Have you packed your bags for Cancun yet?! With the event just around the corner, taking place taking place February 27 – March 3, we’re pumped to share our latest interview in the Nerd Icon series featuring Justin Weller, Director of Business Development, Blackpoint Cyber!

Our agenda is live on our event website – www.nerdiocon.com – and we encourage you to check it out in addition to downloading our NerdioCon app for Android or iOS so you easily can plan your event schedule and identify sessions to attend.

Tell us a bit about Blackpoint Cyber and your current role with them. 

I am the Director of Business Development at Blackpoint, the premier SOC as a Service (SOCaaS) organization that is trusted by SMB’s and global organizations alike.  We serve and protect many types of MSP models that service specific verticals such as medical or manufacturing, all the way up to servicing the likes of global airlines and major apparel brands. 

How did you get to this point in your career, and what sustained or prompted your interest in the tech industry?  

My dad owned an internet marketing and design company when I was growing up and IT was always a hobby of mine. Once I decided to turn it into a profession I got some Cisco certifications and began working at an MSP. I started where most people do as a L1 technician. I then worked my way up to a L2, Service Desk Lead, Project Engineer and then a Project Manager before I ventured out on my own into running my own MSP as a one-man shop. After that, I went to work as a Senior Solutions Engineer at Datto before taking on this role at Blackpoint Cyber. 

Can you tell us about what you plan to speak about at NerdioCon? Why will this be relevant/important for partners?  

The value of a 24/7 SOC!

What are you looking forward to at the event?  

This is my first time attending NerdioCon and I’m really looking forward to networking with Nerdio’s MSP community.  

What trends do you think we’ll be seeing in the partner space in the year to come?  

1. I think we are going to see the continued trend of consolidation and acquisitions.  
2. There will also be an increased emphasis on vendors enabling partners.  
3. Vendors are going to need to develop ecosystems of solutions to simplify stacks with a focus on insurability. 

Finally, who are your “nerd icons”? That is, who do you look up to in the tech industry? And/or who has influenced your career in it? 

These are going to be trendy answers, but Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. I became a hobbyist in IT in the 80’s and that’s when these two were basically all over the place. 

Pleased to share our most recent Nerd Icon interview with the one and only Lamon Gorman, Director, Service Provider Channel, Trend Micro!

This is the latest in our blog series introducing you to the experts you’ll hear live at NerdioCon 2023, taking place February 27 – March 3 in beautiful Cancun, Mexico. Our agenda is now live on our event website – www.nerdiocon.com – and we encourage you to check it out in addition to downloading our NerdioCon app via the Apple or Android stores where you easily can plan your event schedule and identify sessions to attend.

Tell us a bit about Trend Micro and your current role with them. 

As a global cybersecurity leader with 7,000 highly skilled “Trenders” in 65 countries, equipped with the world’s most advanced global threat research and intelligence, Trend Micro empowers organizations to confidently navigate the complexities of the connected world. With our innovative solutions, we simplify security and ensure a secure exchange of digital information for organizations worldwide.

I’ve been a Trender going on almost 15 years and have worked with MSPs for the majority of that time. In my role today, I help look after our overall MSP strategy for North America. I love that in my role I get to see the best of both worlds, as I’m able to collaborate and innovate with both MSPs and internal stakeholders.

How did you get to this point in your career, and what sustained or prompted your interest in the tech industry?  

I’ve always considered myself a “techy” and pursued such interests growing up. While in high school, I explored programming, learning the fundamentals of C++ and QBasic. My career in cybersecurity kind of found me after graduating with a degree in psychology of all things. I’m passionate about trying new things & seeing new places and this spill-over into my love of the tech industry. I’ve gotten to this point in my career by focusing on my strengths; my tenacity, positive can-do mindset, and my ability to connect people.

Can you tell us about what you plan to speak about at NerdioCon? Why will this be relevant/important for partners?  

I plan on educating MSPs on strategies that can help them reframe the cybersecurity conversation they are having with their clients. Their clients understand that cyber risk is a business risk, and MSPs are in a prime position to help them better navigate (and manage) cyber risk.

As cybersecurity is now a “boardroom” conversation with their clients, MSPs have to level up the conversation and map IT spend to business outcomes vs the threat or tech of the day.

MSPs and their clients are facing a myriad of dynamics in the market

• Macro-economic conditions have clients more cost-conscious, and MSPs can help them consolidate and maximize IT spend by aligning to business outcomes.
• The continued evolution and sophistication of threats create new risks to clients’ resilience and long-term growth.
• The growing attack surface – digital and cloud transformation continues and the client’s attack surface is expanding, impacting visibility and creating new risk exposure.
  • MSPs are tasked with managing and securing more connected digital assets and are hindered by limited staff and cybersecurity expertise.
• Navigating the compliance, regulation & cyber insurance landscape has increasingly become more challenging for MSPs and their clients.

