants to stand out right now, they have to differentiate on paper too. [00:27:47] Jen Odess: It’s gotta like what does that mean? So if there’s 2,500 partners. And it’s not like we don’t walk around and just say, you should talk to this partner. Yeah. Or here’s my secret list. You should, we don’t do that. That’s not good business and it’s not compliant. So we have algorithms that take all the quantitative and qualitative data on our partners and they know all the data points ’cause it’s part of the partner program Nice. [00:28:10] Jen Odess: That they adhere to and then ranks them on status. And all those data points are what I’m referring to as on paper. You’ve gotta be differentiated. So whether or not you wanna be great at one thing or great across the whole thing, think about how all of those quantitative and qualitative data points are making you stand out, because that’s where those matches that I was referring to. [00:28:35] Jen Odess: Yes. That’s where that’s gonna come to life. And it’s skills, it’s capabilities. It’s deployments. So Proofpoint and deployments, customer success stories, csat, all the things. So [00:28:47] Vince Menzione: those are all the qualifi qualifiers for and more, but those are the types [00:28:49] Jen Odess: of qualifications. Yeah. [00:28:51] Vince Menzione: And then do your, does your sales organization do a match against that based on a customer’s requirements that they’re working with and who they work with and co-sell with? [00:29:00] Jen Odess: And I feel like you just lobbed me the greatest question. I didn’t even know you were gonna ask it, but I’m so glad you did. So today. Today there is something called a partner finder, which is which is nice, but it’s a little bit old school in a world of ai. Yeah. So you go to servicenow.com, you click partner from the top navigation, and then it says find a partner and you can literally type in the products you’re buying the country, you’re, that you’re headquartered out of. [00:29:26] Jen Odess: Whatever thing you’re looking for. And it will start to filter based on all those data points, the right partners, and you can actually click right there to be connected to a partner. So lead generation. Okay, interesting. But where we’re going is a agentic matching right in our CRM for the field. Oh. So those data points are gonna matter even more, and that’s where the gated. [00:29:48] Jen Odess: I say gated entry, which is probably too extreme, right? It’s really gated. If you wanna surface toward the top, there’s gated parameters to try to surface to the top, but those data points will feed the algorithm and it will genetically match right in our CRM for the field. Who are the best suited partners? [00:30:09] Jen Odess: Would you like to talk to them? [00:30:10] Vince Menzione: Okay. And so is it. Partner facing? Is it sales team facing [00:30:14] Jen Odess: Right now? It’s sales. It’ll, when it goes live, it will be sales team facing. Okay. But we have greater ambition for what partners can do with it. Yeah. Not just in the indirect motion, but also what partners may be able to do with it to interface with our field. [00:30:30] Jen Odess: The. [00:30:31] Vince Menzione: The, yeah the collaboration [00:30:33] Jen Odess: opportunity. Which is always a friction point that we’re working on [00:30:36] Vince Menzione: always because it’s very manual. It’s people intensive. Yeah. Partner development managers sitting on both sides of the equation and the interface between the sales organization and a partner organization is not always the. The easiest. So right. Automated, quite a bit of that. [00:30:49] Jen Odess: My boss is obsessed with the easy button, which I know is a phrase many of us in the US know from I think it’s an Office Depot, all these ways in which we can have easy button moments for the partner ecosystem is what we’re trying to focus on. [00:31:01] Jen Odess: I love the easy button. [00:31:02] Vince Menzione: Yeah. And I love your boss too. Yeah, he’s fabulous. Fabulous. So Michael and I go back like many years ago. You must have, [00:31:08] Jen Odess: yeah. You must have had paths crossing on numerous occasions. [00:31:12] Vince Menzione: Yeah we we worked together micro I’m going to hijack the session for a second here. [00:31:16] Vince Menzione: But when I first came to Microsoft, he was leading a, the se, a segment of the business, and he invited me to come to his event and interviewed me on stage at his event. [00:31:26] Jen Odess: No way. [00:31:26] Vince Menzione: And we got to know each other and yeah. So he was terrific. He was what a great find for, oh, he’s for service now. [00:31:32] Vince Menzione: He’s really [00:31:32] Jen Odess: has been a fantastic addition [00:31:34] Vince Menzione: to the global partnerships and channels team. And Michael, we have to have you on the podcast. Yes. Or cut down here in the studio at some point too with Jen and I. That’d be great. So this is terrific. We are getting it’s an incredible time. [00:31:44] Vince Menzione: It’s going so fast this time, 2022 was, seems like it was five, it feels like it was almost 10 years ago now. It wasn’t that we just started talking about it and you were implementing AI 10 years ago, but it wasn’t getting the attention that it’s getting today. And it really wasn’t until that moment that it really started to kick off in a way that everybody, yeah. It became pervasive overnight I would say. But now we’re starting 2026, like we’re at. This precipice of time and it’s continuing. I don’t even know what 2030 is gonna look like, right? So I’m a partner. [00:32:16] Vince Menzione: What are the one, two, or three things that I need to do now to win over and work with ServiceNow? [00:32:23] Jen Odess: One, two or three things? I’ll tell you the first thing. So today ServiceNow will end up hitting 500 million in annual contract value in our Now Assist, which is our AI products by the end of 2025, which is the fastest growing product in all of ServiceNow history. [00:32:37] Jen Odess: That’s one product that’s so there’s lots of SKUs. Yeah, but it is. It’s our AI product. Yeah. And it is, but yeah, because of all the various ways. [00:32:45] Vince Menzione: So half a billion dollars, [00:32:46] Jen Odess: half a billion by the end of 2025. And I think, someone’s gonna have to keep me honest here, but if memory serves me right, the first skews didn’t even launch until 2024. [00:32:54] Jen Odess: So we’re talking about wow, in a year it’s fast. Over 1,700 customers are live with our now assist products. Again, in a matter of, let’s call it over, a little over a year, 1,700 partners. So I think the first thing a partner needs to do is they’ve gotta get on this AI bandwagon, and they’ve gotta be selling and positioning AI use cases to their customers, because that’s the only way they’re gonna get. [00:33:20] Jen Odess: Experience and an opportunity to see what it feels like to deliver. So we have to do that. And I think you could sell a big use case like that big, we talked north, south, east, west, you could do that whole thing. Brilliant. But you could also start small. Go pick a single use case. Like a really simple example of something you wanna, some work you wanna drive productivity on. [00:33:41] Jen Odess: Yeah. And make sure you’ve got multiple stakeholders that love it and then go drive proving that use case. That’s what we’re telling a lot of partners. That’s the first thing. The second is they have got to build skills on AI and they have to keep up with it. And so we’re trying to really think about our broader learning and development team at ServiceNow is just next level. [00:34:00] Jen Odess: And they’re really re-imagining how to have more real time bite size. Training and enablement that will help individuals keep up with that pace of innovation. So individuals have got to get skilled. Yes. On AI today, of that a hundred thousand or so individuals in the ecosystem right now, about 35% of those individuals hold one or more AI credential. [00:34:25] Jen Odess: Again, that’s in a little over a year, which is the fastest growing skill development we’ve ever had, but it should be a hundred percent. Yeah. All of our goals should be that every account is being sold ai. ’cause that’s where the customer’s gonna get to value a ServiceNow is if they have the AI capabilities. [00:34:40] Jen Odess: And [00:34:41] Vince Menzione: how are you providing enablement and training? Is it all online? It’s, we have [00:34:44] Jen Odess: all sorts of ways of doing it. So that we have ServiceNow University, which is just a really robust, learning platform. Elba is our professor in residence. Very cool. Which is very cool. And they’re all content. [00:34:57] Jen Odess: Is free to partners. The training is free to partners that is on demand. Beyond that, partners can still get, instructor led training, whether that’s in person or virtual. And then my team offers enablement. That’s a little bit more, it’s like not formal training, it’s more like hands-on labs and experiences. [00:35:17] Jen Odess: We bring in lots of groups that sit around me that help and we very cool hands on with partners face-to-face. And do you do an annual event where you bring all these partners together? No, because we do we have three major milestones a year for partners. So the first is at sales kickoff, which is coming up the third week in January. [00:35:33] Jen Odess: And alongside sales kickoff is partner kickoff. Okay. And so we do a whole day of enabling them. So that’s your [00:35:39] Vince Menzione: partner kickoff? [00:35:40] Jen Odess: That’s partner kickoff. But of the, of all the partners in the ecosystem, it’s not like they can all make it. So we still also record and then live stream some of the content there. [00:35:49] Jen Odess: Then at Knowledge, there’s a whole partner track at Knowledge and same concept. Yeah, it’s like it’s all about customers and we wanna, build as much pipeline and wow as many customers as possible, but we also need to help our partners come along the journey. Then the third and final moment is in September, always, and it’s called our Global Partner Ecosystem Summit. [00:36:08] Jen Odess: We should have you, I’d love to join this next year. I love that. And it’s really, that’s the one time if sales kickoff is all about the sales motion in the field and knowledge is all about the customers and getting customers value. Global Partner Ecosystem Summit is only about the partners, what they need, why they need it, and what we’re doing to make their lives easier. [00:36:28] Jen Odess: I love it. Yeah. I’ll be there September. I love it. Dates yet set yet? I have to, it’s getting locked. I’ll get it to you. [00:36:34] Vince Menzione: Okay. All right. I’ll, we’ll be there. Okay. So you’ve been incredible. I just love having you. We could spend hours, honestly, and I want to have you back here. I’d love to, I have you back for a more meaningful conversation with the hyperscalers. [00:36:45] Vince Menzione: Talk to some of the partners that join us at Ultimate Partner events. We’ll find a way to do that, but I have this one question. It’s a favorite question of mine, and I love to ask all my guests this. Okay. You’re hosting a dinner party. And you could host a dinner party anywhere in the world. We could talk about great locations and where your favorite places are, and you can invite any three guests from the present or the past to this amazing dinner party. [00:37:11] Vince Menzione: We had one guest who wanted to do them in the future, like three people that hadn’t reached a future date. Whom would you invite Jen and why? [00:37:21] Jen Odess: Oh, first of all, you’re hitting home for me because I love to host dinner parties. I actually used to have a catering company. This is like one of those weird facts that, we didn’t talk about my pre services and ecosystem days, but I also had a catering company, so I love cooking and hosting dinner parties. [00:37:38] Jen Odess: So this is a great question. I feel like it’s a loaded question and I have to say my spouse. I love my husband dearly, but I have. To invite Lee to my dinner party. Okay. He’s in [00:37:47] Vince Menzione: Lee’s guest number one. Lee’s [00:37:49] Jen Odess: guest, number one. And the reason why is, first of all, I love him dearly, but he’s super interesting and he has such thought provoking topics to, to discuss and ways of viewing the world. [00:38:00] Jen Odess: He’s actually in security tech, so it’s like a tangential space, but not the same. [00:38:05] Vince Menzione: Yeah. But an important space right now, especially. Yeah. And [00:38:07] Jen Odess: he, yeah. And he’s, he’s just a delight to be around. So he’d be number one. Number two would be Frank Lloyd Wright. [00:38:15] Vince Menzione: Frank. Lloyd Wright. [00:38:17] Jen Odess: Yeah. I am an architecture and design junkie. [00:38:21] Jen Odess: Maybe I don’t do any of it myself, though. I dabble with friends that do it, and I try to apply it to my home life when I can. And Frank Lloyd Wright sort of embodies some of my favorite. Components of any kind of environment that you are experiencing, whether it’s a home or it’s an office building or it’s an outdoor space. [00:38:39] Jen Odess: I love the idea of minimalism and simplicity. I love the idea of monochromatic colors. I love the idea of spaces that can be used for multipurpose. And then I love the idea of the outside being in and the inside being out. I love it. So I would like love to pick his brain on some of his, how he came up with some of his ideas. [00:38:59] Jen Odess: Fascinating for some of his greatest. Yeah. Designs. Okay. That’s number two. Number three, I think it would be Pharrell Williams. Really? Yeah, I, Pharrell Williams. Yeah. I love fashion music and all things creativity. He’s got that, Annie’s philanthropic. He’s just yeah. The whole package of a good person. [00:39:26] Jen Odess: That’s super interesting and I very cool. I would love to pick his brain on what it was like to be behind the scenes on some of the fashion lines he’s collaborated with on some of his music collabs he’s had, and then just some of the work he’s doing around philanthropy. I would. I could just spend all night probably listening to him. [00:39:43] Jen Odess: This would be a [00:39:44] Vince Menzione: really cool conversation night. [00:39:45] Jen Odess: Don’t you wanna come to my dinner? Was gonna say, I’m sorry I didn’t invite you to identify. No [00:39:49] Vince Menzione: I was, can I bring dessert? [00:39:50] Jen Odess: Yeah. I come [00:39:50] Vince Menzione: for dessert. I, but it can’t, [00:39:51] Jen Odess: it has to be like a chocolate dessert. It’s gotta have [00:39:54] Vince Menzione: I love chocolate dessert. [00:39:55] Vince Menzione: Okay, great. So it would not be a problem for me, Jen. This is terrific. You have been absolutely amazing. So great to have you come here. Yeah. Such a busy time of year to have you make the trip here to Boca. We will have you back in the studio. I promise that I’ll have you back on stage. Stage. [00:40:10] Jen Odess: This is beautiful. [00:40:10] Jen Odess: Look at it. Yeah. This is [00:40:11] Vince Menzione: beautiful. And we transformed this into, to a room, basically a conference room. And then we also have our ultimate partner events. I would love to come, we would love to have you join us. Like I said, ServiceNow is such an impactful time. Your leadership in this segment market, and I wouldn’t say segment across all of AI in terms of all the use cases of AI is just so meaningful, especially for within the enterprise. [00:40:33] Vince Menzione: Yeah. Right now. So just really a jogger nut right now within the industry. So great to have you and have ServiceNow join us. So Jen, thank you so much for joining us. [00:40:42] Jen Odess: Thanks Vince. Appreciate the time. It’s a pleasure to be here. [00:40:44] Vince Menzione: Thank you very much. Thanks for tuning into this episode of Ultimate Eye to Partnering. [00:40:50] Vince Menzione: We’re bringing these episodes to you to help you level up your strategy. If you haven’t yet, now’s the time to take action and think about joining our community. We created a unique place, UPX or Ultimate partner experience. It’s more than a community. It’s your competitive edge with insider insights, real-time education, and direct access to people who are driving the ecosystem forward. [00:41:16] Vince Menzione: UPX helps you get results. And we’re just getting started as we’re taking this studio. And we’ll be hosting live stream and digital events here, including our January live stream, the Boca Winter Retreat, and more to come. So visit our website, the ultimate partner.com to learn more and join us. Now’s the time to take your partnerships to the next level.

