I have a couple of good MSP-focused stories I have to get into.
Rich Freeman, over on Channelholic, spoke with Nerdio, and their CEO (who’s been on this show, too), said, “At some point, there may be a situation where an MSP doesn’t need an RMM to manage endpoints.” His thesis – you can do endpoint management with Intune more easily, securely, and cheaply, and the tipping point to come is when SMBs stop buying PCs and go all in on virtual desktops or bring-your-own devices. That’s one or two refresh cycles or three to six years.
While we’re talking predictions, I want to note another of my 2023 predictions – Austin McChord is back in the MSP channel, launching Cork today. Along with former Datto Chief Digital Office Carlson Choi, Cork is a cyber warranty company that takes the complexity out of cyber insurance by automatically scanning critical infrastructure to reduce risk and offer near-instant financial coverage.
The channel is generally optimistic, too – per CompTIA’s State of the Channel, Two-thirds of respondents said their profitability generally increased over the past two years, mainly in business consulting, IT consulting, and managed services.
Finally, a tactical one. NIST has published Updates to federal guidelines for protecting sensitive, unclassified information, which include removing ambiguity and defining parameters in implementing cybersecurity protocols, increasing flexibility in selected security requirements, and assisting organizations in mitigating risk.
Why do we care?
Nerdio’s comments are just one more piece of evidence on a pile – this isn’t the first time it’s been said, and It’s a position I hold. I’m less convinced virtual desktops are the end solution and more interested in SaaS and accessing data in the cloud, but that’s the specifics of implementation.
Austin McChord’s reentry is something of a non-event, to be fair. The prediction is obvious when it happens. I think the only reason to care is to note that it’s somewhat unusual for a Board member to speak to the press about a company. Yet that’s ultimately not that important.