Episodes

Find all Insights as a Service episodes below. New episodes are added weekly. 

63. MSP Marketing Masterclass

Join Brendan Ritchie and Paul Green from MSP Marketing as they delve into the nuances of modern marketing. Together they discuss the undeniable power of niche content, the transformative impact of understanding client trends and frustrations, and the significance of podcasts in today’s digital landscape. They also highlight the importance

Mastering Tech Recruitment: Key Strategies for MSP Leaders | Insights as a Service [62]

62. Mastering Tech Recruitment

In this episode of Insights as a Service, Brendan is joined by Dean Ellis, recruitment manager at Beaumont People. From global Insights to local benefits, they delve into the latest developments in technology recruitment. Explore market trends, talk about security and career progression in smaller MSPs, tackle salary inflation, and

The ideal sales team structure Insights as a Service [61]

61. The Ideal Sales Team Structure

In this episode, Brendan delves deep into the sales universe with James Bergl, the VP Communities & Ecosystem APAC at Pax8. Learn about striking the right balance in sales leadership, fair compensation, and the art of relationship-based selling. They touch on the nuances in the tech industry and the essence

Profit in Pursuit of Purpose | Insights as a Service [60]

60. Profit in Pursuit of Purpose

In recent years, growing expectations from consumers and investors for better ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) practices have led businesses to shift towards models prioritising profit generation in pursuit of positive social impact. So, how can you do good while doing well? In this week’s conversation, AJ McKean, the Managing

Episode 59

59. Building a trans-Tasman business

This time, we have something special in store for you. Recently, Brendan had the privilege of being a guest on the Pax8 Academy podcast, hosted by the amazing James Davis. During their conversation, they delved into Brendan’s experience of bringing a New Zealand business to Australia. Exploring the valuable lessons

Episode 58 - Impact of AI on customer service

58. AI Impact on Customer Service

AI is here, and it’s bigger than the internet, according to Tim Warren, CEO and founder of Ambit. How you use it in your business will determine the quality of experience your customers have and how effectively you differentiate your brand. This week’s conversation is taking Brendan into the history

episode 57 - cyberwarfare - Barry Greene

57. Cyberwarfare is here

In this era of state-sanctioned cyber warfare, Is your business approach to cybersecurity up to date? How can you keep your business and your clients, safe from cyber-attacks? Embark on an eye-opening episode of Insights as a Service. Barry Greene, former Principal Resiliency & Security Architect at Akamai Technologies , helps

Episode 58 - Impact of AI on Customer Service - Tim Warren

56. Decoding Pricing Strategy

In this episode, Brendan is joined by Ryan Spillane, the CEO of 360 Consulting, an IT-focused advisory company. Together they tackle key topics essential for MSPs looking to thrive in a dynamic and competitive landscape. They dig into the secrets behind their pricing strategies, profit margins, and growth opportunities. Follow Ryan

Picking a Niche: A Blueprint with Nigel Moore | Insights as a Service [55]

55. Picking a Niche

Nigel Moore runs ​The Tech Tribe an organisation with over 4,000 MSPs as members, so he knows a thing or two about how to successfully sell into a specific niche segment or vertical. This is a subject we have spoken about before on the podcast, and it has resulted in

The Power of Peer Groups | Insights as a Service [54]

54. The Power of Peer Groups

Wayne Small, the CEO of SMBiT Professionals, joins Brendan to explore the challenges and opportunities in the MSP industry, with a specific focus on the needs of small businesses in ANZ. Diving into topics ranging from integrating AI effectively, mitigating macroeconomic risks, collaborating with other MSPs, and identifying client retention

53. What are profitable MSPs paying?

The S-L Index 2023 Annual Compensation Report is out! And it is the focus of this week’s episode. Peter Kujawa, VP – of Service Leadership, a Connectwise Solution and Brendan discuss the latest compensation trends in the MSP industry and how they relate to the impact of automation on M&A

52. MSP Meets AI

Today Brendan and Dave Sobel from MSP Radio are talking about one of the hottest topics in tech right now with a focus on ChatGPT – the AI tool that’s taking the world by storm. 🤖 We dug deep into the topic of regulation surrounding AI and its implications for

