You need to build a machine to take your IT business to the next level
If you are reading this, there is a good chance you are a techie, leader, or manager within an IT Managed Service provider or Tech business. The reason you started your IT services business is because of your IT background...
As the 911 outage proved, anything can go down
As we embark upon a new year, perhaps with some optimism, it’s always a good idea to understand that there are some things that you can control and some you can’t. Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts, there are...
Edge computing emerges as major opportunity for MSPs in 2019
As the IT industry enters 2019, there’s a lot of excitement about edge computing. Of course, edge computing is not necessarily a new idea. IT organizations have been deploying applications in, for example, remote offices or on various classes of...
How to build credibility as an MSP
In today’s market, many MSPs appear to be just like each other. Clients don’t know the difference between them. If you do not have a compelling Unique Selling Proposition, then you need to at least have additional branding and credibility....
Sales & Marketing
Why unsubscribes are actually a GOOD thing for your MSP’s email marketing list
The other day, I was on a conference call with one of my regular MSP marketing clients. I consider them as someone who I’ve had a great relationship with over the past few years. We were preparing a new email...
Why you shouldn’t fear the word “No” when selling
The following is an example of a question that I get from MSPs FREQUENTLY: “Once I get the contact on the phone, say the CEO, he or she will usually say, ‘Yes, I got your information and passed it on...
Ask An MSP Expert: Any MSP marketing pitfalls to avoid in 2019?
Q: What are some MSP marketing mistakes that you see often and how can we avoid them in 2019? In the world of MSP marketing, there are many trends and practices that quickly become popular, and it will suddenly seem...
Security
Are chatbots the next major cyber security threat?
Me: “Where can I find a course catalogue online?” SmooSmoo: “Yep, I believe I know this one. 😉 I’ve found there’s an answer for your question, but it is not a public article. You need to login first to reveal the...
Ask an MSP Expert: How do we protect our healthcare clients’ data?
Q: We have a growing number of healthcare clients. Maintaining their security used to be not that much different from our other customers, but with the explosion of IoT, there are so many more threats that they are susceptible to....
Malicious memes?
We’ve all seen them and laughed at them. There’s “Grumpy Cat” or “Be Like Bill.” In some cases, these memes have racked up over a billion views. That’s almost 20 percent of the world’s population who have been “dancing like the...
Better Business
OK – you’re an MSP. Now what?
MSPs have varied prospect bases. Some focus on servicing large enterprises where the effective decision maker is a technical person or group. But for the many MSPs that target small and medium enterprises (SMEs), there is often a completely different...
Retail sector emerges as a larger opportunity for MSPs
Many managed service providers (MSPs) initially got their start by providing support for point-of-sale (PoS) systems and digital signage deployed in retail outlets that are difficult for internal IT organizations short on staff to support. As IT continues to evolve...
3 leadership books every MSP should read
An integral aspect of any business is looking for new ways and ideas on how to improve your business practices from within. If your MSP can accomplish this, every area of the business will benefit — from customer satisfaction to...
Tech Insight
How to keep your clients going should disaster strike
We all know that bad stuff can happen to good clients. It could involve a massive weather event closing down offices, or perhaps a cyber security incident that takes down a network. Perhaps there could even be war or political...
Tech Time Warp: The brothers behind the “Brain” PC virus
Over the years, the motives for malware creation have ranged from simple curiosity to monetary gain. In the case of the Alvi brothers from Pakistan, it was revenge, dished up on a floppy disk.
5G network opportunity starts to come into focus for MSPs at CES
5G networking was all the rage this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Despite all the sound and fury emanating from providers of carrier services and manufacturers of processors, such as Intel, very little has changed in terms of...