IT Business Podcast Episodes

Uncle Marv interviews Dave Maik, the Channel Director for North America at Defense X, a cybersecurity company specializing in secure web browser solutions. They discuss Defense X's participation in the IT Nation Pitch It Accelerator Program, the company's product features, recent updates, and future plans. Dave highlights the importance of DNS protection, credential and file protection, and the company's new entry-level DNS solution. The conversation also touches on the integration with various MSP tools and the role of AI in cybersecurity.

Uncle Marv interviews Cameron McFie, co-founder and managing director of Xeneth, about their billing automation software MSPlus for managed service providers. They discuss the product's features, benefits, and potential impact on MSP businesses.

Uncle Marv interviews Doug Kreitzberg, founder and CEO of CPOD Cyber, an intelligent cyber insurance company partnering with managed service providers (MSPs) to offer cyber insurance to their clients and themselves. The discussion covers the company's unique approach to cyber insurance, its partnership model with MSPs, and the benefits for both MSPs and their clients.

Uncle Marv interviews Matt Forman, owner of Local Circuit IT, a seven-figure MSP based in Denton, Texas. They discuss Matt's journey of growing his business from a two-person team to a staff of four, the challenges of finding the right employees, and his approach to company culture and customer service. Matt also shares his plans for relocating to a larger office space and the marketing struggles he faces as an introvert. The episode also covers topics like unlimited PTO, handling after-hours work, and the importance of networking and community involvement for business growth.

This episode features an interview with Juan Fernandez, the Global Channel Chief of SuperOps, at the Pax8Beyond event in Denver. Juan discusses SuperOps' major announcements, including their integration into the PAX8 Marketplace as the first and only RMM/PSA offering, the benefits for MSPs through their partnership with PAX8, and the unveiling of VisionX, a groundbreaking product that empowers MSPs to visualize and plan their desired future growth, profitability, and operational metrics. Juan also emphasizes SuperOps' commitment to supporting MSPs of all sizes and driving positive change in the industry, culminating in the announcement of "Change Day" on June 11, 2024, at the Beyond MSP event.

This episode features an interview with Josh Liberman, a seasoned conference attendee and owner of NetSciences, an MSP based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The discussion revolves around Josh's experiences at the Pax8 Beyond conference, the value of attending industry events, and the importance of networking with peers.

This episode features an interview with Brian Kane from Malwarebytes, discussing their new product line ThreatDown, an enterprise-class SMB security solution designed to help resource-constrained MSPs manage and secure their clients' endpoints more efficiently.

In this episode of Uncle Marv's IT Business Podcast from PAX 8 Beyond 2024, Michelle Ragusa-McBain, Global Channel Chief at SonicWALL, shares exciting updates on the company's recent acquisition of Solutions Granted and its impact on partners. She discusses how SonicWALL is integrating Solutions Granted's managed security services into their Secure First program, providing partners with a comprehensive security offering. Michelle also highlights improvements to processes like deal registration and the new customer deal rate offering a 50% discount for partners bringing new customers to SonicWALL.

Ken Patterson joins from PAX8 Beyond to discuss his recent move to Todyl. He shares his passion for helping MSPs mature and succeed through education and community building. Ken emphasizes the importance of MSPs using the same solutions they recommend to clients, fostering deeper understanding and credibility. The conversation touches on Ken's fond memories at Pax8, the company's remarkable growth, and his excitement about building a robust community platform at Todyl.

Uncle Marv interviews Tim Golden, the co-founder of Compliance Scorecard, at the PAX 8 Beyond conference. They discuss the latest version 5.0 release of Compliance Scorecard, which introduces new compliance-based features like a risk register, plan of actions and milestones (POAM), and more. Tim explains how these features help MSPs identify, track, and mitigate risks for their clients, as well as plan and manage the remediation process.

This episode features an interview with Adam Anderson, co-founder of Threat Captain, a cybersecurity leadership development company. Threat Captain aims to bridge the gap between executive leadership and security teams by providing a financial risk platform that helps communicate the financial impact of cybercrime. The discussion covers Threat Captain's mission, its software platform, integrations, and participation in the PitchIT accelerator program.

This episode features an interview with Larry Meador, the Channel Chief at Infima, a cybersecurity company that provides automated security awareness training and phishing simulations for managed service providers (MSPs) and their clients. Larry discusses Infima's unique approach to security awareness training, which is based on behavioral science principles and optimized for MSPs. He highlights the platform's key features, including three-click client onboarding, automated user synchronization, and fully managed reporting. Larry also emphasizes Infima's commitment to building true partnerships and friendships with MSPs.

This episode features an interview with Mark Lamb, the founder and CEO of HighGround.io, a cybersecurity platform designed to help IT service providers understand and reduce their cyber risks. Mark discusses how HighGround.io serves as a cybersecurity sales tool for MSPs, allowing them to visually represent their clients' technology spend, cybersecurity posture, and resilience. He explains how the platform integrates with PSA tools and provides metrics like the cyber score, resilience score, and NIST framework mapping to communicate security posture effectively. Mark also shares his background as an MSP and the challenges that led him to create HighGround.io.

