Tubbservatory Round-Up #17 – May 2023

Stephen McCormick

Tubbservatory Round-Up #17 – May 2023 image

Tubbservatory Round-Up – Tools and Resources for Your MSP

Each week, Richard throws a spotlight on five resources Managed Service Provider (MSP) business owners should take note of in the IT industry. The Tubbservatory is a weekly video broadcast featuring useful articles, podcasts and events that bring value to IT business owners. Tubbservatory Round-Up #17 – May 2023 is a recap of all of the Tubbservatory episodes made during the month of May.

And, it’s all edited together for you to watch at your convenience. The items are summarised below, with links to the resources mentioned in the video at the end of this article.

This month’s topics include: Cybersecurity, Open Source Applications, Hybrid Work , DAP to GDAP Migrations and AI.

Tubbservatory: The May 2023 Round-Up Video

Tubbservatory Round-Up #17: May- Week 1

#1 Ask an MSP Expert: How to attract new clients during an economic downturn

By leveraging unique strengths, MSPs can continue to grow and thrive even in the face of economic uncertainty. So says SEO Coach, Raj Khera, in this on-demand webinar from Barracuda MSP: How to attract clients during an economic downturn.

Consistency is key to engaging social audiences, according to Raj, while the popularity of podcasts continues to go through the roof.

#2 18iT Presents

Speaking of which, here are a couple of great podcasts to mention, both from Bristol-based MSP 18IT’s Paul Croker. The Vendor Blender podcast focuses on Vendors, and how they’ve solved issues for their clients in the past. While the Business Insights podcast has Paul talking to other business leaders about their experiences and insights.

Both are available on Spotify now!

#3 5 Ways to Automate Your MSP Workload

With the pressure on Managed Service Providers to keep up with the increasing demands of their clients. The ability to automate regular, repetitive tasks is becoming a necessity.

In this guest article for Zomentum, Andrew Dale, Technical Director of CloudTech24, illustrates some of the common ways automation can help MSPs free up more time to work on their businesses.

#4 Twitter no longer exists

Twitter Inc. has filed for a merger into X Corp, according to Dev Kundaliya of Computing.com.

This sparks much speculation for the future of the social media platform, which has seen many controversies since Elon Musk took over last year. Including the decision to limit the reach of users who are not paying for a Twitter Blue subscription.

Big news in the social media world! @TwitterInc. has filed for a merger into X Corp, causing speculation on the future of the platform. Will controversial changes like limiting user reach continue under new ownership? Stay tuned! Click to Tweet

#5 SMB Online Conference

And finally, back for 2023, MSP Expert and Author Karl Palachuk presents the SMB Online Conference. This two-day online event takes place on the 17th and 18th May, and this year’s theme is: Nothing Happens By Itself.

Karl has recruited some excellent speakers from inside and outside of the industry. Registration is open now!

Tubbservatory Round-Up #17: May – Week 2

#1 The 2023 Guide to Open Source Applications for MSPs

A resource that caught my eye this week comes from Akamai Linode’s James Steel. The 2023 Open Source Tech Stack Guide for MSPs is an E-book highlighting the best open source tools on the market for managed service providers.

The benefits of open source over proprietary software include the cost, more customisation options, and since the community support makes spotting vulnerabilities easier, they’re more secure too.

Download the free E-book now!

#2 6 MSP Growth Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Despite confidence in growth in the MSP sector, there are always challenges that we should be aware of. In this article for Channel Insider, Kihara Kimachia highlights six potential areas for concern.

Preparing for what’s ahead is vital, and so It’s definitely worth a read.

#3 Microsoft’s Top 3 Predictions for Account Breaches in 2023

Microsoft’s recent trend analysis in identity security breaches revealed 3 key predictions for 2023.

This on-demand webinar from Augmentt explores these types of attacks and how MSPs can bolster defences against them.

#4 JumpCloud and Google Workspace

News now, that JumpCloud have formed a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to deliver a platform aimed at businesses employing hybrid work models.

Greg Keller, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Jumpcloud said: “Our partnership gives IT teams an open, modern, and affordable solution to allow effective collaboration from any location from a trusted device.”

This is definitely going to be of interest to some MSPs out there.

#5 How to Build and Grow a Successful MSP Business

On May 30th, our very own Richard Tubb joins Ray McGrath of Acronis to deliver the webinar: How to Build and Grow a Successful MSP Business.

The hour-long webinar covers the key steps required to build and grow a successful MSP, including: identifying your target market, establishing key partners, and implementing best practices for service delivery and customer support. Book your spot today.

