Richard Tubb's Blog, page 62

Brave – Secure, Fast & Private Web Browser

Every Friday 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 Brave – Secure, Fast & Private Web Browser.

What is it?

Brave is a web browser that is secure, fast and private.

How can it help me?

Brave is a web browser that has really caught my attention with its focus on security, privacy and speed.

Privacy is such an important topic for Internet users. I’ve written before about protecting yourself when using free wi-fi by using something like ExpressVPN – High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN service.

But what about your default web browser? What if you used a more private web browser?

Like most of the rest of the planet, I use the Google Chrome web browser as my browser of choice.

Brave is built on Chromium (the open-source version of Chrome) and is compatible with Chrome extensions.

However, where Brave differs from Chrome is that it has a very strong focus on security, privacy and speed.

For instance, Brave blocks software that follows you around to track you for advertising purposes.

Brave also blocks unwanted content by default. It has an ad-blocker built-in and, interestingly, keeps track of the advertisements it has blocked. You’d be shocked to see that some of the most popular sites on the web host up to 70 advertisements on a single page!

The Brave browser is also quick. It can load major news sites 2 to 8x faster than Chrome and Safari on mobile, and 2 x fast as Chrome on desktop.

However, the real value-add with Brave private web browser for me is the way they are flipping the advertising model on its head.

There’s an old phrase “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product“.

Typically, web pages have been supported by advertising that is served to you without permission. Instead, Brave private web browser blocks traditional, obtrusive advertising, and allows users to support their favourite publishers with micropayments.

These micropayments are blockchain-based tokens (called the Basic Attention Token, or BAT).

If you choose to view an advertisement, then you’re rewarded with tokens.

Content creators (such as me!) can then be rewarded by Brave users for good content.

Go ahead and try it. I’m signed up as a Brave content producer, so you can tip me!

Brave is now my browser of choice on mobile, and once Chrome-based extension sync is implemented, I’ll be using it as my primary browser on Desktop too.

How much does it cost?

Brave is free to download and use.

How can I get it?

Visit the Brave website to download the Brave browser for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android or iOS.

You can also follow @Brave on Twitter, or visit the Brave Software Facebook page.

You Might Also Be Interested In

Why use a strong password?
Friday Favourite – Just Delete Me
The Dark Web and Keeping MSP Clients Safe – TubbTalk #47

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You do not want to miss DattoCon19 Paris!

Are you attending DattoCon19 Paris this year?

I’ll be in Paris this year, and I won’t be alone! DattoCon has quickly established a reputation as being the conference for European IT Solution Providers and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to attend.

Over 750+ MSPs, IT Solution Providers and industry leaders from across 20 countries are expected to be in attendance. It’s an event you do not want to miss!

What’s happening at DattoCon19 Paris?

I attended DattoCon18 Barcelona last year, and it’s fair to say that the event received rave reviews. The Datto team put together a great event. It was full of practical, real-world learning opportunities for IT business owners.

This year, at DattoCon19 Paris, we’re promised 3 days of training sessions and speakers. This will include executive keynotes, technical product training, and peer forums.

You can expect to hear from industry experts like Robin Robins, MSP marketing expert, and Magnus Lindkvist, one of the world’s leading futurologists. To get a feel for what to expect, check out Magnus’ book Everything We Know is Wrong: The Trend Spotters Handbook 

The DattoCon19 Paris sessions are geared toward decision-makers and leaders. Therefore, these sessions are for you if you’re interested in further developing business strategy, operational processes, and growth initiatives.

If you’re an Autotask user, then DattoCon19 Paris is the new home for Autotask Community Live. The event becomes a 2-in-1 gathering of the Datto and Autotask user communities.

In addition to the main conference, there will be opportunities to attend Boot Camp sessions for you or your colleagues.

The deep dive pre-conference training including t

the Autotask PSA Accelerator Boot Camp
Datto RMM Boot Camp
Networking Technologies Boot Camp
BCDR Ransomware Recovery Boot Camp.

I know plenty of IT business leaders who bring members of their team to take advantage of these Boot Camps. They’re a great opportunity to get your team trained up by the experts.

