The MSP Zone

SVB, Compliance Advice for MSP Startups, is it time to lower your pricing?

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter: Low   First, let's discuss Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). You may be wondering what does SVB have to do with managed services. Good...

Cyber Tax, Cyber Verify, and a new book on managed services

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter: Medium   MSP Zone examines the idea of a cyber tax, what that would look like, and whether a cyber tax would be a good thing fo...

2023 Managed Services State of the Union

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter: Low)   In the US, we just had our national state of the union address, so we thought it would be fun (and interesting) to do ou...

3 Benefits of Managed Services During a Recession

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (Low)   There are many reasons why you would want to work with a provider of managed services. During a recession (or the threat...

How to Achieve Continuous MSP Compliance

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (Low) Many MSPs think of compliance as a "once a year" activity. Much like doing your taxes, compliance is a doing it once and th...

Should MSPs Be More Like Cloud Providers

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (Medium)   I recently read a blog written by a government about how to properly use MSPs in a cloud environment. Now. I am not s...

The New MSP Roll Up

10 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (Medium)   I thought you'd never see the day when you hear me say the words, maybe roll ups work in the MSP profession. Before y...

Cyber is Uninsurable

05 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If cyber is uninsurable, then MSPs just got a lot more valuable. Here's the conundrum. If MSPs represent aggregate risk to insurers yet are invaluable...

Managed Services Lessons Learned in 2022

03 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (Low)   2022 began very differently than it ended. The pandemic, global supply chain, cyber-attacks, cyber risk, the economy, MS...

MSP Cyber Talent Update

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It has been a while since we discussed the topic of MSP talent shortages, specific to security (i.e., cybersecurity). A lot has happened since earlier...

MSP Regulation in 2023

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Here is some friendly advice for policy makers and legislators moving on the issue of MSP regulation (of any kind) next year, 2023. Since 2020, we hav...

One Benefit of Being a Small MSP

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With all the pressure and hype around growth-oriented MSP platforms these days, I thought it might be helpful to talk about one characteristic of the ...

Managing Managed Services Sales

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For many MSP owners and operators sales is a foreign concept. Sales is acknowledged as a necessary business component for all MSPs, but very few MSPs ...

MSPAlliance Inspire Lessons Learned

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last week was the MSPAlliance Inspire "peer" group meeting in Las Vegas. I say "peer group" in quotes because this group sees themselves as the anti-p...

Cyber Risk Blame Game

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I recently spoke with an insurance executive and we had a very interesting conversation about risk and perceptions of risk related to cyber security a...

Ransomware in the Manufacturing Sector

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ransomware impacts many industries throughout the world, but today we focus on the manufacturing sector. Is the manufacturing industry facing an incre...

Growth at the Expense of Compliance

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (Low)   Sponsored by: Dell Expert Network   Any organization can experience growth. Some may have to buy it, such as through M...

Questions to ask your MSP

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are many organizations looking to get a better handle on their IT management, including their security. For the majority of these organizations,...

How MSPs Respond to Bad Economic Times

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (Low) Sponsored by: Dell Expert Network As the economy continues to behave erratically, there are disturbing reports emerging ab...

How to Perform an Internal MSP Risk Assessment

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (Low)   Sponsored by: Dell Expert Network & VARC   Risk assessments. Sounds like a good thing to have. Everyone can universa...

US States Need MSPs

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our friend Corey Munson from PC Matic brought this study to our attention and it's a great piece that every MSP ought to read. The study, published by...

Preparing for Disaster - The Role of the MSP

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Managed Service Providers (MSP) have been at the center of a global discussion around security.  There is nothing wrong with this discussion. In fact...

Stop Up-Selling Managed Security

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (Low)   If you offer any form of managed security offering (or plan to in the near term), then listen up: you may want to stop u...

Stop Diluting the Definition of Managed Services

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (Low)   Sponsored by: Dell Expert Network   The terms managed services and MSP have a particular meaning, both professionally t...

Is Co-Managed Services New?

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Co-managed services is not new. In fact, it has been around since the beginning of the managed services profession. If you want to be completely hones...

Cybersecurity Burnout

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the past several years, we have heard nothing but the perils of cybersecurity attacks, and the mounting difficulty in preparing for and defending ...

