Uncle Marv’s IT Business Podcast: Practical Business Advice for MSPs and IT Professionals
Uncle Marv’s IT Business Podcast: Practical Business Advice…
Running a managed service provider (MSP) or IT services business takes more than technical expertise. You need to win customers, grow revenue, protect profitability, manage vendors, deliver great service, and keep up with a changing IT industry. That’s where Uncle Marv comes in.

Hosted by longtime IT business owner Marvin Bee, aka Uncle Marv, the IT Business Podcast delivers practical business advice, real-world lessons, candid conversations, and industry insights to help MSP owners, IT service providers, IT consultants, system administrators, and technology professionals run their businesses better, smarter, and faster.

Topics include MSP business growth, pricing and profitability, sales and marketing, managed services operations, cybersecurity, compliance, Microsoft 365, cloud services, automation, service desk efficiency, vendor management, technology stack decisions, and customer relationships.

Hear from experienced MSP owners, IT business leaders, industry experts, and technology vendors about what works, what doesn’t, and what it takes to build a stronger IT business. Get an honest look at industry trends, vendor claims, emerging technologies, and the decisions that affect your customers, your team, and your bottom line.

Whether you’re starting an MSP, growing an established IT services company, managing client networks, or looking for better tools and smarter ways to work, Uncle Marv brings the conversation back to what matters: practical knowledge you can put to work.

Run your business better, smarter, and faster.
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Oct. 28, 2026

Does Your Client Actually Need 2.5-Gig? (EP 1093)

Does Your Client Actually Need 2.5-Gig? (EP 1093)
Uncle Marv’s IT Business Podcast: Practical Business Advice for MSPs and IT Professionals
Does Your Client Actually Need 2.5-Gig? (EP 1093)

I’ve been buying more 2.5-gig switches lately, and another MSP asked me a fair question: Why? That sent me down a bigger rabbit hole about what we’re actually solving when we upgrade a client’s network. I’m flying solo for this conversation, sharing where I’m using Ubiquiti switches, why I still put 10G connections on servers and Synology storage, and where plain old gigabit still does the job.

The takeaway is purpose. Faster ports can make sense for shared storage, database traffic, backups, and switch uplinks. But if the devices and workloads can’t take advantage of them, we might just be buying a bigger number. I’m looking at the practical reasons to upgrade, along with the questions we should ask before spending the client’s money.

=== Chapters

  • 00:48 Uncle Marv’s IT Business Podcast Introduction
  • 01:19 Why MSPs Are Buying **Ubiquiti** 2.5G Switches
  • 05:12 NetAlly LinkRunner 100G Network Tester
  • 09:55 Gigabit vs. 2.5G: When Should MSPs Upgrade?
  • 14:33 Faster Networks for SQL Databases, NAS, and Backups
  • 17:10 Network Bottlenecks, Switch Uplinks, and Wi-Fi 7
  • 20:26 Choosing Compact Switches for Ports, Power, and PoE
  • 24:01 When a 2.5G Network Upgrade Isn’t Worth It
  • 26:02 IT Nation Preview, PitchIT, and MSP Events

=== People Mentioned

=== Products Mentioned

=== Resources / Books / Podcasts / Apps

=== SPONSORS:

=== Affiliates

=== SHOW MUSIC:

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/
🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ
☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast

If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

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