When it comes to the holidays, what is your favorite movie to watch? There are plenty of classics. We recently made an MSP-themed spoof of the classic, "A Christmas Story," and were wondering what others' favorite movies were?
Leave your favorite movie and favorite quote!
Flaws in Trend Micro's antivirus program left user login names and passwords extremely vulnerable. Meanwhile, eBay has patched a security vulnerability that was leaving customer credentials exposed. To hear more, just click play!
Transcription
Hey everyone welcome back for another episode of IT Rewind. This week, a Google researcher discovered that flaws in Trend Micro’s antivirus product allowed for remote code execution by any website which left user passwords vulnerable. You’ll hear about this story and more right now on IT Rewind!
When you think of antivirus programs, you think of protecting your systems, right? Well, recently Tavis Ormandy, a well-known Google security researcher found that bugs in Trend Micro’s antivirus software was leaving users passwords extremely vulnerable. Since the discovery, Trend Micro has released an automatic update that fixes the issue. Still, in the emails that Ormandy exchanged with the security firm, it was clear that Trend Micro wasn’t moving fast enough to fix the issue. In one of the released emails, Ormany said quote, “…This means anyone on the internet can steal all of your passwords completely silently, as well as execute arbitrary code with zero user interaction. I really hope the gravity of this is clear to you, because I’m astonished about this.” End quote. The issue was in the password manager of the antivirus product, which was written in java script and opened up HTTP remote procedure call ports to handle API’s. Users could elect to export their passwords to it. Ormandy quickly found an API that allowed him to access passwords stored in the manager.
eBay has patched a vulnerability that could have exposed customer credentials. The cross-site scripting vulnerability left millions of users open to the threat of spear phishing attacks, which would have allowed cybercriminals to access credentials and potentially steal funds. The vulnerability involved the main domain and has been described as farily basic. The researcher who discovered the vulnerability was able to mirror eBay’s login page, which gave users an error when they tried to log in. However, it also revealed the username and password that the user attempted to enter. The researcher claims that eBay only fixed the issue after the media contacted them about it, even though he had brought it to their attention a month earlier.
Before we go I’m excited to announce that registration for Navigate 2016 is now officially open. Make sure to book your tickets to this years user conference right here in Boston, Mass! Head over to www.continuum.net/nav16 to register.
That’s all the time that we have for this week’s episode of IT Rewind, As always, read the full stories that we covered today and other tech stories by clicking on the links below.
Of course, you can always find us on Twitter, Instagram and Vine at FollowContinuum. We’re also on Facebook, LinkedIn, Spiceworks, YouTube and Periscope
Take it easy.
See the full post here: MSP Blog
The following are some responses that we got when we posed this question in Spiceworks. We would love for you to add your own as well!
That dreaded Reply All button. If only there were some kind of app or plug-in that made people have to answer a challenging calculus problem in order to enable it. OK, maybe instead they should have to answer a series of questions, like "Do you really intend to send this message to the entire company?" followed by "Are you contributing anything of value to the other recipients on this listserv?" Don't get me wrong, Reply All has its uses, but it can also be terribly abused. Just look at how it's plaguing the inboxes of thousands of Time Inc. employees! And if you think it's just a workplace annoyance with no real harm, then these stories will make you think twice before sending your next email. We reached out to IT professionals and MSPs on Spiceworks, asking them to share their funniest and worst Replyallpocalypse moments, and they did not disappoint. Keep reading for some of our favorites!
1. Warnings for Repeat Offenders
If you have members of your team that are Reply All happy, you may consider penalizing offenders like this IT department did:
2. Blame Orville Redenbacher
This next anecdote may have been prevented had the company used separate listservs for each of their locations. But hey, all of this could have been avoided had they had a popcorn machine in their kitchen like some offices do! 
Too bad she didn't wait to send it on National Popcorn Day, a holiday I trust you all know was last week.
3. An Interoffice Romance
Isn't this how Jim and Pam got together too?
4. Are You There Chico? It's Me, Margaret
As you can probably tell, my favorite is A Christmas Story. I probably watch it 2-3 times each year...
"Bumpuses!!!!"