The MSP Model Is Dead | Insights as a Service [51]

51. The MSP Model Is Dead

James Davis, the Pax8 Academy Director, joins Brendan to chat about the changing MSP landscape. From the decline of the traditional MSP model to pricing models and the challenges posed by SaaS vendors – they cover it all. Tune in to find out how you can shift your MSP to

Marketing for MSPs | Insights as a Service episode 50

50. Marketing for MSPs

In this episode, Ally Bourke, marketing advisor and founder of The Launch Project, is here with Brendan to discuss the latest marketing trends and techniques for MSPs. They dive into the nitty-gritty of how to sell something that people don’t understand. Discuss the power of storytelling, whether marketing content should

Episode 49 - CFOs that enable growth

49. CFOs that enable growth

In this episode of the Insights as a Service podcast, Brendan is joined by David and Dinesh from the CFO Centre to uncover the secret to driving business profitability through the role of a CFO. They’ll share their experiences in finance and commercial functions and cover a range of topics

Unlock your MSP's value with Nathan Hutchison | Episode 48 Insights as a Service

48. Unlock your MSP’s value

In this episode, Nathan Hutchison, Executive Coach from Pax8 is here with Brendan to uncover some of the main obstacles MSPs will face in 2023. They explore strategies for retaining key staff, understanding existing capacity within your MSP, and how to optimise it. They also cover the importance of pricing

ep 47 security landscape for MSPs in 2023

47. Stay Ahead of the Curve: MSP Security Landscape in 2023

Get ready for a fascinating conversation with John Milionis, Head of Channels and Alliances for ANZ at Zscaler! John joins Brendan for a discussion about the competitive landscape for MSPs in Australia and New Zealand and the opportunities for growth and success.  Learn about upskilling strategies, the rise of new

Profit Growth through Benchmarking and Operational Maturity | Insights as a Service ep 46

46. Profit Growth through Benchmarking and Operational Maturity

Peter Kujawa is the VP, Service Leadership & Technology Service Provider Evangelist with Service Leadership, a Connectwise company. He knows a thing or two about the power of benchmarking and how it can be used to drive operational maturity, and ultimately profitability, in MSPs. He’s with us on Insights as

Harvard Business School Reviewed | Insights as a Service episode 45

45. Reviewing the Harvard Business School course

Brendan attended his first course at Harvard Business School last month and gives us his review of the experience in the first episode for 2023. The course, called “Aligning Strategy With Sales”, covered off on corporate and sales strategy conception, pricing, distribution methods, recruitment and performance evaluation, marketing methods, and

Starting a podcast for your business | Insights as a Service [44]

44. Starting a podcast for your business

Have you thought about starting a podcast for your business? Well, this week, we’ll give you a head start by telling you all about the mistakes we made, the feedback we got, the hardware that sucked, the mics that worked best, the software we use, and how we define success.

MSPs need to think differently about legal

43. MSPs need to think differently about legal

MSPs that get their legal frameworks right minimise risk, drive profitability, and drive Enterprise value. Do you have the right agreements in place? How often do you review them? How are they aligned with ever changing SaaS vendor terms of use? Anne Hall from IT Agree joins Brendan this week

Start up done differently | Insights as a Service

42. A start-up done different

About 90% of start-ups fail, but what sets apart that successful 10%? Adam Ross co-founder of CloudOlive spills the beans on what it takes to build a successful start-up. Adam and his co-founder went through the Antler Venture Capital incubator in 2020. They successfully secured funding to solve a universal

The Optus Hack | Insights as a Service

41. The Optus Hack – What it teaches us

This week on the Insights as a Service podcast, Brendan and Nick discuss their experiences at the recent IT Nation Connect and Gartner IT Symposium/XPO conferences. With the increase in cyber attacks and the evolution of ransomware, it was no surprise that cyber security was front and centre at these

Recap: IT Nation Connect APAC & Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2022 | Insights as a Service

40. Recap: IT Nation Connect APAC & Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2022

This week on the Insights as a Service podcast, Brendan and Nick discuss their experiences at the recent IT Nation Connect and Gartner IT Symposium/XPO conferences. With the increase in cyber attacks and the evolution of ransomware, it was no surprise that cyber security was front and centre at these