Scott Alldridge, CEO of IP Services and author of the Visible Ops series, emphasizes the necessity of viewing cybersecurity as a growth driver rather than a cost center. He argues that the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, which now target small businesses, necessitates a shift in perspective. Aldridge highlights that organizations must recognize cybersecurity as essential for survival, framing it as revenue protection and enablement. He cites the example of MGM, which suffered a significant ransomware attack that resulted in over $140 million in losses, underscoring the urgency for businesses to prioritize cybersecurity.Aldridge discusses the importance of measurable indicators to demonstrate improvements in security posture. He advocates for regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, moving beyond the outdated practice of annual assessments. He notes that organizations should conduct these tests quarterly or even monthly to adapt to the evolving threat landscape. Metrics such as Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) are critical for assessing the effectiveness of cybersecurity measures and ensuring timely responses to potential threats.The conversation also touches on the human factor in cybersecurity, emphasizing the need for robust training and awareness programs to mitigate risks associated with employee actions. Aldridge stresses that leadership commitment is crucial for fostering a culture of security within organizations. He advocates for a philosophical approach to cybersecurity, including the adoption of frameworks like Zero Trust, which emphasizes strict access controls and continuous monitoring.For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT leaders, the episode underscores the importance of integrating cybersecurity into business strategy. By framing cybersecurity as a critical component of business continuity and reputation management, MSPs can better communicate its value to clients. The discussion also highlights the need for ongoing education and adaptation to new threats, ensuring that organizations remain resilient in the face of cyber challenges. Viewers can get free e-copy of the book, “Virtual Ops Cybersecurity” by texting SECURE25 to 541-359-1269”

In this episode of The IT Experts Podcast I sit down with the brilliant Heather Macdonald-Alford from Counting Creators to explore how MSP owners can move from cash flow chaos to real clarity. This is a subject close to my heart because so many great MSPs work incredibly hard without truly understanding what their numbers are telling them. Heather Macdonald-Alford brings a level of honesty, energy and practical insight that cuts through the noise and helps owners see their finances in a completely fresh way.    As we open the conversation I share a view that I see often inside The MSP Growth Hub. Most MSP owners do not really have a finance problem, they have a visibility problem. They look at their bank balance and assume it reflects performance. They tell themselves the numbers will make more sense when they have more time. They hope that the year end will reveal something encouraging. Heather Macdonald-Alford explains how this pattern keeps people overwhelmed and how clarity is always closer than they think when they start looking at the right information.    Throughout the episode I hear again why so many MSPs believe they are doing well when the detail tells a different story. Heather Macdonald-Alford works with MSPs every day and sees the same issue repeating itself. Busy owners who care deeply about their clients still find they are undercharging, over delivering and carrying clients who take too much time for too little return. When she talks about profitability by service it becomes obvious why this is such a powerful starting point. When you know the true performance of each service, you can see instantly where the pressure sits and where value is being eroded. It changes the way you think about growth.    One of my favourite sections in this conversation is when we talk about time tracking. Many MSP owners treat it as a chore and some even resist it. I have seen this in my own clients and I know how quickly it can become a cultural issue. I share exactly how we approach it in our own business and Heather Macdonald-Alford reinforces the point with real clarity. Time tracking is not about checking up on people. It is about giving the business the insight it needs to make good decisions. When your team understand that it protects them as much as it protects the business the entire dynamic shifts.    We then explore the difference between profit and cash which is something that catches MSPs out repeatedly. I have had many conversations with owners who believe they have had a strong month then realise they have large commitments that sit outside the profit and loss. Heather Macdonald-Alford explains why so many owners look at the numbers mid-month, see more money than expected and start making decisions that create stress later on. She gives a clear and simple habit that every MSP can adopt straight away. Review your numbers to the most recently closed month. Not to date. Not part way through. Once that habit forms the risk of being blindsided drops dramatically.    There is also a moment where I offer a long overdue apology for a comment I once made about bookkeeping. I share openly that it was a mistake and Heather Macdonald-Alford brings both humour and depth to the correction. Bookkeeping is not a low value task. It is a growth lever. When the right people manage the numbers the business gains clarity, rhythm, and confidence. When the wrong people manage the numbers, the business loses visibility, and the owner loses control. Heather explains how to spot the difference and what good financial support should look like.    As we bring the episode to a close, I ask Heather Macdonald-Alford for the three actions she recommends every MSP owner takes. Her answers are simple and powerful. Block time every month to review your numbers. Ensure the right people are doing the right financial tasks. Be selective about events and ideas so you stay focused on the actions that genuinely move the business forward. These principles echo what we teach inside The MSP Growth Hub and they create structure around financial clarity that helps owners grow with confidence.    For any MSP owner who wants more control, more insight, and more confidence in their numbers, this episode will give you practical steps that you can use straight away. When you understand your numbers, you lead your business with greater certainty and you create a path that supports both growth and quality of life.   Connect with Heather Macdonald-Alford through her LinkedIn by clicking HERE.       You can also visit their website and learn more about Counting Creators by clicking HERE.    Make sure to check out our Ultimate MSP Growth Guide, a free guide that walks you through a proven process to take your MSP from stuck to scalable, without working even more hours. It's 44 pages rammed with advice, insights and inspiration to help you decide what support is available to you now if you want to grow and scale your business. Click HERE to get your copy.  Connect on LinkedIn HERE with Ian and also with Stuart by clicking this LINK  And when you're ready to take the next step in growing your MSP, come and take the Scale with Confidence MSP Mastery Quiz. In just three minutes, you'll get a 360-degree scan of your MSP and identify the one or two tactics that could help you find more time, engage & align your people and generate more leads.  OR   To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 400 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE  Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon! 

