SMB Community Podcast

1.) The MSP Question of The Week How do you buy another MSP with no money down? --- 2.) Notes on The News Kaseya 365 subscription debuts at $3.99! https://www.channele2e.com/news/kaseya-365-subscription-debuts-at-3-99 Major Leadership Changes at PAX8, CEO steps aside... Pax8 has named Scott Chasin as CEO, effective immediately, replacing founder John Street in the role, the company announced. Finally, AI Fighter jets successfully tested and Twitter/X announces news feed based on trending topics. ---- Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – June 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/  Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/ https://thirdtier.net https://www.youtube.com/@ThirdTierIT — Sponsor Memo: Huntress Today’s SMB Community Podcast is brought to you by Huntress Managed Security. Cybersecurity is more than software—it’s also the expertise needed to effectively fight against today’s evolving threat landscape. Huntress Managed Security is custom-built to provide human expertise and save your clients from cyber threats. Huntress’ suite of fully managed cybersecurity solutions is powered by a 24/7, human-led SOC dedicated to around-the-clock monitoring, expert investigation, and rapid response. While you focus on growing your business, we provide first response to hackers. Huntress has the #1 rated EDR for SMBs on G2 and a partner support Satisfaction score average of 99%. To start a trial today, visit https://huntress.com/karl

Host Karl Palachuk interviews Wes Hutcherson and Stuart Ashenbrenner from Huntress on the challenges and (and victories) of securing macOS endpoints.  As you know, MacOS represents a growing percentage of the business device operating system market, outperforming both Linux and ChromeOS. Since this is going to be a growing portion of the endpoints you support, it's good to know how you're doing to do that. And with so many "home" and personal devices now being used for company purposes, quick response is important as well. The panel addresses the challenges of the MacOS users - including their persistent reluctance to believe that their devices need protection at all! There is a false sense of security around MacOS, driven by old-school understandings of Mac security and the realities of well-funded adversaries on the dark web. MacOS malware now accounts for 6.2% of all endpoint OS malware. Half of all MacOS users have been affected by malware, hacking, or scams. You can expect that to grow as well. ----- Thanks to Huntress for sponsoring the SMB Community Podcast. Partners can learn more at https://www.huntress.com/karl Wes Hutcherson is the Director of Product Marketing for Huntress where he oversees market intelligence and go-to-market strategies. His multi-faceted technology and cyber security experience spans over a decade with market leaders such as Bishop Fox, eSentire, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell SecureWorks, covering Managed Detection and Response, Governance, Risk, and Compliance, Continuous Threat Exposure Management, Offensive Security, and other topics. Stuart Ashenbrenner works at Huntress as a Staff macOS Researcher, focusing on macOS security and development. He has spoken at various conferences about macOS security, including Objective by the Sea. He is co-author and core developer on the open source, macOS incident response tool called Aftermath. He has perviously worked as a macOS detections engineer and a software engineer. :-) — Our upcoming events and more: Register for James’s class at ITSPU! 5W22 – MSP Professional Sales is live. Enroll today: https://www.itspu.com/all-classes/classes/msp-professional-sales-program/ MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – June 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/  Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/ https://thirdtier.net https://www.youtube.com/@ThirdTierIT --- Sponsor Memo: Huntress Today’s SMB Community Podcast is brought to you by Huntress Managed Security. Cybersecurity is more than software—it’s also the expertise needed to effectively fight against today’s evolving threat landscape. Huntress Managed Security is custom-built to provide human expertise and save your clients from cyber threats. Huntress’ suite of fully managed cybersecurity solutions is powered by a 24/7, human-led SOC dedicated to around-the-clock monitoring, expert investigation, and rapid response. While you focus on growing your business, we provide first response to hackers. Huntress has the #1 rated EDR for SMBs on G2 and a partner support Satisfaction score average of 99%. To start a trial today, visit https://huntress.com/karl