Original post at: MSP Blog
Welcome back to our MSP Sales Success blog series, a collection of posts that dive deep into the sales journey and answer what you've been asking for some time: "How do I sell managed services?"! When we last left you, you had just started to learn more about the managed IT services sales process and its individual stages. Next up, we review one of the steps you have to take when laying the groundwork for a successful sale. Do you know who you're up against? In the following post, we'll teach you how to understand the competitive landscape in your local area.
NOTE: This series is designed to walk you through the MSP sales journey, from start to finish. Before researching your competitors, however, make sure you understand your unique selling proposition (USP) - also commonly known as your value proposition. We've already written on this subject matter and so have excluded it from the series, but please check out our explanation of how to set unique selling propositions as an MSP when you get the chance.
Now, on to the task at hand...
Learning about your local competition is a never-ending process and as such, the competitive analysis section of your business plan must continually be revisited and updated. If you haven't refreshed your competitive documentation recently, here are some tips.
Who Are We Talking About?
The Competition
These are the other MSPs serving your same area. You likely know some of these names. Maybe you have dart boards with their logos attached. Whether you're familiar with the local competition or not, don't skip over this step when researching the landscape. New competitors can easily emerge, and you may find a few names slipped under your radar.
To cover your tracks, start by opening up Google and searching any of the following terms:
"managed services [INSERT CITY NAME]"
"IT service provider [INSERT CITY NAME]"
best IT services [INSERT CITY NAME]"
You can even get more targeted and narrow the radius further by specifying the name of a suburb or town within the larger city. For example, if I wanted to find an MSP within 10 miles of my office, I could search "IT services cranberry township" instead of "IT services pittsburgh."
Then, note the companies that show up in the top organic - meaning listings that aren't ads - search results, and copy these names into an Excel spreadsheet. You'll populate that sheet with the rest of your competitive findings.
[Want to increase your own website's visability in search rankings? Watch this introductory vilink urlonline)
**Their Company Size and Demographics cs
Now that you know who your competitors are, let's find out a little more about them. There are a myriad of sources to help you build comprehensive portfolios for each of these companies.
LinkedIn
I like to start with LinkedIn. For each of the competitor companies you've flagged above, search within this social networking tool. I've found that people on LinkedIn are often proud of their careers and associate themselves to the company they work for. How does this information help? Not only does it offer a window into the professional experiences and credentials of key players within that organization, it also helps reveal how big your competitors are.
Here are two takeaways you may be faced with in comparing the size of your own MSP business:
You're larger than a competitor:
Let's say you have 30 employees as opposed to one competitive company's two. In later communications with prospects who may mention this other company, you can make the argument that this competitor won't be viable enough to truly manage their IT infrastructure needs.
You're smaller than a competitor:
If you find yourself on the opposite end of the spectrum, however, you can argue that you'll be able to deliver more specialized service and support. Unlike your competitor, your prospect wouldn't just be one of many accounts. Instead, they'd be a key client for you. Remember, people like to feel special.
Manta
Once you pull your preliminary competitive research from LinkedIn, cross-check that data using Manta. Manta is like another version of Hoovers and Dun & Bradstreet. It’s a free tool, and while the information is not always 100% accurate, when combined with LinkedIn, it can help you understand the number of employees that a competitive organization may have. Additionally, Manta categorizes the business's service, indicates how long the company has been around and gives an estimate for the organization's annual revenue. This last figure especially can give you a rough idea of how healthy and how much of a threat your competitor is.
Original post and article links at: R1Soft Blog
There's nothing quite like flipping through the channels and coming across your favorite romantic comedy. You know the plot, you know all the jokes, but you just can't help but committing the next two and a half hours to taking it in once more. We decided to take our favorite "Rom Coms" and add a little bit of an IT twist for our MSP readers.
The original versions of these flicks are classics, but a little change can be good. Check out our list of the top five romantic comedies with an IT twist!
5) 10 Things I Hate About End Users
As we just heard from the MSP community, there are more than a few things to hate about end users. Still, our MSP partners are used to the same type of happy ending that you'll find in this classic Rom Com.
