Uncle Marv's IT Business Podcast (Products, stories, and tips for the MSP and IT Professional)

Charlotte Conroy from Recent Communications joins me for a straight conversation about UCaaS, cloud communications, and why MSPs should stop treating phones like the thing they would rather avoid. Her company works alongside MSPs to help clients move from aging phone systems to supported, reliable communications without turning every phone issue into an internal help desk problem. We talk about competing on value instead of price, the reality of copper-line shutdowns, legacy phone systems that are still out there, integrations with door access and overhead paging, and where AI can actually help without making the customer experience worse. If communications matter to your clients, this is a good reminder that somebody needs to own the conversation, even if you do not want to own the entire phone stack. === Guest: Charlotte (Ciccone) Conroy, Recent Communications Website: https://www.recentcom.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlottecicconeconroy === News ITSM Market Worth $22.91 Billion by 2031: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/it-service-management-market-worth-22-91-billion-by-2031--report-by-marketsandmarkets-302894029.html === Companies / Vendors / Products / Books FreedomVoice: https://www.freedomvoice.com/ GoDaddy: https://www.godaddy.com/ Intermedia: https://www.intermedia.com/ RingCentral: https://www.ringcentral.com/ Vonage: https://www.vonage.com/ Avaya: https://www.avaya.com/en/ Grandstream Networks: https://www.grandstream.com/ Viking Electronics: https://vikingelectronics.com/ Ubiquiti: https://ui.com/ UniFi: https://ui.com/ D&H Distributing: https://www.dandh.com/ TD SYNNEX: https://www.tdsynnex.com/ === Podcasts / Events / Organizations ITEXPO: https://www.itexpo.com/ MSP Expo: https://www.mspexpo.com/ TechSuperShow: https://www.techsupershow.com/ TD SYNNEX Inspire: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/inspire/ TD SYNNEX Inspire Insider: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/td-synnex-inspire-insider-7491233541796683776/ === Connect with Uncle Marv 🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/ 🎙 Host: Marvin Bee 🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ ☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

Lucas Dowd and Kevin Townsend, co-founders of Catalyst Shift, join me to talk about a problem just about every MSP knows too well: the data you need to run the business is scattered across your PSA, RMM, CRM, email, accounting, and other tools. The result is too much manual digging, too many disconnected reports, and not enough time in front of the customer having the conversations that actually matter. We talk about their idea of a business operating layer that brings those systems together, looks for patterns, and turns the information into practical next steps. That can mean faster QBR preparation, early warning signs of churn, clearer client risk profiles, proposal support, and a better story around the value your MSP is delivering. The big takeaway is simple: AI should not just create another dashboard for you to ignore. It should help you spot what needs attention and give your team more time to be human with clients. === Chapters 00:24 Meet Lucas Dowd and Kevin Townsend of Catalyst Shift 01:28 Building a Business Operating Layer for MSPs 04:36 Connecting PSA, RMM, CRM, and Other Disconnected Data 08:23 Palantir, Data Normalization, and the Forward-Deployed Model 11:27 QBRs, Client Reporting, and Actioned Intelligence 14:34 Tool Sprawl and Why Building Internal AI Is Harder Than It Looks 18:34 Client 360 Insights: Churn Risk, Sentiment, Playbooks, and Proposals 25:56 How Small MSPs and Larger Providers Can Use Catalyst Shift 29:53 ASCII Early Adopter Trial and Closing Thoughts === Guests Lucas Dowd, CatalystShift: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasadowd Kevin Townsend, CatalystShift: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kkreative/ Website: https://www.catalystshift.ai/ ASCII Member Benefit: https://www.catalystshift.ai/docs/ascii-early-adopter === Companies / Vendors / Products / Books Palantir Technologies: https://www.palantir.com/ ConnectWise: https://www.connectwise.com/ NinjaOne: https://www.ninjaone.com/ HaloPSA: https://halopsa.com/ HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com/ Palo Alto Networks: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/ RSA: https://www.rsa.com/ === SPONSORS: Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/ Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready === SHOW MUSIC: Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET Author Username: AlexanderRufire Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML === Connect with Uncle Marv 🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/ 🎙 Host: Marvin Bee 🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ ☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