1.) MSP Question of the Week Should you ban Non-compete Agreements?  --- 2.) Notes on The News  Big Tech firms lost its dream status due to layoffs and instability: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/28/how-working-for-big-tech-lost-dream-job-status.html --- 3.) Five Minutes with A Smart Person - Bit-Wizards Louis Erickson is the co-founder and COO, and Sam Blowes is the Director of Solution Consulting at Bit-Wizards--an award winning IT services provider based in Florida. We discuss the importance of forming strong relationships with your clients as an MSP. Check them out: https://bitwizards.com/ ---- Our upcoming events and more: Register for James’s class at ITSPU! 5W22 – MSP Professional Sales is live. Enroll today: https://www.itspu.com/all-classes/classes/msp-professional-sales-program/ MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – Junr 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Catch James at the SMBTechfest! SMBTechfest – Irvince, CA – May 9-10th https://www.smbtechfest.com/index.asp Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/  Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/ https://thirdtier.net https://www.youtube.com/@ThirdTierIT   Sponsor Memo: Huntress Today’s SMB Community Podcast is brought to you by Huntress Managed Security. Cybersecurity is more than software—it’s also the expertise needed to effectively fight against today’s evolving threat landscape. Huntress Managed Security is custom-built to provide human expertise and save your clients from cyber threats. Huntress’ suite of fully managed cybersecurity solutions is powered by a 24/7, human-led SOC dedicated to around-the-clock monitoring, expert investigation, and rapid response. While you focus on growing your business, we provide first response to hackers. Huntress has the #1 rated EDR for SMBs on G2 and a partner support Satisfaction score average of 99%. To start a trial today, visit https://huntress.com/karl

1.) MSP Question of The Week Which do you prefer: iPhone or Android? Is there a clear winner?  --- 2.) Notes on The News     What are the current TOP Password Managers? https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-password-managers,review-3785.html "Big Tech" censoring content...and other clickbait-y titles.  https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/09/tech/meta-social-media-nightcap/index.html There are only two weeks left to submit your application for Channel Futures MSP501:   https://www.channelfutures.com/about-msp-501 Host Amy weighs in how it helps market your company. --- Our upcoming events and more: Register for James’s class at ITSPU! 5W22 – MSP Professional Sales is live. Enroll today: https://www.itspu.com/all-classes/classes/msp-professional-sales-program/ MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – April 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Catch James at the SMBTechfest! SMBTechfest – Irvince, CA – May 9-10th https://www.smbtechfest.com/index.asp Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/  Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/ https://thirdtier.net https://www.youtube.com/@ThirdTierIT   Sponsor Memo: Huntress Today’s SMB Community Podcast is brought to you by Huntress Managed Security. Cybersecurity is more than software—it’s also the expertise needed to effectively fight against today’s evolving threat landscape. Huntress Managed Security is custom-built to provide human expertise and save your clients from cyber threats. Huntress’ suite of fully managed cybersecurity solutions is powered by a 24/7, human-led SOC dedicated to around-the-clock monitoring, expert investigation, and rapid response. While you focus on growing your business, we provide first response to hackers. Huntress has the #1 rated EDR for SMBs on G2 and a partner support Satisfaction score average of 99%. To start a trial today, visit https://huntress.com/karl

1.) The MSP Question of The Week  Should you charge for onsite travel?  And what's best--Price per seat or per device?   --- 2.) Notes on The News  The FBI is warning consumers against using public phone charging stations in order to avoid exposing their devices to malicious software... ...Apple loses top phonemaker spot to Samsung as iPhone shipments drop! "Apple's smartphone shipments dropped about 10% in the first quarter of 2024, hurt by intensifying competition by Android smartphone makers aiming for the top spot, data from research firm IDC showed on Sunday." --- Our upcoming events and more: Register for James’s class at ITSPU! 5W22 – MSP Professional Sales starts April 23rd. Sign up now: https://www.itspu.com/all-classes/classes/msp-professional-sales-program/ MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – April 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Catch James at the SMBTechfest! SMBTechfest – Irvince, CA – May 9-10th https://www.smbtechfest.com/index.asp Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up now: https://kernanconsulting.com/  Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/ https://thirdtier.net https://www.youtube.com/@ThirdTierIT   Sponsor Memo: Huntress ay’s SMB Community Podcast is brought to you by Huntress Managed Security. Cybersecurity is more than software—it’s also the expertise needed to effectively fight against today’s evolving threat landscape. Huntress Managed Security is custom-built to provide human expertise and save your clients from cyber threats. Huntress’ suite of fully managed cybersecurity solutions is powered by a 24/7, human-led SOC dedicated to around-the-clock monitoring, expert investigation, and rapid response. While you focus on growing your business, we provide first response to hackers. Huntress has the #1 rated EDR for SMBs on G2 and a partner support Satisfaction score average of 99%. To start a trial today, visit https://huntress.com/karl