What's wrong with LinkedIn | Insights as a Service

39. What’s wrong with LinkedIn

Where is LinkedIn going wrong? LinkedIn was designed to make recruitment and social selling easy. It’s the ideal platform to promote your ideas on thought leadership and your personal and business brand. But as it has grown, the platform, and the way people use it, has changed. In this episode,

The art of the explanabrag | Insights as a Service

38. The Art of the “Explanabrag”

The thing that makes a business great doesn’t always scale. How do you hold on to your formula for success as headcount and business complexity grows? This week Nick and Brendan talk through that, along with how the French do business, learning from rejection, and matching business hours to customer

Get that high value exit | Insights as a Service

37. Get that high value exit

Greg Sharp sold Base2 to Kordia in 2021 for a 10x multiple, so he knows a thing or two about orchestrating a high-value exit. He has also founded several other businesses, the latest of which is ZenContract, a SaaS play aimed at helping MSPs build value in their own businesses

The rise of the second job | Insights as a Service

36. Rise of the second job

Swearing in the workplace is up by 60%. Is this acceptable, and if yes, by whom and in which context? The secondary job market has always existed, and most companies were turning a blind eye. Now with the tight labour market we are experiencing, companies are actively seeking workers who

The Revenue Delusion | Insights as a Service - ep 35

35. The Revenue Delusion

Here’s how to avoid profitability issues in your business. What’s your end game? And how can you work back from that definition to create the required building blocks for success? Adrien Nisbet works with businesses under stress to turn them around and/or to help execute owner exits. In this episode,

NZ chickens are tougher | Insights as a Service

34. NZ chickens are tougher

Matt Bristow, GM of ONGC, joins Brendan and Nick to talk about starting up a security operations centre (SOC) and how his business implemented a cost effective entry into the security space. The guys also discuss whether “guys” is a gender neutral term, how fibre build times are blowing out,

What's your MSP worth? | Insights as a Service

33. What’s your MSP worth with Will Slappey

Will Slappey’s business (IT Voice) had bought 8 businesses in the two years leading up to his chat with Brendan. That conversation was recorded 4 weeks ago. Since then, he has acquired two more. In short, he knows a thing or two about acquiring business in the ICT market. Check

No position on social issues - good or bad? | Insights as a Service

32. No position on social issues – good or bad?

Kaseya’s CEO says his company has no position on any social issue, is this the right approach? And how much value is lost when there is no cultural alignment in an acquisition? Nick and Brendan cover these questions, and a bunch of other industry talking points, in this episode filmed

Zero Trust Defined with Masaki Takeda | Insights as a Service

31. Zero Trust Defined with Masaki Takeda

Zero Trust is a term increasingly used in cyber security circles, but it means different things to different people, and it feels like each brand has a different take on it. So how to make sense of what Zero Trust really means? Masaki Takeda, Network Delivery Manager at The Instillery,

Networking tips for introverts with Harriet Mellor | Insights as a Service

30. Networking tips for introverts with Harriet Mellor

So much of the value on offer at networking events and conferences comes down to the connections you can make, but it can be hard to come out of your shell and feel confident approaching strangers. What should you lead with? How to get out of the chat if it’s

29. Customer success for MSPs with Marnie Stockman

MSPs need a Customer Success process that is scalable, repeatable, documentable, and efficient… with metrics and a system to ensure the customer feels heard. When you concentrate on the people, programs, processes, and products that make a positive impact for your customers, their success guarantees your MSP’s success. Marnie Stockman

What does the recession mean for you? | Insights as a Service

28. What does the recession mean for you?

Depending on who you talk to, a recession is either looming or is already here. But does that present opportunity in the tech sector? And for MSPs, could it ease the pressure caused by current the shortage of skilled workers? Nick and Brendan dive into all that, discussing the wasted

Jeremy Nees and Zenith Live

27. Live from Zenith Live with Jeremy Nees

Brendan and Jeremy Nees (Chief Operations Officer at The Instillery) woke up early to watch the Zscaler’s Zenith Live, so you don’t have to. Cyber security is one of the biggest opportunities for MSPs to add value, and this episode will offer you a glimpse into the future of cyber

