Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights

The podcast discusses the evolving landscape of cybersecurity for small and mid-market businesses, emphasizing the dual threats posed by advanced artificial intelligence tools and a resurgence of ransomware attacks. As cybercriminals leverage AI for sophisticated phishing and impersonation tactics, traditional security measures are becoming obsolete. Organizations are urged to adopt enterprise-grade solutions, such as unified secur...

Microsoft is facing significant challenges in promoting its Copilot AI assistant within enterprises, as many employees show a preference for OpenAI's ChatGPT. This trend highlights a competitive shift in the corporate sector, where companies are increasingly recognizing the advantages of generative AI solutions. Despite Microsoft's efforts, including a notable implementation plan by Amgen Inc. for 20,000 employees, the growing stre...

ConnectWise is currently facing a significant crisis of trust as attackers exploit its signed software to distribute malware. This alarming trend has seen a notable increase in infections since March 2025, primarily due to poor signing practices that allow malicious users to embed harmful code within legitimate applications. Reports indicate that the ConnectWise ScreenConnect remote access tool was the most commonly abused legitima...

Gartner predicts that by 2027, artificial intelligence (AI) will be responsible for half of all business decisions, either through full automation or partial augmentation. This shift is driven by the increasing pressure on technology companies to deliver returns on their AI investments, with small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) rapidly adopting these tools. However, a significant skills gap remains, as 95% of SMBs report needing m...

Small business resilience is masking deeper economic strains, as recent surveys reveal that while many small businesses report growth and have maintained or increased their workforce, a significant portion still feels the adverse effects of current economic conditions. Despite 56% of small businesses indicating growth and 90% maintaining or increasing their workforce, 43% of entrepreneurs express that the economic landscape is detr...

Small and mid-sized businesses are increasingly curious about how to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance their operations. As they explore the potential of AI, they are asking critical questions about implementation, automation, and customer engagement. Experts Hunter Jensen and Barbara Paluszkiewicz discuss the challenges these businesses face, particularly regarding data readiness and cybersecurity. They emphasize th...

Brian Haugli, CEO of SideChannel, discusses the critical distinction between security debt and technical debt, emphasizing that while technical debt is a common challenge for CIOs, security debt is a more specific issue that often arises in startups. He explains that startups frequently prioritize speed to market over security, leading to vulnerabilities that accumulate as they defer compliance and security measures. This accumulat...

The podcast discusses a transformative vision for building a managed services provider (MSP) that shifts away from traditional models focused on infrastructure management and reactive maintenance. Instead, it advocates for creating a tech services business that empowers small and mid-sized organizations to drive revenue through technology. The speaker emphasizes the importance of hiring empathetic, business-savvy individuals who ca...

AI is increasingly becoming a double-edged sword in the workplace, as highlighted by a recent Microsoft report. While artificial intelligence tools are intended to enhance productivity, they are inadvertently contributing to an "infinite workday," leading to heightened employee burnout. The report reveals alarming trends, such as 40% of workers checking emails by 6 a.m. and a 16% increase in meetings scheduled after 8 p.m. This shi...

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are exhibiting a dangerous overconfidence in their cybersecurity readiness, with a significant gap between their perceived capabilities and actual security measures in place. A recent report reveals that while 71% of SMBs feel confident in managing major cybersecurity incidents, only 22% have an advanced cybersecurity posture. This disconnect presents a critical opportunity for IT service pr...

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are increasingly recognizing the importance of adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to stay competitive in the market. A recent survey indicates that 97% of small businesses utilizing voice AI agents have seen revenue increases. However, many SMBs still perceive AI as complicated or unnecessary, with 63% expressing concerns about their foundational capabilities to support AI initiatives. De...

Andrew Bolton, CEO and co-founder of TechRescue, has developed a unique approach to delivering technical services specifically tailored for seniors. With a growing client base of nearly 1,000 seniors on a monthly subscription model, Bolton's company focuses on providing empathetic and personalized tech support. Unlike traditional managed service providers, TechRescue positions itself as a "tech therapist," emphasizing the importanc...

Wes Spencer, co-founder of Empath, a training and education platform for managed service providers (MSPs), discusses a unique funding model that diverges from traditional venture capital. Instead of seeking investment from typical VCs, Empath successfully raised $2 million from industry insiders, primarily MSPs themselves. This approach fosters alignment and advocacy among investors, who are also customers, but it raises important ...

AI models have a defined memory ceiling, which is reshaping the ongoing debates surrounding copyright and data privacy. Recent research from Meta, Google DeepMind, Cornell, and NVIDIA reveals that large language models have a fixed memorization capacity of approximately 8.6 bits per parameter. This finding clarifies the distinction between memorized data and generalized knowledge, indicating that larger datasets do not necessarily ...

Microsoft 365 Copilot has been identified as having a significant security vulnerability known as Echo Leak, which allows hackers to access sensitive information without user interaction. This zero-click exploit was discovered by AIM Security after three months of reverse engineering the software. Although Microsoft claims the issue has been addressed and no customers were affected, experts warn that this flaw reflects deeper secur...

OpenAI has launched the O3 Pro Artificial Intelligence model, which focuses on delivering enterprise-grade accuracy and enhanced tool integration, albeit at a higher cost and slower response times compared to its predecessor. The O3 Pro model is designed for complex inquiries where precision is prioritized over speed, making it particularly appealing to businesses and developers. However, the pricing structure, set at $20 per input...

PAX 8 has announced the development of the first Managed Intelligence Toolkit, set to launch in 2026, aimed at empowering managed service providers (MSPs) to deliver AI solutions at scale to small and medium-sized businesses. This toolkit will integrate various Microsoft technologies, enabling MSPs to orchestrate automation for their clients. Scott Chason, CEO of PAX 8, emphasized the evolution of MSPs from managing infrastructure ...

U.S. hiring continues to show modest growth, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting an addition of 139,000 jobs in May, surpassing economists' expectations. However, the unemployment rate remains steady at 4.2%, marking a prolonged period of stagnation. Revisions to previous months revealed a combined loss of 95,000 jobs, raising concerns about the overall health of the labor market. While wage growth remains consistent at 3...

Stephen Hinch, an expert in managed services and author of "Winning Through Innovation," discusses the challenges and opportunities for innovation within the corporate business model, particularly in the managed services provider (MSP) sector. He highlights the "curse of the corporate business model," where large corporations prioritize predictable profits over disruptive innovation. This focus often stifles creativity and risk-tak...