Host Karl caught up with Dima Kumets, Principal Product Manager at Huntress Labs focused on their Security Awareness Training product. It was an entertaining interview! This interview focuses on the Security Awareness Training product, which features a truly engaging way for end users to learn about phishing attacks and other threats that arrive through email. Karl and Dima introduce you do the archvillain Didi and her role in educating clients - without irritating or alienating them! About Dima Kumets: Prior to joining Huntress, Dima was the product lead on OpenDNS (acquired by Cisco and now Cisco Umbrella.) He leverages his 20+ years of experience in technology to help partners grow their security practices and better protect the small and medium size businesses we all rely on. Partners can learn more at https://huntress.com/karl to sign up for a free trial. And, MSPs can sign up for the "Neighborhood watch" program that gives you free internal use licenses for all products. Thanks to Huntress for sponsoring this podcast.  --- Our upcoming events and more: Register for James’s upcoming class at ITSPU! 5W22 – MSP Professional Sales starts April 23rd. Sign up now: https://www.itspu.com/all-classes/classes/msp-professional-sales-program/ MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – April 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Catch James at the SMBTechfest! SMBTechfest – Irvince, CA – May 9-10th   https://www.smbtechfest.com/index.asp Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now : https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/ https://thirdtier.net https://www.youtube.com/@ThirdTierIT   Sponsor Memo: Huntress Today’s SMB Community Podcast is brought to you by Huntress Managed Security. Cybersecurity is more than software—it’s also the expertise needed to effectively fight against today’s evolving threat landscape. Huntress Managed Security is custom-built to provide human expertise and save your clients from cyber threats. Huntress’ suite of fully managed cybersecurity solutions is powered by a 24/7, human-led SOC dedicated to around-the-clock monitoring, expert investigation, and rapid response. While you focus on growing your business, we provide first response to hackers. Huntress has the #1 rated EDR for SMBs on G2 and a partner support Satisfaction score average of 99%. To start a trial today, visit https://huntress.com/karl

1.) MSP Question of The Week Is there an opportunity there for MSPs to resell consulting service around copilot? --- 2.) Notes on The News  Windows features disappearing in 2024: https://www.pcworld.com/article/2285358/10-windows-features-disappear-soon-2024.html Google looking to purchase Hubspot: https://www.crn.com/news/cloud/google-parent-alphabet-eyes-hubspot-acquisition-report United States Cyberforce: https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2024/03/25/united-states-cyber-force/ ...and more!    --- Our upcoming events and more: Register for James’s upcoming class at ITSPU! 5W22 – MSP Professional Sales starts April 23rd. Sign up now: https://www.itspu.com/all-classes/classes/msp-professional-sales-program/ MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – April 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Catch James at the SMBTechfest! SMBTechfest - Irvince, CA - May 9-10th   https://www.smbtechfest.com/index.asp Check out Amy's weekly newsletter!  Sign up now : https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/ https://thirdtier.net https://www.youtube.com/@ThirdTierIT   Sponsor Memo: Huntress Today’s SMB Community Podcast is brought to you by Huntress Managed Security. Cybersecurity is more than software—it’s also the expertise needed to effectively fight against today’s evolving threat landscape. Huntress Managed Security is custom-built to provide human expertise and save your clients from cyber threats. Huntress’ suite of fully managed cybersecurity solutions is powered by a 24/7, human-led SOC dedicated to around-the-clock monitoring, expert investigation, and rapid response. While you focus on growing your business, we provide first response to hackers. Huntress has the #1 rated EDR for SMBs on G2 and a partner support Satisfaction score average of 99%. To start a trial today, visit https://huntress.com/karl