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Tubbservatory Round-Up #17: May – Week 3

#1 GDAP Compliance is Important: Find the “Easy Button” – DAP to GDAP Migrations Enabled by Security Manager

May 22nd is the deadline for MSPs as Microsoft will change their current Delegated Admin Privileges (DAP) program in favour of more secure Granular Delegated Admin Privileges (GDAP).

This transition is part of Microsoft’s “Zero Trust” approach, and the team at SkyKick have produced an excellent blog post outlining what actions MSPs need to take.

If you’re a SkyKick MSP, then you can do the migrations to GDAP now with 1-click using SkyKick Security Manager and there’s no need to worry about doing it the hard way after May 22nd.

#2 Insights from 10 Experts and Leaders

An eBook that caught my eye was the Service Management Strategies for the Next 3 Years from 10 ITSM Experts and Leaders.

This eBook has been put together by ManageEngine and features contributions from Daniel Breston, Sophie Danby, Barclay Rae, and many others.

Well worth downloading.

#3 Setting up Customer Success Function for your MSP – Irit Eizips

Customer Success is a hot topic for MSPs today. But how do you approach it?

This short video from Eeret Eezips (Irit Eizips) via SuperOps gives MSPs ideas on the value of leading with your key business metrics and tapping into the emotions of success.

#4 ChatGPT versus Bard: Which AI Chatbot is Better for Marketing?

ChatGPT versus Bard: Which AI Chatbot is Better for Marketing?

That’s the topic that Mark Schaefer tackles in this article.

MSP Marketers, this is worth reading, and Mark assures me he wrote this himself rather than using AI.

#5 The Mobile Phone Museum

And finally, history is calling. Who remembers the Nokia 2640 or the BlackBerry Bold?

Check out The Mobile Phone Museum for a trip down memory lane.

Personally, the Nokia 8110, as used by Neo in The Matrix, is a favourite of mine!

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Tubbservatory Round-Up #17: May – Week 4

#1 Cybersecurity Expert Resources from Pax8

We kick off this week with a batch of excellent Cybersecurity resources from Pax8.

Pax8 is at the forefront of the market as a holistic partner for MSPs in the protection against cybercrime and mitigation of loss when a breach occurs.

So, it’s great to see that Pax8 have made their Cyber Essentials Guide, Work from Anywhere Security Guide, Security Fundamentals Learning Plan and The MSP’s Guide to a Multi-Layered Security Approach available to MSPs.

This is a valuable collection of resources that every MSP should check out.

#2 AI Triage Service from Uptime Solutions

News that UK-based outsourcing specialists Uptime Solutions have added a new Artificial Intelligence-based Triage service for MSPs.

The triage currently reviews the priority, issue type, and sub-issue type to ensure that they are set accurately on the ticket and thus the right attention is given to it as soon as possible.

This is an exciting development from one of the fastest-growing MSP partners in the market!

#3 Voice Cloning – a Growing Cybersecurity Threat

Voice cloning is a growing threat, writes Kevin Williams of SmarterMSP.

Now that inexpensive AI is available, hackers can weaponize voice.

Scammers are using this technology to impersonate people they know, such as your boss or your clients, to trick you into giving them money or sensitive information.

#4 MSP KPIs: What Key Performance Indicators to Monitor and Track

When it comes to tracking MSP Key Performance Indicators, what are the numbers to follow?
This article from Domotz provides some great insights including MSP Business and Financial KPI examples, and Network Monitoring.

#5 Global MSP Day 2023

And finally, 1st June 2023 is the 6th Annual Global MSP Day, an opportunity to celebrate and applaud the Managed Service Provider community!

From informative, inspirational talks to fun networking activities, Global MSP Day has both virtual and in-person events in London, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Toronto and the Netherlands.

I’ll be speaking and hosting the party in London on 1st June, so make sure to register now and join us!

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Links to the Resources Mentioned in this Round-Up

From Week 1

Mentioned in Week 2

Week 3

And Week 4

How You Can Help

That’s all from the Tubbservatory Round-Up #17!

Have you stumbled upon a valuable tool or resource that you think would pique our interest?

We’d appreciate it if you could share it with us in the comments section.

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AI, Akamai, Automation, Cybersecurity, Events, Linode, Marketing, MSP News, Open Source Applications, Resources, Tubbservatory, Tubbservatory Round-Up, Video

STEPHEN MCCORMICK

I'm a small business owner, technical writer and blogger, with 15 years experience in corporate IT. I frequently attend MSP peer groups and create content relevant to IT service providers and business owners.

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