AI in Action: Radiologists Thrive, Data Silos Persist, and LastPass Expands SaaS Monitoring

[00:00:02] It's Thursday, May 15, 2025 and I'm Dave Sill for Things to Know Today. Data silos are stalling AI innovation with MSPs needing unified strategies to unlock real outcomes. Radiologists prove AI enhances not replaces professionals offering a clear parallel for tech roles. Super Ops relaunches Monika with layered AI autonomy signaling a shift toward proactive AI-led operations.

[00:00:27] And TD Cynics boosts its Destination AI program to move partners from curiosity to capability. Plus, LastPass adds SaaS monitoring, inching toward territory owned by tools like Augment. This is the business of tech. Siloed data is hindering IT operations and ambitions for artificial intelligence, according to a recent report by Infanti, which surveyed over 1,200 IT and cybersecurity professionals.

[00:00:54] The report highlights that more than half of the respondents indicated that data from security and IT departments is isolated within their organizations, leading to inefficiencies and a lack of collaboration. The survey found that data silos are responsible for slow security responses for over 60% of respondents, while nearly 30% of IT professionals reported that data deficiencies obstruct their ability to utilize AI tools effectively.

[00:01:21] With increasing pressure to implement AI projects, experts stress the need for a comprehensive data strategy that incorporates governance, quality and performance to avoid hindering innovation. And how about some impact on two fields? Radiologists are not facing extinction as previously predicted. Instead, their field is experiencing significant growth, largely aided by advancements in artificial intelligence.

[00:01:47] According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the United States could face a shortage of up to 42,000 radiologists and other physician specialists by 2033. In a recent article by the New York Times, it was noted that rather than replacing radiologists, AI has become an essential tool for them, enabling rapid measurements of organs, automatic flagging of abnormalities and early disease detection.

[00:02:13] At the Mayo Clinic, the radiology department has expanded by 55% since the initial doomsday predictions, now employing a dedicated team of 40 AI specialists who have designed over 250 AI models to enhance diagnostic capabilities. Public relations professionals are increasingly recognizing that engaging with journalists is crucial for influencing artificial intelligence chatbots.

[00:02:38] As the PR industry adapts to the rise of AI, firms have found that authoritative journalism significantly impacts how chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude generate responses about companies, often more so than social media campaigns. Karine Winters, head of reputation practice at Mike Worldwide, emphasizes that while earned media remains important, its influence is often underestimated.

[00:03:04] Firms such as Edelman report that earned media and owned content are primary drivers for how AI platforms describe brands and products. According to Brian Buchwald of Edelman, the content and campaign choices made by companies can rapidly alter their reputation in AI outputs. This comes as the digital transformation in communication is overshadowing traditional media engagement. Why do we care?

[00:03:31] For providers aiming to leverage AI for automation, predictive maintenance or security posture improvements for themselves and for customers, fragmented data environments create a fundamental roadblock. IT providers need to lead with data strategy before AI strategy. Push clients toward unified telemetry, shared event correlation and tight governance if they want to get meaningful outcomes from AI implementations. Radiologists were once the poster child for jobs at risk due to AI.

[00:04:00] Now, they're a case study on how AI can enhance, not eliminate. Mayo Clinic's use of 250 plus AI models and a 55% expansion in staffing underscores that automation isn't eliminating expertise, it's scaling it. Like radiologists spending less time on routine reads, MSP techs can offload ticket triage, patch scheduling or alert prioritization to AI and focus on strategic client work. AI doesn't automatically mean headcount reduction.

[00:04:29] It means retooling roles and expanding capability. IT firms should communicate this shift to staff and clients alike. AI doesn't take jobs, it upgrades them. MSPs and vendors need to consider AI discoverability as part of brand strategy. This means engaging with journalists, contributing thought leadership and publishing with credibility. AI isn't magic, it's math powered by data. If your data is siloed, your AI strategy is already compromised.

[00:04:58] Radiology shows that AI can augment professionals rather than replace them, but it requires infrastructure and investment. And if AI models are scraping the internet to form your brand story, it's time to think of PR not as a vanity play, but a data integrity. This episode is supported by Comet Backup. Whether you get hit with ransomware, hardware failure or human error, there's nothing more heart stopping than losing business critical data.

[00:05:27] Backups are your final stand when a threat penetrates your layers of defense. That's where Comet Backup comes in. Comet is an all-in-one backup solution. Whether you need to protect computers, servers, virtual environments, emails or databases, Comet Backup empowers you to manage backups on your terms. Visit CometBackup.com to start your free 30-day trial today. Get $100 free credit when you sign up with the promo code MSPRADIO. Start running backups in 15 minutes or less.

