An Interview with Blair Lyon
Blair Lyon is the VP of Cloud Experience for Linode. Firstly, they accelerate innovation. And they do this by making alternative cloud computing simple, accessible, and affordable to all.
And, Blair himself is a sales marketing and technology expert. He has over 25 years’ experience building businesses. And has experience delivering award winning solutions for the Fortune 1000.
Watch the Interview Video
What is the Alternative Cloud?
So what is ‘alternative cloud’? The term refers to an alternative provider or cloud option to one of the ‘big three’ providers. These are Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. In addition, the sector has been growing in recent years. And there are now several other providers out there.
“As a result, these companies have the capability of handling most of the workloads that a large hyper scale or cloud provider would. So this means they’re a viable alternative. And multi-cloud is becoming more popular. Because SMBs look for better pricing and better support. In addition, they want a partner that’s a good fit for their needs.”
The Linode Customer Service Model
So, Blair explains that Linode offers self-service support in the form of a Q&A resource. Simply type in your question and the result pops up. Second, there’s telephone support available at any time. Thirdly, they have an efficient ticketing system.
And, one of the big advantages is that there are no tiers. So, Blair says that anyone looking for help gets straight through to a Linux certified developer who is able to resolve an issue quickly. Therefore you won’t be passed around different departments.
How MSPs can use the Alternative Cloud for a Competitive Advantage
Firstly, most small businesses want to keep things simple and maximise their resources. And when you’re managing applications or hosting on behalf of your MSP clients, it needs to be as easy as possible to do that.
Secondly, Linode customers are looking for highly reliable cloud networking, storage and compute, and to have their questions answered fast. So, the company offers all of that, and it’s competitively priced.
Therefore, this allows MSPs to deliver a better service to their end users. And they can give a great customer experience and retain them for longer. In addtion, it helps with referrals. Moreover, an alternative cloud helps you to stand out from the competition and find growth opportunities.
The Cloud Services Linode Offer
Blair explains that Linode offer all the compute options that MSPs are looking for, including shared instances, CPU, GPU, AI and machine learning.
And they are also about to launch a bare metal service for MSPs who need 100% control of the box and want control from a security standpoint as well as performance. In addition, they offer Kubernetes, which gives the ability to containerise your applications.
Similarly, Linode offers S3 compatible object storage and super-fast block storage. Finally, there is DDoS protection, cloud firewall and VLANS, as well as a range of security capabilities.
And if you’re not sure what a bare metal server is, this article might help!
How Linode Manage Cybersecurity
As a result of the aquisition, Linode can make big changes. For instance, Linode’s new partnership with Akamai will allow them to extend their security capability dramatically. Similarly, Akamai are able to mitigate ransomware and to overlay some of the best security on the planet.
And they are also going to further develop CDN functionality and WAF. Because Akamai led the market with their capabilities and security, Linode will benefit. Therefore, Linode can improve integration and their internal cybersecurity to then offer these tools to clients.
Why MSPs Should Consider Multi Alternative Cloud
Firstly, Blair says: “So what is key with multi-cloud? Firstly, people want more redundancy and resiliency. In addition, the ability to failover to another location or provider. Moreover, many Linode clients are already running multi-cloud configurations.
“And they want to apply different workloads and use cases to several providers with different capabilities. So, that could be geolocation, price or performance. And the good news is, it’s becoming easier and easier to do with the alternative cloud providers out there.”
How to Connect with Blair Lyon
- Linode
- Follow Linode on Linkedin
- Follow Linode on Twitter
- Connect with Blair on LinkedIn
How to Connect with Me
- Subscribe, rate and review TubbTalk in iTunes
- Subscribe, rate and review TubbTalk on Stitcher Radio
- Subscribe and rate TubbTalk on Spotify
- Follow TubbTalk on iHeartRadio
- Follow @tubblog on Twitter
Mentioned in This Episode
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Microsoft Azure
- Google Cloud
- Kubernetes
- Akamai
- OVH cloud
- Cloud software: Digital Ocean
- Code software tool: TerraForm
- Ransomware protection: Guardicore
- ebook: The MSP’s Guide to Modern Cloud Infrastructure
- CloudFlare
- The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition
- Play Bigger: How Rebels and Innovators Create New Categories and Dominate Markets
- Inspirational speaker and author: Simon Sinek
- ExactTarget (now SalesForce)
- Infrastructure software: Equinix
- Sales & marketing expert and author: Jay Baer
- Team workspace: Slack
- Team workspace: Confluence
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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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