Business Networking at DattoCon19

But as I’ve so often said before, the real value in these events is not just the speakers and sessions. It’s the conversations that you have over drinks. The people you meet in the hallways. The vendors you meet in the exhibition hall.

All credit to Datto. Rob Rae (vice president of business development) and his team at Datto have recognised this and excelled with the networking aspect of DattoCon19 Paris. This is an event that gives you the time and actively encourages you to mingle with your peers and build new relationships. Rob says that “Providing our partners across Europe with access and opportunity to network with other partners is important for helping them to build distinct competitive advantages, new revenue opportunities, and efficiency gains.”

I interviewed Rob last year for my podcast to hear What the Datto and Autotask Merger Means for MSPs Worldwide. Check out that interview in TubbTalk #26.

The value of networking at DattoCon19 Paris is not to be underestimated. I’ve spoken to many MSP leaders who were in two minds about making the investment in attending this type of event. After they had made the trip, it was a revelation to them. In terms of the feedback I hear from attendees, it is often along the lines of “I picked up so many ideas from fellow attendees”.

Check out my tips on 3 Ways to Succeed At Networking before attending the event.

How Can I attend DattoCon19 Paris?

DattoCon19 Paris takes place on 21st-23rd October 2019 at the beautiful Palais des congrès de Paris, 2 Place de la Porte Maillot, 75017 Paris, France.

The Palais des congrès de Paris is an amazing venue with superb conference facilities that need to be seen to be appreciated.

You can register for DattoCon19 Paris at https://paris.dattocon.com/. Tickets costs €299.

Conclusion

Spending time out of the office is a big ask for any MSP owner. The rewards of attending the right events are rich.

I used events like DattoCon to help me accelerate the growth of my own MSP business.

DattoCon19 Paris has established itself as a must-attend event on the European MSP calendar.

I hope to see you there!

Are you going along? Leave a comment below or get in touch so that we can say hello in person in Paris!

You Might Also Be Interested In

From CentraStage to Datto: One Cloud-based RMM’s Journey – TubbTalk #46
Live from Dattocon Barcelona 2018: What’s New for You – TubbTalk #45
The 2019 List of Awesome Events for MSPs

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Yolt – Control Your Personal Finances

Every Friday 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 Yolt – Control Your Personal Finances.

What is it?

Yolt is an app that helps you track and control your personal finances.

How can it help me?

If you’re a small business owner, then I’ve written before about how to get to grip on your small business finances with a weekly financial report.

But one huge area that business owners overlook is tracking and controlling their personal finances.

To set business growth goals, you need to know how much you need to earn to cover your personal outgoings.

This is where Yolt can help you control your personal finances.

Yolt is an app that tracks your spending. It helps you set budgets and stay on track.

Yolt is the brainchild of ING Bank N.V.

To begin, you securely connect Yolt to your personal bank accounts, savings account, credit cards, investments and pensions.

Yolt has bank-level security measures, meaning your data is protected. If you’re comfortable using online banking, then you’ll be comfortable using Yolt.

Once your accounts are connected, Yolt then automatically keeps track of your spending and your saving. The app gives you suggestions to control your personal finances.

I personally use Yolt on a daily basis to take an at-a-glance look at all of the balances in my personal accounts. It instantly shows me how much money I have — and that I owe — without me having to open any other banking or credit card apps.

How much does it cost?

Yolt is free to use.

How can I get it?

Yolt is available for Android and iOS devices.

To install the Yolt app, visit the Yolt homepage.

You can also visit the Yolt Facebook page, follow @GetYolt on Twitter, or follow Yolt on LinkedIn.

You Might Also Be Interested In

OneDox – The Digital Dashboard for Household Admin
Plum – Save Money Automatically using Facebook Messenger
Cleo – Your A.I. friend that looks after your money

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How To Boost MSP Operational Efficiency – Live Video

If you run an IT Solution Provider or Managed Service Provider (MSP) business, you want to do things faster, better and cheaper than your competition. But what do you need to do to actually achieve these boosts in MSP operational efficiency?

That’s the topic that we’ll be tackling in our next MSP live video session, taking place on September 19th at 4 pm GMT!

