Richard Tubb's Blog, page 16

TubbTalk 160: How to Harness Personal Power, Energetics, and Mindset for MSP Success

In this interview, Richard speaks to Fiona Challis. She’s been in the IT industry for over 25 years, firstly in corporate and then running a sales training company. Now, she’s passionate about mindset, personal development and energetics.

Feeling like she needed a change, Fiona left the sector to grow, explore and try new things. She’s been helping women with their development, and gone on a journey of her own.

An Interview with Fiona ChallisWhat are Energetics and Mindset?

The easiest way to understand energetics, Fiona says, is that it’s like a frequency. “So take a sales team – you can tell which ones are going to implement the strategies you teach them. And which won’t. Because you can feel the frequency they’re on.

“And it’s the same in the world of MSPs. If you want success and the right results, you need to tune into that. Strategies are so important, but it’s the mindset and energetics behind them that determine the results you get.

“You could give multiple MSPs the same strategy and yet they’d all have very different results. And that’s because of the energetics.”

How Mindset Impacts Leadership Team Performance

Mindset has a direct impact on the results and MSP gets. But before that, Fiona says, you have your beliefs: “The way I see it, my beliefs and behaviours determine my results.

“So if you want to improve results, you have to work with your people. Support them to remove limiting beliefs and empower them for success. That in turn affects their mindset to be more positive and growth-oriented.

“And that drives the right behaviours in your business and that drives results. You’ll really see a change when that happens. And it’s nice and simple when you look at it that way.”

How MSP Leaders Can Model the Right Energy for Their Teams

Leaders have to lead from the front, even if they don’t believe in meditation or mindfulness. Because that doesn’t mean that their teams won’t benefit from it, says Fiona.

“So when you’re the leader of an MSP, you have to see things beyond your own world and what will work for your team. Just because it’s not for you, doesn’t mean it’s not for them.

“Be open to having that growth environment for your people. Introduce new practices and methodologies. Anything that helps them to step into a bigger version of themselves.”

What is Self-Awareness?

Self-awareness is the path to being self-led. Imagine you ask a team member to describe who you are. What would they say? That’s step one. Second, ask yourself: “Am I the same person, with the same behaviours, in work and outside of work?

“Because leadership isn’t a 9-5 job,” Fiona explains. Instead, “It’s who you are as a person, a natural leader. And it’s not what you do when you’re at work. Are your work and personal selves congruent?

“What would your staff say about you? Would they recommend you as a leader to other people? Because how we see yourself sometimes is not how your staff see you. So the trick is to make sure the two of them are the same.”

Tips for Maintaining a Positive Mindset

Fiona explains that she’s changed her whole routine and her life and business have completely transformed. And that’s because her focus is on energetics, mindset and embodying everything she’s learned.

“For example, my day now starts with movement because movement changes your state. So I’ll go for a walk or to the gym. If I’m stuck for time, I do a walk-in meditation rather than do it separately.

“By having movement, meditation and moments of gratitude, I start my day off the right way. I think about what I’m grateful for each day. I have one foot in desire – what do I want to achieve in the future? And the other in gratitude. That leads to balance and a clear mindset.”

How Modern MSPs Can Create a Mindful Workplace

For newer MSPs who want to build a strategy that includes the elements of energetics and mindset, Fiona has some clear advice: “Put 20% of your business plan on strategy. And the other 80% on the rest. 

“Because I can guarantee if you do the mindset and the energetics of your business first, any strategy you implement will work. Don’t just assume that what’s working for everyone else in the industry will work for you.

“Instead, take time to find the right strategies for you to take you where you want to be. When you build a business that way from the start, you’ll be excited about it. And you’ll be passionate about growing it and you’ll love what you do.”

How to Connect With Fiona ChallisConnect with Fiona on LinkedInHow to Connect With MeSubscribe to TubbTalk RSS feedSubscribe, rate and review TubbTalk on iTunesSubscribe and rate TubbTalk on SpotifyFollow TubbTalk on iHeartRadioFollow @tubblog on TwitterMentioned in This EpisodeTubbTalk interview with Fiona: How to do Awesome MSP SalesYou Might Also be Interested inPodcast: How Journaling and Trying New Things can Improve Your Business and Your LifeApplying an Adventurous Mindset in Life and Work for Robust Mental FitnessPodcast: What do Mid-Life MSP Owners Need to Know for Better Health and Wellness?

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Beeper – All Your Chats In One App

Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed with the sheer number of instant messenger and chat apps you need to use? Wouldn’t it be nice to have all your chats in one app?

In this article, I share one of my favourite finds of the week — a website, tool or an app that has impressed me.

My Friday Favourite this week is Beeper – All Your Chats In One App.

What is it?

Beeper is a unified chat app.

Thanks to Beeper, you can send and receive instant messages and chats with friends, family and colleagues on 14 different chat networks, all from within the one app.

How much does it cost?

Beeper is free to use.

All Your Chats In One App

I’ve written before about How to manage e-mail overload.

But, nowadays, email is just one of the many types of messages we are bombarded with each and every day.

Personally, I find it difficult to keep up with the inboxes across various different platforms.

On a personal level, it might be irritating to friends and family that you don’t respond to your Facebook messages promptly.

But on a professional level, there’s a certain expectation that you’ll respond to LinkedIn or Slack messages in a timely fashion.

The trouble is, to read and respond to these messages, you need to open up the application. Once you do so, you’re then often distracted by other content — such as status updates.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could read and respond to all your messages, across all platforms, in one application?

Beeper is a unified inbox for all your messages.

The Beeper app is available for Android, iPhone, iPad, ChromeOS, macOS, Windows and Linux.

Beeper supports the following messaging platforms:-

WhatsAppFacebook MessengerTwitterAndroid SMSGoogle Messages (SMS/RCS)TelegramSignalMatrixSlackGoogle ChatInstagramIRC (Libera.chat)DiscordLinkedIn

The messages in Beeper synchronise automatically, so you don’t have to worry about missing any messages.

