Managed service providers (MSPs) are feeling the impact of AI use, mostly when it comes to the power of chatbots. Chatbots are an incredible way for MSPs to save time and money when it comes to the lower levels of their customer support. Well-programmed bots can take the burden off techs and your support staff when it comes to answering simple questions and troubleshooting common issues.

In this edition of News That Makes the Channel Cringe, a new Sophos report reveals IT pros can’t identify almost half (45%) of the traffic flowing through their networks. The Dirty Secrets of Network Firewalls study, which included the responses of 2,700 mid-size business IT leaders, goes on to say 25% can’t identify over 70% of total network traffic. That’s a massive blind spot, especially with mounting concerns over cybersecurity. The network is what keeps your clients connected.

The news is filled with stories about horrible attacks against corporate and government networks. It’s almost enough to make administrators for small and mid-sized networks give up. But it’s important to note not all of these attacks are the same. There’s a vast difference, for example, between the incredibly sophisticated long-term attacks against high-profile companies and government agencies, and the mere smash-and-grab attacks.

Too often, small business equals small budget when it comes to doing wireless, but sometimes just knowing what can be done goes further than more money. There are many ways to approach wireless security, and businesses of any size have options. Let’s talk about how I approach my own small- and mid-sized business (SMB) settings when it comes to security and Wi-Fi.

WATERLOO, ON / November 8, 2017 — Auvik Networks, a provider of network monitoring and management software for managed service providers (MSPs), has announced a new integration with IT documentation platform IT Glue. The integration will give MSPs the ability to sync details that Auvik automatically discovers about a network—such as device IP addresses, serial numbers, and software versions—into IT Glue, instead of entering the data manually.