1.) MSP Question of The Week Is it worth the time to track MDF/Rebates from your vendors partners if you are a small MSP? --- 2.) Notes on The News  April fool’s joke? Gmail announced 20 years ago today:  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/20-years-ago-people-thought-googles-gmail-launch-was-an-april-fools-day-joke Microsoft copilot released today: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/copilot-for-microsoft-365/microsoft-365-copilot-ga-announcement/m-p/3934648 https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/30/tech/att-data-leak/index.html --- 3.) Five Minutes with A Smart Person - Tim Fitzpatrick of Rialto Marketing Check out the preview for our full interview with Tim Fitzpatrick of Rialto Marketing   www.RialtoMarketing.com www.revenueroadblockscorecard.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/timpfitzpatrick --- Our upcoming events and more: Register for James's upcoming class at ITSPU! 5W22 - MSP Professional Sales starts April 23rd. Sign up now: https://www.itspu.com/all-classes/classes/msp-professional-sales-program/ MASTERMIND LIVE – Tampa, FL – April 27-28th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Sign up now : https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news   Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/ https://thirdtier.net https://www.youtube.com/@ThirdTierIT   Sponsor Memo: Huntress Today’s SMB Community Podcast is brought to you by Huntress Managed Security. Cybersecurity is more than software—it’s also the expertise needed to effectively fight against today’s evolving threat landscape. Huntress Managed Security is custom-built to provide human expertise and save your clients from cyber threats. Huntress’ suite of fully managed cybersecurity solutions is powered by a 24/7, human-led SOC dedicated to around-the-clock monitoring, expert investigation, and rapid response. While you focus on growing your business, we provide first response to hackers. Huntress has the #1 rated EDR for SMBs on G2 and a partner support Satisfaction score average of 99%. To start a trial today, visit https://huntress.com/karl

Host Amy and James are back!  1.) MSP Question of The Week: Should you force remote workers back in to the office? And do workers prefer weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly payment? --- 3.) Notes on The News  N-able 2024 MSP Challenges and Opps – CEO article: https://www.channele2e.com/perspective/n-able-ceo-pagliuca-2024-msp-challenges-opportunities How the top MSP business owners are using AI in their business: https://www.crn.com/news/managed-services/2024/10-msp-execs-on-how-they-re-using-ai-tools-in-2024 What AI we've been using: https://www.perplexity.ai/ --- 2.) Five Minutes with A Smart Person - Fernando Leon  Host James sit down with smart person Fernando Leon, Vice President of Sales/Marketing of Single Point of Contact. They discuss White Label IT Service platform that helps MSP's scale.   Contact:   sales@singlepointoc.com   www.singlepointoc.com    --- Our upcoming events: AUSTIN TX – MASTERMIND LIVE (March 28-29th) http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/   Sponsor Memo: Huntress Today’s SMB Community Podcast is brought to you by Huntress Managed Security. Cybersecurity is more than software—it’s also the expertise needed to effectively fight against today’s evolving threat landscape. Huntress Managed Security is custom-built to provide human expertise and save your clients from cyber threats. Huntress’ suite of fully managed cybersecurity solutions is powered by a 24/7, human-led SOC dedicated to around-the-clock monitoring, expert investigation, and rapid response. While you focus on growing your business, we provide first response to hackers. Huntress has the #1 rated EDR for SMBs on G2 and a partner support Satisfaction score average of 99%. To start a trial today, visit https://huntress.com/karl

We follow Karl Palachuk as he makes his way through Channel Partners Expo 2024!    Thank you to our guests (in order): Dave Seibert of SMBTechFest  https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveseibert99 https://www.smbtechfest.com/index.asp   Michelle Ragusa McBain of Sonicwall  https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleragusamcbain https://www.sonicwall.com/leadership/michelle-ragusa-mcbain/   Mikey Pruitt of DNSFilter https://www.linkedin.com/in/roadtociso https://www.dnsfilter.com/   Kathleen Martin of  Advancing Leadership Network (ALN)  https://www.linkedin.com/company/advancing-leadership-network/   --- Our upcoming events: AUSTIN TX – MASTERMIND LIVE (March 28-29th) http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/   Sponsor Memo: Huntress Today's SMB Community Podcast is brought to you by Huntress Managed Security. Cybersecurity is more than software—it’s also the expertise needed to effectively fight against today’s evolving threat landscape. Huntress Managed Security is custom-built to provide human expertise and save your clients from cyber threats. Huntress’ suite of fully managed cybersecurity solutions is powered by a 24/7, human-led SOC dedicated to around-the-clock monitoring, expert investigation, and rapid response. While you focus on growing your business, we provide first response to hackers. Huntress has the #1 rated EDR for SMBs on G2 and a partner support Satisfaction score average of 99%. To start a trial today, visit https://huntress.com/karl

