November 18, 2021
Microsoft 365 Management and Security in 2022
What big moves can we expect from Microsoft in 2022? And how are savvy MSPs planning ahead?
Price hikes. Name changes. New offerings. Oh my. Keeping up with Microsoft is a full-time job these days. Luckily, we've got experts dropping by our next MSP Live Chat to help keep everyone in the loop.
Join us, CyberDrain's Kelvin Tegelaar, and others as we dive into the latest big announcements from Microsoft and talk modern approaches to M365 multi-tenant management and security.
Bonus: Kelvin will also be giving us a guided tour of his new project: CIPP, an open-source solution for M365 administration that you can check out here.
Materials
November 4, 2021
Creating a Strategic Growth Plan for 2022
Have big ambitions for 2022? What about a formalized plan for getting your MSP to where you want it to go?
For many MSPs, the past two years have been a heady mix of a) unprecedented challenges; and b) furious growth. What's separated the fastest growing shops from the rest? The majority have put themselves in the position to be more proactive and strategic than the competition.
To help you do the same, we're teaming up with Gradient MSP founder and channel veteran Colin Knox to talk strategic planning frameworks and share how to set your sights on the right targets and grow your MSP in 2022!
Don't miss your chance to:
- Hear Colin's approach to strategic planning that propelled his MSP to millions in ARR
- Grab a strategic planning template for establishing your own 2022 core objectives and KPIs
- Learn how to establish the right sales and marketing goals — and draft an action plan for hitting them
- Hear from your peers re: what hiring, operations, and sales initiatives they're planning for 2022
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October 14, 2021
MSP M&A: What Buyers Are Looking For
Don't miss your chance to hear MSP-focused investors share their buying criteria and answer a host of fantastic questions from the audience.
Whether you're contemplating an exit in two years or 10, knowing exactly what buyers are looking for can help you plan ahead and calibrate toward getting the best valuation possible. Better yet, even if an exit isn't on your mind at all, simply knowing this criteria can provide you with a blueprint for building a better, more profitable business.
This was a wonderfully candid discussion with MSP Corp co-founder Ravi Ramharak and CTO David Papp. We came away with a firm grasp of the following and more:
- The two primary types of buyers for MSPs
- What those buyers DO and DON'T want to see, including what tools they want to see in your tech stack
- What the buying process looks like
- The top factors that affect valuation
- Macro trends in MSP M&A, including heightened security scrutiny
- Top-performer benchmarks in terms of margins, staffing ratio, and more
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September 30, 2021
Selling Cybersecurity: Killer Do’s and Don’ts
Just in time for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, check out this expert-lead discussion on how you can cut through the all noise out there, better-position your offerings, elevate your customers' security postures, and increase your revenue.
Jennifer Bleam, owner of MSP Sales Revolution, and Sean Lardo, VP of Partner Development at OITVoIP, share a host of frameworks and tactics to help you with each stage of the sales process, from packaging and prospecting to closing the deal. And just as important, they’ll also be highlighting what NOT to do and the biggest mistakes they see made.
As a bonus, we also provide free resources and ideas you can swipe to take advantage of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. See below for links.
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September 16, 2021
Finding and Hiring the Best Techs
Are hiring changes holding back your MSP's growth?
If so, you're not alone. Many IT businesses are having trouble filling open positions amid a tight labor market. Not to mention facing new competition from large MSPs who have ramped up hiring remote techs from smaller, more affordable markets.
Want to know how you can win this latest war for top talent and snag the right hires? Watch this takeaway-packed discussion with channel recruiting and hiring experts John Davenjay CEO of Bowman Willams and Mark Elliott CRO at The 20 MSP.
In this lively chat we cover the following and more:
- The latest MSP hiring and salary stats that show the effects of the pandemic
- How to expand your tech talent search outside of your local area
- What hiring methods have worked best during the remote work era
- How to identify worker skills beyond the classic resume or CV
- Who can help you manage hiring if you’re a smaller IT shop
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September 2, 2021
Winning Competitive MSP Deals: Strategy & Tactics
How many times have you sunk time into scoping out a prospect only to find out you’ve been underbid?