Beeper is entirely independent, and the Beeper team share that they have no relationship to, or endorsement by, Apple, Google, Facebook, or any other of the supported chat networks.

The news that Beeper is joining Automattic means that there is no longer a wait list to join and use Beeper, and the product is entirely free to use.

In short, Beeper has transformed the way I manage my messages. It’s reliable and powerful.

How can I get it?

To find out more, visit the Beeper website.

You can download Beeper for free for Android, iPhone, iPad, ChromeOS, macOS, Windows and Linux.

You can also follow @onbeeper on Twitter, or visit the the Beeper LinkedIn page.

You Might Also Be Interested InAgoraPulse – Inbox Zero for Social MediaMy Experiment in reducing my emails by a quarterSanebox – Email Management Software

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MSP QBRs: A Handy Checklist to Do Better Business Reviews

Hopefully, you can see the benefits of doing a regular business review. Put in your calendar, get the whole company involved, and feel more organised and able to hit your goals.

Whether you’ve decided to use the 3,2,1 methodology or not, here are some key elements to consider for your MSP business reviews.

1. Start Your Business Reviews with an Executive Summary

The executive summary is exactly as it sounds. Put it right at the top of the final report. You might find that you write this last, once your analysis is complete. But what should it include?

Pick three to five of the most important findings of your latest business review. Make sure you include successes as well as failures. Keep it short and to the point, and make it clear what the key takeaway is. This makes it easier for readers to identify the one core action to work on for the coming quarter.

2. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Regularly setting and reviewing your KPIs allows you to make the right decisions about projects, client work and the overall direction of the business. Your MSP’s KPIs will be different to your competitor’s, so don’t copy someone else’s!

However, the sorts of KPIs you should track include:

Return on investment (ROI)Net promoter score (NPS)Churn/turnover of clientsClient lifetime value (CLV)Marketing results
Services/solutions purchasedStaff turnoverAudience size/awareness of business

Whatever you choose to track, they should all be clearly measurable. And over time, you should be able to see how these have improved (or not). How you track is up to you. How you track is up to you. It can be done in a basic spreadsheet or in Google Sheets. Or if you’d like to be more techy, choose Google Analytics or build a KPI tracker dashboard.

3. Track Your Marketing Metrics

These can be included in your KPIs if you like. But if you’ve been focused on improving your marketing efforts, then review these separately, or at least in depth. But remember, the QBR isn’t the time to make drastic changes!

Things you might decide to look at here include:

Click through rateOpen rateFollower numbersEngagement rateHow people find your website/specific pagesBounce rateCost per leadCost per conversionKeyword rankingsReturning website visitors

Don’t forget that some of these are what marketers call ‘vanity metrics.’ A small audience who engages with your emails and posts regularly is much better than a huge following that never interacts.

Again, you can use a tool like Google Analytics to track performance over time. And it can generate reports to include in your QBR, too.

4. Identify Your Most Profitable Services in Your Business Reviews

You should be able to quickly identify which of your services or packages are the most valuable to your business. But knowing what kinds of companies are using them and in what volume (do they pay per licence or per seat?) will help.

Use this information to work out which you should focus on in the coming three or six months. Which services aren’t selling so well? Is this a surprise? And is it worth making a push to sell more, or is it time to retire those offerings?

5. Client Satisfaction and Feedback

As we’ve said in previous blogs, it’s important to do a regular check-in with your MSP clients. And it’s probably worth doing a longer meeting at the end of each quarter. You might cover things like licences, their business goals, and any challenges and legislative changes that might impact them.

But it’s also really important to do some kind of satisfaction survey with them. If you want your business to be successful and continue to grow, then you need to know what your customer satisfaction score (CSAT) is. This metric is the most common way to do that evaluation and get a trustworthy result.

So how does it work? Well, it measures how ‘content’ a client is every time they have an interaction with your company. Then, they’re asked to rank their satisfaction with those interactions on a Likert Scale, which is out of 5 or 10. The results are then presented as a percentage.

Send a survey to all of your customers on a quarterly basis and their responses can be turned into numbers which are easier to interpret. But remember to use closed questions! If you want extra feedback, include a free-type box at the end.

6. Mention Your Goals in Business Reviews

It might sound obvious, but don’t forget to mention the business goals in your QBR! What have you decided are the three biggest targets you’re working towards this year? (These should have been agreed at the start of the year).

And are you on track to achieve them? What progress has been made since your last review? Have there been any issues? Does anything need to be tweaked or abandoned entirely? (do this with caution!) Make sure the whole company knows the goals and how they’re progressing.

7. Flag Potential Issues

Regular business reviews mean that you’re aware of where things aren’t going well. That might be internal, or it might be an issue with a customer or supplier. But whatever it is, once it’s been brought to your attention, you’ve got time to fix it.

Depending on what the problem is, you might need to have a meeting with key individuals. Or it might be a training requirement, which you should aim to fix before your next QBR. Make any necessary adjustments to your business goals and reallocate resources if need be.

8. State Next Steps at the End of Business Reviews

If you’ve chosen to use the ‘3,2,1 methodology’ we looked at last time, this will be your one core action, i.e.: “Create a timetable of practical actions to complete the removal and reinforcement of your services, systems, and solutions in a timely manner.”

Don’t forget, this action will be obvious if you’ve done the other two steps first – review what’s gone well and agree on two decisions for the business.

But regardless of how you’ve done your QBR, the next steps for the next three months should be obvious. You might choose to highlight these in your executive summary in your final report. It might be necessary to organise meetings with key stakeholders.

9. Future Planning

Your future plans should come towards the end of the QBR. For most businesses, this refers to how and when they’ll hit their goals. So they’ll have a one to two-year financial goal and review it regularly. Or they may be aiming for a target of X new employees or Y new customers.