26. No previous experience? You’re hired!

Good people are hard to find, so why limit your reach to people with industry specific experience? And have you thought about how to better attract women to your business? This week Catherine Dearlove joins Brendan to share her story of coming into a tech role for the first time,

4 day work week | Insights as a Service

25. 4-Day Work Week

Introduction Is Elon Musk a giant tool?  Can a 4 day work week work in the tech sector? Will Spain pass a law to force telcos to answer all calls within 3 minutes? Brendan and Nick tackle the big issues while enjoying some quality Lightwire gin. Timestamps for the busy

NBN gets schooled with Richard Riley from Tuatahi First Fibre

24. NBN gets schooled

NZ’s UFB fibre rollout has set a standard that Australia’s NBN is miles from even getting close to. This week Richard Riley, Chief Customer Officer for NZ’s 2nd biggest fibre carrier, Tuatahi First Fibre, joins Brendan to talk about where NBN went wrong, how 5G is impacting fibre uptake, and

The Dickhead Test | Insights as a Service

23. The Dickhead Test

Introduction The DHT, or dickhead test, is an important part of any interview process. People buy from people, and you need to make sure your people will rep your brand as you would. Nick and Brendan dive into that and also talk through how a recession, if that’s what we’re

getting beat up by dev team | Insights as a Service

22. Getting beaten up by the Dev team

Introduction Just because you have developers ready to work on new products or features doesn’t mean they should. Adding more products or features doesn’t equate to better business results. Creating solutions clients want starts with getting the basics right. Join Brendan and Nick in this back to basics episode on

What makes an effective leader with Amanda Russo | Insights as a Service

21. What Makes an Effective Leader

Introduction With skills shortages biting, it’s never been more critical for businesses to create pathways for emerging leaders. But what makes an effective leader? And how can we nurture those traits? This week Brendan is talking to leadership coach Amanda Russo, a subject matter expert who works with businesses to

Inflation opportunity | Insights as a Service

20. The Inflation Opportunity

Introduction In this period of rampant inflation, your margins will inevitably be eroded if you don’t raise your prices. Efficiency within your sales team and company are key to thrive in a high inflation environment. Brendan and Nick are here to help MSPs like you to adjust pricing without losing

Sales people are coin operated | Insights as a Service

19. Sales people are coin operated

Introduction Harriet Mellor runs Your Sales Co, a sales training company that works extensively in the tech sector. This week she joined Brendan to talk all things related to sales success, both for individuals and organisations. Topics include team structure, the importance of personal branding and aligning it with your

Shortage of everything | Insights as a Service

18. A Shortage of Everything from People to Hardware

Introduction How can the nimble MSPs compete with the big companies when it comes to recruitment? And how does your company culture play an essential role in attracting, and retaining, top talent? Highly skilled people aren’t the only thing in short supply – The current shortage of hardware is adding

hyperfibre with Kurt Rodgers | Insights as a Service

17. Hyperfibre with Kurt Rodgers

Introduction Enable complete utilisation of the cloud by taking the breaks off your client WANs. Kurt Rodgers, Network Strategy Manager for Chorus, NZ’s largest fibre carrier, joins us to talk Hyperfibre, the 10Gbps access FttP service that is low cost and takes the complexity out of hyperscale connectivity. Timestamps: 0:00

What Teams Phone lacks | Insights as a Service

16. What Teams Phone Lacks

Introduction Not sure whether Teams Phone is the fit for your clients? Wondering how to scope it? In this episode, Brendan & Nick walk through the features, breaking each section into small digestible bits with just a hint of DJ horn. We also wrote THE book on Teams Phone. The

15. How to differentiate your MSP with Nigel Moore

Introduction This is part 2 of the in-depth conversation between Brendan and Nigel from The Tech Tribe. Nigel shares his MSP Sales and Marketing experience from helping more than 3000 MSPs around the world. How to differentiate your brand in a commoditized market and where Voice fits in a service

14. Empowering MSPs to grow with Nigel Moore

Introduction This week Brendan had a chat with Nigel Moore from The Tech Tribe! He has worked in a MSPs, owned one himself, and of course, now has this community that’s empowering MSPs to grow, scale and operate more effectively. This episode is Part One of their conversation. Timestamps:  0:00