Losing out in competitive deals can be painful. Almost as painful as getting stuck with deals that are unprofitable because you got squeezed into lowering your price. How can you avoid both of these scenarios and walk away on top?
We’ll be sharing practical tips you can use to steal the advantage away from low-priced competitors and win more prospects on your terms.
Learn actionable takeaways on:
- How to find out as soon as possible if a deal is competitive
- How to beat competitors to the punch by establishing the buying & competitive criteria in your favor
- What “landmine” questions to set for competitors
- Whether to hand over your proposal or charge for it
- How to avoid a race to the bottom on price
- And more
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August 19, 2021
Gone Phishing: Latest Lures + Selling Security Awareness Training
Phishing attacks remain one of the most dangerous and prevalent types of cybercrime facing organizations around the world. How are you protecting your clients as campaigns evolve?
Take a dive in the deep end with phishing prevention and security awareness training experts from Breach Secure Now and Cofense. You'll see real examples of the latest (extremely clever) phishing lures and tactics, plus actionable real-world advice on how best to sell security awareness training and incorporate it into your stack.
- Real-world phishing examples and stats you can share with your clients
- Tips on how to protect your own business and employees
- Pricing and packaging advice for selling security awareness training
- How to — and how NOT to — run phishing simulations effectively
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August 5, 2021
How to Nail Your Pricing and Profitability
So much has changed during the past 18 months. How has it affected MSP pricing?
Watch this recording to hear from your peers as we discuss recent pricing trends and a host of practical questions, including:
- Whether shifts in WFH demands and changes to the security landscape are driving costs up or down.
- How high of a per-seat price is actually reasonable.
- What "best practices" are becoming outdated, and which are holding firm.
- And more.
Materials
- Chat resources doc
- Tom Watson's updated MSP Pricing Calculator
- Blog post walkthrough explaining how to use the calculator
July 22, 2021
Ransomware Response Planning
How prepared are you to react to a nightmare scenario? Get “ransomware ready” with actionable tips from the pros.
Recent events have provided yet another important reminder that it’s not enough to focus on preventing ransomware — we all need to have a solid response plan in place, too.
Watch this recording to hear from your peers on how they’re drafting and adapting their response plans in the wake of the Kaseya incident, and what else they’re doing to become more resilient. We’ll also be joined by incident response experts from TrustedSec, m3 Networks, and ID Cyber Solutions. They’ll be providing us with first-hand insight into what IR actually entails, and the key things that separate companies that recover quickly and successfully from those that don’t.
Don’t miss practical discussion on the following and more:
- 12 ways to prep that you can start today
- Building blocks of a good IR plan
- Key roles and responsibilities
- How to communicate with clients (with real-life examples)
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June 24, 2021
Fixing Your MSA for Lower Risk & Higher Profits
with Eric Tilds, IT Legal Expert
Do you know what your MSA actually says? Are you confident it covers you in all the ways it should?
If the answer's no, you're definitely not alone. But now's your chance to change that watching the replay of our MSP Live Chat with special guest Eric Tilds.
Eric has 22 years of experience serving as in-house counsel for IT services companies, including his previous role as general counsel and Chief Risk Officer for Logicalis, a $1.5B global MSP. And during that time he has absolutely seen it all. Eric was kind and generous enough to stop by to take on all of our audience's questions related to MSAs and risk management, and delivered can't-miss advice on the following:
- The most important elements of a strong MSA, along with key do's and don'ts
- The differences between an MSA and SOWs (and why they should be separate)
- Critical ways MSPs can ensure they're in a defensible position in the event of a security breach
- How and why you need to align your MSA with your SLAs from 3rd-party vendors
- Examples of terms and conditions that can even improve your cash flow