But for managed services businesses, I’d say that future proofing is just as important. While most have been able to anticipate the rise in cyber attacks on SMBs, the sudden popularity of AI has caught some of them on the hop.

And as we know from the start of the pandemic in 2020, things can and do change dramatically and suddenly. So what can you do to ensure your business is still relevant in a few years’ time? Can you also anticipate the needs of your clients? And plan ahead to find solutions for them?

10. Include New Opportunities in Business Reviews

What are the new opportunities that have arisen for the business since your last QBR? This includes things like:

New clientsNew servicesNew marketsSelling new services to existing clientsMarketing opportunitiesVendor/supplier relationshipsFunding potsInvestors

Which should you focus on first? How will you measure success and profitability? And should you act on these opportunities now? Or should you park them and look at them again in future business reviews?

You Might Also be Interested inWhy MSP Owners Should Schedule a Mid-Year Business ReviewHow to use the ‘3, 2, 1 Quarterly Review’ Methodology for Better Business PlanningHow Technology Business Reviews can Improve Your MSP Client Relationships

 

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Bonusode: How Kaseya is Revolutionising Their Offers to Better Support MSP Partners

Dermot McCann is the General Manager for Kaseya EMEA, having previously worked as General Manager for APAC in Australia. He also has extensive experience in the managed services space.

An Interview With Dermot McCannThe Partner First Pledge

Kaseya have recently introduced their Partner First Pledge, and Dermot says it’s something that’s really needed in the EMEA. “In the past, we’ve been more like service providers to our MSP customers, and we need to partner with them better.

“We’ve always had a customer-centric approach, but acquiring Datto helped us to develop more of a partner-centric mentality. We want it to drive business globally. That means giving partners more of what they need.

“For instance, we’re reintroducing monthly contracts. And providing consequential loss protection. We believe that we’ve launched a game-changing solution. There may be concerns of price gouging, but I can assure everyone that is not the case at all.”

Why Kaseya 365 is a Game Changer for Their MSP Clients

The Kaseya 365 has been developed to reflect the needs of the partners’ end customers. SMBs are growing rapidly and their needs have completely changed in the last two decades.

Dermot says: “Even a GP surgery or a fitness centre relies on technology. If they go offline they can’t operate. So their dependence on technology and their dependence therefore on MSPs is exponentially increased.

“But they don’t always appreciate the costs to the MSPs. So we saw an opportunity with 365 to offer RMM, antivirus, ransomware detection, managed SOC and endpoint backup for a single subscription. The MSP provides a secure solution to customers who perhaps didn’t previously prioritise security.”

How Dermot’s Experiences as an MSP Help on the Vendor Side

Dermot explains: “What I’ve learned through my career in and around the IT services space is that there’s one consistent piece: trust. People buy from people they like and people they trust.

“And that’s what we want to do at Kaseya – develop trust with our partners. I have an insight to what they really want, and I know that consistency is important. We need to work at building meaningful relationships with the MSPs.

“So to ensure that we do that effectively, we’ve had dozens of meetings with partners. We’re listening carefully, taking feedback and acting on it. That’s where the Partner First Pledge came from. We want to walk the walk and talk the talk.”

Why Kaseya are Focusing on Cybersecurity

MSPs will be aware that there’s a lot of regulatory change happening in Europe and cybersecurity is a big part of it. Kaseya 365 has been launched in part to ensure that cyber is not an optional extra in the industry.

“The evidence we’re seeing is that cyberattacks are increasing, and they’re increasing in the SMB sectors. The threat actors are aware that people will pay the fine once they’ve deployed ransomware.

“So the question for us is, how do you make every customer cyber-resilient? We’ve introduced our cyber insurance fast track, allowing MSPs to offer customers a significantly reduced cyber insurance premium if they have a certain number of our platforms in place. That really gives peace of mind to the SMBs.”

How to Connect With Dermot McCannKaseya Follow Kaseya on LinkedInFollow Kaseya on XConnect with Dermot on LinkedInemail DermotHow to Connect With MeSubscribe to TubbTalk RSS feedSubscribe, rate and review TubbTalk on iTunesSubscribe and rate TubbTalk on SpotifyFollow TubbTalk on iHeartRadioFollow @tubblog on TwitterMentioned in This InterviewIT conference: DattoconIT solutions: DattoKaseya’s Partner First PledgeEndpoint management: Kaseya 365MSP accountability programme: Kaseya TruMethodsKaseya cyber insurance fast trackIT management software: ConnectWiseDocumentation platform: IT GlueMSP peer group: The Tech TribeYou Might Also be Interested inKaseya Dattocon Europe: The Latest in IT Service SolutionsChampioning the Cybersecurity Right of Boom and the MSP RevolutionHow to Help Your MSP Clients to Stay Safe When Using AI Tools

 

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Defence in Depth: Better Results From a Layered Security Strategy

Defence in depth is a security concept where businesses adopt a layered approach to cybersecurity policies and practices.

The purpose of this is to cover many bases and reduce your overall risk. The idea being that you’re still afforded protection even if one of the elements is compromised.

With so many attack surfaces to protect at all once, and with limited budgets available to small businesses, it can a challenge to put together a strong stack for your clients.

So, what should you be thinking about in a depth of defence strategy? We take a look at what you need to consider.

The Rising Tide of Cybercrime

We can all see from the reports in the media that trends in cybercrime have seen the volume and frequency of attacks increase at an alarming rate in recent years.

These attacks are a threat to everyone. Businesses large and small all need to invest in proper security measures to protect their businesses and their customers. Everyone in the supply chain is a risk and are at risk.

According to Forbes, global cybercrime damages are expected to increase by 15% over the next two years. And with this trend likely to continue, the need for increased regulation will require more sophisticated protection.

The Benefits of a Layered Approach in a Defence in Depth Strategy

There are plenty of reasons why a defence in depth strategy is a strong choice for MSPs.

