Virtual CISO Demand, AI Adoption, MSP M&A Market, Edge Computing, and More

Firstly, the episode highlights the high demand for virtual CISO services among small to medium-sized businesses, emphasizing the gap between demand and supply. The rising need for virtual CISO services is attributed to regulatory compliance, increasing cyber attacks, and a shortage of cybersecurity skills. Service providers offering virtual CISO services report improved margins and revenue, indicating a significant growth opportunity in the market.Secondly, the episode covers the adoption of generative AI by small businesses. Despite concerns about job security and data privacy, employees recognize the productivity advantages of generative AI. To encourage adoption, small business owners are advised to centralize data management, integrate generative AI into operations, and emphasize its role in enhancing productivity. The episode stresses the importance of addressing customer pain points and customizing services accordingly, rather than focusing on buzzwords.The podcast also delves into government initiatives to enhance Internet routing security, particularly targeting vulnerabilities in the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). The White House has published a roadmap promoting the adoption of Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) to mitigate security risks associated with BGP. Additionally, a congressional hearing is scheduled to address the global CrowdStrike outage caused by a faulty security update, highlighting the importance of cyber hygiene and supply chain security.Lastly, the episode discusses strategic moves in the tech industry, including Verizon's acquisition of Frontier Communications to expand its fiber network, ScalePad's founder returning as CEO to focus on product integration, and the success of Fleet, a bootstrapped laptop leasing startup. The episode emphasizes the trend of consolidation in the managed services industry driven by private equity firms, the shift towards local processing of large language models, and the increasing adoption of AI services by MSPs. Overall, the episode provides insights into key developments shaping the tech landscape. Four things to know today00:00 Cynomi Report Reveals High Demand for vCISO Services, but Few Providers Offer Solutions to SMBs03:31 Congress to Hold Hearing on CrowdStrike Outage, Scrutinizing Cybersecurity Practices and Supply Chain Security04:43 ScalePad Founder Chris Day Returns as CEO, Shifts Focus to Product Integration and Doubling Subscription Revenue07:01 Private Equity Rollups Dominate MSP M&A Market, Driving Need for Standardization and Operational Integration Supported by:  https://www.huntress.com/mspradio/  Pulseway Event:  https://www.pulseway.com/v2/land/webinar-nexus-msp?rfid=vendor/?partnerref=vendor   All our Sponsors:   https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want to be a guest on Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights? Send Dave Sobel a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/businessoftech Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessoftech.bsky.social