Tubbservatory Round-Up – What is it?
Each week Richard throws a spotlight on five resources Managed Service Provider (MSPs) 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 #2 – February 2022 is a collection of all of the broadcasts made in February 2022. Edited together for you to watch at your convenience. In addition, the items are summarised below, with links to the resources mentioned in the video.
In this month’s episode: resources on cybersecurity, mental health for MSPs, compliance and NCE advice.
Tubbservatory Round-Up #2 February 2022 Video
Tubbservatory Round-Up #2: February – Week 1
#1 UK MSPs Facing New Cybersecurity Regulations
Gareth Corfield of The Register reports that UK MSPs may soon be brought under the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations.
NIS doesn’t currently affect small and medium-sized MSPs.
However, your MSP could be affected if your clients either:
- provide critical infrastructure or,
- are an operator of essential services
Along with the compliance aspect, this will come with a cost too.
Regulation audits are funded by the treasury at the moment. However, in future, these costs will need to be paid for directly from the businesses being regulated.
The consultation closes on the 22nd April 2022.
#2 Huntress Hires Dima Kumets
Huntress Labs have hired Dima Kumets as Principal Product Manager.
He’s written an article on why he’s come back to the MSP community. Within, he lists his three core tenets for vendor providing MSP solutions.
They are:
- MSPs don’t just buy cool technology because of the tech
- Listen to the partners and build the features they really need instead of sticking to an internally built roadmap
- Be a part of the community and contribute as much as you can
#3 Ninja One Publishes Guide to MSP Burnout
NinjaRMM by NinjaOne published an article addressing the mental health concerns facing MSPs today.
How to Beat Burnout: A Survival Guide for MSPs addresses the ever-growing mental health concerns that MSP owners and their staff have.
It encourages taking a proactive approach in spotting the signs early, and there are tips for MSP owners in dealing with burnout.
There are lots of helpful resources within, and so it’s certainly worth a read.
#4 Zomentum Acquires Goolash
MSP Revenue Platform Zomentum has announced the acquisition of Goolash – which they’ve renamed Zomentum Connect.
This automated billing platform will really help MSPs who are struggling with manual SaaS revenue collection.
To discover more about the benefits, you can find Zomentum’s CEO and Co-Founder Shruti Ghatge’s article here.
#5 Michelle Ragusa-McBain Talks Cybersecurity on Secure Connections Podcast
The Internet of Things Security Service Association (IoTSSA) ‘Secure Connections’ is a podcast all about cybersecurity.
In a recent episode, Brian Sherman, Senior Communications Specialist at Commcentric Solutions interviewed Michelle Ragusa-McBain of Cisco about a number of topics.
Firstly, she talked about her history in the IT industry. Then, about how she interacts with the MSP community day-to-day. And finally, she talked about putting yourself out there at events to get the most out of them.
Michelle also mentioned that Cisco would be attending the Cybersecurity Expo in Austin, Texas, on March 30th and 31st.
You can listen to the podcast here: https://www.iotssa.com/lean-in-engage/
Tubbservatory Round-Up #2: February – Week 2
#1 Resources To Help You Make the Move to NCE
As Microsoft’s NCE has landed, some MSPs are still trying to figure out how to explain the new changes to their customers.
Giacom have put out a page filled with useful resources that will help make the process easier.
Included are some templates for MSPs to hand to their customers, based on their licencing commitments.
Access the NCE resources here.
And read our article on the NCE incentives workshop Giacom hosted here.
#2 Uptime Solutions Publish 2022 Predictions
Uptime Solutions have published their predictions for the NSP industry for 2022.
Some of the topics covered in the report, include:
- Management by Outcomes vs Management by Process
- The Crisis Driven Virtual Environment – Where Now?
- Getting Closer to your Customers – A Must for 2022
- It’s all about Cyber Security
- Is there a Mass Movement of Staff Pending?
It’s an interesting read that will help any MSP prepare for the possibilities affecting the industry this year.
To view the report for yourself, register for the download here.
#3 Privacy Kitchen Provides Easy Guides to GDPR for Businesses
Robert Baugh of Keepabl has created a series of video guides around the subject of GDPR for businesses.
As part of his Privacy Kitchen series, Robert takes GDPR compliance and makes this difficult subject much easier to digest.
And as this is a subject all business owners should be aware of, this resource will be of interest to your clients as well.
#4 Sales Email Templates from SuperOps
As sales is a subject most MSPs struggle with, SuperOps has created an e-book called 10 MSP Sales Email Templates That Just Work
Inside, the e-book provides strategies for lead generation, and then how to convert those leads into sales.