MSP Operational Efficiency

On September 19th, hosted by our friends at Avast Business, we’ll be live from the studios at the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

I’ll be hosting a live video panel discussion focusing on the topic of running an MSP effectively.

How can you boost MSP operational efficiency? What systems does it really take to run your MSP business successful?

We’re going to be digging into the processes that help separate the best MSPs from the rest.

Some of the topics we will be covering include:-

Learn how to set goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) for all areas of your business.
Effectively find and onboard customers.
Provide efficient Service Delivery through automation.
Understand how you can drive down operational costs.

The MSP Expert Panel

If you’ve watched one of our previous live video sessions, such as How to offer awesome MSP Endpoint Protection, then you’ll know these are lively, very interactive events!

I’ll be discussing MSP operational efficiency with a panel of Managed Services experts, including:-

Tracy Pound – Managing Director of Maximity, and an international speaker, trainer, advocate for diversity in tech.
Fiona Challis – The Channel enablement & MSP sales expert.
Robert Gibbons – Head of Managed Services at Evaris.

Our expert panel will be answering your questions on all aspects of running an MSP, from sales and marketing to service delivery and operations.

So get your questions ready now! We’ll be answering them live on air.

How to join the live video

The MSP operational efficiency live video will take place on September 19th at 4 pm GMT (12 pm EST).

To register to watch the video, visit the Avast Business BrightTalk website.

If you can’t make the live video, then register anyway and you’ll be able to watch the recording of our sessions – along with all the other MSP videos we’ve recorded – on-demand!

What question would you ask of our panel of live experts? Leave a comment below or get in touch!

You Might Also Be Interested In

Social Media for MSPs – Live Video
Cloud DNS Protection – Avast Secure Web Gateway
Best Practices for Running a Successful MSP – Live Video

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SwiftKey – Smart Keyboard with AutoCorrect

Every Friday 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 SwiftKey – Smart Keyboard with AutoCorrect.

What is it?

SwiftKey is a Smart Keyboard that you can install on your Smartphone or tablet.

How can it help me?

Learning to touch-type on a physical keyboard was one of the best decisions I ever made for my personal productivity.

Combine that with learning keyboard shortcuts (using tools such as KeyRocket) and your desktop or laptop productivity can rocket!

However, most of our typing is now done via Smartphone or tablet devices.

How can you increase your productivity when typing on these devices?

SwiftKey is a smart keyboard with autocorrect. It learns your writing style and uses more accurate autocorrect and text prediction. This helps you get things typed faster and more effectively.

SwiftKey was developed by a London-based company called TouchType Ltd. Microsoft acquired SwiftKey in February 2016.

I use SwiftKey on both my Android Smartphone and my iPad. I’ve connected SwiftKey to my Google Mail, Facebook and Twitter accounts. This enables SwiftKey to learn what I type — include sentences, phrases and even emojis — and predict them, or autocorrect them for me.

SwiftKey also spots misspellings, missed spaces and missed letters and autocorrects them.

You can also type in five languages, concurrently, on SwiftKey. You don’t need to change settings to do this.

If you don’t enjoy tapping to type, SwiftKey also allows you to swipe instead. You can slide from letter to letter and SwiftKey will predict what you are “typing”.

In short, SwiftKey is a Smart Keyboard. It is a vast improvement on the standard on-screen keyboards that are provided with Smartphones and Tablets.

How much does it cost?

SwiftKey is free to download and use.

How can I get it?

SwiftKey is available for Android and iOS devices.

To download the SwiftKey app, you can visit the SwiftKey homepage.

You can also visit the SwiftKey Facebook page, or follow @SwiftKey on Twitter.

You Might Also Be Interested In

What is GTD and how it helps with productivity
How To Use “Predictive Text” in Microsoft Word
The joys of communication

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Why You Should Make Your Bed Every Day

When people ask me how they can become more productive, I give people the advice “You should make your bed every day”.

And they look at me, bemused.

The next question is inevitably “Why?”

Are you a procrastinator?

