In this episode of Business Insights, Paul Croker interviews Aaron Fletcher, the commercial manager of the MSP show and a former member of the band The Bees.

They discuss Aaron's journey in the music industry, his experiences with The Bees, including their influences, songwriting process, and the challenges of recording and touring.

Aaron shares insights on networking within the music industry, the significance of their Mercury Prize nomination, and his current project—a documentary about The Bees.

The conversation highlights the importance of authenticity, creativity, and community in both music and business.

Tune in and listen to pick up on which music track Aaron adds to the infamous Spotify playlist.

In this episode of The Business Insights Podcast, Paul catches up with Carrie Green of Can IT Con and also sits on the elected board as a director at GTIA.

Paul and Carrie discuss a mixture of topics, conferences, GTIA, Growth mindset, Reflecting on your "Why", Sharing who you are and being comfortable with being you.

There is a great quote from Carrie here, too

"There is room at every table; we just need to add more chairs"

This shows how we can be inclusive, pulling more people into the conversation and learning more from each other.

Carrie tells Paul something that people may not know about her, and also tells Paul what her music track is for the infamous Spotify playlist that accompanies this series - Go and check that out too.

We also want to hear from you, the listener, so please do interact on this where you can across the social media platforms, or drop Paul and Carrie a message on LinkedIn

Takeaways

• Great things don't happen from comfort zones.
• We need to push ourselves out of our comfort zones.
• No one wants you to fail; they want you to succeed.
• Learning is a two-way street; we all have something to share.
• Diverse backgrounds in technology enrich discussions.
• Collaboration leads to better outcomes in IT.
• Everyone has a unique perspective to offer.
• Sharing viewpoints can lead to new insights.
• Working together is essential in the tech industry.
• Embracing different routes in technology fosters innovation.

Hey, we are back!

In this episode of Vendor Blender, Paul Croker sits down with James Griffin, CEO of CyberSentriq, to explore the evolving landscape of the Managed Service Provider (MSP) market.

Discover how the merger of Redstor and TitanHQ into CyberSentriq aims to address the convergence of backup and cybersecurity, a critical challenge for MSPs today.

James shares insights on navigating vendor consolidation, maintaining service quality, and the importance of cultural alignment in mergers.

Tune in to learn about the opportunities for MSPs to enhance their service offerings and the strategic moves CyberSentriq is making to become a leading player in the industry.

Also, hear which music track James adds to the Spotify playlist and why he added it.

Join in the conversation, does something resonate, maybe you have a question.

Comment on social media, or reach out to us on LinkedIn, search for our names, we'd love to hear from you.

So, let's dive in and hear what James has to say.

In this instalment, Paul Croker sits down with the CISO who has to look after cybersecurity for a Saas platform..

Paul was able to grab some time with rockstar CISO Patrick Beggs at the recent IT Nation Community event, which took place in London.

We talked a bit about the tech a bit, and went back in time to hear some of the cool things that Patrick has been involved with and where it's brought him today.

We talked about the human elements at play here; we talked about frameworks GDPR, NIST, for example.

Yes, AI is featured too, along with some cool insights into the person that is Patrick. We hear about the exciting developments with his family, which covers American Football, Rugby and WWE! - You gotta listen to see how we got to these topics!

Also tuned in to see what track Patrick added to our Spotify playlist for Business Insights.

The American Nightmare or The American Dream - #WWE

Get in touch and let us know what you think of this. Who will Paul chat with next?

It's not every day you get to talk with the EVP of a multinational organisation and get the chance to ask them questions that differ from the normal ones asked.

Paul Croker was fortunate to get some time with Peter Kujawa of IT Nation and Connectwise.

We talked on the following topics

• Event Overview of IT Nation
• Peter’s Role at IT Nation & ConnectWise
• Community Events and MSPs
• Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing
• Senior Leadership’s Involvement
• Company Culture
• Event Changes and Future Plans for IT Nation
• Personal Touch – Music Recommendation

You definitely want to hear what Peter had to say with Paul and listen out for his music track he added to the Spotify Playlist that accompanies the Business Insight Podcast series.

In this episode of the Vendor Blender podcast, Paul Croker speaks with Dan Boddington from RedStor about the importance of backing up Entra ID, Microsoft's cloud version of Active Directory. They discuss the emerging risks associated with cloud infrastructure, the complexities of setting up and restoring backups, and real-world use cases that highlight the necessity of this backup solution. The conversation emphasizes the critical role of Entra ID in organizational security and the need for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to consider this backup as part of their offerings.

• "What is Entra ID Backup and why do we need it?"
• "It's a new emerging risk in a business."
• "It's a hidden piece of infrastructure."

Nigel Moore, founder of the tech tribe, shares his journey in the tech space and the lessons he learned along the way.

He discusses the challenges faced by MSPs, such as pricing and packaging plans, and how he wrote a book to help others avoid the mistakes he made.

Nigel emphasizes the importance of self-belief and surrounding oneself with the right people, whether it's through peer groups or finding the right business coach.

He also highlights the unique and supportive nature of the MSP industry. In this conversation, Nigel and Paul discuss the importance of personal growth and mindset in the MSP industry.

They explore the challenges of breaking out of their comfort zones and making changes in their business and personal lives. Nigel shares his journey of overcoming limiting beliefs and the power of incremental changes.

They also discuss the value of providing quality services and the importance of balancing work and personal life. Nigel highlights the impact of volunteering and helping others as a way to find balance and fulfilment.

The conversation concludes with a discussion about the upcoming ScaleCon event in Vegas (which took place back in 2024)

Also, listen and find out which music track Nigel adds to our Spotify Playlist which accompanies the Business Insights Podcast see a link in the comments below.

Hello!

In this edition of the Business Insights podcast, I chatted with the CEO of IASME Emma Philpott.

IASME is the team that runs the Cyber Essentials Framework program certification.

In this instalment, we talked about the following points

• Cybersecurity should be inclusive and accessible to everyone.

• Breaking down barriers in cybersecurity is essential for innovation.

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• Effective communication is crucial in managing a growing team.

• Embracing change can lead to exciting opportunities.

• Cultural experiences shape our perspectives and approaches.

• Mentorship and team support are vital for personal growth.

• Recognition can come unexpectedly and may lead to imposter syndrome.

• Building a resilient team allows for adaptability during challenges.

• Entry-level jobs are necessary to diversify the cybersecurity workforce.

• Continuous improvement is key to success in any organization.

Tune in to also find out which music track Emma added to our Business Insights Spotify playlist