Karl interviewed Stephen Thomas from Asigra. Thomas oversees global revenue and shapes the sales and customer success strategy. He is an accomplished executive With over 25 years of experience in building and guiding sales and customer success teams within the rapidly expanding sectors of Enterprise SaaS. With over 25 years of experience in building and guiding sales and customer success teams within the rapidly expanding sectors of Enterprise SaaS (Cybersecurity and Data Protection), Stephen Thomas is an accomplished executive. Prior to taking on his current role at Asigra, where he oversees global revenue and shapes the sales and customer success strategy, he was the Chief Revenue Officer at RiskOptics (formerly Reciprocity). Stephen's leadership experience extends to companies like Arcserve, Armor, Cyberbit, and Symantec.  A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, he has further honed his skills as a Certified LEANSTACK Coach, CIPP, and CISSP. Asigra is launching a new SaaS management tool in April, but partners can join their beta program now and receive a $2,500 service credit to work with. The product site is https://saasassured.com. Look for the Insider Circle link to join their Beta program. You can join now, so you'll be set for the April 1st launch. Many partners are missing out on revenue by not offering their clients the ability to back up all their SAAS applications (Hubspot, QuickBooks, etc.). Clients know they need to do this. they might even assume you're doing it. And if you're not, someone else might be. That means another vendor is already approved to be paid by them for IT services. That mean's there's another IT consultant in your client's office! Transparency note: Asigra was a sponsor for the 2023 SMB Online Conference. — Our upcoming events: AUSTIN TX – MASTERMIND LIVE (March 28-29th) http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/

Host James sits down with Christophe Reglate of SXIPHER. Look out for the PROMO for 20% off in the month of March! https://www.sxipher.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophe-reglat-7360b0141/ Call: (386) 479-4074 Email: sales@sxipher.ai — Our upcoming events: AUSTIN TX – MASTERMIND LIVE (March 28-29th) http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/

Yes, another opener about the weather. ;)    1.)  The MSP Question of The Week How can small MSPs compete with larger firms in the same market? https://www.msptoday.com/topics/msp-today/articles/458682-msps-must-focus-strengths-not-be-afraid-partner.htm --- 2.) Notes on The News  The AT&T outage  results in $5 credit to all affected users. ...And the Media Industry suffers in the face of social media newsbreaks.  --- Our upcoming events: AUSTIN TX – MASTERMIND LIVE (March 28-29th) http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/

We are back after the long weekend with great hair... 1.) MSP Question of the week:  How do you qualify an opportunity so you don’t waste your time? Check out Amy's whitepaper:  https://www.thirdtier.net/product/whitepaper-how-to-build-a-valuable-local-linkedin-network/ --- 2.) Notes on the News and Our Favorite Social Media Apple Vision Pro is out:  1st new product in 7 yrs – VR headset $3499 https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/02/tech/apple-vision-pro-what-you-need-to-know/index.html Markets are way up except for Snapchat – down 30% reported a 248m loss in their most recent qtr announcement. AND We dive into our favorite social media for business use and why... --- 3.)  Five Minutes with A Smart Person – Christophe Reglat of SXIPHER A preview of James's interview with Christophe Reglat of SXIPHER on Penetretation Testing with AI. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophe-reglat-7360b0141/ https://www.sxipher.com/ --- Our upcoming events: AUSTIN TX – MASTERMIND LIVE (March 28-29th) http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/  

