When you think of a network, what comes to mind? MySpace, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok… LinkedIn if you’re all business? No, no, no, not what I meant! Not social networks – IT networks. What comes to mind now? Switches? Access points? Firewalls? A score of ethernet cabling? For us too, the network symbolizes all the traditional things that Auvik helps IT teams around the world manage and monitor.

When it comes to security, phishing is one of any IT team’s biggest concerns—as it targets the weakest link in the security chain: end-users. No matter how strong an organization’s technical defenses are, they can all be rendered useless if employees fall for a phishing attempt and hand over sensitive information. According to Cisco’s 2021 Cyber Security Threat Trends report, phishing is the second most prevalent cyber attack after crypto mining.

Welcome to the last mile of the office network! I’m thrilled to extend our warmest welcome to two new additions to the Auvik family—Saaslio and Boardgent. Combining their product feature set and industry expertise with Auvik, will extend our capabilities to provide a unique toolset designed to solve problems for MSPs and internal IT departments—and effectively manage the end-user experience regardless of location and which applications are being used.

A recent Honeywell survey reinforced something many in the MSP world already knew: data centers need managed service providers. 96% of facility managers indicated remote management is important, but only 34% had remote management capabilities in place. That’s surprising in a digital world where data centers enable critical business functions and an epic business opportunity for MSPs looking to enter the data center world.

As you look to optimize your MSP’s growing business, it’s going to become more and more important to maintain an acceptable return on your investment. To do this, you’ll need to find services that increase your gross margin on every client engagement. Virtual CISO services can greatly help in this function. While solutions like Auvik already help MSPs have visibility inside of client networks, we want to take this a step further with the addition of vCISO services.

Quarterly business reviews (QBRs) are one of the best tools you can use when it comes to being transparent and keeping your clients updated on all the work you’re taking care of for them. Otherwise known as technical business reviews, or semi-annual business reviews, QBRs serve as an excellent opportunity to touch base with clients, highlight the value of the services you provide, and create a strategic agenda moving forward.

In the managed services industry, there’s no shortage of support. Whether online or in person, there are countless ways to connect with other MSPs, share stories, and provide tips and tricks to help you build your business—and overcome MSP struggles and biggest challenges. And while MSPs are willing to share industry trends they’re taking advantage of, they’re not always willing to talk about the ones they’re losing sleep over.

Many believe we’re either in a recession or on the brink of one. It’s a familiar cycle: high inflation, international strife, supply chain challenges, and tightening monetary policies are all driving fears of a downturn. While the IT industry has exceeded expectations for the past few years, it isn’t immune to a recession. As a result, many IT MSPs are thinking about what they can do to ensure a recession-proof business over the next year and beyond.

In the early years of the internet, it was common to simply use a spreadsheet to manually assign and track IP addresses. We’d be given a generous pool of IP addresses that were not so widely distributed, and most network devices were desktops and not mobile. But this soon got out of hand as networks grew and mobile devices became the norm.

Looking to scale your MSP network monitoring business this year? Maybe you’re new to the game and still wondering how to write an MSP business plan. Maybe you think the answer is a vCIO? No problem! Here are five tips from the experts at the MSP Growth Summit on how to craft and optimize your MSP business plan.