Tubbservatory Round-Up #11 – November 2022

Tubbservatory Round-Up – Tools and Resources for Your MSP

Each week Richard throws a spotlight on five resources Managed Service Provider (MSPs) business owners should take note of in the IT industry. The Tubbservatory is a weekly video broadcast featuring useful articles, podcasts and events that bring value to IT business owners.

Tubbservatory Round-Up #11 – November 2022 is a collection of all of the Tubbservatory broadcasts made in the month of November. It’s edited together for you to watch at your convenience. The items are summarised below, with links to the resources mentioned in the video.

This month’s topics include: sales and marketing, cybersecurity, M&As and MSP websites.

Tubbservatory: The November 2022 Round-Up Video

Tubbservatory Round-Up #11: November – Week 1

#1 What is IT Process Automation? And what are the opportunities for MSPs?

Adi Pick of Atera gives a broad overview of ITPA and provides examples of where it can be applied in modern IT workflows.

ITPA is simply defined as any series of processes that use automation to perform repetitive tasks or workflows, which previously were handled by human staff.

With a 50% increase in uptake of AI solutions predicted by 2025, as well as a need to reduce costs in the current climate, ITPA could be a future consideration for your MSP.

#2 5 Ways to Convert Marketing Leads into Sales

Marketing strategies can be a big source of frustration for many SMBs.

So, this article from Smarter MSP’s Kendra Olney Lee highlights why some marketing leads fail to convert into sales, and what you can do to increase your conversion rate.

The section on how to increase MQL leads in a recession is particularly insightful.

This is well worth a read if you have found conversions difficult in the last few months.

#3 CompTIA ISAO: Tough Talk on Cybersecurity Series

A Youtube series that caught my eye recently is Tough Talk on Cybersecurity. In each episode CompTIA’s Wayne Selk talks to an expert on a different aspect of cybersecurity for their insights and tips.

In this episode he talks to Ann Westerheim about user awareness training. Others in the series include data backups and acceptable use/password policies for MSPs.

#4 Ofcom Turns its Attention to the Hyperscalers

Ofcom has expanded its remit under the Enterprise Act 2002 to investigate the public cloud and internet communications market.

In spite of the worsening economic climate, public cloud revenue continues to grow rapidly.

Cliff Saran of ComputerWeekly reports that one of the first areas it will assess is the strength of competition in cloud services.

This will largely impact on the big three: AWS, Azure and Google Cloud, and has far-reaching implications for this growing sector.

#5 Scientists Rethink Gene Names to Stop Excel from Misreading Them as Dates

As the human genome is made up of tens of thousands of genes, all with their own unique codes, it’s important that geneticists label them correctly in their research papers.

But recently several codes have had to be renamed because Microsoft Excel has been auto-converting them into a date format.

In an article written for The Verge, this has concerned the HUGO Genomic Nomenclature Committee so much, they’ve had to publish new guidelines for gene naming conventions.

Sometimes it’s easier to rewrite genetics than update Excel, writer James Vincent explains.

‘Sometimes it's easier to rewrite genetics than update Excel’ - @jjvincent Click to Tweet

Tubbservatory Round-Up #11 – November 2022-Richard Tubb-Blog Graphic

Tubbservatory Round-Up #11: November – Week 2

#1 Mark Copeman Joins Wingman MSP Marketing

I was delighted to hear that Mark Copeman, author of Helpdesk Habits and MSP Secrets Revealed, has recently joined forces with MSP marketing expert Dave Sutton as part of the Wingman MSP Marketing Team.

Mark has been collaborating with Dave on projects for the last twelve months and brings with him a ton of experience reviewing MSP websites, as well as his own industry marketing and public speaking experience.

I, for one, am very excited to see what comes next for this partnership.

#2 Linode Partners YouTube Channel

Cloud computing provider Linode have started a new YouTube channel for all of their partner-related content.

The Linode Partners channel is chock-full of great videos, including interviews, guides, event takeaways and their monthly partner roundups.

You should definitely subscribe and hit the notification bell, and, shameless plug, you can also catch my interview with James Steel in the featured interviews section.

#3 Pax8’s Whitepaper on Mergers and Acquisitions

It is, without doubt, one of the scariest things a business can go through, so any advice on the subject is welcome from those with experience and insight.

The whitepaper from Pax8’s Dominic Kirby, MSP Advice for Executing Mergers & Acquisitions, takes us through the initial analysis and planning, through to execution, and is a must-read for any MSP considering or about to undergo M&A.

#4 Chris Brogan: Use the Battle Pass Method to Win
Now, we’ve all heard of the concept of ‘gamification’, right? Well, Chris Brogan’s take on this is that we do it all the time subconsciously, so why not take a more structured approach and give yourself a reward when you complete a difficult or monotonous task?

The bigger the task, the bigger the reward. Tubbservatory Round-Up #11

It’s a great little productivity hack.

Need to make follow-up calls on a bunch of sales prospects?
Going to make at least three visits to the gym this week?
Completed your tax return for the quarter?

Well, give yourself a treat, you’ve earned it.

#5 CompTIA’s Benelux Community Meeting – 22nd November 2022

The CompTIA Benelux Community meeting took place on the 22nd of November, in Breda in the Netherlands.