OpenAI has released GPT 5.2, a new model that reportedly outperforms industry professionals across 44 occupations in benchmark tests, completing tasks over 11 times faster and at less than 1% of the cost of expert professionals. This development follows a declaration of urgency from CEO Sam Altman, who highlighted the need to enhance ChatGPT's capabilities in response to competition from Google's Gemini 3. The implications for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are significant, as the model aims to improve productivity and efficiency in various professional settings, potentially reshaping workflows and service delivery.In a related move, the Walt Disney Company has entered a three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI, investing $1 billion to allow the integration of over 200 characters from its franchises into OpenAI's Sora video generation tool. This partnership is designed to enhance user engagement while respecting creator rights through licensing fees. Concurrently, Disney has filed a cease and desist letter against Google for alleged copyright infringement, claiming that Google has been distributing copyrighted content from its library without authorization. This dual approach of licensing and litigation illustrates the complexities of copyright in the AI era, particularly for smaller companies lacking the enforcement capabilities of larger entities.The episode also discusses the U.S. government's response to AI governance, including an executive order from President Trump aimed at preventing states from enacting regulations that could hinder the AI industry. This order reflects a broader tension within the Republican coalition regarding the potential risks of unregulated AI, such as job displacement. Additionally, a ruling by the Penn Guild against Politico highlights the importance of human oversight in AI applications within journalism, emphasizing that AI cannot replace the accountability inherent in human reporting.For MSPs and IT service leaders, the key takeaway is the necessity of treating AI not merely as a tool but as a process change that requires governance and risk management. As AI technologies become more integrated into workflows, the potential for legal exposure increases if they are deployed without adequate oversight. MSPs that focus on helping clients navigate these complexities and implement robust governance frameworks will be better positioned to provide value and mitigate risks associated with emerging technologies. Three things to know today 00:00 As OpenAI and Google Advance AI Models, Disney's Licensing and Lawsuits Highlight the Real Stakes06:58 Trump Pushes AI Deregulation While Unions and Agencies Enforce Accountability, Exposing a Growing Governance Gap10:29 AI, Quantum, and the Myth of Inevitable Adoption: What CIO Guidance and Microsoft's History Reveal About Real Tech Value This is the Business of Tech.     Supported by:  https://scalepad.com/dave/https://getflexpoint.com/msp-radio/ 

Microsoft's analysis of 37.5 million de-identified conversations from its CoPilot feature indicates that AI assistants are becoming increasingly integrated into daily life, with users frequently seeking health-related advice and engaging in programming discussions during weekdays. However, despite this growing reliance on AI, CoPilot only commands about 3% of the AI chatbot market, significantly overshadowed by ChatGPT's 80% share. Deloitte's recent report highlights persistent barriers to AI adoption, including data privacy concerns and regulatory challenges, revealing that only 25% of organizations have fully integrated AI into their operations as of late 2025.The U.S. Navy's investment of $448 million in an AI system designed to streamline submarine shipbuilding processes exemplifies successful AI implementation. This initiative, which reduces planning times from 160 hours to just 10 minutes, underscores the importance of having the right infrastructure and oversight in place for AI to thrive. The Navy's approach contrasts sharply with the broader industry, where many organizations struggle to align AI technologies with existing systems and compliance requirements.In addition to these developments, Anthropic's donation of its Model Context Protocol (MCP) to the Linux Foundation signals a shift towards standardization in AI interactions. This protocol aims to facilitate communication between AI systems and applications, potentially transforming user experiences. However, the move raises concerns about the concentration of risk associated with shared protocols, as any flaws could impact all users. Furthermore, CISA's launch of a new industry engagement platform aims to enhance collaboration with tech innovators, particularly in light of increasing mandatory cyber incident reporting.For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT service leaders, these developments highlight the critical need for robust governance and infrastructure to support AI technologies. As organizations increasingly turn to AI for operational efficiency, MSPs must focus on establishing the necessary frameworks for data management, compliance, and security. The evolving landscape emphasizes the importance of being proactive in developing policies and workflows that address the complexities of AI integration, ensuring that clients can navigate the challenges and leverage AI effectively.Four things to know today00:00 AI Use Soars but Readiness Lags: Microsoft's Copilot Data, Deloitte's Enterprise Findings, and the Navy's Structured Deployment Show the Gap05:41 Anthropic's MCP Move Signals Shift Toward Unified AI Agent Infrastructure Under Linux Foundation08:01 CISA Expands Industry Engagement as Microsoft Broadens Bug Bounties — Raising the Bar for Security GovernanceAND10:48 Accenture Taps Anthropic as Enterprise AI Partner While Pax8 Adds Google Cloud for ANZ MSPsThis is the Business of Tech.   Supported by:  https://cometbackup.com/?utm_source=mspradio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsorshiphttps://timezest.com/mspradio/

“A customer paying $1,200 a month for a POTS line isn't rare anymore — and even at that price, the service may shut off any day,” says Jake Jacoby, CEO of TELCLOUD. “We're bringing back fixed, predictable pricing with future-proof technology.” In this latest episode of the TELCLOUD POTS and Shots Podcast Series, Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, reconnects with Jacoby to examine the dramatic shift from historically low-cost, regulated copper pricing to today's volatile and often astronomical POTS rates. What was once a $15–$30 utility charge—kept low by FCC regulation and universal service requirements—has now become a specialty, loss-generating service that carriers are increasingly unwilling to maintain. As Jacoby explains, deregulation opened the door for carriers to raise prices in an attempt to recover the cost of maintaining infrastructure that only 5–10% of customers still rely on. That shift has triggered startling monthly bills—$100, $500, even over $1,200 per line in some markets—and still does not guarantee continuity. “These high prices don't mean the line will stay on,” Jacoby notes. “Carriers are still shutting off copper regardless of what customers pay.” This is where TELCLOUD provides clarity and relief. By bridging legacy equipment requirements with modern wireless and fiber technologies, TELCLOUD allows resellers to deliver a fixed, predictable monthly service that is fully backward-compatible yet engineered for the future. TELCLOUD's wholesale model empowers partners to restore stability for customers while protecting recurring revenue and eliminating the need for costly hardware replacements in elevators, fire panels, emergency phones, and other critical systems. “We’re not just replacing copper — we’re improving it,” Jacoby adds. TELCLOUD's platform delivers a modern IP backhaul, long-term service viability, and full compatibility with legacy analog interfaces, ensuring decades of reliability even as 5G, 6G, and satellite connectivity continue to evolve. As the copper sunset accelerates—with billions of global lines still needing migration over the next three years—MSPs, carriers, and technology advisors are increasingly seeing POTS replacement as a once-in-a-generation opportunity that opens the door to broader modernization initiatives. TELCLOUD supports partners at every skill level, from full white-label arrangements to integrations with major carriers and CLECs. The episode closes with the series' signature Shots segment. Broadcasting live from Mexico—home to TELCLOUD's 24/7 support center—Jacoby introduces a unique discovery: Don Ramón Punta Diamante Reposado, presented in a two-bottle gift box designed for sharing. A beautifully crafted tequila aged in oak and featuring elegant blue-glass accents, it reflects the artistry and heritage behind Mexico's finest spirits. The POTS and Shots series continues to blend education, opportunity, and culture — guiding partners through the telecom transformation while exploring the world's best tequilas. For more information, visit telcloud.com or call 844-900-2270.

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time. Marie McNair To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the potential implications for its work to eradicate child poverty in Scotland of the UK Government's child poverty strategy. Miles Briggs To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of, and support it is providing to, childhood dementia awareness. Jackie Baillie To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the independent investigation into NHS Scotland by the retired consultant surgeon and former President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Mr Mike McKirdy. 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

Overview: In this episode of the SMB Community Podcast, hosts Amy and James discuss a range of topics from winter weather arriving early to significant layoffs in the tech industry for 2025. They delve into the complexities and best practices of raising prices for MSPs and share insights on strategic cost-cutting. The episode also touches on interesting historical hacking anecdotes, CIA cryptographic puzzles, Amazon's space program, and major announcements from Microsoft Ignite. Key takeaways include the integration of Copilot and Purview in Business Premium and the introduction of passkey syncing between devices.  --- Chapter Markers: 00:00 Introduction and Hosts' Welcome 02:08 Tech Layoffs and Economic Indicators 03:53 MSP Question of the Week: Cost-Cutting and Price Increase Strategies 11:13 Hacking Incidents and Cybersecurity 13:17 CIA's Cryptos Sculpture Mystery 15:16 Amazon's Leo Space Program 18:48 Microsoft Ignite Highlights 24:14 Upcoming Events and Conclusion --- New Book Release: I'm proud to announce the release of my new book, The Anthology of Cybersecurity Experts! This collection brings together 15 of the nation's top minds in cybersecurity, sharing real-world solutions to combat today's most pressing threats. Whether you're an MSP, IT leader, or simply passionate about protecting your data, this book is packed with expert advice to help you stay secure and ahead of the curve. Available now on Amazon! https://a.co/d/f2NKASI --- Sponsor Memo: Since 2006, Kernan Consulting has been through over 30 transactions in mergers & acquisitions - and just this past year, we have been involved in six (6). If you are interested in either buying, selling, or valuation information, please reach out. There is alot of activity and you can be a part of it. For more information, reach out at kernanconsulting.com

Send us a textIn this insightful IT Nation conversation, Rick Murphy, Managing Partner at Cogent Growth Partners, joins Joey Pinz to discuss the mindset and mechanics of successful MSP mergers and acquisitions. Rick opens up about his 60-pound weight loss journey and parallels it with running a business — both require discipline, consistency, and a clear goal.He explains why every MSP will eventually trade hands, why “exit strategy” is a myth, and how liquidity planning and solid financial discipline create real enterprise value. Rick also breaks down the dangers of “Top Line Disease,” shares why non-solicit agreements matter more than non-competes, and urges MSPs to run their company like they're going to sell it tomorrow — even if they're not. ✦ Top 3 Highlights

Send us a textChristina Klein, a visionary leader at Lansweeper, joins Joey Pinz at IT Nation Orlando to share her unique blend of creativity, discipline, and data-driven leadership. From learning carpentry as a child to leading tech innovation and women's leadership programs, Christina discusses how she bridges design, technology, and purpose. She reveals how Lansweeper empowers MSPs with deep asset visibility, accelerates cybersecurity response times, and enables scalable growth through efficiency and trust. The conversation explores leadership authenticity, the impact of AI, and how small daily actions can unlock big transformations — in business and life. 

Send us a textRecorded live at IT Nation, MJ Shoer (Chief Community Officer, GTIA) breaks down how the newly branded Global Technology Industry Association is delivering practical wins for MSPs. We cover the GTIA ISAO (built with ConnectWise) for actionable threat intelligence, the cybersecurity Trust Mark that validates your internal controls against your chosen framework, and how GTIA's unbiased research can be co-branded for QBRs to boost credibility and close rates. MJ also unpacks workforce strategy with “NowGen”—supporting both youth and mid-career changers—plus global mentorship, learning libraries, and why ConnectWise-sponsored memberships are a fast on-ramp. We close with GTIA's growing foundation work and MJ's personal take on discipline, recovery, and building routines after injury. If you run an MSP and want immediate ROI from a trade association, this one's loaded with specifics you can apply this quarter.Top 3 highlightsClear, fast ROI: GTIA ISAO access, co-brandable research, and ConnectWise-sponsored memberships for partners.Security you can show: the GTIA Cybersecurity Trust Mark validates your practices against your chosen framework.Talent + growth: NowGen pathways, global mentorship, and a learning library spanning soft skills to leadership.  #JoeyPinz #MSPInfluencer #ForzaDash #ITNation #ITN25 #MSP #GTIA #Cybersecurity #ThreatIntelligence #CompTIA #Mentorship #QBR --- Join us for enlightening discussions that spark growth and exploration. Hosted by Joey Pinz, this Discipline Conversations Podcast offers insights and inspiration. 