What are you looking forward to at the event?  

Looking forward to networking, collaborating, and learning with peers.

What trends do you think we’ll be seeing in the partner space in the year to come?  

• Partners will explore ways to incorporate AI into their automation workflows.
• Partners will continue to prioritize building out their cybersecurity and cloud skillset.
  • For cybersecurity – Finding and consolidating true partnerships (vs “vendors”) that augment the partner’s staff will be key a to closing this gap.
  • For the cloud, enablement resources available via the major cloud providers and cloud-focused distributors will be key go-to resources for partners to bring the cloud skillset in-house.
• Partners who are unable to pivot the cybersecurity conversation and better align to their clients’ business outcomes will risk losing business to those that do.

Finally, who are your “nerd icons”? That is, who do you look up to in the tech industry? And/or who has influenced your career in it? 

I’m drawn to those who think ”BIG” and outside-of-the-box , and one of my favorite and inspirational nerd icons is Katherine Johnson, she truly was a “human computer” and is the epitome of thinking outside the box, in this case, outside the planet.

Have you claimed your spot at NerdioCon 2023 yet?! Spaces are limited and selling out fast so please visit www.nerdiocon.com to register to attend and join us and our fantastic partners and sponsors in paradise.

To bring visibility to some of the experts you catch at the conference, we’re pumped to share our interview with Amelia Paro, Director of Channel Development, Kaseya!

Tell us a bit about Kaseya and your current role with them. 

Kaseya provides best-in-breed technologies that allow our customers to efficiently manage, secure and backup IT under a single pane of glass, known as IT Complete. It’s the world’s first and only purpose-built platform designed to directly address the challenges of DO-IT-ALL, multi—function, IT professionals. Kaseya is one vendor with everything you need, with tools integrated to save you time and smart enough to help you get more done, all in a way you can afford. We have solutions that serve both MSPs and internal IT teams.  

My current role at Kaseya is that of a brand ambassador, responsible for developing new partner relationships and building and cultivating long-term relationships within the MSP / IT Channel community to add value to and drive growth for our customers and partners. My primary objective is to evangelize Kaseya’s products and services within the communities/markets we serve, engage via various channels, and build a community of user/customer evangelists. I strive to serve as a leader within the MSP community (and be the voice of the MSP for Kaseya) through continual engagement with current peer groups and unlocking new industry opportunities with new peer groups, MSP communities, industry leaders, and others. I also provide support to our partners through our MDF and partner support & enablement programs. 

How did you get to this point in your career, and what sustained or prompted your interest in the tech industry?  

How did I get to this point in my career? I have been in the tech industry for over ten years in both B2B and B2C environments. I cut my teeth selling ERP software – SAP and Oracle, and then eventually left to join a small MSP just starting out. I gained a wealth of experience from managing and growing a successful MSP in AZ and working with clients across the US in the financial sector, non-profits and unions, and Fortune 500 retail organizations. Through my own struggles and successes, I have a deep understanding of the challenges faced by MSPs and have extensive experience with the development of strategies for fast-tracking ROI after adopting a new technology solution. I experienced great success during my years with the MSP and am passionate about seeing Partners gain the same success and profitability. 

Can you tell us about what you plan to speak about at NerdioCon? Why will this be relevant/important for partners?  

I’m going to be speaking about Datto’s Global State of the MSP Report, because this year’s study resulted in some really interesting statistics. Competition, revenue growth, and new client acquisition ruled as the top challenges facing MSPs, with profitability and improving operational efficiencies coming in right behind them. Partners will walk away with ideas on how they can apply these statistics to their 2023 business plan, and insight into the ways Kaseya is applying the findings to our roadmap moving forward 

What are you looking forward to at the event this year?  

This will be my first time attending NerdioCon, so I’m excited for the whole experience! 

Looking forward to connecting with partners and sharing the research we’ve done on how MSPs can continue to grow and capitalize on trends in the market. At the end of the day, MSPs continue to be the core of the IT channel and Kaseya’s business. They are essential service providers for millions of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) worldwide. We hope that this event provides great insights and sheds light on this industry that continues to thrive.

What trends do you think we’ll be seeing in the partner space in the year to come?  

Based on Datto’s recent State of the MSP report, the key findings showed:

• Cybersecurity is still a very large area for growth. While services for ransomware and phishing/email security remain the top focus for MSPs, others are finding further growth offering services around expanding reporting, auditing, training and policy building for clients.
• Revenue associated with managed security services seems to be shifting to break-fix across regions. Reasons vary, but many feel this shift is not the same as the break-fix the industry dealt with 20 years ago. Break-fix has conceptually changed to more of a co-managed service offered by MSPs to help over-burdened IT departments in larger companies stay afloat.
• Cloud-based infrastructure design and management and office productivity software services are the top managed services currently offered. There is a big opportunity for new solution offerings with a strong intent to add new solutions in the next year across the board, primarily around collaboration software (26%) and storage design and implementation (25%).
• The hybrid workforce (remote + office) is here to stay. There are a few MSPs that have clients whose workforces are fully remote, but most have settled into a permanent hybrid plan. MSPs will now need to ensure all offerings accommodate this model.

