Geek Speak

Reconnected recently with Austin-based Tim Brown (who I knew back in the SolarWinds days). He’s out and about doing new things as well all do in tech. In my conversation, Brown articulated the clearest actionable strategy for SMB MSPs about making AI “real” beyond ChatGPT cartoon characters. He is suggesting you take a step back, go old school and engage in tried-and-true penetration testing (PEN TESTING) with your clients. This adds real value to the relationship.

Ed. Head Nerd Chris Massey is keeping the lights on at N-Able driving it’s partners to think beyond bit and bytes and speeds and feeds with its executive programs as part of the business transformation initiative. His five-year effort has resulted in these pillars:

• Executive Roundtable
• Business Transformation
• Operational Benchmark
• Growth Program that includes broader benchmarking and growth surveys.
• And more

Harry Brelsford and Danny Obaseki discuss Danny's role at K Zero, a company focused on passwordless authentication for MSPs and their clients. Danny explains K Zero's all-in-one authentication suite, which aims to improve password hygiene, integrate password managers, and eventually eliminate passwords through biometrics. K Zero offers NFR (Not for Resale) licenses to partners, allowing them to use and understand the product better. Harry expresses interest in trying the product, particularly for its mobile support. Danny provides contact information for further inquiries and mentions K Zero's recent activities, including attending a hockey game in Montreal.

Head nerd Marc-Andre Tanguay, Sr. Manager at N-able, shared the history of the nerds program at N-Able. It was created six years ago by Tanguay to help people with troubleshooting and training as examples. The cultural paradigm for the nerds was “when other’s say no we say yes.” Tanguay shared. He said that the nerds program is committed to reinventing itself every year to stay relevant. This program has eight nerds on staff which is a hellva investment commitment to something that can’t be easily measured.

Looking forward to the second half of 2026, the nerds are committed to even more events.

I will repeat! This was my first time at Zero Trust World. I learned a thang or three hehe. It focuses on teaching security professionals how to implement Zero Trust security and defend against modern cyberattacks. The event was held in early March 2026 in Orlando at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel and conference center. 

Happy New Year! Just several days left to participate in our SMB MSP community survey! We’ve enjoyed a robust response and just need a few more participants to close it out and generate a final report. Why participate? First of all our SMB Nation community and ecosystem needs members and others to go old school and help! Second, you might learn a few things are you complete this.