This guide suggests where you have been going wrong and how to rectify your mistakes. Therefore it’s worth reading even if you’re confident in your sales strategy.
#5 The Most Valuable Piece of Business Advice You’ve Been Given
Paul Green of MSP Marketing Edge asks “What’s the most valuable piece of business advice you’ve ever been given?” to a number of MSP experts on his MSP Marketing podcast.
As you’d imagine, some of the answers are fascinating.
If you’re new to the MSP world, there is a wealth of good advice in this podcast.
And even if you’re not, you still might find some value in hearing what some of your peers have to say.
You can listen to the full podcast here.
Tubbservatory Round-Up #2: February – Week 3
#1 Never Compete for Business Based Solely on Price
Karl Palachuk‘s latest video explains why MSPs should never compete for business based solely on price.
Being the cheapest out there will inevitably attract the wrong type of clients.
Therefore it’s much more important to focus on the value you can bring to your clients.
#2 AI – Can it Skyrocket your Business?
In his latest article, Doron Ben Cohen of Atera explains why AI is here to stay, and how vendors are already investing heavily its application.
He explains how AI and machine learning will become more prevalent in future business solutions, including:
- SLA management
- Asset maintenance
- Security insights
- Billing and invoicing
If AI can streamline workflows and improve efficiency, it’s something MSPs should take notice of. Both IT businesses and their clients can benefit from these efficiency savings.
#3 Don’t Rely on Motivation To Improve Productivity
MSP expert Todd Kane talks motivation in his latest video.
In the video, Todd explains why motivation should not be relied upon alone. Motivation is a finite resource that can quickly wane.
Above all, building systems that support sustainable habits is a far better approach. And getting better results will inspire further motivation, not the other way round.
#4 Occam O365 Configuration Compliance Audit Manager
As an open source tool for testing Office 365 tenants against security and compliance best practices, the O365 Configuration Compliance Audit Manager, or Occam, is a handy tool that works for Cloud Solution Providers (CSPs) managing multiple tenants.
To apply the Occam Toolkit, install it via the PowerShell Gallery.
You can find the necessary documentation here.
#5 Cloud Expo Europe Returns to London 2022
The Cloud Expo Europe returned to London on March 2nd and 3rd this year. It was a chance for cloud innovators, technologists and business leaders to meet and discuss strategies for developing cloud technology.
Register now for next year’s expo on the 8th and 9th March here.
There were lots of impressive guest speakers. But most notaby, Tim Berners Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, delivered the welcome address at the ExCel London venue on the morning of the first day.
Tubbservatory Round-Up #2: February – Week 4
#1 Microsoft NCE Frequently Asked Questions by Pax8
In order to address some of the questions posed by their partners. Pax8 have produced a handy FAQ guide that explains Microsoft’s New Commerce Experience (NCE) and the updates, and how they affect their MSP business and their customers.
It takes a complicated subject and makes it much easier to understand.
So it’s well worth a read if you’re still unsure about how these changes will affect your business and your customers.
#2 The Self-Hosted Alternatives to Popular Business and Productivity Tools
With costs rising among some of the big players in the cloud applications market, now is the time to consider alternative options for your business and productivity solutions.
Maddie Presland, Product Marketing Co-ordinator at Linode, has written a fascinating article collating some of the best applications for business and productivity.
Whether you’re considering lowering your costs, or you’re looking to retain some privacy, the self-hosted marketplace is definitely worth looking into.
To read Maddie’s recommendations, go to the article here.
#3 MSP Owners and Their Mental Health
MSP owner Mark Matthews discusses the difficult subject of mental health in an interview he had with author Mark Copeman.
Mark opens up in a frank and honest article about the pressure on his mental health.
Firstly, he talked about how unhappy he was. Secondly, how he sought out professional help.
And finally how he managed to regain control of his stress by radically reducing his working hours. In conclusion, he’s in a much better place now for the steps he took.
This interview was part of a feature in Mark’s book [amazon link =B087D67KGW], from the chapter ‘Personal Stories’.
I think many IT Business Owners will be able to identify with the themes in Mark’s story.
#4 Below the Surface – Barracuda’s Cybersecurity Spotlight
Below the Surface is a regular webcast from Barracuda MSP.
The show features all the latest cybersecurity news, as well as recent research, reports and thought leadership.
In a rapidly-changing world where cybersecurity attacks on the rise, and data protection regulation is increasing, it’s worth checking it out.
#5 SMB TechFest Returns April 2022
The next SMB TechFest is taking place on 14th April in the US.
Over the years, this quarterly conference has built a reputation in providing hours of learning from experts, vendors and peers.
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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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