This episode features an interview with Scott Green from Aportio Technologies, an IT service management startup participating in the PitchIt 2024 competition. Aportio provides an AI-powered email and alert management plugin that helps service desk agents work more efficiently by automating mundane tasks, categorizing requests, prioritizing them, and pre-assigning actions. The conversation explores Aportio's unique value proposition, its origins, and how it differs from other AI-based solutions in the market.

This episode of the IT Business Podcast features an interview with Randy Blasik and Mark Heather, co-founders of ComplianceAid.com, a startup participating in the 2024 PitchIT accelerator program organized by ConnectWise. ComplianceAid offers an AI-driven cybersecurity compliance platform that aims to simplify the compliance process for MSPs and their clients. The founders discuss the platform's capabilities, including automatically generating compliance documentation, aligning existing documentation with compliance frameworks, and conducting assessments using AI auditors.

Uncle Marv interviews Jeff Bishop, General Manager at ConnectWise, at the IT Nation conference. They discuss the latest updates on integrating various ConnectWise products into the ASIO unified platform, including the PSA, CPQ, BrightGauge, and security offerings. Jeff also shares insights on the recently announced Secure360 product and how ASIO enables seamless integration with third-party vendors through the vendor program.

This episode features two interviews from IT Nation Secure 2024 in Orlando. The first is with Matt Lee, Senior Director of Security and Compliance at Pax8, discussing passwordless authentication, biometrics, and the future of cybersecurity. The second interview is with Bobby Jacobs, Head of Growth at Thread, last year's winner of the ConnectWise Pitch It Accelerator program. Bobby shares updates on Thread's service experience platform, including new features like the Planner for dispatchers and upcoming integrations.

Uncle Marv interviews Tim, a veteran who received a service dog named Coop from K9 for Warriors, an organization that rescues shelter dogs and trains them as companions for veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury, or military sexual trauma. Tim shares his inspiring journey, the application process, and the life-changing impact Coop has had in helping him transition back into civilian life after multiple combat deployments. He also provides insights into the training process, attending events with Coop, and the incredible work K9 for Warriors does in saving both dogs and veterans.

Uncle Marv interviews Gregg Lalle, the newly appointed General Manager of IT Nation, at the IT Nation Secure event in Orlando. They discuss Gregg's transition from the international sales team to leading IT Nation, his vision for expanding the community beyond just ConnectWise partners, and the future plans for IT Nation events like Connect and PitchIT.

Uncle Marv interviews Andre Gilmore from ConnectWise about the IT Nation Evolve peer groups for managed service providers (MSPs). Andre explains the unique value proposition of these peer groups, which focus on both personal and professional growth by fostering close relationships and an environment of trust where members hold each other accountable. The secret sauce is the strong bonds formed through quarterly two-day in-person meetings that include social activities. Members review business metrics, get advice from peers, and define their own success goals that the group helps them achieve.

Uncle Marv sits down with Peter Kujawa from Service Leadership, a company acquired by ConnectWise that provides objective financial and operational benchmarking data to MSPs and other technology service providers worldwide. Peter shares his journey from being a lawyer to running an MSP and how discovering Service Leadership's benchmarking transformed his struggling business into a profitable $17 million company. He explains how Service Leadership helps MSPs understand industry best practices, pricing, margins, and where to focus their efforts by comparing their performance to the top 25% most profitable peers.

In this episode of the IT Business Podcast, Uncle Marv sits down with Raffael Marty, Vice President of Cybersecurity at ConnectWise, during the IT Nation Secure conference in Orlando, Florida. They discuss the unique challenges and opportunities in the Managed Service Provider (MSP) space, the differences between enterprise and MSP cybersecurity, and the innovative solutions ConnectWise is bringing to the table. Raffael shares insights on automation, product integration, and the evolving landscape of cybersecurity, including the impact of AI and deep fakes.

Uncle Marv interviews Jason and Rachel Miller, owners of an MSP based in Tennessee. They discuss the challenges of running a successful MSP business, including dealing with vendor issues like the recent Autodesk updater problems. The Millers share insights into their journey, from starting as a residential IT service to transitioning into a full-fledged MSP. They highlight the pivotal moment when they decided to focus solely on business clients, shedding their residential customer base. The conversation also touches on the renovations of their new office building and the financial management strategies they employ.

In this special Saturday edition, Uncle Marv shares interviews recorded at the SuperOps Super Summit in Tampa, Florida. He chats with Arvind Parthiban (CEO of SuperOps), Damo (VP of Products), Chris Cool (a new SuperOps MSP customer), and Juan Fernandez (SuperOps Channel Chief). They discuss the growth of SuperOps, the company's focus on providing an exceptional experience for MSPs, and Chris Cool's journey to joining the SuperOps family.