Threat of toll fraud emerges
MSPs have an increasing amount of cyber turf to defend with the rapid proliferation of IoT devices and interconnected networks. Add to the mix the arsenal of weapons the bad guys have, and an MSP could be forgiven for overlooking...
Compliance mandates provide a boon to MSPs
Most business executives are not especially fond of regulations. However, it turns out the need to comply with a myriad of regulations has been something of a boon to managed service providers (MSPs). A survey of 50 MSPs conducted by...
Want your MSP website to soar? Avoid these three design pitfalls
While I’ve always thought it’s important to look forward, it can also be valuable to look backwards too, to see exactly how far you’ve come. That’s exactly what I did when I was looking over some of my notes and...
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I make sure my customers are secure online?
Q: One of my customers recently fell victim to a suspicious download from a fraudulent website. How can I prevent this in the future? Attacks through websites are not uncommon. As cybercriminals become more sophisticated with attack vectors such as drive-by downloads and malvertising,...
Sales & Marketing
Sharing experiences for better MSP client relationships
Great businesses are built on great relationships. Many MSP sales pros say they’re excellent at building these relationships with prospects and clients, but most don’t try to develop this as a skill. Instead, many will spark conversations with as many...
Get more appointments with these easy LinkedIn tips
If I told you there was a tool that could increase your sales rep’s performance by 100 percent or more, would you ask about it? Of course! But, the name of the tool won’t surprise you, simply because you use...
Using the “no” as an opportunity, not a dead end, during sales
The first real sales training I received was when I was working for Tony Robbins as a rep selling his Personal Power and Power to Influence courses. It was a great experience, to say the least. Tony taught his reps...
Security
Tech Time Warp: Mocmex sneaks in via digital photo frame
“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts” is the old saying associated with the story of the Trojan horse — the same story that gives Trojan viruses their name. In 2008, a more appropriate saying would have been “beware of relatives bearing...
Cybersecurity laws: What MSPs need to do
Cybersecurity isn’t just about firewalls and patching. Cybersecurity is also about education and legislation — often, these two go hand in hand. The legislative landscape is continuously evolving as more rules and regulations attempt to add guardrails and protections to...
Tech Time Warp: The arrest of hacker Kevin Mitnick
The story of the man who calls himself the “world’s most famous hacker” contains a moral: It’s often the human element, not the high-tech, that allows intrusion into the most secure of systems — and allows hackers to exist in...
Better Business
Survey identifies data protection as top service being delivered by third-parties
A survey of 110 IT decision-makers based in the U.S. suggests that the reliance on third-party IT services is starting to increase as IT becomes more complex. Conducted by US Signal, a provider of data center services, the survey finds...
Ask an MSP Expert: How can my MSP keep up with the regulatory landscape for data protection?
Q: The regulatory landscape is continually changing, and I know that the price for inadvertently running afoul of a data law can be steep. What are the best ways to stay on top of the rapidly changing regulatory landscape for...
How to become your vendor’s favourite MSP partner
When I’m helping IT Solution Providers and Managed Service Providers (MSPs), I often ask them the question, “What is your relationship like with your vendor partners?” They often look at me blankly or reply, “What relationship?” If you want to...
Tech Insight
Free code education resources could help you add value for clients
MSPs are probably best known for acting as the de facto IT departments for small to medium sized businesses. You deal with tasks like software updates, backups, and making sure the IT lights stay on, but there are ways for...
Chatbots could help reduce the customer service burden
Customer service is a key part of running any business, but SMBs struggle with the cost of hiring and training customer service reps. It’s expensive to find quality employees who understand both the products and the business and can act...
Don’t reinvent the wheel
Being an MSP means that you can provide services to your customers where you retain far more control than if you were an independent software vendor (ISV). ISVs who have on-premise software must provide support for implementations across a wide...