4) A NOC to Remember
A Network Operations Center (NOC) with 650+ technicians and 24x7x365 service and support is tough to forget, don't you think?
3) How to Lose a Tech in 10 Days
If you have a skilled technician that you're able to keep on staff, count your lucky stars. Holding on to good talent is tough, so when you've netted yourself a good one, make sure you're treating them right and keeping them happy!
Hi! I'm new here. Already love it! I'm Glenn Barley!
@scottalanmiller Unfortunate that those measure are necessary for users to really see the risk. But, at least for now, that seems to be the case...
Addressing the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) Tuesday, George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced a £1.9 billion investment in cyber security by 2020. In the wake of the horrific attacks in Paris, Osborne pledged solidarity with the nation of France as he shared details of a National Cyber Security Plan that had already been in the works. The new U.K. program will establish a National Cyber Centre (NCC) and increased support for the U.K.'s National Cyber Crime Unit.
In his speech, Osborne outlined his five-step plan to make cyber security the U.K.'s top priority. While the government will play the largest role in this effort, service providers should take this latest program to heart. With a greater focus on not just containing, but combatting cybercrime, there will be more opportunities to receive the financial support you need, while closing the widening IT skills gap that's kept you from growing and scaling your businesses.
During Osborne's speech, there were many poignant moments particularly relevant to U.K. IT solutions providers. We've grabbed the 15 we found to be the most relevant!
A National Emphasis on Cybercrime Prevention
"Getting cyber security right requires new thinking. But certain principles remain true in cyberspace as they are true about security in the physical world."
"Citizens need to follow basic rules of keeping themselves safe – installing security software, downloading software updates, using strong passwords."
"Companies need to protect their own networks, and harden themselves against cyber attack."
"The starting point must be that every British company is a target, that every British network will be attacked, and that cyber crime is not something that happens to other people."
"Over the past 18 months, for example, GCHQ has helped U.K. law enforcement tackle a number of high-profile operations against pernicious cybercrime malware threats, like Dridex, Shylock and GameOver Zeus. These have cost U.K. citizens and companies and government departments millions of pounds in the form of fraud, theft and damage[.]"
@scottalanmiller Yes! That made our "honorable mention" list. We took a malware twist and titled it. "You've Got Mail... Don't Open It!"
I wanted to get a gauge on whether or not there was a web hosting presence on this platform, or if anyone knows where there may be one?
We have a blog that we create a lot of valuable content for web hosts and are just looking for the best places to share that content.
@Dashrender I disagree. I have gotten some cold emails from companies that can provide a valuable service to us. If it sounds like it could help, I'll set up a demo.
The managed services space is growing, and many businesses are well aware of the offerings provided by managed services providers (MSPs).
For example, CompTIA's "Fourth Annual Trends in Managed Services Study," released earlier this year, revealed more than two-thirds of companies said they used the services of an outside IT firm within the past 12 months. The study also showed that slightly more than half of respondents said they were "very familiar" with the concept of managed services, while another 40 percent said they were somewhat familiar.
"While one-time projects account for some of these engagements, a significant portion is ongoing management of one or more IT functions by a managed services provider," CompTIA Senior Director of Industry Analysis Carolyn April said. "There is a much higher degree of familiarity with the term 'managed services' and greater adoption."
Many businesses want managed services, and as an MSP, it is important to educate your customers about the services you provide. In addition, a successful MSP must be able to explain how its services benefit a business - that way, a company can understand and optimize its return on investment (ROI) in an MSP's offerings.
So what does it take to educate your customers about the benefits of managed services? Here are three tips to help you explain how your services work and how they can help your clients:
At our recent user conference, one of our partners gave a presentation on the importance of maintaining a healthy work life balance. He made some very good and valid points, so I figured I'd reach out to see what others do in order to "leave work at the office."
It can be difficult to "unplug" when you head home for the day, so what do you do to make it happen?
@scottalanmiller But don't you think that the reliance on these devices is causing the stress? It's like if you try to quit smoking, of course you're going to crave a cigarette at first, but goal is to make that craving go away.
@scottalanmiller Awesome. Thanks for the advice and guidance!