Complexity of Threats – In today’s landscape, cyber threats occur across a broad spectrum. More than just phishing attempts or malware, your security response needs to cover many more bases than ever before.

Redundancy – Relying on a single security measure is a risky prospect. If the single system you rely on is compromised, then your system is left wide open.

Minimising Impact – With many different tools working in chorus, you can be sure that if you are breached, having a layered defence means you’re less exposed. If an attack gets through your firewall, for example, further egress can be prevented in application security.

Improving Detection and Response – Different security tools are designed to pick up on different triggers, across different stages of an attack. Whether this is a breach, unauthorised activity or modifying files.

Remember: The more complex the defence, the more work it is for attackers to get what they’re after.

World-renowned hacker and security consultant Kevin Mitnick says: “You can’t rely on one single point of protection; the hackers will find a way through, eventually. Defence in depth provides a complex barrier that increases the cost and time needed for an attacker to penetrate, often discouraging them in the process.”

Key Components in a Defence in Depth Strategy

What defence in depth looks like for your MSP will depend on the sorts of clients you serve. However, here are some of the things to think about when putting your own strategy together.

Having good password hygiene and multi-factor authentication (MFA) is always a good idea for any security strategy. Consider access to systems given to new staff at the onboarding stage with regular robust reviews and off-boarding to revoke access too.

As well as that, here are some other elements your strategy may need to consider:

Network Security

Network security is the control and monitoring of traffic across your network. It covers firewalls, network segmentation, secure VPNs and more.

Here you can deploy intrusion detection and prevention systems, virtually segment your networks and implement conditional access policies.

Application Security

There are many different ways to apply security at the application level. There are conditional access policies, automated patch management and real-time monitoring of the application.

Ensuring applications are coded to secure standards and watching out for zero-day exploits will ensure there’s no easy back-door for attackers to use too.

Endpoint Security

An endpoint is defined as a physical device that connects to a network, and includes things like laptops, mobile phones, tablets and other wireless devices.

Whereas traditionally, antivirus software would be protecting your devices from malware, it’s no longer enough to stop today’s sophisticated threats.

Virtual private networks (VPN) or virtual local area networks (VLAN), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) are all good examples of methods for keeping endpoints safe. You can also deploy device encryption and endpoint backup solutions if necessary.

Data Security

Data loss prevention (DLP) tools prevent sensitive data from being lost, stolen or accidentally shared. They monitor how files are shared and often employ AI and machine learning to detect suspicious and anomalous behaviour.

Data encryption and data masking can hide sensitive data from unauthorised eyes. Locking down sensitive data can make it difficult for hackers to use this data against you in a ransom.

Backup and disaster recovery tools are there to help you restore your data if the worst happens. The quicker you’re able to recover from data loss the better for your business and your clients.

How Partners Can Help MSPs Deliver Defence in Depth Security

With so many areas to manage all at once, and potentially many vendor partners to work with, it’s easy to fall into vendor fatigue. And it means more time spent paying invoices, following product roadmaps and rolling out updates, etc.

Leveraging Vendor Partners’ Expertise

One strategy could be to work with partners that already vet and choose complementary vendor products to adopt into your stack.

Pax8 are cloud marketplace specialists who select cloud security products that will bring the most to the MSPs they serve. Any new partners they select must share this ethos, be ready to integrate with the platform and fill a gap somewhere in their catalogue.

Brigantia are another distributor of cybersecurity solutions who carefully select vendors to help their MSP channel partners grow. They’re active in the MSP community, and keep their finger on the pulse of cybersecurity innovations. This means they can look ahead for products to fill gaps in the market that may compliment their list of partner vendors.

Partnering with an MSSP

A managed security service provider (MSSP) is an MSP who’s decided to specialise in cybersecurity solutions. Choosing to partner up with an MSSP could be another solution in adopting a more sophisticated defence strategy with your clients.

This is perfect if you want to focus on other things and let someone else provide specialist cybersecurity management.

Demonstrating Good Practice with Cyber Essentials

Cyber Essentials is a UK cyber security certification scheme designed to show an organisation has a minimum level of protection.  This is done through annual assessments to maintain certification and is backed by the UK government and overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

There are five controls that Cyber Essentials covers. These are:

FirewallsSecure ConfigurationUser Access ControlMalware ProtectionPatch Management

It’s worth noting that while this helps businesses demonstrate effective information safety, there are other frameworks that go further. Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO27001/ISO9001 and other frameworks may be necessary if you support businesses that operate overseas.

The Human Factor in Defence in Depth

The most popular attack vectors in today’s climate involve manipulating people to make mistakes. Social engineering and business email compromise as a result of phishing or smishing is a subtle way to gain access into systems. From there, malware payloads can be uploaded, privileges elevated and data stolen.

This is why it’s as important to consider the preparedness of users to be able spot malicious messages and bad links, and be aware of how much damage they can cause.

Security awareness training (SAT) is an essential component of a modern cybersecurity strategy. It’s just as important as any set of tools configured to minimise risk. I’ll go into more detail about the importance of SAT in another article.

The Challenges of Cybersecurity

As we know, effective cybersecurity does not come without its challenges.

For MSPs there are plenty of barriers to putting in place a comprehensive defence in depth cybersecurity stack.

Integration and Compatibility

With many products to integrate together for multiple customers across a number of different sites, it can difficult to get them all configured correctly in way that compliments other deployed applications, and doesn’t conflict with them.

These pieces of software all impact on the available resources and require updating regularly. Plus any bespoke web services need to be retested each time this takes place to ensure conflicts don’t arise that negatively impact on your clients.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

As you can imagine, a comprehensive defence strategy is not cheap, and while this is necessary for a robust defence, it can be unnecessary for the clients you manage.

A cost-benefit analysis will weigh up the cost against the financial damage of potential breaches. As well as how long it would take for the business to get back up and running again.