Well, I’m the world’s biggest procrastinator. If I can put off doing something, I will. In fact, rather than write this blog post, I started to make a cup of tea and answer emails — until I gave myself a proverbial slap and started writing.

Even then, I answered a phone call from my friend Phylip Morgan. I’m not making this up. I actually discussed this article I was writing, rather than actually, you know… write the article!

If you’re a procrastinator too, then making your bed each day may just set you on the road to productivity.

Reasons to make your bed every day

I first became aware of the idea of habit stacking from a commencement speech. It was delivered by Navy Seal Admiral William McRaven.

During this speech, Adm. McRaven shared the ten lessons he learned during Seal training.

One of these lessons was making his bed every day.

“It seemed a bit ridiculous” he shares, “but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven many times over”.

If you make your bed every day, you’ve accomplished a task.

Once you’ve accomplished one task, it gives you the momentum to accompany another task.

And if you have a rubbish day, then you will still come home to a bed that is made.

You’ll have accomplished at least one thing that day!

Habit Stacking

This idea of building momentum is powerful.

While on the aforementioned procrastination telephone call to Phylip Morgan, discussing writing this article (rather than writing it), Phyl shared with me that he also subscribes to this bed-making theory.

“It’s all about habit stacking” he went on.

Habit stacking is an idea to overcome procrastination.

I’ve written before on 3 ways to build better habits immediately.

Habit stacking is the act of building a number of small habits.

Often, we procrastinate because getting started is difficult.

So, if we can make getting started very simple, then we build momentum to do more.

For instance, when he’s travelling (which as the head of Continuum EMEA, he does often) Phylip tells me that he’ll do anything to avoid getting some exercise and going for a run each morning when he wakes up.

So, before he goes to bed, Phyl sets out his running shoes. When he wakes up, it’s very simple to put them on.

And if he’s got his running shoes on, then he may as well walk to the hotel reception (habit number two).

And if he’s in reception, well, he may as well go for his run (habit number three).

By breaking the big task of going for a run into smaller, bite-sized tasks, Phyl has overcome his procrastinating when trying to decide to go for a run.

Conclusion

If you want to have a more productive day, make your bed.

Not when you feel like it, but every day.

If you start to make your bed every day, you’ll build a habit – and then make your day every day whether you feel like it or not.

The act of making your bed will give you the momentum to complete other small tasks that day.

All of those small tasks add up to a day where you’ve achieved things.

And even if you have a rubbish day, when you get home you’ll have a nicely made bed to go to sleep in!

What small habits have you built that enable you to get more done? Leave a comment below or get in touch.

While you’re here, why not check out…

Action for Happiness – An Action Coach in Your Pocket
Productivity, Healthy Habits and Getting Things Done – TubbTalk #50
Mastering the Rockefeller Habits – Advice for increasing the value of your IT business

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The Tech Tribe – An Awesome Community for MSPs

As an IT Solution Provider or Managed Service Provider (MSP), where do you hang out to ask for help and learn from your peers?

I’ve written before about the power of peer learning. My article 3 good reasons to attend your local user group meeting is one that I regularly share with MSPs who are wanting to accelerate their growth.

I sold my own MSP business back in 2011. I attribute a large part of the success of that business to what I learned from my peers. As the saying goes “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together“.

Since I sold my MSP business in 2011, I’ve been working to help the owners of other MSPs to grow their businesses.

I’ve worked with hundreds of MSPs over these past few years. Business owners ask me the question, again and again, “When are you going to start your own member community?”

A Community for MSPs

I’ve always deflected the question of starting a community for MSPs because I know that running an online member community is really hard work. With my speaking, writing books, articles and producing my Podcast — frankly, I don’t know where I’d find the time to run a community.

Nevertheless, I continuously hear the desire from the MSPs I work with for a strong online community.

So when I was introduced to The Tech Tribe, you could say that I was intrigued.

Nigel Moore, Founder of The Tech Tribe

Around 18 months ago, an Australian chap called Nigel Moore reached out to me.

Nigel explained that before selling it, he had run his own very successful MSP business in Sydney, Australia.

After selling the business, Nigel created The Tech Tribe — his vision of an online community for MSPs — and would I be interested in taking a look around?