Is voice a good fit for MSPs | Insights as a Service

13. Is voice a good fit for MSPs?

Introduction Voice enables MSPs to limit churn and drive revenue, but it can also introduce complexity to provisioning, support and billing processes. In this episode Brendan and Nick run through the pros/cons and the ways that voice can be incentivised for all stakeholders to get the best possible outcomes for

12. Get your pricing right with Ron Wood

Introduction Pricing and marketing are joined at the hip. Ron Wood runs Pricing Insight which, as the name suggests, helps some of Australia and NZ’s largest companies define and implements pricing strategies. In this episode he talks with Brendan about the mistakes to avoid, the process to follow in order

Understanding 3CX | Insights as a Service

11. Understanding 3CX

Introduction Join Brendan and Nick for a deep dive into the good, the bad, and the future of 3CX Unified Communications without the sales pitch. Episode 11, like any other Insights as a Service episode, is about making sure MSPs are aware of what 3CX can do, what it can’t

10. Scaling up for a high value exit

Introduction Paul O’Dwyer knows what gets businesses ahead. He has used the Scaling Up frame work to orchestrate his own high value exit and to build several brands he has been (or still is) involved with. He has also helped many other business owners work towards the same outcomes through

when things go wrong | insights as a service

9. When things go wrong

Introduction Nick and Brendan talk about the changes to Teams Calling, Microsoft price increases, what not to do when things go wrong, the power of retrospectives, and why Lightwire built a big red button. Timestamps: 0:00 How not to do IT status and outage updates 7:00 3 Tips to better

8. Agile for MSPs with Tim Philips

Introduction Have you heard of Agile but aren’t quite sure what it is or what it can do for your business? Tim Philips, an Agile and DevOps coach with over 15 years of experience from Unfuddle, joins us this week to get us all up to speed on how using

how nz should prepare for omicron | Insights as a Service

7. How NZ’s MSPs can prepare for Omicron

Introduction This week on Insights as a Service, Brendan is joined by Nick Phillips to discuss the impact Omicron has had on Australian businesses and what NZ MSPs and businesses can learn from that experience. Latest industry news is also covered, including new laws and liabilities in the cybersecurity space,

what does NPS tell you | Insights as a Service

6. Does NPS tell us anything useful?

Introduction This week on Insights as a Service Nick and I are covering Telstra’s $2,5 million fine from the Australian Communications and Media Authority, NBN’s transition to the business space, and the real insights that are unlocked with customer surveys like the famed NPS score Timestamps: 0:00 What’s in this

5. Navigating NZ’s MSP space – insights and comparisons from the UK

Introduction This week on Insights of a Service we are joined by Markus McIver and Roman Paljk from Virtuoso where we talk about talent in the tech industry, the value of your reputation, and how genuinely caring can set your MSP apart from the competition. Timestamps: 0:00 Episode Intro 1:06

Do industry awards matter? | Insights as a Service

4. Why industry awards don’t matter

A $300 million merger that will make Telstra “sh*t bricks”, how not to do comparison pages, and we talk about why industry awards aren’t worth the hassle. Timestamps:  0:00 Today in Insights as a Service 1:00 How not to make a comparison page 6:26 Deloitte and KPMG AU going remote

3. Cloud transformation with Zack Levy

Zack Levy worked in legal and commercial roles within some of the biggest IT companies going around before buying into, and subsequently running, Strut, an IT company that had big goals. He talks to us about how he engineered the buy in, and how a 10 year plan turned out

2. Getting your pricing right, big telco M&A news, and Mike Jenkins

A guide to setting the right price for MSP products/services, we run through who’s buying who in the telco world, and we have the 2nd half of our chat with Mike Jenkins, CEO and co-founder of The Instillery. Timestamps: 0:00 Welcome to Insights as a Service 1:10 Aussie Broadband acquisition

1. Growing a business from 2 to 200 in 8 years

In episode 1 of the “Insights as a Service” podcast, we cover key industry news, do a deep dive on the Australian Government backed purchase of Digicel Pacific by Telstra, and sit down with Mike Jenkins (CEO & founder of The Instillery) to learn about how he grew a 2

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