22
Wed, Jul

Analytics/Analysis

Fall musings here. Penny production is ceasing and it raises the couple questions.

1. Do channel partners (MSPs, VARs, resellers care? 

2. And do the clients of these channel partners care?

 Jim Roddy, President & CEO for the Retail Solution Provider Association (RSPA) weighed in. “Our VAR and ISV members are mostly focused on electronic payments because solution providers receive a slice of that revenue.”

Coinstar - a recent article on the demise of the penny extensively quoted the CEO of Coinstar.

It’s here again. The End-Of-Life (EOL) for a Microsoft desktop operating system. Been there done that, eh? Who can forget the security risk hype of Windows XP in April 2014? Now, Windows 10 is EOL after a ten year life and the messaging is no more security updates (without a support fee). 

A couple of community and SMB ecosystem thoughts. 

Migrations lag. If anything was learned from the Windows XP EOL era,

Albert Lotito, based in Pennsylvania, works for Global Tech Solutions, an MSP with around 1,000 clients. As a Service Delivery Manager, he oversees dispatch, training, quality assurance, and analytics, including the implementation of new products like Thread. Albert prefers smaller conferences for better networking. His company is shifting focus from the nursing home industry to commercial clients like manufacturing and finance, leveraging AI to streamline processes and improve customer service. Despite concerns about losing personal touch, Albert emphasizes that their business is fundamentally about customer service, using AI to enhance efficiency and maintain strong client relationships.

Harry Brelsford interviews Chris Orris at Channel Con 2025 in Nashville, discussing his background in Saudi Arabia, Virginia Tech, and the retail industry. Chris, who lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, founded "The Burnouts," a brand aimed at redefining the term "burnout" to help employees and businesses improve company culture. He emphasizes the importance of intentional social media presence and employer support for employee passions. Harry shares his own experience with burnout and his involvement in multiple ventures. Both express interest in meeting again at IT Nation.

Harry Brelsford interviews Mark Alayev, the founder of Thread, about his background and the company's vision. Alayev shares his journey from an MSP intern to building Thread, emphasizing the concept of "service magic" which aims to enhance customer experiences and efficiency for MSPs. Thread recently introduced voice AI and service intelligence to streamline administrative tasks, allowing technicians to focus on human interactions. Harry draws parallels between Thread's innovative approach and his own experiences at Microsoft, highlighting the importance of counterculture thinking and strong points of view in driving technological change.

When you reach complete taking at looksy at the wonderful affirmation and accolades from SMB MSP community leader Karl Palachuck, I encourage you to reflect on how we built a thriving grass roots community that is very rate these days. The motion we engaged in has built life long relationships where we have laughed, cried, hugged and even fought over 20 plus years. 

Michael George discussed the evolution and future of Syncro, a company he joined in early 2024. Syncro aims to create a world-class RMM and PSA combined platform, leveraging the significant market share of Microsoft in the small to medium business sector. George highlighted the upcoming announcement of a new product category at the Kaseya conference, focusing on simplifying IT stacks and enhancing security. He emphasized the importance of AI in cybersecurity and the need for MSPs to stay ahead of evolving threats. George also mentioned Syncro's presence in Austin, Texas, and his personal experiences living between Boston and Naples, Florida.

Harry Brelsford interviews Oguo Atuanya, Corporate Vice President of Vendor Experience at PAX8, following the PAX Sait conference in Denver. Atuanya discusses PAX8's strategy to shift towards outcome-based solutions for SMBs through MSPs, emphasizing the importance of complete portfolios and leveraging AI to improve productivity and security. Atuanya brings 22 years of experience from Microsoft, where he managed go-to-market channels for SMBs in the Americas.

At the recent Px8 Beyond 2025 event, I found a few moments to meet with Carolyn April, Vice President, Research and Market Intelligence at GTIA (formerly CompTIA). She gave me the following advanced insights into her latest research on SMB Tech Buying Tech Trends. Her work is ongoing and her final research will be released at the GTIA ChannelCon event in Nashville in late July (join me!)

Let’s get started with SMB fun facts and then the top five takeaways.

Time keeps marching onward and speaking only for myself, I have a sense of urgency to get more sh*t done sooner rather than later.

In October 2024, well-known community leader Chris Wiser hosted a three day quarterly conference in San Antonio, TX. Living nearby in the Austin-area, I attended to gathering and was impressed with ‘dat thang.

On the second day, the mid-day keynote speaker was entrepreneur and author Dan Martell featuring his book “Buy Back Your Time” and heck, afterwards we all received a signed copy and a grip-and-greet pic with Martell.

I dove into this book head first and got myself headstrong to make changes for 2025.

With 2025 in full swing, take a deep breath, assess and appreciate the gifts you have. It’s also an opportunity to appreciate others (even if they are different from you).

Case in point is my life-long friendship starting in Alaska with award winning and accomplished writer Charles Wohlforth. Who woulda thunk it that we’d both grow up and dance with wolves in Alaska and words. But we took two different pathways. Charles has made a career of non-fiction writing books for major publishers on a range of topics from outer space destinations that mankind could some day colonize to a book on whales and super computers. Words flow easily for this chap and his services are in-demand such as collaboration and coaching. You should track him via his site and sign-up for his newsletter at

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