Send us a textIn this insightful conversation, Carolyn April, Senior Researcher at GTIA and longtime CompTIA veteran, shares how her journalism roots shaped her passion for unbiased channel research. From designing surveys that reveal real market truth to helping MSPs adapt to AI disruption and cybersecurity complexity, Carolyn explains how data can empower strategic decisions. She also opens up about her personal discipline through running, her journey from CompTIA to GTIA, and her belief that curiosity and credibility are the lifeblood of the tech industry. 

Send us a textCristina Carretero, Partner Marketing Manager at Arctic Wolf, joins Joey Pinz at IT Nation Connect 2025 to discuss the evolution of channel marketing, the power of AI in partner enablement, and her global journey from Spain to the cybersecurity stage. With over 20 years in marketing, Cristina shares how language, clarity, and collaboration help MSPs thrive — plus her personal discipline practices rooted in meditation, journaling, and mindfulness.She also reveals how Arctic Wolf is helping MSPs manage cyber risk, strengthen branding, and leverage AI tools like Copilot to communicate more effectively. This is a must-listen for anyone in the MSP or vendor ecosystem looking to bridge the gap between marketing and sales. ✦ Top 3 HighlightsPartner Marketing Mastery: Cristina explains how Arctic Wolf supports MSPs with campaigns-in-a-box, co-branding, and messaging strategies that resonate.AI with Purpose: How Arctic Wolf trains Copilot to understand their voice and audience, boosting marketer productivity while keeping human creativity central.Discipline & Mindfulness: Cristina's daily meditation and journaling routine that grounds her amid a busy travel schedule and leadership role. #JoeyPinz #MSPInfluencer #ForzaDash #ArcticWolf #MSPMarketing #PartnerMarketing #ChannelMarketing #Cybersecurity #AIinMarketing #MSPGrowth #ITNation #ITN25 #Discipline #Mindfulness #Meditation #AI #Copilot #VendorPartnerships #MSPCommunity --- Join us for enlightening discussions that spark growth and exploration. Hosted by Joey Pinz, this Discipline Conversations Podcast offers insights and inspiration. 

AI adoption among business leaders is facing significant skepticism, as a recent survey by Workato and Harvard Business Review revealed that only 6% of over 600 tech leaders expressed full confidence in AI agents managing essential processes. Despite this lack of trust, 86% of respondents indicated plans to invest more in AI technology over the next two years. Key challenges hindering widespread adoption include cybersecurity concerns, data quality issues, and the readiness of business processes for automation. This situation highlights a critical gap between the desire for AI integration and the actual trust in its capabilities.Further research published in the journal Science indicates that chatbots can significantly influence users' beliefs and opinions, raising governance concerns. The study, which involved nearly 77,000 adults in the UK, found that the persuasiveness of chatbots is influenced more by their post-training modifications and the density of information provided than by the size of the model. Additionally, an experiment by SAP revealed a bias against AI in consulting, where consultants rated AI-generated work lower than that produced by junior interns, despite both outputs being equally accurate. This suggests that psychological factors, rather than technical limitations, are a primary barrier to AI acceptance.The episode also discusses the introduction of a new location tracking feature in Microsoft Teams, which aims to facilitate collaboration in hybrid work environments but raises privacy concerns. A survey indicated that one-third of companies are using monitoring software, which can negatively impact employee morale. Furthermore, Coalition, a cybersecurity insurer, has begun offering coverage for incidents involving deepfakes, reflecting a shift in the risk landscape as synthetic media becomes more prevalent in cybercrime.For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT service leaders, these developments underscore the importance of focusing on trust, governance, and process design rather than merely implementing AI tools. As younger leaders demand personalized AI solutions, MSPs must adapt to this shift by enhancing their documentation and identifying predictable workflows suitable for automation. The evolving landscape of AI and cybersecurity risks necessitates that MSPs position themselves as trusted advisors, guiding clients through the complexities of technology adoption and risk management. Four things to know today00:00 New Research Reveals AI's Trust Gap: Low Confidence, High Influence, Professional Bias, and Rising Expectations From Younger Leaders05:53 Teams' New Location Tracking Highlights Tension Between Hybrid Coordination and Workplace Surveillance Risks07:57 Deepfake Coverage Enters Cyber Insurance as Insurers Signal Rising Human-Trust Risk for SMBs and MSPs10:17 iFixit's FixBot Highlights the Coming Divide Between Organized MSPs and Those Unready for AI-Driven Support This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by:  https://saasalerts.com/mspradio/ 

AI adoption is facing significant challenges, as evidenced by Microsoft's CoPilot Plus initiative, which accounted for less than 10% of systems shipped in Q3 2024. Despite initial enthusiasm, privacy concerns surrounding features like the recall function have hindered consumer interest, leading Microsoft to pivot towards making all Windows 11 computers AI-capable through cloud-powered features. Concurrently, a decline in workplace AI usage has been reported, with only 11% of employees at large companies utilizing AI for productivity, a decrease from previous months. This trend raises concerns about the effectiveness and integration of AI technologies in business processes.The quality of AI research is also under scrutiny, highlighted by Kevin Zhao's claim of authorship of 113 academic papers in a single year, with many deemed low-quality by experts. The Neura IPS conference received over 21,500 submissions this year, reflecting a pressure to publish that may compromise research integrity. Additionally, a study indicated that while 75% of workers believe AI enhances their work quality, the actual productivity gains are modest, with heavy users reporting significant time savings compared to average users.In the realm of cybersecurity, Gartner has issued a warning against AI browsers, citing major risks such as prompt injection attacks that could expose sensitive data. Google is attempting to enhance security for its Chrome features that automate tasks, but concerns remain about the overall safety of AI agents in browsers. Meanwhile, the shift towards passkeys for secure authentication is gaining momentum, with over 2 billion passkeys in use, demonstrating a preference for phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication.For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT service leaders, these developments underscore the need for a cautious approach to AI technologies and cybersecurity measures. The decline in AI adoption and the emphasis on quality research highlight the importance of integrating AI thoughtfully into existing workflows. Additionally, the urgency of addressing cybersecurity risks associated with AI browsers and the shift towards passkeys presents an opportunity for MSPs to guide clients in adopting secure and effective identity verification methods while avoiding potential pitfalls in emerging technologies. Three things to know today00:00 AI Hits the Reality Wall as Hardware Stalls, Research Quality Slips, Adoption Drops, and Safety Scores Lag07:06 Gartner Issues Stop-Sign on AI Browsers as Google Tightens Agentic Controls and Passkeys Gain Momentum10:55 Market Convergence Accelerates as NinjaOne, Netrio, and Proxmox Push Deeper into MSP Control LayersThis is the Business of Tech.     Supported by:  https://mailprotector.com/mspradio/ 

Predictions for the Managed Service Provider (MSP) cybersecurity landscape in 2026, with a focus on risk management, the continued importance of basic cyber hygiene, open-source adoption, and the strategic use of risk registers. Did I say Risk Register? Dom Kirby brings it home: the importance of the Risk Register and its role as we enter 2026. He advocates that MSPs move beyond discussions of technical tools and engage in business and risk conversations with their clients.

This episode breaks down the true scale of the cybercrime economy. Randy covers the Marquis vendor breach that exposed data across more than 74 banks and credit unions and highlights the ongoing weakness in third-party risk. Andre examines the FinCEN report showing over 2 billion in ransomware payments last year and reveals how organized these criminal groups have become. Bryan closes with a deep dive into the US Treasury's decade long analysis of 4.5 billion in ransom payments, showing how ransomware has grown into an economy that rivals legitimate global businesses. This is essential insight for business leaders, MSPs, and IT professionals who want to understand what is really driving the surge in cybercrime.

In this enlightening episode of MSP Business School, host Brian Doyle sits down with Brian Hoppe to dig deep into the dynamic world of Managed Service Providers. With decades of experience under his belt, Hoppe shares invaluable insights on navigating the tricky terrain of business growth, from the nascent stages to gearing up for exit strategies. The discussion opens up at IT Nation, a gathering close to Hoppe's heart for its opportunities to reconnect and expand within the MSP community, setting the stage for a conversation rich in experience and industry insight. Tackling the trajectory from startup to maturity, the duo explores crucial strategies for MSPs. Brian Hoppe emphasizes understanding financial fundamentals early on, like gross margin and EBITDA, which are vital for eventual scalability and exit readiness. He stresses the importance of evolving from a tech-oriented approach to a shareholder mindset, which ensures MSPs are not only viable but thriving engines of innovation and profit. This thought leadership episode is a treasure trove for MSPs at any stage of their journey, especially those eager to future-proof their operations amid constant technological evolution. Key Takeaways: Understand Financial Metrics: Early understanding of key financial metrics, such as gross margin and EBITDA, is essential for sustainable business growth in the MSP industry. Shift to a Shareholder Mindset: Transitioning from a technician-oriented mindset to a shareholder's perspective can dramatically reshape businesses' value creation and growth strategies. Develop a Sales Engine: Scaling successfully involves moving beyond owner-led sales to building a robust growth engine that isn't dependent solely on referrals. Focus on Leadership Development: As businesses grow, establishing a second tier of leadership and fostering a mature, scalable organization becomes crucial. Prepare for Exit Early: Exit strategies should be planned early in the business life cycle, ensuring maximum valuation and smooth transitions when opportunities arise. Guest Name: Brian Hoppe LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhoppe/ Company: Brian Hoppe Coaching Website: https://brianhoppe.com/ Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/ Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com

The managed service provider (MSP) market is projected to grow significantly, with a valuation increase from $337.6 billion in 2024 to $406.74 billion in 2025, driven by the complexity of modern IT infrastructures and rising cybersecurity threats. However, small businesses in the United States are facing severe challenges, shedding jobs at pandemic-level rates, with a net loss of 120,000 jobs reported in November 2025. This trend highlights a growing divide between small and large enterprises, as larger firms adapt more effectively to economic pressures, while small businesses struggle to maintain stability and are increasingly cautious about spending on new initiatives.The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the labor market is becoming more pronounced, with a study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology indicating that AI could replace 11.7% of the U.S. workforce, equating to approximately $1.2 trillion in wages. As companies begin to manage digital employees alongside human workers, the need for effective governance and accountability frameworks becomes critical. Forrester predicts that by 2026, businesses will increasingly integrate AI into their workforce strategies, necessitating a shift in how leadership orchestrates workflows and manages costs.Windows 11 adoption has stalled, with its market share at 53.7% as of November 2025, indicating a growing indifference among consumers and businesses towards operating systems. This trend suggests that the value proposition for MSPs must evolve beyond device management and OS-level work, focusing instead on higher-level services such as identity management, application governance, and automation. As the market shifts, MSPs must adapt to provide solutions that drive business outcomes rather than relying on traditional refresh cycles and OS migrations.For MSPs and IT service leaders, the current landscape presents both challenges and opportunities. The need for clarity in navigating AI complexities and the integration of digital agents into workflows is paramount. Providers that can assist customers in managing these transitions and focus on outcomes rather than tools will position themselves as strategic partners. The future of the MSP market will depend on the ability to evolve and meet the demands of a changing workforce, ensuring that they remain relevant in an increasingly automated environment. Four things to know today 00:00 Small businesses are losing jobs, midmarket firms are reorganizing with AI — and MSPs must shift how they deliver value06:52 The MSP Market Is Growing Fast — but the real opportunity is helping customers manage AI, not devices10:07 Windows 11 Slowdown Shows Customers Don't Care About OS Upgrades — and MSP Value Lives Higher Up the Stack12:08 Slowing ChatGPT Growth and Rising Gemini Use Signal AI Models Becoming Commodities for Business Users This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by:  https://cometbackup.com/?utm_source=mspradio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsorshiphttps://scalepad.com/dave/