As always, the one-day event was a chance to ask questions and network with peers, as well as listen to some great speakers and be part of engaging discussions.

Themes included for this meeting included: Women in Tech, Cybersecurity Trends, and a keynote from Hans Demeyer, Supplier of Optimism and Inspiration.

Tubbservatory Round-Up #11: November – Week 3

#1 Bring Them Back: Target Prospects and Clients with Remarketing

It can be disappointing when your carefully planned marketing brings visitors to your website but they go no further in discussing the potential for a sale.

97% of first-time website visitors are lost for good without buying your services or joining your marketing lists, says Zomentum’s Shannon Murphy in an article for Channel Futures.

Here, she provides practical tips on how to retarget content at three key audiences, enabling you to increase your chances at further sales.

97% of first-time website visitors are lost for good without buying your services or joining your marketing lists - @shannonkmurphy Click to Tweet

#2 The Top 12 Password-Cracking Techniques Used by Hackers

When it comes to security, there is often a case for implementing additional security that clients cannot immediately see the benefit of.

So, it’s worth being aware of the many ways hackers attempt to crack our passwords.

This article by Dale Walker, Managing Editor for IT Pro, says that weak or easily guessable passwords are a nightmare for cybersecurity experts.

It’s believed that as many as one in three of us use the same password for more than one account.

While some of the methods are immediately obvious, there are others here that may be less so. Forewarned is forearmed.

#3 Don’t List Your Services on Your MSP’s Website

Is the value of what you’re selling in how you solve problems for your clients, or how good your one-size-fits-all solution is in general?

Nate Freedman, CEO of Tech Pro Marketing, insists it’s the former, in this blog for SuperOps

He insists that you don’t need to create a complete catalogue of your services on your website, and instead should focus more on the language that connects with your customers.

“It’s about the ‘how’, not the ‘what’”, says Nate, “As an MSP you’re a problem solver, so act like it.”

#4 How the 1980s Changed IT Management

The 1980s was a critical turning point for businesses adopting computing technology for competitive advantage.

The decade saw the introduction of electronic mail, mobile phones, and the Windows operating system.

Tom Abram of Computing takes a nostalgic look back at this critical goldrush for IT businesses, which has some important lessons for future technological advances.

#5 Webinar: How to Ensure Cyber Threats are Not Already in Your Network

On the 25th of November, Cybersecurity Solution experts Acronis hosted a webinar: How to ensure that cyber threats are not already in your network.

This hour-long virtual event revealed how attackers breach companies and includes a live demo of how simple and effective ransomware attacks can be.

This is a must for any security-focused MSP, so watch the replay now.

Tubbservatory Round-Up #11: November – Week 4

#1 MSP Growth: 9 Things I Wish I’d Done Sooner – Pete Matheson

A video that caught my eye is MSP Growth: 9 Things I Wish I Did Earlier by MSP expert, Pete Matheson.

Pete shares the things he wishes he’d done sooner in his own MSP journey, and it makes for valuable viewing.

Things mentioned include:

Putting together a management team
Hiring a marketing apprentice
Sorting income into different accounts

These are the things that you often overlook when starting out as an entrepreneur for the first time. So they are well worth revisiting once you’re established.

#2 Uptime Solutions Presents Four Examples of Great MSP Websites

How does your MSP website shape up against those of other IT businesses?

The Uptime Solutions team have pulled together a useful list of examples of great MSP websites for you to look at.

For instance, Ed Green at TrueByte Tech has put together a simple but compelling site for visitors.

#3 Keepabl Announces Integration into UK ICO Accountability Framework

Privacy is top of mind for many SMEs, and so MSP privacy management software business Keepabl – which pitches itself as taking the “ARGH” out of GDPR – have recently integrated the UK ICO’s Accountability Framework into the Keepabl Solution.

The privacy solution’s CEO Robert Baugh reveals that it’s something Keepabl’s customers and consultants have wanted for a long time.

So, now they’ve gone and done it.

#4 Decline in Ransomware Victims Paying Hackers

News from the war on cybercrime, as Dev Kundaliya of Computing reports a recent decline in the number of ransomware victims paying hackers.

With many cybersecurity insurance companies paying out ransomware extortion money, would you recommend to your MSP clients to pay hackers or not?

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.

#5 The SuperOps MSP Awards: Honouring the Best in the MSP Industry

And finally, does your MSP business deserve a share of the $10,000 on offer in the MSP Awards by SuperOps?

I’ll be one of the judges for these awards, the categories of which include MSP Website of the Year, Best MSP Community Contributor, and more!

Links to the Resources Mentioned in this Round-Up

From Week 1

Mentioned in Week 2

Week 3

And Week 4

How You Can Help

That’s all from the Tubbservatory Round-Up for November 2022!

Do you know of a useful tool or resource that you think we might be interested in?

Please let us know in the comments.

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STEPHEN MCCORMICK

I'm the MSP Community Manager for Tubblog. A small business owner, technical writer and blogger, with 15 years experience in corporate IT. I frequently attend MSP peer groups and create content relevant to IT service providers and business owners.

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