Intrigued, I joined The Tech Tribe and lurked for a while.

After a few weeks, Nigel asked me for my feedback on the Tribe.

My response was glowing. I told Nigel that “If I were to build an online MSP community, I’d want it to look like The Tech Tribe“.

So what makes The Tech Tribe so damn good?

What is The Tech Tribe?

The Tech Tribe is a paid, members-only online community for MSPs.

I can honestly say that it is a resource that I wish I had when I was running my own MSP all those years ago!

The Tech Tribe has three main parts:

Templates and resources for MSPs, such as agreements, contracts, etc.
Training and education on how to run a better MSP business
Access to an online forum that enables MSPs to help and be helped by their peers from across the globe

All of the resources of The Tech Tribe are accessed through an online portal.

The quality of the resources — such as agreements and contract templates — is nothing short of best-in-class. The documents are beautifully created, customisable templates that any MSP can use to improve their business.

The Tech Tribe – Managed Services Agreement Template

The training materials that are provided are equally high quality. There are dozens of high-quality videos.

But Nigel is not alone in providing advice and guidance. Experts from the world of Managed Services (who have been there and done that) are known as Tribal Elders.

These Elders create masterclasses and workshops that explain specific subjects to MSPs.

You can find everything from sales and marketing advice, through to how to improve your service delivery, plus much more.

These two sets of resources alone — the templates and the training — would be enough for me to recommend The Tech Tribe.

But the real jewel in The Tech Tribe crown is the online peer forums.

The Tech Tribe Forums

We’ve all accessed online forums for MSPs, such as those hosted on Facebook, LinkedIn and Reddit.

Finding golden nuggets in these forums can be difficult. These nuggets are often drowned out by the sheer noise generated.

The culture of these forums can also be a little less than… supportive. The Wild West comes to mind.

Such is the nature of free forums.

Where The Tech Tribe online forum differs is that there is a genuine community spirit of helping one another.

Let me offer an example of this spirit. I’ve not seen a single forum post that has had to be moderated in the last twelve months of being a Triber.

The Tech Tribe draws good people together, who share a spirit of co-operation and collaboration. Tribers can ask questions without fear of being attacked.  You can have a high level of confidence in getting great quality feedback.

I’ll say it again – if I were to build a  membership site, The Tech Tribe is what I’d want it to look like.

Which is exactly why I’ve made The Tech Tribe my home.

Joining The Tech Tribe

Full disclosure: I’m a tech investor, and I am an advisor to The Tech Tribe. I have a vested interest in the businesses success. Selfishly, though, I chose to work with Nigel and his team specifically because I want to be a part of something extremely cool.

So, I’ve now joined Nigel Moore in working within The Tech Tribe business to make it THE online community for MSPs who want to grow and thrive.

You can find me in The Tech Tribe forums on a daily basis. I, along with our other Tribal Elders, answer questions from members and help MSPs overcome their challenges.

Each month, I also co-host a Tribal Gathering — a live online question and answer session where Tribal members can learn from me and other experts on how to accelerate their business growth.

Since the start of the year, all of my existing MSP coaching clients have joined The Tech Tribe, and I’m no longer taking ongoing coaching clients on.

The reason? By joining The Tech Tribe, MSPs can have a similar level of access to me, plus many other MSP experts. Members can also gain access to a ton of additional resources, all for a monthly price that makes it accessible to any MSP — not just those who are already experiencing great success.

If you join The Tech Tribe, then your membership is on a monthly basis and there is no minimum commitment.

This is a community that is accessible to all.

The Tech Tribe is my new home in the MSP community, and you’re very welcome to join me there!

How To Join The Tech Tribe

At the time of writing, over 300 MSPs have expressed an interest in joining The Tech Tribe.

Rather than allow a flood of new members in one go, which may affect the quality of the Tribe, we’ve been directing people towards a waiting list.

We’re now opening the Tribal doors to allow new members.

Click here to find out more about The Tech Tribe, and if you do end up joining us, send me a screenshot of your receipt and I’ll send you a copy of my latest book, The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide, as a bonus gift.