Chris Radich from UiPath discusses the transition from traditional Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to agentic automation, emphasizing its potential to streamline end-to-end business processes. This shift allows organizations to focus on delivering outcomes rather than merely automating tasks. Radich highlights that agentic automation can handle complex processes, such as tax return processing for the IRS, which fundamentally changes how technology is perceived in terms of pricing and service delivery. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are increasingly looking to UiPath to provide the technological backbone for these comprehensive services.Radich notes that while many organizations recognize the importance of a solid data foundation for successful AI implementation, they often struggle with data silos and a lack of process knowledge. He emphasizes that understanding end-to-end business processes is crucial for achieving effective automation outcomes. The conversation also touches on the need for organizations to revisit their process modeling and data management strategies to fully leverage the capabilities of agentic automation.The episode further explores the types of projects that yield the most success in this new paradigm. Radich advises focusing on document-centric processes, particularly in government sectors, where a significant portion of employee time is spent on document handling. He also points out that organizations should target processes that involve multiple legacy and modern systems, as these scenarios often require orchestration to improve efficiency.For MSPs and IT service leaders, the insights shared by Radich underscore the importance of developing both data and process disciplines to maximize the benefits of automation. As organizations navigate this transition, they must balance short-term implementation efforts with long-term strategic planning. The conversation serves as a reminder that while the technology is advancing rapidly, successful adoption hinges on a solid understanding of existing processes and data management practices.

Welcome to Episode 208 of Freedom In Five Minutes! Kevin from the Pro Sulum team takes the mic to deliver a no-BS breakdown of what's REALLY happening in the Managed Service Provider world as we head into 2026. Your MSP is about to pitch you a lot of "AI solutions" in the coming year. But here's the uncomfortable truth: most of it might be snake oil. Kevin reveals how to spot the difference between genuine AI transformation and expensive experiments being conducted on YOUR dime. If you're a business owner paying for IT services, this episode will save you thousands of dollars and countless headaches. Plus, you'll discover the ONE thing that must happen BEFORE you automate anything with AI (spoiler: almost everyone gets this wrong). What You'll Learn: ✅ The AWS MSP Pressure Cooker - Why Amazon is throwing "steroid-level" money at MSPs to sell you AI services (and what that means for your wallet) ✅ The One Question to Ask Your MSP - A simple test to determine if they're truly using AI or just practicing on your business ✅ Agentic AI: The Terminator of IT - The next-level automation that either becomes your best employee or your worst nightmare ✅ The "Intelligent Garbage" Problem - Why automating broken processes just creates chaos at 100x speed (and how to avoid it) ✅ Why QBRs Are Dead in 2026 - Stop accepting boring activity reports and start demanding Strategic AI Reviews that show real outcomes ✅ The Hidden Gap Your MSP Can't Fill - Why even the best IT providers can't systemize your operations (and who can) Key Quotes:

In this episode of The IT Experts Podcast we explore why transparency in leadership plays such an important role in creating a confident and high performing team inside your MSP. The conversation opens with the truth many owners recognise. Leaders often hold information close because they feel unsure about what to share. When you move from the early survival stage of running your MSP into a growth stage, you realise that the team need more clarity, more context, and a clear view of how the business works. This is where transparency in leadership becomes a genuine accelerator for engagement and performance.    Ian and Stuart explore the common fear that many owners experience when the subject of financial openness comes up. There is a feeling that people might judge you for the revenue or the bank balance or even assume you can offer pay rises every time numbers increase. When transparency in leadership is missing, the owner ends up carrying most of the weight alone. The team remain in the dark and make up their own stories about how the business is performing. When you introduce a simple rhythm of sharing the right information with the team, the atmosphere changes. People understand how the business works, why certain decisions are made and how their daily actions influence the results.    Stuart talks about how many MSPs begin with a lifestyle mindset and then evolve into a growth focused business. As this shift happens, the owner needs greater leverage across the team. The only way to create leverage is to help your people understand what they are contributing to. They do not need a detailed profit and loss. They need clarity. They need to understand the vision, the values, and the purpose of the business. They need to see how their role supports the goals of the company. Transparency in leadership helps them see that connection clearly.    A key point raised in the episode is the importance of education. You cannot walk into a Monday stand up and announce that you are suddenly talking about numbers. You ease the team into it. You tell the story of why the business exists and what it is there to deliver. You explain why profitability matters for job security, growth, bonuses, new equipment, and new opportunities. When you frame your message through a story rather than a spreadsheet, people lean in. Transparency in leadership creates a sense of belonging rather than pressure.    The conversation also highlights the practical side of sharing numbers. You pick three or four simple metrics that matter. These could be customer satisfaction scores, service gross margin, the value of monthly quotes raised by the service desk or age debtors. You then update the team regularly and show them how their work influences these figures. When people see progress, they feel motivated. When numbers slip, they understand where focus is needed. This rhythm of transparency in leadership builds accountability without creating fear.    Ian and Stuart share examples of how service desks often create thousands of pounds worth of quotes without recognising that they are contributing to sales. When you show them this, they sit up straighter because they realise they are part of something larger. That awareness strengthens culture, confidence, and teamwork. It also encourages healthier conversations about how projects deliver margin, how time is used, and where improvements can be made. Everything becomes lighter because the team understand what success looks like.    As the episode closes, the message becomes clear. If you hold all the numbers close, the business slows down. People guess what is important. They guess what success looks like. They guess what they should prioritise. That kind of guesswork never scales. When you embrace transparency in leadership, you gain momentum. You create clarity. You show people how they can help move the business forward. This opens the door for stronger culture, aligned behaviour, and a shared sense of progress.    Make sure to check out our Ultimate MSP Growth Guide, a free guide that walks you through a proven process to take your MSP from stuck to scalable, without working even more hours. It's 44 pages rammed with advice, insights and inspiration to help you decide what support is available to you now if you want to grow and scale your business. Click HERE to get your copy.  Connect on LinkedIn HERE with Ian and also with Stuart by clicking this LINK  And when you're ready to take the next step in growing your MSP, come and take the Scale with Confidence MSP Mastery Quiz. In just three minutes, you'll get a 360-degree scan of your MSP and identify the one or two tactics that could help you find more time, engage & align your people and generate more leads.  OR   To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 400 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE  Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!   

The integration of advanced AI capabilities in tools like OpenAI Atlas and Microsoft Teams has raised significant security concerns, particularly regarding identity and trust vulnerabilities. Recent findings from LayerX indicate that the Atlas browser has critical vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to inject harmful instructions, while Microsoft Teams has a flaw that enables attackers to bypass Microsoft Defender protections through guest access. These issues highlight the fragility of AI integrations and the need for organizations to implement strict B2B collaboration configurations to mitigate risks associated with external collaborations.The FBI has reported over $262 million in losses due to account takeover fraud, with more than 5,100 complaints filed this year. Cybercriminals are increasingly using social engineering tactics to gain unauthorized access to online banking accounts, often changing passwords to lock victims out and quickly transferring funds to cryptocurrency wallets, complicating recovery efforts. The FBI advises individuals to monitor their financial accounts closely and adopt security measures such as complex passwords and multi-factor authentication to protect against these threats.Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are experiencing a growing demand for integrated security solutions, with a recent survey indicating that 92% of MSPs are seeing business growth driven by interest in AI. However, less than half feel prepared to guide clients in deploying AI tools, particularly autonomous agents. This gap in readiness reflects a significant drop from the previous year's 90% preparedness figure, emphasizing the need for MSPs to focus on data governance and security before implementing AI solutions.The episode underscores the importance of managing identity and data governance as the primary control mechanisms in modern security. MSPs that prioritize these areas will be better positioned to offer secure collaboration and effective automation. As the landscape evolves, providers must choose tools that enhance service delivery without adding unnecessary complexity, ensuring they can meet client demands for security and efficiency in an increasingly AI-driven environment.

Microsoft has announced a price increase for its Office productivity software subscriptions, set to take effect on July 1, 2026. The Microsoft 365 Business Basic subscription will rise from $6 to $7 per user per month, while the Business Standard subscription will increase from $12.50 to $14. Additionally, the Microsoft 365 E3 enterprise subscription will see a 13% hike from $23 to $26. This adjustment follows a period of infrequent price changes since the launch of Office 365 in 2011 and reflects Microsoft's significant investment in its platform, which has introduced over 1,100 new features in the past year. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) should prepare for customer pushback regarding these increases, as clients may direct their frustrations toward their service providers rather than Microsoft.In related developments, several companies have announced product updates aimed at simplifying user experiences. Nerdio has enhanced its enterprise platform to support Azure Virtual Desktop in hybrid environments, while Coro has released version 3.7 of its cybersecurity platform, which features a redesigned interface for improved management. Comcast Business has also upgraded its internet services for small businesses, offering faster speeds and enhanced reliability. These updates indicate a broader trend toward simplifying technology solutions, but they also introduce new governance risks that MSPs must address.The episode also highlights a shift in educational trends, with an increasing number of college students opting for artificial intelligence majors over traditional computer science degrees. This change is driven by concerns over job market prospects for computer science graduates. As universities adapt their curricula to meet the demand for AI skills, MSPs may face challenges in finding candidates who possess the necessary infrastructure knowledge to support business operations effectively.For MSPs and IT service leaders, these developments underscore the importance of proactive communication with clients regarding price changes and the value of technology investments. As tools become more automated and user-friendly, the need for robust governance and security measures becomes paramount. MSPs should focus on ensuring that their clients understand the implications of these changes and the necessity of maintaining foundational IT practices, particularly as the talent pipeline shifts toward AI-focused education. Four Things to Know Today:00:00 Microsoft's 2026 M365 Price Hike Highlights Its Market Power—and Forces MSPs to Reframe Value With Customers03:14 Automation and Simplified Dashboards Dominate New Releases, but Experts Say MSPs Still Shoulder the Governance Burden06:54 AI Majors Surge as Computer Science Enrollment Falls, Reshaping the Tech Talent Pipeline08:55 MCP's Rapid Adoption Outpaces Governance, Creating Opportunity—and Risk—for MSPs Managing AI Integration Sponsored by: https://scalepad.com/dave/https://getflexpoint.com/msp-radio/ 