This is why some MSPs have a tiered approach to cybersecurity. A minimum level that you can comfortably provide which still minimises risk. And then some optional extras for those that demand a bit more security.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

As the technology experts it’s your duty to ensure your stack is up-to-date and able to meet the current challenges posed by today’s attackers.

Artificial intelligence has recently given MSPs innovations in the sorts of tools that can be used to thwart attempted breaches. However, AI is also being put to use by attackers too, and so more and more it’s becoming ‘table stakes’.

MSPs need to continue to move with the times and invest in new technology to keep up.

Demonstrating the Value of Cybersecurity

Many businesses are still under the illusion that they’re too small to be the target of a cyberattack.

As an MSP, especially one who considers cybersecurity essential to modern business success, you should be educating your audience to say that no one is too small. Everyone is a potential target.

You can use examples of recent breaches in the media to showcase how your solution could have prevented that breach. How it limits exposure to similar attacks and how it can save a business hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Other Things You Can Offer in Your Defence in Depth Cybersecurity Offering

Aside from those disciplines mentioned, you can additionally offer services that will improve the overall health and hygiene of their business.

Vulnerability Scanning

A vulnerability scan performed on a network detects potential weaknesses in an organisation’s defences. These can include unpatched servers, users without MFA enabled and much more. It’s worth regularly running a vulnerability scan as this can reveal vulnerabilities you may not be aware of before they become a problem.

Pen Testing

Penetration testing is an exercise that actively tries to gain access to your system by finding and exploiting vulnerabilities.

The testers begin with some initial reconnaissance before launching an attack. This might consist of a mix of social engineering, brute force attacks or SQL injections.

The findings are then reported back to the MSP, who can then act upon that information to shore up any vulnerabilities they discover.

Business Continuity Plan

In that moment when the worst happens, every organisation should have a solid plan in place to get their business back on its feet as soon as possible. Helping a business define its business continuity plan means you’ll know exactly which systems are essential, and the data they’ll need to recover as soon as possible. 

Final Thoughts on Defence in Depth

It’s obvious that any security measures you deploy for you clients should complement each other, limit redundancy and keep the risk to their business, and your reputation, at a minimum.

With threats on the rise, both in terms of frequency and sophistication, you’ve got to have your finger on the pulse for up-to-date technology. Consider leveraging the expertise of your vendor partners, or outsource cybersecurity altogether if it suits you.

Remember that manipulating the human element in the supply chain is one of the easiest methods for attackers to exploit. Security awareness training is a worthwhile investment if it’s carried out regularly, and the training is keep up-to-date.

We’re a long way from the basic deployment of antivirus software, firewalls and complex passwords. When attackers do make it past the perimeter fence, making further egress difficult is a wise strategy, and it may be enough to put attackers off completely.

Are you practicing a defence in depth cybersecurity strategy in your MSP business? Or maybe you’ve decided to outsource your cybersecurity offering to an MSSP? Has having a defence in depth approach saved your clients from being the victim of a major hack, or reduced the impact?

We’d love to hear your story in the comments.

You Might Also Be Interested InIn-House or Outsourced Cybersecurity: What’s Best for MSPs?TubbTalk 155: How To Stop Mac Hacks In Their Tracks and Bolster macOS SecuritySensational Takeaways from The MSP Show 2024

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TubbTalk 159: How to Use Personal Branding to Boost Your MSP’s Reach

Victoria Blinova is a senior strategic partner manager at Google, specialising in YouTube deals and leveraging her marketing skills to drive business growth. She is passionate about personal branding as a tool to boost visibility and reach.

Now as a start-up co-founder and advisor, Victoria is deeply engaged in the tech start-up scene all the way across Europe, the UK, and the Middle East, and has experience managing multi-million dollar budgets for retail and real estate executives, along with leading the digital marketing for Nestle’s MENA B2B Business.

An Interview With Victoria BlinovaWhy Victoria Chose LinkedIn to Build Her Personal Brand

Given her role at YouTube, Victoria admits it would make sense for her to use the platform to grow her own personal brand. “I teach people how to use it to raise their visibility. But I realised that video isn’t my favourite format.

“So I decided to use LinkedIn instead. I thought if I know how to create content and build an audience, I can do that for myself. And then I intended to promote it to the YouTube creators I work with.

“I essentially followed the tips that I gave other creators on how to grow on YouTube. Because while the format and platform are different, the system is the same. I was confident I could apply what I knew successfully to LinkedIn.” 

How to Narrow Your Focus for Greater Returns

Victoria recommends experimenting with different types of content to find what you enjoy. Then, commit to a goal, such as publishing 50 pieces of content. “It feels overwhelming, which is why you have to just start.

“When you choose the format you like best, it will make such a difference. Your content will be authentic and engage people. And once you get comments from your audience, it will motivate you even more to keep creating content.”

Victoria also recommends bringing your personal interests into your content so people can get to know the whole you. “Definitely talk about your business niche. But if you’re a sports fan, then talk about that too. It builds connection.”

Tips to Promote Your Personal Brand Online with Confidence

It’s hard to be consistent with personal branding content, especially when you’re starting out. But Victoria says she imagines she’s doing it for others, not just herself.

“I know there aren’t a lot of female creators putting themselves out there online, so I speak for them too. It’s not all self-interest. Instead look for ways to promote others too. I share my voice to inspire younger people who can reach out and ask for my help.

“And you’re also benefiting your business. With each post you write, you grow your personal brand, but also the business brand. That grows the company and brings in money to pay your employees. All of these things feed into your own brand voice. And of course, you’re helping your audience too.”

Why You Should Create Personal Brand Content for Yourself First

That said, at the start, don’t focus too much on how many readers or viewers you have. For Victoria, she felt it was something she needed to do. “I manage YouTubers, so I need to create a voice.”

Find your own ‘why’, whatever that is. “But remember,” Victoria says, “It’s just a marketing exercise. It has nothing to do with you as a person or your self-worth. You’re working to share your knowledge and build your confidence with content creation.