Overall, MSPs are looking to reduce operational cost and become more efficient. That is the goal of IT Complete, Every technician needs to be Multi-Functional – one person or a small team has to DO-IT-ALL, bouncing between different applications and tools. IT Complete is built specifically to serve these over-worked, under-resourced, under-funded, and under-appreciated IT generalists. The platform is purpose-built for the MSP to be complete, integrated, intelligent and prices-right.

Finally, who are your “nerd icons”? That is, who do you look up to in the tech industry? And/or who has influenced your career in it? 

My ‘nerd icons’ aren’t necessarily nerds per ser, but icons who have influenced my career. Sarah Blakely, Gary V, Shari Levitan, Richard Branson, Tony Robbins  

Next month, February 27 – March 3, we will be back in Cancun for NerdioCon 2023, our second in-person, all-inclusive partner conference! We are once again looking forward to bringing attendees the best content, sponsors and speakers from around the channel and are stoked to have a new enterprise partner track added this year. Spaces are limited and selling out fast so please visit www.nerdiocon.com to view our agenda and register to attend.

To bring visibility to some of the experts you catch at the conference, we’re excited to kick off our Nerd Icon blog series that will run January – March. First up is none other than Tim Coach, Global Channel Chief, Pia!

Tell us a bit about Pia and your current role with them. 

Pia is a true automation platform that integrates a SaaS solution with a PSA but is also a standalone platform. This will allow MSPs to automate the day-to-day tasks of their help/service desk services thereby creating efficiencies, standardization and improved relationships with both employees and clients.

My role as the Global Channel Chief of Pia is to bring awareness of the PIA solution to the MSP channel that will drive and deliver the next big thing to MSPs; automation. In essence the role allows me to bring the value of true automation to the MSP and enterprise communities to improve their quality of business and life.

Pia’s partners are both MSPs and enterprise level businesses. Our primary focus is to serve the community of MSPs as well as partners that are looking to the future of their business and discovering a solution that will help automate day-to-day tasks. With the current trends in the economy along with the deficiency in the tech labor force, new forward-thinking solutions are needed. MSPs carry an extremely difficult task and are the backbone to ensure business stay open and server their clients. True Automation gives the MSPs the ability to switch the focus off overworked staff to the client. This allows for a deeper and more meaningful relationship between the two.

How did you get to this point in your career, and what sustained or prompted your interest in the tech industry?  

I began my career as a client of an MSP. Then jumped over to the MSP side in management. From there I worked my way up to COO, rebuilding and consulting with other MSPs to help create a better version of the MSP.  I did that for over a decade, during that time I was a guest speaker for various vendors and realized how much I loved the channel side of the business. That is when I decided to change my focus and bring products to the MSP that improved both their day-to-day quality of running the business and as a result improved their relationships with their clients.

Can you tell us about what you plan to speak about at NerdioCon? Why will this be relevant/important for partners?  

My session, “Next big shift for MSPs, the future of using true automation,” is coming at the perfect time to help MSP partners amid current market factors. Given the current state of the economy, in correlation with the lack of talent in the hiring pool, SaaS solutions providing true automation will relieve the burden of growing your business while increasing efficiencies and profitability.

What are you looking forward to at the event this year?  

We are looking forward to being able to partner with Nerdio at your premier event to put automation at the forefront of the MSP community as a primary resource to help move the MSP business model forward.

We are also looking forward to spicy margaritas for everyone (on me 😉)

What trends do you think we’ll be seeing in the partner space in the year to come?  

We feel the trends for 2023 will move heavily towards automations and platforms that are focused on AI and machine learning space. Pia wants to help take the load off the MSPs, by providing more within a solution to make up for resources, lack of talent as well as assist in the expandability of the MSP.

Finally, who are your “nerd icons”? That is, who do you look up to in the tech industry? And/or who has influenced your career in it? 

Nerd icons for me, are always the passionate innovators. Those that work tirelessly behind the scenes with little recognition but are the ones that are moving the industry forward. Our very own developer and CTO at Pia, Aron Hardy-Bardsley is a great example of this. If you look at all the successful IT companies over the years there is always a front person, someone who is the face of the company that we all know. Very few know the people that put the long hours in on the keyboard, or envisioned the next version, the next enhancement, the next BIG thing. Those are the innovators/creators that should inspire us all, those are the folks that allow me to represent them to our community.