Conclusion

Running an MSP business is a tough gig. You need help.

The Tech Tribe provides that help, through world-class resources and templates, access to industry experts, and an online peer forum that is genuinely helpful and supportive.

I’ve made The Tech Tribe my home. You can make the Tribe your home too.

I hope you’ll join Nigel, myself and the rest of the Tribe to find out more!

Do you have any questions about The Tech Tribe? Leave a comment below or get in touch — I’d be happy to help.

You Might Also Be Interested In

The List of Awesome Events for MSPs
The List of Channel Trade Publications for UK IT Companies
Book – The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide

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BackBlaze – Unlimited Online Backup

Every Friday 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 BackBlaze – Unlimited Online Backup.

What is it?

BackBlaze is an online backup service that offers low-cost, unlimited online backup.

How can it help me?

Many of us now store our data in cloud services, such as pCloud – All your files with you, anywhere you go.

But many more of us, myself included, have huge amounts of data that they need to store locally on their laptop, desktop or server computer.

Keeping your data safe is very important. I’ve written on how to protect the data on your laptop or mobile device.

BackBlaze has become my preferred service for unlimited online backup. It replaced CrashPlan, which had become clunky and too expensive.

It offers unlimited online backup of your Mac or PC for a monthly flat-fee.

The installation routine is very simple, and you don’t have to select the files you want to backup — BackBlaze backups everything up on your PC or Mac and stores it in the Cloud.

Restoring your backed up data is very simple too. You can download individual files or folders from a web interface.

You can even use BackBlaze to locate your computer if it is lost or stolen.

Plus, if you need to restore all of your data, you can ask BackBlaze to send you a hard drive pr USB flash drive with your data on it.

For Managed Service Providers (MSPs), BackBlaze also offers a business version.

How much does it cost?

BackBlaze personal plans start at $6 per month.

How can I get it?

Click here to start a free trial for BackBlaze Unlimited Backup.

You can also visit the BackBlaze Facebook page, or follow @BackBlaze on Twitter.

You Might Also Be Interested In

How Cloud Backup Software Helps MSPs and Their Customers – TubbTalk #30
Why your MSP business should offer Offsite Data Backup to clients
The Lessons I Learned from Losing my Laptop Computer

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Keepabl – Powerful Compliance-as-a-Service for MSPs

Does your IT Solution Provider or Managed Service Provider (MSP) business offer Compliance-as-a-Service to your clients?

With the advent of GDPR, compliance has become a hot topic for IT businesses.

Many view GDPR (and compliance as a whole) as a pain that they have to deal with.

I view compliance as an opportunity for MSPs that you can seize upon.

So when I became aware of Keepabl — a solution which offers compliance-as-a-service for MSPs, I was intrigued to find out more.

What is Keepabl?

Keepabl is a Business-to-Business (B2B) tool. It is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that helps Small and Medium (SME) sized businesses with their compliance.

In a nutshell, the Keepabl solution is a governance and service platform. It helps businesses become compliant (and very importantly, stay compliant) with GDPR and other data regulations.

Full disclosure — I’m an advisor to Keepabl. The reason I’m invested in this platform is that it is exceptionally MSP-friendly, as you’ll see in the video demo’s I’ve recorded with Keepabl CEO, Robert Baugh, below.

Whether MSPs want to deal with GDPR (and other such regulations) or not, your clients expect you to be involved in the GDPR process.

If you don’t offer clients GDPR assistance, then they will seek that advice elsewhere. This gives your competitors an opportunity to get a foot in the door to talk to your clients.

But if you embrace helping clients with their compliance issues, then you are becoming a pioneer in an area that I believe all MSPs are destined to move into.

The opportunity of GDPR for MSPs

As MSP-owner Richard Whybra recently shared in my live video on Best Practices for running a successful MSP, GDPR is changing clients views on cyber-security.

Yet despite this position impact, most MSPs consider GDPR to be a pain in the bum. Something they have to deal with!

I see GDPR as an opportunity for MSPs to pivot themselves into providing business advice (as opposed to just technical advice) to their clients.