“It will take time to get good at it. So don’t take it too seriously. Just as athletes and chefs get better over time, so will you. Keep practicing and improving. And know that you’re doing the right thing, even if others around you aren’t convinced.”

The Current Landscape for Women in Tech

Victoria believes that covid disproportionately affected women. “A lot of women have been laid off from work. The stats show that women were already underrepresented in the tech space.

“Companies like imagi, which now teach kids how to code, originally put their focus on reducing the gender gap in areas such as software, tech and engineering. But it seems like we’ve started to go backwards recently.

“It’s not just about encouraging girls and young women into the space. Instead, we need to encourage individuals to build systems to accommodate women. We need to create supportive communities to help women get into the industry and then to thrive.”

How to Deal with Self-Doubt

Victoria says she often feels self-doubt, like everyone does. “We all experience imposter syndrome, it’s a natural part of being in business. But I try to be aware of those negative thoughts. I practice self-reflection a lot.

“I also have therapy, journal, all of those things. I work to improve myself all the time. I request regular feedback from my peers and my managers, too. Because I want to exceed my limitations and build my confidence. It’s so important in my line of work.”

How to Connect With Victoria BlinovaConnect with Victoria on LinkedInHow to Connect With MeSubscribe to TubbTalk RSS feedSubscribe, rate and review TubbTalk on iTunesSubscribe and rate TubbTalk on SpotifyFollow TubbTalk on iHeartRadioFollow @tubblog on TwitterMentioned in This EpisodeHead of Strategic Partnerships at Agorapulse: Mike AlltonDM Victoria for a free review of your LinkedIn profileTech start-up: imagiTubbTalk interview with Nancy Henriquez: One Woman in Tech’s Remarkable Journey From MSP to Community ManagerVictoria’s dad’s YouTube channel: Your Russian DadVP of Marketing at Kurt Geiger: Pascale MontanerYou Might Also be Interested inWhy Consistent Content Marketing is Key to MSP Sales SuccessPodcast: Leveraging LinkedIn for MSPsHow to Come up With MSP Content Ideas Your Readers Will Love

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How to Use the ‘3, 2, 1 Quarterly Review’ Methodology for Better Business Planning

So we’ve looked at the importance of regularly analysing your company performance. And it makes sense to do these as a quarterly business review (QBR).

Here at Team Tubb, these are an opportunity for all of us to reflect on what has happened and use that information to take the initiative on what will happen in the coming months.

Both Richard and Steve have noticed that many MSPs carry out regular QBRs with their clients, and even invest in specialist software to make it easier. But they rarely do one internally.

Why Should You Do a Quarterly Review

If you’re committed to giving your MSP clients the best possible service, then you need to be honest about how your business is performing. The business world is changing rapidly, and owners are increasingly reliant on technology.

So how does your MSP help to manage the complexity of modern entrepreneurship? Are you responding to client requests and adjusting your offerings accordingly? Or are you still selling the same things you gave since you started?

What about cybersecurity? The rise in popularity of AI? Or even just managing networks for remote and hybrid workers? The advantage of doing a QBR rather than waiting to review annually means that you can be proactive in adjusting your business according to what clients want from you.

Being clear on which of your solutions sell the best, your CSAT score and the efficiency of your systems will improve profitability, efficiency and longevity. Get familiar with your data and don’t be afraid to make changes when something isn’t working.

The 3,2,1 Quarterly Review Methodology

There are all kinds of ways to carry out your QBR and it depends on the size and nature of your business which one you choose. However, Richard favours the ‘3, 2, 1 Quarterly Review’, which you might like to try yourself.

It’s based on 3 key questions, 2 main decisions and 1 core action. And importantly, it requires everyone in the business to participate in a simple conversation which can yield powerful results.

You may choose to do this as part of a company-wide meeting, either in person or online. Or, if you have a larger organisation, you can ask the team leaders or departmental heads to ask the questions in each area and collate the responses.

So how do you do it? Ask these three key questions first:

Regarding our services, what has been most popular and least popular in the past 3 months?Let’s look at our systems. What has supported our service delivery and what got in the way of excellence?About our technical solutions, what has provided us with the best value and what has been superseded with better alternatives?

Give people plenty of time to share their thoughts and take notes, or record the conversation for transcription later.

Stage two is clarifying the two main decisions that occur from stage one:

Informed by those answers, what should we remove across our services, systems and solutions?And what should we retain and reinforce across all three areas?

This leads to the one core action:

Create a timetable of practical actions to complete the removal and reinforcement of your services, systems, and solutions in a timely manner

What Should You Do With the Responses?

If you’ve done this within teams rather than with the whole company, you’re going to need to allocate some time to review the results. You may choose to put together a small QBR team or leave it to the senior leaders.

Look for commonalities and anything that surprises you. Go back to the managers for clarification if you need it. Remember, though, that you’ll be doing the whole exercise again in three months’ time, so don’t spend too long on analysis.

If the teams have answered the questions properly and your company culture and communications are strong, the answers should largely be the same. So the one core action should be straightforward.

Make sure that any decisions taken at the C-suite level are cascaded down throughout every department and team in the organisation. You’ve asked each employee to make a contribution to the quarterly business review, so it’s important to acknowledge that.

The decisions and the actions timetable should be shared too, in advance of any changes being implemented. People need to take ownership of their individual actions and the overall direction of the business. So showing them how they’ve helped to shape that really encourages them to invest.

Richard shares this final piece of advice: “My recommendation for your business review is that the conversations should really be taking place with a sense of celebration. What we do and how we do it merits the occasional applause. After all, if we can’t be our business’ biggest fan, who will?”

You Might Also be Interested inHow Technology Business Reviews can Improve Your MSP Client RelationshipsPodcast: Real-World Advice on How to Grow a Profitable, Efficient MSP BusinessHow to Measure Profitability to Make MSP Businesses More Robust

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Bonusode: The Secret to Growing a Successful MSP: Don’t go it Alone

Daniel Shone is the Co-Founder of Apex Computing, an MSP based in Manchester. He spoke to Richard Tubb about how to grow a successful MSP.