Host James sits down with Val King. Val is the CEO of Whitehat Virtual Technologies and responsible for day-to-day-operations, as well as leading the company’s product development and technology strategy. Val has 20 years of experience in technology, compliance, and security in regulated industries, particularly in financial services and healthcare. Currently Val serves in a dual role as CIO for a regional healthcare system. “The last 18 inches between the screen and the end-user is the Point of Execution, where end user experience matters, where technology either improves productivity, and thus the business, or hinders it. “Every business needs IT. Every business buys IT, but not every business is able to confidently cross that divide from IT being just a cost of doing business to a tool delivering outcomes that makes business measurably better.” Val is focused on making this a core competency of Whitehat Virtual Technologies, benefiting every customer we serve. https://www.whitehatvirtual.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/valking/ — Our upcoming events: AUSTIN TX – MASTERMIND LIVE (March 28-29th) http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/

1.) MSP Question of The Week How important is work culture as it relates to acquisition or merger? and Why everything boils down to customer experience... See:  https://www.channele2e.com/native/customer-experience-is-everything 2.) Five minutes with a Smart Person -  Val King of Whitehat Technologies Val is the CEO of Whitehat Virtual Technologies and responsible for day-to-day-operations, as well as leading the company’s product development and technology strategy. Val has 20 years of experience in technology, compliance, and security in regulated industries, particularly in financial services and healthcare. Currently Val serves in a dual role as CIO for a regional healthcare system. “The last 18 inches between the screen and the end-user is the Point of Execution, where end user experience matters, where technology either improves productivity, and thus the business, or hinders it. "Every business needs IT. Every business buys IT, but not every business is able to confidently cross that divide from IT being just a cost of doing business to a tool delivering outcomes that makes business measurably better." Val is focused on making this a core competency of Whitehat Virtual Technologies, benefiting every customer we serve. https://www.whitehatvirtual.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/valking/   --- Our upcoming events: AUSTIN TX – MASTERMIND LIVE (March 28-29th) http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Irvine CA – SMB Techfest (Feb 8th-9th) Make sure you catch Amy at SMB Techfest! https://www.smbtechfest.com/events.asp   Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/

1.) MSP Question of The Week   How do busy MSP business owners deal with stress?   Host Amy and Host James discuss their strategies.    ---   2.) Five Minutes with A Smart Person -  Eric Anthony    Host James sits down with Channel Vet, podcaster, and Director of Community at EGNYTE Eric Anthony.   Learn more about Eric:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/esanthony/   Eric's Customer Experience video: https://youtube.com/live/WHQWGhrg7FY   Eric's Book "CX That Sings": https://www.amazon.com/CX-That-Sings-introduction-Customer/dp/B085RTL8NT/ref=sr_1_2?   ---   3.) Notes on The News     "Microsoft set for AI-powered revenue surge as stock pulls ahead...   Microsoft is expected to report a 15.8% jump in quarterly revenue, its best growth in nearly two years, as rising adoption of its products infused with generative AI fuels demand for its cloud services."   https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-teams-down-thousands-users-downdetector-2024-01-26/   Microsoft's (MSFT.O), opens new tab Teams services were restored on Saturday after a disruption blocked access to the messaging platform.   Several users had flagged issues with the messaging platform on Friday. Complaints peaked in the afternoon with more than 14,000 incidents, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com. All incidents appeared to be resolved on Saturday.   --- Our upcoming events: AUSTIN TX – MASTERMIND LIVE (March 28-29th) http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Irvine CA – SMB Techfest (Feb 8th-9th) Make sure you catch Amy at SMB Techfest! https://www.smbtechfest.com/events.asp   Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/  

Host Amy and Host James catch up and catch a tan.    1.) MSP Question of The Week   What is the best business structure for new MSPs?   See: https://www.toptal.com/finance/interim-cfos/c-corp-vs-s-corp#:~:text=Compared%20to%20traditional%20S%20or,it's%20taxed%20as%20a%20corporation   ---   2.) More Tech Layoffs?   EY Announces Layoffs in Response to Economic Struggles   See: https://www.channele2e.com/news/ey-announces-layoffs-in-response-to-economic-struggles   "Less than a week after Broadcom finalized its $61 billion acquisition of VMware, layoffs began. This is a familiar pattern for the company, which followed a similar playbook with its acquisition of CA Technologies in 2018. Overall, it's estimated Broadcom will cut about 2,000 employees post-acquisition.   Google, Amazon, Snap, Splunk, LinkedIn, Cisco, MariaDB and SecureWorks all recently announced layoffs. Other mass layoffs recently included Intel, Wish and LinkedIn in the San Francisco Bay area. At the beginning of September, Rapid7 announced a restructuring plan following disappointing second-quarter results, resulting in the layoffs of about 18% of the company’s workforce. Similarly, AppSec firm Snyk laid off 128 people in April. Cloud security vendor Zscaler announced layoffs after what it called a rough fiscal second quarter. Software tools giant Atlassian laid off 5% of its workforce as it “shifted priorities.”    ----   Our upcoming events: AUSTIN TX – MASTERMIND LIVE (March 28-29th) http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Irvine CA – SMB Techfest (Feb 8th-9th) Make sure you catch Amy at SMB Techfest! https://www.smbtechfest.com/events.asp   Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/  