The Trusted Advisor is Under Attack

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you have ever considered or called yourself a "trusted advisor" then you may want to pay attention to this. The trusted advisor designation is unde...

MSPs Can’t Repeat What They Don’t Document

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Documentation is not a new topic amongst the MSP community, but it is something that most MSPs could be doing better. Today's discussion focuses on wh...

Is your MSP Practice Ready for an Acquisition?

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (WOM): Low Are you looking for MSP acquisitions? Do you think you are ready? I come across a lot of MSPs who think they are ready...

The MSP Channel Explained

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (WOM): Low   Most people think of the IT channel as just some vast thoroughfare of companies all moving in the same general dire...

What is a Managed Service Provider?

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is a managed service provider? It's a question I have been getting asked for decades. In fairness, it is an important question, as well as a diff...

MSP Best Practices Series #3: The Service Catalog

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Now that you have your business plan and the right tools, it is time to create your service catalog. Some of you may be wondering what the purpose of ...

When Cybersecurity Consultants Attack MSP Customers

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When cybersecurity consultants attack. Just kidding. Well, sort of. Today, we address the issue of cybersecurity consultants and the impact (not alway...

An Interview with MSP Channel Veteran, Stephan Tallent

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

MSP channel veteran Stephan Tallent, Stellar Cyber, drops into the MSP Zone to discuss a wide range of topics. We cover trends in hiring security anal...

Saving Money with Managed Services

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is saving money a legitimate objective when engaging an MSP? Justin Current of Sirvis enters the MSP Zone to discuss the age old question, can MSPs sa...

A Discussion Around Remote Work Productivity

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While we may accept that remote work is here to stay (at least in some capacity), we must have a discussion around how remote workers should be workin...

The MSP Path Through a Recession

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

According to the US gross domestic product (GDP) numbers we are in a recession. But, that doesn’t mean you have to panic. In fact, if you are an MSP...

M&A Integration Advice for MSPs

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (WOM): Low   I used to do a lot of M&A work in a previous life…specifically for MSPs. I have some amount of perspective about ...

An Interview with Fred Voccola, CEO of Kaseya

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kaseya now owns Datto. A purchase which cost them $6.2 billion. The big four are technically the big three, although every indication is that Datto wi...

Are MSPs Facing a Recession

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While managed services has enjoyed nearly two consecutive decades of strong growth, there have been peaks and valleys along the way. In this episode w...

Preparing for a Ransomware Attack

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Despite even the best security measures, none of us are immune from the menace of ransomware attacks. 2021 saw not only an increase in attacks, but mo...

The Role of Reactive IT

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you have a dominant amount of your IT management practice coming from break/fix or reactive IT, then you should listen to this episode. Break/fix v...

Managing Hybrid IT

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

MSP software visionary Gavin Garbutt of Augmentt drops into the MSPZone to discuss the opportunity for MSPs to manage hybrid IT environments. Not sure...

A Tale of Two MSPs

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode presents a tale of two MSPs. Not actual MSPs, but two types of MSPs as viewed through the lens of two news stories presenting MSPs and ho...

MSP License Portability

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

WOM: Low MSPs play a unique role in the acquisition of technology and delivery of managed services to customers. Unlike VARs, MSPs do not always resel...

Is Backup Dead

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode brought to you by Dell Expert Network Is backup dead? Short answer is no. But, if you haven't' changed your approach to backup in the last 10 ...

The Value of Data Assessments

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Data is everything. MSPs protect it, customers value it, and cyber criminals want to steal it. But, not all data is the same. Certain data is worthy o...

Why do Break/Fix Companies struggle with effective Cyber Security

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Break/fix companies (or companies that provide reactive IT services) must address the security question: both internal security and the security servi...

The Skills Gap and Managed Services

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The skills and people gap is impacting everyone, everywhere! Customer organizations already facing staffing shortages have even more difficulties fill...

The Customer Experience in Managed Services

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is the customer experience within the managed services profession? Our profession talks a lot about service delivery with a predominant focus on ...

The Role of the Individual in Fighting Cybercrime

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fighting cybercrime may require policies, procedures, technology, and the know-how to put it all together in a cohesive manner, but the individual als...