At the Fall '25 vCon conference in Washington, D.C., Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, sat down with Dan Petrie, CEO & President of SIPez, to talk about the origins, purpose, and practical future of vCon technology. Petrie, who co-authored the original vCon draft and brought it to the IETF in 2003, describes vCon as a “standard container for capturing conversations” across voice, video, messaging, email, web chat, and more—bringing structure and consistency to interaction data that has long been fragmented across proprietary platforms. Drawing an analogy to Adobe's breakthrough with PDF, Petrie explains that just as PDF standardized how documents are represented and shared regardless of word processor or device, vCon does the same for conversational data. By abstracting common elements like parties, metadata, transcripts, and even AI-generated analytics into a unified format, vCons allow enterprises to capture, store, and analyze interactions from call centers, UCaaS platforms, and messaging systems in a consistent way. This unlocks deeper analysis—such as customer sentiment, agent performance, product feedback, and workflow optimization—without having to wrestle with dozens of incompatible APIs. Petrie stresses that vCon is especially valuable in an AI-driven world, where structured, well-labeled data is essential. “To get real value from AI, you need structured data,” he notes, pointing out that large language models like ChatGPT can only work on limited context windows and rely on upstream systems to extract, segment, and feed the right portions of conversation data. vCons provide that layer: a rich, extensible container that supports encryption, signing, redaction, amendments, and complex scenarios such as multi-leg call transfers and agent handoffs. Much of Petrie's advice is practical: don't try to build everything from scratch. SIPez maintains open-source vCon projects (such as PyvCon) and also offers a commercial vCon recording and AI analysis solution for the NetSapiens platform, giving service providers and MSPs a faster on-ramp. As more vendors add vCon interfaces and as small and mid-sized providers adopt these tools, Petrie believes 2026 will be a pivotal year for MSPs and channel partners to start monetizing vCon-based analytics and services across horizontal markets—from healthcare to customer support and beyond. To learn more about SIPez's vCon tools, open-source projects, and consulting services, visit http://sipez.com/.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has made significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) at its reInvent event, introducing a new AI training chip, Trainium 3, which reportedly enhances performance for AI training and inference by up to four times while reducing energy consumption by 40%. Additionally, AWS launched new features in its Agent Core platform, allowing developers to set boundaries for AI agents and log user interactions. The introduction of customizable AI models through the new service, NovaForge, aims to make AI model development more accessible for businesses, addressing the high costs associated with creating models from scratch.Microsoft is facing challenges in selling its AI tools, with reports indicating a slowdown in customer adoption. Despite Microsoft's assertion that it has not lowered sales quotas for AI products, the situation highlights a broader issue: customers are struggling to see the value in AI investments due to messy data, inconsistent processes, and unclear governance. This resistance suggests that while demand for AI exists, readiness among customers remains low, presenting an opportunity for IT service providers to facilitate the transition by offering readiness assessments and governance frameworks.Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are increasingly utilizing AI, with a survey indicating that 80% have adopted AI-powered chatbots, which have improved customer support. However, one-third of MSPs report challenges in implementing AI, including high costs and a lack of internal expertise. As client expectations regarding data security rise, MSPs are deploying AI-driven threat detection solutions. The survey results indicate a commitment to leveraging AI for business transformation, but the complexity of integrating AI into existing workflows remains a significant hurdle.The surge in demand for RAM, driven by the AI industry, has led to a 500% increase in memory prices, creating a shortage of consumer-grade memory. This situation mirrors previous GPU shortages and indicates that high-performance computing components are now subject to the purchasing power of major AI companies. MSPs must prepare for ongoing volatility in hardware costs and communicate these changes to clients, adjusting budgets and refresh cycles accordingly. The evolving landscape emphasizes the need for MSPs to adopt a structured approach to AI, ensuring they are not merely adding tools but effectively transforming their service offerings. Four things to know today00:00 AWS Expands Full-Stack AI Strategy From Chips to Private Regions, Raising Governance and Lock-In Stakes for MSPs07:38 Reports of AI Sales Friction at Microsoft Highlight Market Hesitation and Open the Door for MSP Readiness Services09:28 Survey Shows AI Adoption Surging Among MSPs, Yet Cost, Expertise, and Security Pressures Undercut True Transformation11:51 AI-Driven RAM Shortage Forces MSPs to Reforecast Budgets as Prices Spike 500%This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by:  https://mailprotector.com/mspradio/

Planning for a successful TSP and conference journey begins with one essential principle: make every client and every attendee feel as though the message was crafted specifically for them. In this special IT Nation Connect Global edition, we sit down with Syed Fraz, CEO of ITMSC, and Amanda Young, Sr. Director of Global Events at ConnectWise, to explore how personalization, preparation, and community-driven experiences shape stronger outcomes for both MSPs and major industry conferences.    We get a glimpse of Syed's entrepreneurial mindset and appetite for growth. Syed shares how MSPs can embrace AI, foster open conversations, empower their technicians, and cultivate relationships where “everyone is a friend.” Amanda takes us behind the curtain of a world-class event—revealing the six-month planning window, the five pillars guiding IT Nation's design, and how her team balances tradition with innovation in an era where technology and attendee expectations evolve rapidly.  Her goal, 'it's about a connected experience' and one that is community-centric.   Learn more by visiting syncgoose.com, itmsc.net/ and itnation.connectwise.com/ See you at the next ITNation Conference & Tech event   Timestamps: 01:14 – Marker Part 1: Syed Fraz   27:36 – Marker Part 2: Amanda Y_PGM    --- more --- If you want to master the art of audience engagement while learning how to conquer speaking anxiety, deliver persuasive presentations, and close more deals, this is the program for you. Twins Talk It Up is hosted by identical twin brothers Danny Suk Brown and David Suk Brown, who share leadership communication strategies designed to help professionals embrace the power of their authentic voice. Together, we'll explore tips and tools to unlock the full potential of your voice, dominate every stage you step onto, and elevate your influence and value. Along the way, we'll crush goals and share plenty of laughs. Book a Free 15-minute discovery call: dsbleadershipgroup.com/schedule-a-call/ Website: appmeetup.com/twinstalkitup/ Community: facebook.com/groups/publicspeakingpoints Patreon: patreon.com/twinstalkitup

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time. Topics covered this week include: Paul McLennan To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government's latest engagement with the UK Government regarding any impact on poverty levels in Scotland of the freeze to Local Housing Allowance. Murdo Fraser To ask the First Minister what funding is in place to ensure that the A9 dualling project is completed by the target date of 2035. Stuart McMillan To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on whether the Scottish Government will instigate a direct award to Ferguson Marine for the replacement of MV Lord of the Isles. 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

Send us a textIn this engaging IT Nation 2025 conversation, Kate Schlarf, Senior Marketing Leader at Moovila, joins Joey Pinz Discipline Conversations to unpack how MSPs can turn project chaos into clarity and profit. She reveals how Moovila's Project Hub—a library of MSP-built templates—helps partners improve forecasting, eliminate scope creep, and boost project margins.Kate also shares her insights on branding, marketing, and community building in the MSP space, explaining why consistency (and even a purple cow mascot

Send us a textBlake Myers lives life on the edge—literally. A semi-pro bull rider, former powerlifter, and cybersecurity specialist at Blumira, Blake shares how discipline connects every aspect of his adrenaline-fueled journey. From surviving eight-second rides to helping MSPs defend clients from cyber threats, he reveals the mindset it takes to stay focused under pressure. Recorded live at #ITNationConnect 2025, this conversation dives into risk, resilience, and why true strength comes from control—not chaos. ⭐ Top 3 Highlights

Send us a textWhat do chess, rock climbing, and business have in common? For tech visionary and problem-solver Stephen Yu, everything is a puzzle waiting to be understood. In this episode of Joey Pinz Conversations, we explore how the founder of Adaptive Catalog approaches life and leadership through curiosity and pattern recognition—from teaching his son chess to building solutions that let MSPs “sell without quoting.”Stephen shares his journey from Quosal's early ConnectWise days to creating Adaptive Catalog, a platform reshaping how IT resellers and MSPs buy and sell. He opens up about his personal health wake-up call, reversing diabetes through determination, and how discipline, empathy, and fit guide every part of his life.✨ Top 3 Highlights:1️⃣ How chess and climbing teach pattern recognition and problem-solving.2️⃣ Why great partnerships depend on shared values and “fit.”3️⃣ The future of MSP automation and ethical AI in business.#JoeyPinzPodcast #MSPInfluencer #MSPCommunity #AdaptiveCatalog #AI #MSP #ConnectWise #Entrepreneurship #ProblemSolving #Leadership #TechInnovation #HealthJourney #Podcast #ForzaDash #ITNation #ITN25   Episode Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yushifan/https://www.linkedin.com/company/adaptive-catalog/https://www.adaptivecatalog.com/  Tags:Stephen Yu, Adaptive Catalog, MSP, ConnectWise, AI, entrepreneurship, leadership, tech innovation, problem solving, podcast, Joey Pinz Conversations, health, diabetes recovery, ITNationSupport the show

Send us a textFrom lasers to leadership, this IT Nation Connect 2025 conversation with Lawrence Cruciana, founder of Corporate Information Technologies, reveals how discipline, curiosity, and science fuel cybersecurity innovation.A former Disney audio engineer and laser physicist, Lawrence shares how attention to detail and standardization shaped his approach to business, how a case of industrial espionage inspired his cybersecurity mission, and why CMMC and frameworks like the CIS Controls are essential to protecting American ingenuity.You'll hear lessons from his time presenting at NASA, insights into the evolution of AI-fueled cyber threats, and how MSPs can raise the bar for security maturity while staying human in a world of automation.This episode blends STEM roots, cybersecurity expertise, and personal discipline into one inspiring conversation about what it means to build, protect, and lead with purpose. 