Daniel heads up the account management and sales and marketing teams for Apex. They have recently secured Azure business certification with the help of Pax8.

An Interview With Daniel ShoneHow the Right Vendors Help You to Grow a Successful MSP

Daniel explains that as a company, Apex like to work with vendors and suppliers that want to help grow our business. For that reason, they partner with businesses like Pax8, in order to help them hit their goals.

“My advice is: find the partners who want to grow your business for you. Let them do the hard work and the heavy lifting. Have them invest in training programs for your staff and help you with your marketing. Don’t try and reinvent the wheel yourself.

“Ask them what works for other MSPs, because they want to work with you, and case studies of other, progressive MSPs who have scaled demonstrated that they’re the right partner for you. Pax 8 have been that for us.”

Why You Shouldn’t Avoid Your Competitors

Most small business owners are worried that their competitors will steal their clients or prevent them finding new ones. But as Daniel says, there’s so much work available that there are rarely problems.

“In fact, we choose to work closely with our competitors to our mutual advantage. We referred our accountant to another MSP in Manchester because I didn’t want to impact our relationship. We feel comfortable with our competitors.

“And we all have different strengths, so it makes sense to pass on work or make referrals. Most importantly, those other MSP owners become supporters, collaborators and friends. They have the same challenges and are open to talking about them with you.”

What Makes a Good Vendor Relationship

It’s easy to see your vendors as people you buy from, but Daniel cautions against that: “If you don’t see it as a partnership, you’ll grow slowly, if you grow at all. Work on the relationships so they can help you find funding, training opportunities and hearing about new products first.

“So I make a point of meeting with our key vendors. If they ask us what success looks like for Apex in the next 12 months, I ask them the same question about their company. Because we’re on a journey together.”

Essentially, both parties are looking to grow. And by having a true partnership, you’ll each grow faster than on your own. Daniel recommends getting to know your account managers and staying in touch even if you part ways later on.

How Mentors Support You to Become a Successful MSP

Many MSPs become business owners accidentally, especially if they have a tech background. So whenever you can, you should be looking for people who can help you to move your business forward.

“Chris and I started our business very young, so we needed help to grow it properly. For example, we worked with Daniel Welling to build out our SLT team and to get our numbers right.

“From there, we’ve been working with Ian Luckett and Stuart Warwick at MSP Mastery. That mentorship has enabled us to increase our turnover dramatically. If you’re committed to growing your MSP, then don’t do it alone. A mentor will be one of the best investments you ever make.”

How to Connect With Daniel ShoneApex ComputingFollow Apex on TwitterLike Apex on FacebookFollow Apex on LinkedInConnect with Daniel on LinkedInHow to Connect With MeSubscribe to TubbTalk RSS feedSubscribe, rate and review TubbTalk on iTunesSubscribe and rate TubbTalk on SpotifyFollow TubbTalk on iHeartRadioFollow @tubblog on TwitterMentioned in This EpisodeIT conference: DattoconPeer group: CompTIAPeer group: MG GroupCloud marketplace: Pax8PSA tool: HaloMDF FundingCybersecurity platform: Sonic WallIT and security platform: KaseyaPax8 Azure programme: KickstartCybersecurity stack: Apex Security SpherePeer group: SBS Network Group North WestIT and MSP Business Growth Expert: Ian LuckettHelping Ambitious MSPs to Scale to £1m: Stuart WarwickGrowth programme from Ian Luckett and Stuart Warwick: MSP MasteryCybersecurity platform: HuntressEnterprise cybersecurity solutions: Threat LockerRevenue platform provider: ZomentumQuoting tool: SalesbuildrChannel Chief at Salesbuildr: James SteelCRO at Aabyss: Robert GibbonsDaniel Welling of Welling MSPDarren Strong at Scalable (workplace productivity software)CRM platform: HubSpotYou Might Also be Interested inPodcast: Looking Into the Mindset of a Successful, Modern MSP SBSC North West: Advantages of Sharing Best Practice Among Local Peers3 Good Reasons to Attend Your Local User Group Meeting

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UptimeLIVE: Innovation, Reliability and Scalability for MSPs

You might already be familiar with Uptime (formerly Uptime Solutions), the outsourcing, white label experts. But did you know that they’re hosting their first MSP conference later this year? It’s already shaping up to be a not-to-be-missed event!

What’s the Inspiration for UptimeLIVE?

Uptime’s Director and Co-Founder, Jason Kemsley, explains the reasons behind their new event:

“UptimeLive is a project born from my decade long collaboration with Bradley Munday. And we’ve seen firsthand what makes an event successful. But frustrated by the declining value of many industry events, we decided to take matters into our own hands and create the most valuable event possible.”

So with that in mind, UptimeLIVE features two tracks – a main-stage agenda breakout rooms for more focused, deep-dive conversations.

Over on the main stage, expert speakers will talk on topics such as scaling an MSP, compliance as a service and what keeps business owners awake at night. And the breakout sessions will look at things like mergers and acquistions (M&As), marketing and ‘new breed’ MSPs.

But that’s not all! The event itself will close with a keynote speaker, but there’s still plenty of fun and networking to do! Join Uptime, your fellow attendees and many of the speakers and exhibitors for the evening reception.

How to Register for The Event

UptimeLIVE takes place on September 17 at the Business Design Centre, London. Click here to register for the event.

Will There be a Recording of the Event?

This is a live, in-person event. Click here for more information and to be kept up to date with any recording announcements.

Why You Can’t Miss UptimeLIVE!