CISA Guidance and Recession Impact on MSPs

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

WOM Level: Low Lots of economic data coming out in recent weeks about signals of an impending recession. Let's really take a look at how a recession m...

Defining Hybrid Cloud in Managed Services

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cloud computing is one of those terms that gets used a lot, often by people who have no real idea as to what it means. This is understandable given ho...

Ransomware -the MSP and SMB Perspective

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a stark contrast to how the threat of Ransomware is perceived by MSPs vs SMBs. MSPs have long understood cyber, business, and IT risks that ...

Can you be secure and efficient as an MSP?

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Access management has been a managed service offering for customers for many years. Today, the issue of internal access management has now become main...

The Role of Backup in the Modern Day MSP

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s connected and security conscious world, customers are looking to MSPs to provide them with backup and recovery services that will help sa...

The Future of Cybersecurity Talent

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Stoner from Stellar Cyber joins MSPZone to discuss the future of cybersecurity talent within the managed services profession. We discuss the rel...

A Sales Strategy for All MSPs

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

WOM: Low It does not happen a lot where an approach to selling and marketing managed services can actually apply to a large selection of MSP vertical...

2022 ConnectWise MSP Threat Report

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Raffy Marty, the ConnectWise general manager, cybersecurity, drops by the MSPZone to brief us on their latest MSP Threat Report. As the role of RMM ...

MSP Best Practices Series: Picking the Right Tools

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In part 2 of our MSP best practices series, we look at the selection of tools during the initial stages of creating an MSP practice. The right tools a...

MSP Best Practices Series: The Business Plan

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

So you want to become an MSP. Maybe you are already an MSP and just want to get better. The managed services profession is an exciting, vibrant, and i...

The MSP Perspective on the Kaseya-Datto Deal

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Now that we have had some time to digest the news about Kaseya buying Datto, it is time to get the MSP on the street perspective. Travis Springer of S...

Are We Winning or Losing against Cybercrime

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are we winning or losing the ongoing war against cybercrime? Today's guests have an answer. You may not like the answer, but it does reflect two profe...

Analysis of Kaseya Acquisition of Datto

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The big 4 become the big 3. Yesterday, Datto announced that it is going to be purchased by Kaseya. The deal has huge potential for the global MSP mark...

The MSP Compliance Officer

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mature (i.e., larger sized) managed service organizations often will have a chief compliance officer (or team) dedicate to maintaining proper internal...

Finally, Some Good News on MSP Cyber Insurance

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

WOM: Low   MSPs have been seeing increases in their cyber insurance premiums for several years now. As cyber threats and attacks continue to increas...

Peer Groups, Insurance, and MSP Growth

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

WOM: Low I had the opportunity to speak to a lot of MSPs at MSPWorld last week and, as usual, learned a lot. While there were a lot of topics on the ...

ConnectWise Talks Security

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

MSPs are not alone in the ongoing fight against cybersecurity. On this episode of MSPZone, we speak with Raffael Marty, general manager, cybersecurity...

Why Standards Matter in Managed Services

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

WOM: Medium It has been a longstanding issue at the MSPAlliance that we have standards for the MSP profession. While this may have been a philosophic...

Misplaced Cyber Risk - A Practical Lesson for us All

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

WOM: Medium The increase of cyber consultants has produced a lot of confusion and not always positive outcomes. But, there is one positive outcome we...

Have MSPs Hit the Salary Wall?

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (WOM): Medium MSPs have been dealing with scarcity of technical and security talent for many years. The global pandemic and the ...

Are MSPs Facing a Propaganda War?

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the early days of the managed services profession we saw an incredible amount of misinformation about the role of the MSP. In fact, this was one of...

Why Organizations are Losing Cyber Insurance Coverage

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weaver Outrage Meter (WOM): Low The importance of cyber insurance should be obvious to most people today. The fact that cyber insurance coverage is b...

The Difference Between MSP and MSSP

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

WOM (Weaver Outrage Meter): Medium   Aside from the obvious additional "S", the inclusion of security in MSP is both incorrect and misleading. Looki...

Have MSPs Lost the Public Trust?

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you were paying attention during the early and mid 2000s you heard the phrase, “trusted advisor” used quite extensively. Today, some might have...