I sat down with Andy Syrewicze from Proofpoint to talk about a problem every MSP runs into: Microsoft 365 security looks simple until you start managing it across real client environments. Andy explains how Proofpoint 365 Total Protection, the MSP platform formerly known as Hornetsecurity, brings together email security, Microsoft 365 backup, security awareness training, permission management, DMARC, and tenant standardization. The big takeaway is that security cannot stop at email filtering or MFA. MSPs need layered protection, cleaner SharePoint permissions, better user reporting habits, and a standard Microsoft 365 baseline they can consistently apply across their client base. === Chapters 00:48 Welcome and TechCon Unplugged Recap 06:47 TD SYNNEX Inspire Preview 08:12 Sponsors: TruGrid and 1Stream 09:29 NetAlly Tip: Troubleshooting DNS Resolution Problems 15:35 Meet Andy Syrewicze From Proofpoint 19:24 Microsoft 365 Security Gaps for MSPs 23:52 Building a Microsoft 365 Security Baseline 28:19 Managing SharePoint Permissions Before Copilot 34:17 AI Phishing and Copilot Governance 39:40 Proofpoint 365 Total Protection for MSPs 43:16 Layered Security and User Awareness 46:29 Final Takeaways and Closing === Guest: Andy Syrewicze, Proofpoint Website: https://www.proofpoint.com/ Proofpoint 365 Total Protection: https://www.proofpoint.com/us/products/365-total-protection LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asyrewicze/ === NetAlly Tip of the Week Uncle Marv's Top 10 DNS Resolvers (September 2026): https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/downloads/ITB-Top-10-DNS-202609/ === Companies / Vendors / Products / Books Pax8: https://www.pax8.com/en-us/ ConnectWise: https://www.connectwise.com/ TD SYNNEX: https://www.tdsynnex.com/ Google: https://www.google.com/ Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/ Quad9: https://quad9.net/ DNSFilter: https://www.dnsfilter.com/ NextDNS: https://nextdns.io/ DMARC: https://dmarc.org/ BIMI: https://bimigroup.org/ FIDO Alliance: https://fidoalliance.org/ FIDO2: https://fidoalliance.org/fido2/ === Companies / Vendors / Products / Books TechCon Unplugged: https://www.mspunplugged.com/techcon-unplugged/ MSP Unplugged: https://www.mspunplugged.com/ TD SYNNEX Inspire: https://www.tdsynnex.com/na/us/inspire/ IT Nation: https://itnation.connectwise.com/ The ASCII Group: https://www.asciigroup.com/ ChannelPro: https://www.channelpronetwork.com/ Zero Trust World: https://ztw.com/ SaaS Awards: https://www.cloud-awards.com/saas-awards/ === SPONSORS: Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/ Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready === SHOW MUSIC: Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET Author Username: AlexanderRufire Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML === Connect with Uncle Marv 🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/ 🎙 Host: Marvin Bee 🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ ☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

I sat down with Dave Sobel to talk about why too many MSPs are leaving AI out of their websites, client conversations, and service offerings. We dig into AI governance, shadow AI, Microsoft Copilot, and why simply asking better questions can create real business opportunities. AI is everywhere. It is at every conference, in every vendor presentation, and in every customer conversation. Yet Dave’s research found that 68% of roughly 3,600 MSP websites do not mention AI at all. That means a lot of providers may be invisible to prospects looking for guidance, services, or simply a trusted technology partner who has a point of view. We talked about the difference between being an AI expert and being willing to lead the conversation. Most clients do not have an AI policy. They may not know which tools employees are using, what data is being shared, or whether shadow AI is already happening inside the business. That is not a reason for an MSP to stay quiet. It is an opening to help clients understand what is happening, develop guardrails, and make informed decisions without becoming the department of no. Dave also walked through the updated Version 5 of the Free MSP Checklist, which now includes AI and compliance considerations alongside the traditional infrastructure and cloud questions. We also spent time on the GTIA acquisition of ASCII, the changing landscape of MSP communities, and why it makes sense to be in more than one room as the channel evolves. === Chapters 00:24 Welcome and Meet Dave Sobel 02:10 Free MSP Checklist: AI and Compliance Updates 03:53 Why MSP Websites Are Missing the AI Conversation 09:06 Client AI Policies and the Value of MSP Guidance 11:57 The Buyer Journey, Referrals, and Website Visibility 16:01 Defining AI Services with Copilot, ChatGPT, and Claude 18:53 AI Governance and Shadow AI Opportunities 22:02 GTIA Acquires ASCII: Impact on MSP Communities 29:49 Resources, Business of Tech, and Closing === Guest: Dave Sobel, MSP Radio Website: https://www.davesobel.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesobel === Companies / Vendors / Products / Books MSP Radio: https://www.mspradio.com/ The Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/ Small Biz Thoughts: https://www.smallbizthoughts.org/ IT Service Provider University: https://www.itspu.com/ Free MSP Checklist, Version 5: https://freemspchecklist.com/ ChatGPT: https://openai.com/chatgpt/ OpenAI: https://openai.com/ Claude: https://www.anthropic.com/claude Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/ SolarWinds: https://www.solarwinds.com/ Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA): https://gtia.org/ The ASCII Group: https://gtia.org/ascii National Society of IT Service Providers (NSITSP): https://www.nsitsp.org/ MSPAlliance: https://www.mspalliance.com/ === SPONSORS: Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/ Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready === SHOW MUSIC: Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET Author Username: AlexanderRufire Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML === Connect with Uncle Marv 🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/ 🎙 Host: Marvin Bee 🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ ☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.

I had a great conversation with Alex and Mariana of MyPCFriends Cybersecurity, a husband-and-wife MSP team based in Kissimmee, Florida. Their story starts with Alex’s computer engineering and break-fix work in Venezuela, continues through the challenges of rebuilding in the United States, and arrives at a business that is more intentional about managed services, cybersecurity, compliance, and serving the right clients. They are now focused on financial services and insurance organizations, with clients extending beyond Florida. === Chapters === Guests: Alex Villamizar and Mariana Arrietta MyPCFriends Cybersecurity: https://mypcfriends.com Mariana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariana-arrieta-mypcfriends/ Alexis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-mypcfriends/ === SPONSORS: Technology Partner, NetAlly: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/netally/ Technology Partner: Bvoip: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/bvoip Travel Partner: TruGrid: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/trugrid Digital Partner, Designer Ready: http://itbusinesspodcast.com/designerready === SHOW MUSIC: Item Title: Upbeat & Fun Sports Rock Logo Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/upbeat-fun-sports-rock-logo-CSR3UET Author Username: AlexanderRufire Item License Code: 7X9F52DNML === Connect with Uncle Marv 🌐 Website: https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/ 🎙 Host: Marvin Bee 🛒 Uncle Marv’s Amazon Store (gear & tools I recommend): https://amzn.to/3EiyKoZ ☕ Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/itbusinesspodcast If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.