AI-integrated tools, such as OpenAI's Atlas and Microsoft Teams, are introducing new trust and identity risks, particularly through vulnerabilities like prompt injections and guest access features. The Atlas browser, launched on October 21, 2025, has been identified as having security flaws that could allow attackers to inject harmful instructions. Similarly, Microsoft Teams has a vulnerability that permits attackers to bypass security protections when users join external tenants as guests. These developments highlight the fragility of AI integrations and the need for robust security measures in collaborative environments.The FBI has reported over $262 million in losses due to account takeover fraud schemes, with more than 5,100 complaints filed this year. Cybercriminals are employing social engineering tactics to gain unauthorized access to online banking and payroll accounts, often locking victims out by changing passwords. The FBI recommends that individuals monitor their financial accounts closely, use complex passwords, and enable multi-factor authentication to mitigate these risks. This trend underscores the importance of managing trust and identity in security practices, as attackers increasingly exploit human vulnerabilities rather than technical flaws.In the managed service provider (MSP) sector, a recent survey by OpenText Cybersecurity revealed that while 92% of MSPs are experiencing growth driven by interest in AI, fewer than half feel prepared to implement AI tools effectively. This marks a significant decline from the previous year's 90% readiness. Additionally, 71% of MSPs reported that their small and medium-sized business clients prefer bundled security solutions, indicating a shift towards integrated offerings that simplify decision-making for clients. The findings suggest that MSPs need to focus on data governance and readiness before deploying AI solutions.For MSPs and IT service leaders, the key takeaway is that modern security is increasingly about managing identity and data governance rather than merely adding more tools. As AI vulnerabilities and account takeover fraud become more prevalent, providers must prioritize establishing secure trust boundaries and effective data management practices. By doing so, MSPs can differentiate themselves in a competitive market, ensuring they are equipped to deliver secure AI solutions and meaningful automation to their clients. Three things to know today00:00 New AI, Collaboration, and Fraud Threats Underscore That Identity—not Infrastructure—is the Real Security Battleground05:15 Survey Shows MSPs Expanding Services Amid AI Interest, Yet True Opportunity Lies in Readiness and Governance07:45 New MSP Integrations, Funding, and AI Platforms Underscore the Shift Toward Identity and Data Governance as the True Control Plane This is the Business of Tech.     Supported by:  https://try.auvik.com/dave-switchhttps://scalepad.com/dave/

OpenAI has declared a "code red" as it faces intensified competition from companies like Google and Anthropic, prompting a shift in focus towards enhancing the capabilities of its ChatGPT platform. CEO Sam Altman has urged staff to prioritize improvements in speed, reliability, and personalization, delaying other initiatives such as advertising. This strategic pivot comes as OpenAI also announced an ownership stake in Thrive Holdings, a company that acquires and transforms service firms, particularly in accounting and IT, with the aim of integrating AI to improve operational efficiency.A recent study by Stebo Systems highlights a significant gap between Chief Information Officers' (CIOs) perceptions of their organizations' AI readiness and the actual state of their data management. While 91% of U.S. business leaders recognize the importance of customer data management, only 31% fully trust their data. The study reveals that 76% of organizations still rely on side spreadsheets to address data issues, indicating a lack of centralized data governance. This fragmentation leads to wasted time and lost revenue, underscoring the need for robust data governance frameworks as organizations aim to adopt AI-driven services.The episode also discusses the implications of surveillance AI, particularly a model developed by Securis Technologies that predicts and prevents crimes among inmates using data from prison phone calls. While the company claims success in disrupting criminal activities, concerns about civil liberties and the ethical use of such data have been raised. This situation serves as a cautionary tale for IT service providers, emphasizing the importance of establishing governance frameworks to mitigate risks associated with AI deployment in business environments.For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT leaders, the key takeaway is the necessity of controlling their own AI strategies. As OpenAI integrates vertically into the service industry, independent MSPs must differentiate themselves by building their own AI capabilities and data governance practices. The episode stresses that without a solid data foundation, AI initiatives are likely to fail, and MSPs should focus on enhancing data quality and governance to ensure successful AI implementations and maintain client trust. Four things to know today 00:00 OpenAI Pauses Ads Amid “Code Red” While Buying Into MSP Rollup, Raising Platform–Competitor Concerns05:16 Leaders Say They're Ready for AI — but Their Data Still Lives in Side Spreadsheets07:49 Securus Call-Monitoring AI Shows How Predictive Surveillance Could Spill Into Workplace Tools10:27 New AI Helpers and Simple M365 Assessments Raise the Bar for Modern IT Providers This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by:  https://getflexpoint.com/msp-radio/https://cometbackup.com/?utm_source=mspradio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsorship

At IT Nation Connect Global, a clear theme emerged from our conversations with two industry leaders: understand and embrace the mission. Whether guiding teams or building global programs, Adam Slutskin, Co-Founder, Chief Revenue Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer at CyberFox; and Ben Bitterman, VP Global MSP at Arctic Wolf, emphasized that leadership begins with clarity of purpose. Adam shares how a great culture, clear perspective, and authentic MSP DNA can fuel real organizational growth. He highlights CyberFox's commitment to consistent pricing, meaningful problem-solving, and the power of simple, repeated communication. From military leadership to driving growth in the MSP and IT channel ecosystem, he reveals nuggets of wisdom including the adage of “say few things, say it often”.  He is offering a free resource for our listeners, visit https://tinyurl.com/cyberfoxE-book Ben breaks down Arctic Wolf's global MSP strategy, their concierge delivery model, and why MSPs must focus on the business outcomes their security solutions truly solve. He urged MSPs to assess what problems they truly solve, where they create value, and how to evolve through global pressures, regional compliance, and emerging technologies. His humorous promise — “I will Pinky and the Brain with you” — captured the spirit of partnership that both leaders believe is essential.   Together, these conversations offer compelling insights into leadership, culture, and the future of security operations, delivering the perfect blend of strategy, storytelling, and mission-driven guidance for today's tech leaders. For more about their mission, visit cyberfox.com and arcticwolf.com/   Timestamps: 00:01:14 — Part 1: Adam Slutskin 00:22:13 — Part 2: Ben Bitterman   --- more --- If you want to master the art of audience engagement while learning how to conquer speaking anxiety, deliver persuasive presentations, and close more deals, this is the program for you. Twins Talk It Up is hosted by identical twin brothers Danny Suk Brown and David Suk Brown, who share leadership communication strategies designed to help professionals embrace the power of their authentic voice. Together, we'll explore tips and tools to unlock the full potential of your voice, dominate every stage you step onto, and elevate your influence and value. Along the way, we'll crush goals and share plenty of laughs. Book a Free 15-minute discovery call: dsbleadershipgroup.com/schedule-a-call/ Website: appmeetup.com/twinstalkitup/ Community: facebook.com/groups/publicspeakingpoints Patreon: patreon.com/twinstalkitup  

In this engaging episode of MSP Business School, host Brian Doyle welcomes guest Bobby Jacobs from Thread, an AI-driven service delivery platform. Their discussion centers around Bobby's journey to becoming a leader at Thread, his entrepreneurial background, and the continuous evolution within the MSP community driven by AI technological advancements. As they reminisce about their recent meetup at IT Nation, Bobby sheds light on how Thread has grown beyond just a typical service provider to being an innovator mentioned for changing service delivery paradigms with AI. Bobby Jacobs explores the shifting landscape of MSPs, emphasizing the importance of automation and self-service capabilities in service desks. He notes the criticality of adapting to changes driven by AI, which enables MSPs to streamline operations and improve service quality while maintaining competitive pricing. With AI technologies allowing automation of mundane tasks, Bobby argues that MSPs should embrace these changes or capitalize on the current peak in MSP valuations to sell. Brian and Bobby further highlight the potential for MSPs to transform and deliver even deeper value to customers through these innovative solutions. Key Takeaways: Adapting with AI: Embracing AI in service delivery is a growing necessity, enabling MSPs to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve service quality. Change in Metrics: Traditional metrics like endpoint-to-technician ratios are being redefined by AI, necessitating changes in service desk strategies for better efficiency. Sales Enablement: Bobby highlights the importance of grooming MSP sales teams to accurately scope opportunities and communicate AI benefits to end customers. Embracing Innovation or Exit: MSPs should either embrace AI-driven changes or consider selling while valuations are high, as standing still is not an option. Exciting Opportunities: There is great potential for MSPs to innovate and deepen their customer relationships by focusing on AI-driven solutions. Guest Name: Bobby Jacobs LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyjacobs/ Company: Thread Website: https://www.getthread.com/ Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Host Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylevciotoolbox/ Sponsor vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com

This episode breaks down three major cybersecurity stories that reveal exactly where businesses are exposed and how fast the threat landscape is shifting. We analyze how a ransomware group hijacked an emergency alert system to trigger fake national warnings, why more than half of retailers are still paying ransoms despite stronger defenses, and what security leaders should expect heading into 2026. You will learn the real weaknesses behind these incidents, why attackers continue to outpace outdated systems, and how companies can strengthen their defenses now. This episode delivers practical insights, real world examples, and expert commentary that help MSPs, IT teams, and business leaders stay ahead of the next wave of cyber threats.

What if your first security hire wasn't a person, but a simple, guided program that made sense to everyone in your company? In this conversation, Sidekick founder and CEO Phil Howie breaks down how SMBs can build a security and privacy practice from the ground up—long before they can afford a full internal team. We cover the reality of compliance vs real security, working with MSPs, the role of design in security tools, and how founders should think about AI, governance, and future regulation. If you're a founder trying to grow in regulated markets, this one's for you. Phil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhowie Sidekick: https://www.sidekick.co Jon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-mclachlan/  Sasha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliaksandr-sinkevich/  YSecurity: https://www.ysecurity.io/ 

Small businesses in the U.S. are facing rising costs and job losses, with 70% of owners citing inflation as their primary concern, according to a recent Bank of America study. Despite this, 75% of small business owners remain optimistic about revenue growth in the coming year. However, the disparity in employment trends is stark, as small firms shed 88,000 jobs while larger companies gained 151,000. This economic environment is leading to a reduction in discretionary tech spending, as small businesses prioritize survival and cost control over technology investments.The global tech consulting market is projected to exceed $400 billion in revenue by 2026, driven by a surge in technology upgrades. A report indicates that 84% of buyers plan to upgrade their technology within the next year, with a notable increase in demand for consulting services. However, a significant number of personal computers are delaying upgrades to Windows 11, indicating a gap between modernization goals and actual implementation. This presents an opportunity for IT providers to position Windows 11 migration not merely as an OS upgrade but as essential for achieving desired business outcomes.In the hardware sector, Dell reported record revenues of $27 billion for the quarter ending October 31, 2025, largely attributed to its AI infrastructure business. Conversely, HP announced plans to cut 4,000 to 6,000 jobs as part of a restructuring initiative aimed at enhancing productivity through AI. Both companies are navigating challenges, including a projected memory shortage that could lead to increased prices in the second half of the fiscal year. These developments highlight the shifting dynamics in the tech industry, where AI is reshaping hardware strategies and vendor support is expected to diminish.For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT decision-makers, the current economic landscape necessitates a strategic approach to technology investments. As small businesses tighten their budgets, IT providers must focus on demonstrating the financial impact of their solutions and offering flexible purchasing options. The convergence of rising consulting demand, hardware inflation, and vendor financial repositioning underscores the importance of aligning technology refresh cycles with business outcomes. By proactively addressing these challenges, MSPs can position themselves as essential partners in navigating the complexities of modernization and economic pressure. Four things to know today 00:00 SMB Costs Surge, Hiring Drops, and Confidence Splits—Forcing IT Providers to Tie Tech Directly to Business Value05:19 Everyone Says They Want Digital Transformation, but a Billion PCs Say Otherwise08:29 AI Server Demand Boosts Dell While HP Restructures and Warns of Memory Shortages, Pressuring SMB Refresh Cycles12:52 N-able Takes On More Debt — Here's Why MSPs Should Pay Attention This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by:  https://saasalerts.com/mspradio/

