This week, host James Kernan speaks with David Sims, founder of Security First IT, regarding navigating HIPAA from the lens of MSP business ownership. About David Sims Since 1998, David is an experienced IT and cybersecurity professional who specializes in healthcare security and compliance. With over two decades of hands-on experience, he founded Security First IT to provide advanced solutions tailored to healthcare providers and small to medium-sized practices, ensuring they stay secure...

Returning to the podcast, host James sat down with Tim Fitzpatrick from Rialto Marketing. Topics include defining your processes, establishing your onboarding, and identifying your competitive advantage in the markets you serve. About Tim Fitzpatrick Tim is the President of Rialto Marketing, a company that provides marketing consulting, advisory, and outsourced or fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) services. Rialto Marketing specializes in helping B2B professional service firms...

Christopher Barber - Cheaper Than a Geek https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherjbarber/ Host Karl had a great chat with Christopher Barber from Cheaper Than a Geek in Maryland. Topics include networking for client attraction, and using Chambers of Commerce to spread a wide net that brings in new clients for decades.  Chris got involved in his local chamber and worked his way up to being involved at the state and federal levels. Chris tells how he stumbled at first, with the local chamber,...

Hosts James and Amy sit down this week to discuss difficult situations where the customer will not take your prosposal or recommendation   1.) MSP Question of the week:  What happens if you customer won't take your recommendation? --- 2.) Notes On The News  Safety around AI: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/29/tech/newsom-california-ai-safety-bill/index.html Warnings about Free/Public Wi-fi in airports: ...

  Hosts James and Amy discuss pricing and the question around discounts for certain clients.   1.) MSP Question of the week:  Should you discount your price to win the deal?   " The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of a cheap price is forgotten." - Benjamin Franklin – --- 2.) Notes On The News  The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has announced a provisional decision to impose a fine of £6.09M ($7.74 million) on Advanced Computer Software Group...

Hosts Amy Babinchak and James Kernan discuss the struggles of recruiting and what key qualities to look for when recruiting good people. 1.) MSP Question of the Week: When struggling with recruiting, how do you find good people/talent? --- 2.) Notes On The News  ConnectWise Expands MSP Platform with Acquisitions of Axcient and SkyKick, Strengthening Data Protection and Cloud Management   Microsoft will begin force-upgrading Windows 11 22H2 systems to version 23H2 starting October...

Host James Kernan discussses security offerings, specifically looking at offering vCISO services as part of your cyber security stack. 1.) MSP Question of the Week: Should you offer vCISO services? ---  2.) 5 Minutes with a Smart Person Host James Kernan sits down with Charlene Ignacio, CEO of Fornix Marketing, to discuss being strategic about M&A discussions. --- 3.) Notes On The News  Chris Day, founder of ScalePad, has taken over as CEO, focusing on creating an integrated suite...

Host Karl Palachuk caught up with Dor Eisner, CEO of Guardz. Right off the bat, Eisner points out the reason enterprise cybersecurity attacks are different from those focused on small business. Like it or not, most of the attacks that work against SMB clients will not work against larger enterprises. Eisner discusses the toolsets that are built specifically to attack small businesses, and marketed that way on the dark web. Assuming you don't want to spend time browsing the dark web, it's...

Host James Kernan sits down with an exclusive interview with Tim Fitzpatrick, President of Rialto Marketing. Founded in 2012, Tim created Rialto with the vision of having a positive lasting impact on the businesses they work with. Tim believes there are three (3) critical elements of marketing: strategy, planning, and leadership. Having a passion for developing and growing businesses has allowed Tim and Rialto Marketing to accomplish groundbreaking marketing campaigns over the years.   ...

Hosts James Kernan and Amy Babinchak kick off this week's episode with topics regarding big wins, Windows 10 End of Life, and an exclusive interview with Tim Fitzpatrick 1.) MSP Question of the Week: Can you share some big wins? Hosts James Kernan and Amy Babinchak sit down and discuss various successes and wins with clients over the years. ---  2.) 5 Minutes with a Smart Person Host James Kernan interviews Tim Fitzpatrick, the President of Rialto Marketing. Rialto provides marketing...

Hosts James Kernan and Amy Babinchak kick off this week's episode with topics regarding big wins, Windows 10 End of Life, and an exclusive interview with Tim Fitzpatrick 1.) MSP Question of the Week: Can you share some big wins? Hosts James Kernan and Amy Babinchak sit down and discuss various successes and wins with clients over the years. ---  2.) 5 Minutes with a Smart Person Host James Kernan interviews Tim Fitzpatrick, the President of Rialto Marketing. Rialto provides marketing...

1.) The MSP Question of The Week - Do you have an entry level MSP offering? This week, James Kernan and Amy Babinchak sit down to discuss entry level MSP offerings. Does your company offer one? Hear James and Amy speak about the benefits and drawbacks that an entry-level MSP offering can have on your business. ---  2.) Notes on the News Discussion on Olympics: Athletics abilities Media giant TikTok’s response to the U.S. ban decision.  CNN article:...