Not All Cyber Attacks Involve Malware

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Outrage Level - Low A really interesting article about a recent study from CrowdStrike. The premise of the article is that while cyber-attacks surged...

MSPWorld 2022 Preview

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's that time of year again…MSPWorld! This episode will focus on all the things that I am excited to see at the upcoming MSPWorld conference. Speak...

How to Decrease Your Cyber Attack Surface

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

MSPs and customers alike are instrumental in the global fight against cyber attacks. Nobody can win by themselves; both groups are crucial to winning...

The Post Pandemic Cloud for MSPs

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cloud computing is not a new topic for MSPs. In 2009-10 our profession had an extensive debate around public cloud computing and its impact on MSPs an...

2022 Economic Forecast for Managed Services

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The stock continues to be volatile, inflation is impacting large sections of our economy, oil prices are rising, and geo-political events are creating...

Cyber Insurance Missteps Into Managed Services

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cyber insurance has become critically important to our modern business operations. For MSPs, the role of cyber insurance is especially important, both...

Analysis of the Pennsylvania ”MSP” Bill

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Pennsylvania Senate Bill 726 from the 2021 session has passed. Now what? While this bill is not yet law, it is important to understand what is in this...

Automation for MSPs in 2022

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The role of automation in managed services is not new, however, it has a rough history. MSPs have always recognized the need to scale their operations...

More MSP Legislation Updates

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania both took steps recently to pass legislation around managed IT service providers (MSP) and cyb...

The Argument for MSP Cyber Standards

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ten years ago, I wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal arguing for a “universal standard” for cloud computing. While a lot has changed in th...

The Armchair Cybersecurity “Expert”

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The rise of armchair cybersecurity “experts” has accelerated in recent years. Perhaps the industry most impacted by these armchair cybersecurity e...

The Argument for MSP Protection Legislation

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The time has come for MSP protection legislation. MSPs safeguard many thousands of industries throughout the world and they need our support. More imp...

Things People Say About MSPs

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Part of the responsibility of being an MSP is to understand what is being said about your profession. The task of observing how "non-industry" people ...

Avoid These Mistakes When Choosing an MSP

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are many mistakes you should avoid when selecting your MSP. To be honest, the most critical mistakes will differ depending on who you are, your ...

Managed Services Sales - Random Thoughts

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When you are exposed to anything long enough, you will become familiar with that thing. In this case, I'm talking about selling managed services. To s...

Is Inflation Hitting the Managed Services Market?

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is inflation having an impact on the MSP market? As undeniable evidence of inflation is being felt, at least in the United States, it was only a matte...

MSP Contract Negotiation Series: Data Processing

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Data processing is an important element of any managed services agreement. The handling of data belonging to clients has never been more critical to t...

MSP Spending Forecasts Revisited

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Not a month goes by without some analyst firm or consulting agency producing a managed services spending report. You would think, with all these repor...

How the Outside World Views MSPs

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

MSPs spend a lot of time "in the channel", that is to say, learning from and interacting with both other providers and technology vendors. Yes, MSPs a...

Non-MSPs Are At Risk for Cyberattacks

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a follow up to our episode titled "Who are Hackers Really Targeting?", we have further evidence that it is not MSPs who are vulnerable to attack, b...

MSP Contract Negotiation Series - Limitation of Liability & Indemnification

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

MSPs have agreements with everyone; customers, vendors, partners. The managed services agreement with customers, perhaps, is the most important. Regar...

Who are The Hackers Really Targeting?

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fact: Ransomware "gangs" are actively trying to attack organizations of all sizes. The attacks have had some success and will likely continue for the ...

Are Supply Chain Problems Forcing VARs Out of Their Business Model?

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pandemic related supply chain disruptions are happening on a global basis. Since the beginning of the pandemic, everyday items have become subject to ...

MSP Consolidation Rumors On the Rise Again

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It seems there is never a shortage of M&A related chatter within the IT channel and we appear to be in the middle of one such rumor mill once again. I...

MSP Contract Negotiations Series - Termination Clauses

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

MSPs have agreements with everyone; customers, vendors, partners. The managed services agreement with customers, perhaps, is the most important. Regar...