The episode discusses the increasing complexity of endpoint security, driven by the rapid proliferation of devices due to remote work, BYOD policies, and the rise of shadow IT. Data indicates that shadow IT has surged by 59% since remote work became mainstream, with nearly half of cyberattacks linked to these unauthorized applications. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are facing challenges in managing this expanded attack surface, as traditional security measures often fail to account for the multitude of devices and applications that employees use outside of corporate oversight.Panelists highlight that the lack of visibility and management of these endpoints creates significant blind spots, making organizations vulnerable to attacks. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding the various types of endpoints, including IoT devices and SaaS applications, which can often be overlooked. Additionally, the discussion touches on the role of human factors in security, noting that employees frequently bypass official channels to install their own tools, further complicating the security landscape.The episode also addresses the issue of tool sprawl, where MSPs may utilize an excessive number of security tools, leading to alert fatigue and operational inefficiencies. With some organizations reportedly using up to 40 different security solutions, the panelists argue for a more streamlined approach to security management. They suggest that consolidating tools can enhance efficiency and improve response times to incidents, ultimately benefiting both MSPs and their clients.For MSPs and IT service leaders, the key takeaway is the necessity of implementing a layered security strategy that includes comprehensive visibility, effective management of endpoints, and robust employee training. By prioritizing these elements, organizations can better protect themselves against the evolving threat landscape and ensure a more resilient operational framework.

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A German court has ruled that OpenAI's training of its GPT-4 and GPT-4.0 models involved copyright infringement, requiring the company to disclose the frequency of usage of specific song lyrics in its training data. This ruling, initiated by GEMA, a German copyright collective, has significant implications for copyright holders, particularly in the music industry, as it may lead to financial benefits for artists from generative AI technologies. The decision contrasts with a recent UK case where StabilityAI successfully defended against similar claims, highlighting the ongoing complexities surrounding AI and intellectual property rights.In related developments, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order establishing the Genesis Mission, aimed at creating an integrated AI platform utilizing federal scientific datasets to enhance research in fields like biotechnology and quantum science. This initiative seeks to leverage U.S. supercomputers to automate experiment design and reduce discovery timelines. However, the episode suggests that this government initiative may not have immediate implications for MSPs, as it primarily represents a research project rather than a direct tool for business operations.The episode also discusses the rapid advancements in AI models, including Google's Gemini 3 and Anthropic's Opus 4.5, both of which have shown significant improvements in performance metrics. OpenAI plans to retire its GPT-4.0 model in February 2026, encouraging developers to transition to the newer GPT-5.1 series. These developments underscore the fast-paced nature of AI technology, where lifecycle management is becoming increasingly critical for organizations relying on these models.For MSPs and IT service leaders, the implications of these developments are profound. The German court ruling emphasizes the need for transparency in AI data handling practices, which may require MSPs to verify vendor compliance with copyright laws. Additionally, as AI models evolve rapidly, MSPs must adopt AI-agnostic architectures and prepare for potential disruptions caused by model obsolescence. The episode highlights the importance of establishing robust AI policies that promote accountability and ensure that organizations can effectively manage the risks associated with AI deployment. Three things to know today00:00 AI Accountability Tightens as German Court Orders OpenAI Transparency While U.S. Launches Federal AI Research Effort05:03 Model Upgrades Accelerate as Google, Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI Push New Releases While Lifecycle Risks Mount for Users10:43 AI Policy Failures, Market Overheating, and Infrastructure Automation Collide in a Critical Moment for MSPs and Tech Leaders This is the Business of Tech.    Supported by:  https://cometbackup.com/?utm_source=mspradio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsorship https://timezest.com/mspradio/

The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have imposed sanctions on the Russian hosting provider MediaLand due to its facilitation of ransomware operations. MediaLand has been linked to various cybercrime activities, including support for groups like LockBit and BlackSuit, and has been identified as a provider for cybercrime marketplaces. The sanctions freeze assets within the U.S., U.K., and Australia and expose individuals engaging in transactions with MediaLand to potential enforcement actions. This shift towards a more offensive cybersecurity strategy, as articulated by National Cyber Director Sean Caroncross, aims to impose costs on adversaries targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, reflecting a recognition that current defensive measures are insufficient.In a related initiative, a coalition of chief security officers and former officials from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has launched a campaign to combat misleading cybersecurity advice, often referred to as "hack lore." This effort emphasizes practical measures such as patching, using strong passwords, and enabling multi-factor authentication, while debunking outdated myths that distract from real threats. The coalition's focus on evidence-based guidance aims to realign cybersecurity practices with effective strategies, which is particularly relevant during high-traffic shopping seasons.Additionally, Vectra AI has introduced the Vectra AI Shield for Microsoft, designed to enhance security across Microsoft environments. This solution addresses visibility gaps in existing Microsoft security tools, particularly concerning identity-based attacks. As identity becomes a focal point for cyber threats, the demand for platforms that simplify security management within the Microsoft ecosystem is increasing. This trend underscores the need for IT providers to adapt their security strategies to include comprehensive identity detection and management.For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT leaders, these developments signal a critical shift in the cybersecurity landscape. The emphasis on government intervention and offensive strategies indicates that MSPs must prepare for increased reporting requirements and a focus on governance rather than solely on tools. By aligning with evidence-based practices and enhancing their understanding of identity security, MSPs can position themselves as trusted advisors, helping clients navigate the evolving cybersecurity landscape effectively. Four things to know today 00:00 Sanctions Hit a Russian Hoster While the U.S. Says It's Time for a More Aggressive Cyber Approach04:58 Security Leaders Call Out “Hacklore” — and Say It's Time to Drop Myths That Don't Stop Attacks07:31 A New Identity Security Tool Hits Microsoft's Ecosystem, and It Shows Where MSSPs Are Struggling Most09:44 NinjaOne Rolls Out MSP NXT — but MSPs Are Asking for Fewer Big Shows, Not More This is the Business of Tech.     Supported by:  https://try.auvik.com/dave-switchhttps://getflexpoint.com/msp-radio/

Cloud managed services are experiencing rapid growth, with the market projected to expand from approximately $50.62 billion in 2025 to $120 billion by 2035, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 8.16%. This growth is driven by organizations across various sectors, including finance and healthcare, seeking to enhance their cloud operations and address cybersecurity risks. However, a widening performance gap among managed service providers (MSPs) is evident, as only the most capable firms are capitalizing on this demand. According to Service Leadership data, while the overall profitability of the MSP sector remains strong, not all providers are experiencing equal growth, raising concerns about competitive positioning.Recent surveys indicate that many businesses investing in artificial intelligence (AI) are not seeing financial returns, with only about 2% of Canadian business leaders reporting positive results from their generative AI investments. A study by KPMG highlights that many companies are still in the experimental phase of AI adoption, failing to integrate the technology effectively into their operations. Additionally, a significant skills gap exists among channel partners, with only 26% currently offering advanced network services with integrated AI capabilities. This disconnect between customer expectations and partner capabilities is contributing to the widening gap in performance.Frontline workers express concerns regarding the lack of transparency in AI integration within their workplaces. A survey conducted by Deputy found that while nearly half of workplaces utilize AI, only 25% of workers report regular interaction with it, and many are unaware of its usage. This communication gap can lead to mistrust and confusion among employees, which may hinder successful AI adoption. Despite these concerns, a majority of workers report satisfaction with AI's role in their tasks, indicating potential for positive outcomes if communication improves.For MSPs and IT service leaders, the current landscape presents both challenges and opportunities. The demand for cloud, AI, and managed services is surging, but success will depend on the ability to operationalize these technologies effectively. Providers must focus on enhancing their capabilities, improving communication with clients, and ensuring that they deliver measurable outcomes. As the market differentiates between high performers and those lagging behind, it is crucial for MSPs to adapt and evolve their services to meet the growing expectations of their clients. Three things to know today00:00 Cloud Demand Surges, CEO Priorities Shift, and MSP Performance Splits Into Clear Winners and Laggards05:40 Studies Show AI Investment Outpacing Capability, Leaving Firms Without ROI and Partners Struggling to Deliver10:00 AI Rollout Outpaces Employer Transparency, Creating Worker Confusion and Risk for IT Providers This is the Business of Tech.     Supported by:  https://mailprotector.com/mspradio/

Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman sit down with Mike Reiring of RSM at InfoSec World 2025 to explore how managed service providers are reshaping IT and identity operations. They dig into the differences between MSPs and MSSPs, how to choose the right partner, and how AI is transforming help desks, problem management, and security monitoring. The conversation closes with a fun dive into Mike's passion for photography and how creativity ties into continuous learning in tech.Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mreiring/Connect with us on LinkedIn:Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.comChapters00:00 Intro – Live from InfoSec World 202502:00 Meet Mike Reiring of RSM04:30 Evolution of Managed Service Providers06:30 Shared Accounts, Identity, and Security Maturity09:00 Vendor Gaps and Federated Access Challenges11:30 What Makes a Good MSP Partner13:00 The Cost and Effort of Changing Providers16:30 MSP vs MSSP – Key Differences18:30 Coordination Between Managed Providers21:30 Top 3 Questions to Ask Your MSP25:00 Identity Ownership: IT or Security?27:30 Licensing, Active Directory, and Hidden Accounts30:00 RFP Challenges and Procurement Pitfalls32:00 Measuring Risk and Reducing Identity Exposure34:30 Vendor Management and Shadow IT Risks35:00 How AI Is Transforming MSP and MSSP Operations38:30 AI, Problem Management, and the Future of Help Desks42:30 Photography, Creativity, and Continuous Learning48:00 Closing Thoughts and IDAC OutroKeywordsIDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Mike Reiring, RSM, InfoSec World 2025, Managed Service Provider, MSP, MSSP, AI in Cybersecurity, Help Desk, Identity Management, Managed Identity, Partner Transparency, IT Outsourcing, Risk Reduction, Problem Management, Active Directory, DaVinci Resolve, Photography in Tech, Identity Governance, Cybersecurity Podcast