Host James Kernan sits down with Kevin Lancaster and Matt Solomon of Channel Program, a platform designed to unify the IT Channel industry. Kevin Lancaster and Matt Solomon are the co-founders of Channel Program, a platform designed to unify the IT Channel industry. Kevin Lancaster has a strong background in the channel technology space. He previously served as the CEO of ID Agent, a cybersecurity company, which he grew significantly before its acquisition by Kaseya. Matt Solomon also has...

Host Karl got together with Jamie Levy, Director of Adversary Tactics from Huntress.  Jamie is also a longtime researcher, developer and board member of the Volatility Foundation. She has worked over 15 years in the digital forensics industry, conducting investigations as well as building out software solutions.  We got together to discuss the Huntress 2024 Threat Report. Download here: ...

Host James Kernan sits down with Baxter Lanius to discuss automating customer payments using the software tool, Alternative Payments. At Alternative Payments, their mission is to lower the barrier and make smarter payments accessible to one and all. More in-depth, Alternative Payments provides offline businesses the opportunity to participate in online transactions - enabling merchants to accept credit cards, ACH, and B2B PNPL, while accessing powerful reporting and analytics all-in-one. ...

Host James Kernan sits down with Dustin Puryear to discuss sales and marketing for MSP's. Dustin Puryear is indeed a prominent figure in the tech world. As the founder of Puryear IT, he leads a team dedicated to leveraging technology to enhance business operations. His expertise is widely recognized, with contributions to well-known publications like Windows Magazine and CIO.com. Additionally, he’s been featured in interviews on Federal News Radio and Microsoft Podcasts. Dustin’s...

Host James Kernan sits down with Larry Garcia to discuss the EOS compatible and reporting collaboration tool known as Strety.  Larry Garcia is the co-founder of Strety, a company that provides a Business Operating System Software (BOSS) designed to help companies improve their operational efficiency. Strety focuses on key performance indicators (KPIs), goal setting, and project management. Garcia has written about various topics related to employee engagement and effective team meetings,...

Hosts James Kernan and Amy Babinchak kick off this week's episode with topics regarding project quotes, the Olympics, and an exclusive interview with Larry Garcia, founder of Strety. 1.) MSP Question of the Week: Should you quote hourly or fixed-fee for projects? Hosts James Kernan and Amy Babinchak sit down and discuss the different strategies to pricing as it relates to scalable projects for clients. ---  2.) 5 Minutes with a Smart Person Host James Kernan interviews Larry Garcia,...

Host James Kernan sits down with Jason Miller, founder and CEO of BitLyft Cybersecurity, for an exclusive interview.  As the founder, Jason has dedicated his 20-year IT career, including co-founding SaaS pioneer Reviora, to removing cybersecurity barriers for mid-sized enterprises. Establishing BitLyft in 2016, Jason set out to unburden security teams with innovative, approachable, and affordable solutions, a vision which has made BitLyft a respected managed detection and response...

1.) The MSP Question of The Week - How did Crowdstrike affect you? This week, James Kernan sits down with Charlene Ignacio, CEO of Fornix Marketing. James addresses the security concern, "Isn't Security 101 eliminating the single point of failure? ". Listen as James and Charlene discuss the aftermath of the Crowdstrike outage. ---  2. ) Notes on the News Reuters article: ...

1.) Interview with Mandy Teply of the Fit Method. Hear how health and fitnes in the workplace can help with motivation and productivity. ---  Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200!! SMBTechfest Q4 - Irvine, CA - October 17-18 www.smbtechfest.com Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting...

1.) Interview with Rob Scott, co-founder of Monjur Contracts-as-a-service legal solutions ---  Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200!! SMBTechfest Q4 - Irvine, CA - October 17-18 www.smbtechfest.com Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now: https://mailchi.mp/thirdtier/small-business-tech-news Kernan Consulting “Weekly Tips”!  Sign up...

1.) The MSP Question of The Week Where do you draw the line with Cyber Security?      ---  2.) Notes On The News  We talk: Cyber Security Insurance Rates and June's Auto Dealership Hack.  Reuters Article: https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/cyber-insurance-rates-fall-businesses-improve-security-report-says-2024-06-30/ ---  Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to...

1.) The MSP Question of The Week When is the best time to sell your MSP? ---  2.) Notes On The News  We talk: June's Auto Dealership Hack and Pax8 Beyond Event.  ---  Our upcoming events and more: MASTERMIND LIVE – Denver, CO – Sept 26-27th http://bit.ly/kernanmastermind  Use “EARLYBIRD” as the coupon code to save $200!! SMBTechfest Q4 - Irvine, CA - October 17-18 www.smbtechfest.com Check out Amy’s weekly newsletter!  Sign up now:...