*Due to a small error, we are re-releasing this episode that was originally set for January 19th, 2024. Thanks for understanding. :-) 1.)  Should you update your GOALS and OBJECTIVES every year?  The short answer? Yes.  Email James (james@kernanconsulting.com) for his one page business plan exercise. ---  3.) Notes on The News  Is Connectwise a sinking ship? https://www.msptechnews.com/business-news/is-connectwise-a-sinking-ship/ The best click-bait of the year....so far! And MAJOR CONSUMERS SEVER RELATIONS WITH HACKED BRANDS? Ransomware attacks in 2023 surged by 95% year-over-year, with 1,278 victims identified on leak sites - already surpassing both 2021 and 2022 totals... https://www.msptoday.com/topics/msp-today/articles/458119-majority-consumers-sever-ties-with-hacked-brands.htm 2.) Five Minutes with a Smart Person: Erick Simpson  Erick Simpson is an MSP Business and Channel Growth Expert, MSP Influencer and MSP Thought Leader A pioneer and leader in the managed services industry, Erick Simpson built and sold one of the very first MSPs in the industry and grew and coached a channel of 30,000 IT Solution Providers through their MSP transformation with his MSP Mastered® Methodology for managed services business performance improvement. Erick is an MSP business & channel growth expert, influencer, thought leader, speaker and author with 4 best-selling books and 50 white papers to his credit, and his strategies and programs help MSPs overcome business challenges to realize consistent, profitable managed services recurring revenue growth. His M&A expertise has helped dozens of MSPs sell their businesses at the highest valuation or expand through acquisition. He delivers strategic MSP market analysis services and builds and improves channel programs for IT vendors and distributors, and helps recruit and enable their channel partners through his thought leadership podcasts, webinars, workshops and event keynotes and breakouts. Erick’s industry recognition includes Channel Futures’ 7 Thought Leaders Defining the MSP Market, Jay McBain’s 100 Most Visible Channel Leaders, 2 Time ChannelPro 20/20 Visionaries, 2 Time MSP Mentor 250 and SMB Nation’s SMB 150 award recipient. Check out Erick's new community:  https://mspmastered.com/ https://ericksimpson.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericksimpson/   — Check out Amy's Intune class: https://www.thirdtier.net/2023/11/29/learning-intune-a-six-month-course/   Our upcoming events: AUSTIN TX – MASTERMIND LIVE (March 28-29th) http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200! Irvine CA - SMB Techfest (Feb 8th-9th) Make sure you catch Amy at SMB Techfest! https://www.smbtechfest.com/events.asp   Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/      

Host Karl sits down with friend, Jerry Koutavas. As President of The ASCII Group, Jerry Koutavas is responsible for creating resources and services aimed at helping IT and managed service providers better manage their time and their bottom line.  Koutavas oversees the creation, implementation, and adoption of benefits at The ASCII Group which services over 1,400 MSPs in North America. A widely-recognized figure in the IT industry, Jerry has more than 25 years of experience in the Channel.   Check out more:  https://events.ascii.com/   --- Our upcoming events: Jan 16-18th in Honolulu HI – MSSP Sales/Marketing workshop https://conference.fornixmarketing.com/hawaii-conference-3364   Contact James for a $500 discount code!   Our Social Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kernan-varcoach/ https://www.facebook.com/james.kernan https://www.facebook.com/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlpalachuk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/ https://www.facebook.com/amy.babinchak/