If you’re still not convinced, here are some other reasons why you need to grab your ticket for UptimeLIVE now:

True strategy event, designed for MSPsValue-based sessionsM&A breakout sessionIndustry speakersSponsorsPeer networking opportunitiesLunch, refreshments and evening reception includedStrictly no pitch

So, what do you think? Are you going to join me in London on 17 September? Reply in the comments, and if you are going, make sure you find me and say hi!

You Might Also be Interested inPodcast: How Outsourcing Your MSP Service Desk Leads to Business GrowthWhy do More IT Outsourcers not Outsource More?Podcast: How to Outsource Your MSP’s NOC, SOC and Helpdesk

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TubbTalk 158: Sales, Remote Working and Automation: Powerful Advice for Modern MSPs

Arlin Sorensen is the VP of Ecosystem Evangelism at ConnectWise and has been involved in the industry for almost 40 years. He’s passionate about supporting modern MSPs to grow and scale their business.

He ran a VAR (value added reseller) MSP for 27 years, which he sold in 2012, and recently sold his ag-tech business which focuses on delivering precision technology to farmers. He also founded HTG peer groups, now IT Nation Evolve.

An Interview With Arlin SorensenWhat Makes ConnectWise Different

The big differentiator for Arlin is community – The IT Nation. From the beginning of the company, founder Arnie Bellini wanted to engage with its users. Arlin says: It’s grown over the years to become a big part of people’s success over the years.

“And that’s the business area I’m part of today. I’m proud to be part of it because it’s different to anything else in the industry. Others have tried to build a community, but ours is unique.

“It’s built specifically for MSPs and we provide a lot of content to members. For me and my colleagues, we start every day wondering how to help partners be successful via The IT Nation. And that’s what makes it an asset.”

How Modern MSPs Should Manage Remote Teams

First of all, just because people aren’t in the same room doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be managed with intention. For modern MSPs with remote staff, the priority is to train their managers.

Because that’s a particular skill and most of us don’t have the experience of doing so. “MSPs spend thousands on technical training for their teams, but people skills are more important. Your employees need to interact well with clients and with each other. That’s how they are effective in their roles.

“Read up on how to effectively manager remote teams. Because there are people being successful with it. But remember it’s a different mindset and requires more interaction than traditional management.”

How Modern MSPs Can Get More Comfortable with Sales

Sales, like anything, is a skill, Arlin says. “At ConnectWise, we invest deeply in this. So, we have a ‘growth kit’, which is a sales learning tool. It helps partners learn the skills required to be effective as a salesperson.

“But one of the biggest problems is that MSPs dislike the idea of sales, don’t put in a lot of effort and fail. That’s when they decide to hire a salesperson. But the problem is that they’re not set up for success. They don’t know what to say to prospects or how to attract leads.

“As technical people, we don’t really understand the process of sales. We make it up on the fly because we’ve done it for so long. And that means that the business owners do a disservice to their salespeople.”

The Benefits and Risks of Automation

Arlin believes that RPA (Robotic Process Automation) will allow MSPs to automate menial, repetitive tasks. “Over time, it will become fairly effective. Many of the things we do regularly will be automated.

“But it won’t replace humans; it’s more of an assist tool. So the key will be in identifying those repetitive tasks to free people up on the more important work. However, automation, and especially AI, comes with risks. For instance, if data isn’t protected and managed, that’s a problem.

“I’m encouraging people to learn how to assess their data to manage it so it’s not vulnerable to AI. Because AI will deliver us a new kind of security risk which has the potential to cause destruction if we aren’t educated on how to control it.”

The Biggest Mistake Modern MSPs Consistently Make

The biggest mistake that Arlin sees MSP owners make is that they don’t plan. “I don’t mean for next week or next month. People don’t plan for how to transition out of their business. They don’t make their business sellable.

“So if I could change one thing about our industry, it would be to make a mindset shift in MSP owners. It’s their job to create business value. Because nobody else will do that for them. They have to take responsibility, and do it sooner rather than later.

“I’ve seen too many people sell up and get a job because they don’t have enough money to live on. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are lots of ways to create value, but you have to be intentional.”

Why The IT Nation is Broadening its View on TSP

ConnectWise want to broaden how we think of TSP – the solutions provider market. “It’s broader than just managed services. We think of it in terms of office equipment sellers. Or audiovisual dealers or resellers, or even printers.

“Because we’re all trying to do the same things. We want recurring revenue and to work on projects. So we want The IT Nation to expand and grow. It might surprise you, but office equipment suppliers have been doing recurring revenue on a managed services model for longer than we have.

“And I think we can learn a lot from them. They often have mature sales departments which can give us ideas and inspiration for modern MSPs. We want to learn from one another and grow together.”

How to Connect With Arlin SorensenConnectWiseFollow ConnectWise on LinkedInLike ConnectWise on FacebookFollow ConnectWise on TwitterConnect With Arlin on LinkedInEmail ArlinHow to Connect With MeSubscribe to TubbTalk RSS feedSubscribe, rate and review TubbTalk on iTunesSubscribe and rate TubbTalk on SpotifyFollow TubbTalk on iHeartRadioFollow @tubblog on TwitterMentioned in This EpisodeTubbTalk interview with Arlin Sorensen: Why Discipline and Planning are Vital to Success in Business and in LifePSA platform: ConnectWise ManageMSP peer group: The IT NationBook: Bob Berg: The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business IdeaAI assistant: Microsoft CopilotAuthor and marketer: Mark SchaeferTubbTalk interview with Dan Scott: How to Grow Your Business in an MSP Community Like IT NationMSP membership for growth: ConnectWise EvolvePeer group: S2S GroupsConnectWise CEO: Arnie BelliniBusiness expert: Karl PalachukLeadership conference: Global Leadership SummitArlin’s daily email on ScriptureYou Might Also be Interested inPodcast interview with Arnie Bellini: How ConnectWise Helps MSPs Run More Efficient BusinessesWhy Consistent Content Marketing is Key for MSP Sales SuccessConsidering the Challenges and Opportunities of Hybrid Working for MSPs

 

 

 

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