Category: Featured

Tech Time Warp: Mr. ZIP (code) speeds up the Post Office

Tech Time Warp: Mr. ZIP (code) speeds up the Post Office

Given the ongoing political debate over postal efficiency, it’s easy to forget one of the biggest drivers of Big Data today is a postal innovation. The ZIP code makes it possible for marketers to guess how much you’ll charge on...

/ August 21, 2020
Municipal contracts and the cybersecurity data to land them

Municipal contracts and the cybersecurity data to land them

A recent note came to me from a Smarter MSP reader about municipal contracts, and what types of cybersecurity data should be used when trying to land municipal contracts. Assuming they are not the only one with questions on this...

/ August 20, 2020
Widespread cloud configuration issues create opportunity for MSPs

Widespread cloud configuration issues create opportunity for MSPs

The crux of the problem with cloud security has very little to do with the platforms on which applications are deployed. The real issue is the amount of cybersecurity expertise the people deploying cloud applications don’t have. Most cloud applications...

/ August 19, 2020
Free communications tools abound

Free communications tools abound

By now, we all know that the pandemic has forced many businesses to shut down offices and move to work-from-home environments. This has made communication with co-workers, clients, partners and other key stakeholders even more critical. When you can’t talk...

/ August 18, 2020
Pioneers in Tech: Hedy Lamarr, Hollywood’s Golden Age Inventor

Pioneers in Tech: Hedy Lamarr, Hollywood’s Golden Age Inventor

Even if you’re not an old movie buff, the name Hedy Lamarr likely conjures images of glamorous red carpets, camera flashes, and the Hollywood sign. After all, Lamarr captivated audiences of the 1930s and 1940s with her beauty—even serving as...

/ August 14, 2020
Another cybersecurity view from Africa

Another cybersecurity view from Africa

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how South Africa’s MSPs and IT specialists are battling the pandemic and WFH trends. After the article ran, I had the opportunity to speak further on this topic with Dr. Uche Mbanaso,...

/ August 13, 2020
Helping clients shift to a fully digital sales process

Helping clients shift to a fully digital sales process

With the pandemic showing no signs of letting up in the U.S., your clients could be conducting online and phone sales for the foreseeable future. As the sales process shifts from in-person interactions to mostly digital, they could ask for...

/ August 13, 2020
Digital business initiatives spur demand for data management expertise

Digital business initiatives spur demand for data management expertise

Many organizations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have been accelerating their digital business transformation initiatives as part of an effort to continue operating at a time when it’s often not easy to  engage in person. The challenge those...

/ August 12, 2020
Importance of after-hours servicing in the MSP industry

Importance of after-hours servicing in the MSP industry

Twenty-four seven, after-hours servicing is a fact of life for most MSP teams. This level of service allows MSPs to address and resolve clients’ infrastructure issues regardless of the time of day. It’s necessary to provide this service since downtime...

/ August 12, 2020
IT documentation platforms are an MSP’s best friend

IT documentation platforms are an MSP’s best friend

If you’re a managed services provider (MSP), this might sound familiar. You log into one platform for IT documentation, another for tracking, and yet another to run analytics. You’re constantly toggling between these different platforms to keep everything running smoothly....

/ August 11, 2020