In this excerpt from our video, Keepabl CEO Robert Baugh and I discuss the opportunity of GDPR for MSPs.

 

The Future of Managed Services and GDPR

I believe (and I’m not alone!) that the future of Managed Services is less to do with managing technology and more to do with how you can help your clients implement strong business processes.

That future is here, now, thanks to the opportunity provided by GDPR.

In this excerpt, Robert Baugh and I discuss the future of Managed Services and GDPR.

MSPs are going to be dealing with GDPR

Whether your Managed Service Provider business wants to deal with GDPR or tries to avoid it, your clients will expect you to help them with their GDPR responsibilities.

In this excerpt, Robert Baugh and I discuss how MSPs are going to be dealing with GDPR.

Demo of the Keepabl Platform

I recorded a full demo of the Keepabl platform with Keepabl CEO, Robert Baugh.

As well as looking at how Keepabl can work for MSPs and their clients, Robert and I discuss where we see the MSP industry headed.

Spoiler — it’s not managing technology, but managing business process.

Conclusion

The future of the Managed Service industry lies in MSPs helping their clients to do things faster, better and cheaper.

This will mean that MSPs have to pivot from a focus on technology, to a focus on helping their clients with stronger business processes.

GDPR is not a pain to be dealt with by MSPs, but an opportunity to be seized upon.

The Keepabl platform enables MSPs to offer Privacy-as-a-Service to their clients and begin that journey from being “the IT guy” into being the trusted business advisor that everyone MSP strives to be.

I’d encourage you to visit Keepabl.com and find out more about its compliance-as-a-service platform.

You can contact Keepabl CEO Robert Baugh on Twitter @RJBaugh.

How are you dealing with GDPR for your clients? What are the hurdles you’re finding with helping clients with GDPR? Get in touch or leave a comment below!

You Might Also Be Interested In

The Dark Web and Keeping MSP Clients Safe – TubbTalk #47
Webinar – Selling MSP Services: Using Security as a Sales Tool
Norse Attack Map – Real-Time Cyber-Attack Map

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Franz – Combine Your Messaging Services Into One App

Every Friday 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 Franz – Combine Your Messaging Services Into One App.

What is it?

Franz is a desktop app that allows you to combine all your messaging and chat services into one window.

How can it help me?

Most of us are overwhelmed with emails nowadays. I’ve written about My Experiment in reducing my emails by a quarter.

One powerful way to reduce emails arriving in your inbox is to use messaging tools such as WhatsApp or Telegram.  I also recommend using collaboration tools such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

These instant messaging apps are much more suited to electronic conversations than email and can help you become more productive.

But if you’re anything like me, working with multiple teams across multiple clients, you end up with dozens of different message service logins. It can become a bit overwhelming!

What’s more, some services — such as Microsoft Teams — don’t currently allow multiple concurrent logins to different teams. That means to stay current on all your messages, you have to log out of one team to log in to another. Frustrating.

Franz (named after the former Emperor of Austria) allows you to combine a number of messaging apps into a single app.

The messaging apps it can help you combine include:-

WhatsApp
Facebook Messenger
Slack
Telegram
Microsoft Teams

… plus many more.

The Franz app allows you to add multiple instances of each service. I use Franz so that I can use stay connected with multiple clients, each using different Microsoft Teams instances. Franz allows me to have all of these instances in a single window, without having to log in and log out to switch between them.

In short, Franz allows you to bring all those different instant messaging and team collaboration apps under one window. This will reduce the time you spend opening and closing windows and logging in and out of services.

How much does it cost?

Franz is free to use for unlimited services.

A Franz Premium service, costing 4 Euros per month, reduces delays and adds functionality.

How can I get it?

Franz is available for Windows, Apple Mac and Linux.

Visit the Franz Homepage for more details.

You can also follow @FranzMessenger on Twitter.

Thanks to Jeremy Epstein of Never Stop Marketing for sharing Franz with me!

You Might Also Be Interested In

FireChat – Off the Grid Instant Messaging
My Experiment in using the Telephone instead of E-Mail
Sanebox – Email Management Software

The post Franz – Combine Your Messaging Services Into One App appeared first on Richard Tubb.