[00:05:56] Comet Backup. The backup solution that MSPs trust. OpenAI has been busy again. OpenAI has announced the release of GPT-4.1 to the Plus, Pro and Team tiers of ChatGPT, enhancing its capabilities for paying users, particularly those involved in software development. This new version is designed to outperform its predecessor GPT-4.0 with improvements in accuracy and task performance.

[00:06:21] In testing, GPT-4.1 has shown better results in coding accuracy and instruction following, achieving a score of 38.3% and adhering to user instructions. Users have reported significant benefits, with one developer noting that the model identified bugs and suggested architectural improvements that would have otherwise taken weeks to find.

[00:06:42] ChatGPT DeepResearch, the AI research agent from OpenAI, has introduced a new feature that allows users to connect with Microsoft's OneDrive and SharePoint services. This beta connector is available for Plus, Pro and Team users, with support for ChatGPT Enterprise expected to follow. With this new capability, users can have ChatGPT access and analyze live data from their files stored in OneDrive and SharePoint in real-time.

[00:07:07] According to OpenAI, the AI agent can synthesize knowledge from these online sources to produce detailed reports comparable to those created by human research analysts. Notably, users of ChatGPT Plus, Team, Enterprise, and Education plans will receive 25 queries per month, while Pro users will have access to 250 queries. However, OneDrive consumer accounts are not supported, and the connector is currently unavailable in several regions, including the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

[00:07:37] And OpenAI has announced that it will begin publishing the results of its internal safety evaluations for artificial intelligence models more frequently, aiming to enhance transparency in its operations. The company has launched a new safety evaluations hub, which will display how its models perform on various tests related to harmful content, potential vulnerabilities, and inaccuracies. In a recent blog post, OpenAI stated,

[00:08:01] As the science of AI evaluation evolves, we aim to share our progress on developing more scalable ways to measure model capability and safety." This initiative follows criticism from Ethicists regarding the expedited safety testing of flagship models and a lack of technical reports for some releases, raising concerns about the thoroughness of OpenAI safety measures.

[00:08:23] The company has also faced backlash after rolling back an update to its ChatGPT model that led to overly agreeable responses, indicating an ongoing commitment to improving user experience and model reliability. Why do we care? Our latest moves underscore two directions, better tools for technical users and more visibility into safety efforts. For providers, the most immediate value is in software development and data synthesis workflows.

[00:08:49] But the real strategic opportunity is positioning yourself as an AI enabler with safeguards. Note the deep research integration. I spoke a moment ago about data silos and this is a break of those silos, but those divisions might be intentional and be aware of attaching an AI tool to your or customer data directly. Whether using GPT 4.1 to accelerate automation or interpreting the new safety data for clients, the role of trusted advisor just got more nuanced and more important.

[00:09:19] SuperOps has relaunched Monica, its artificial intelligence powered platform designed to enhance the management and scaling of IT operations for managed services providers and IT teams. This new iteration includes three levels of AI autonomy, augmentative, semi-autonomous, and fully autonomous capabilities. Originally introduced with basic AI features, Monica has evolved into a digital workforce providing intelligent support throughout the service lifecycle.

[00:09:46] Notable enhancements include autonomous issue resolution that learns from past incidents, predictive maintenance to preempt IT disruptions, and a continuous learning engine that improves the platform's intelligence with each interaction. This relaunch comes on the heels of a $25 million funding round aimed at bolstering research into AI and scaling services for mid-market managed service providers.

[00:10:09] Since its initial launch in November, Monica has analyzed ticket patterns to identify inefficiencies and improve productivity, making it personalized tools for IT technicians. TD Cynics has recently enhanced its Destination AI program, introducing new tools aimed at helping partners transition from AI exploration to execution.

[00:10:30] The update features the Destination AI Solution Grid, a framework that assists partners in aligning their technical skills and sales readiness with specific AI solutions across various sectors such as security and cloud. The Destination AI program also includes a new AI partner assessment tool designed to simplify the evaluation process for partners eager to adopt AI strategies.

[00:10:55] This tool categorizes partners based on their AI maturity, ranging from awareness to expertise, and provides tailored guidance to streamline their AI adoption journey. Why do we care? Why do we care? SuperOps' announcement fits the theme of the day with augmentation. With autonomous remediation, predictive maintenance, and adaptive learning, SuperOps is clearly gunning for a next-gen RMM that doesn't just notify, but acts.

[00:11:22] Monica's multi-tier autonomy model lets MSPs choose the level of trust they assign to automation. This flexibility is key as service providers gradually transition from human-led to AI-led operations.

[00:11:34] In a crowded PSA-RMM field, positioning as AI-native, not just AI-enhanced, may become a powerful differentiator, especially for mid-market MSPs seeking scalable efficiency, and they are clearly not the only player here positioning this way, echoing Synchro and Atera. TD Cynch's enhancement of its destination AI program acknowledges a market reality. Many partners are still stuck in AI exploration mode. The solution grid is a services blueprint.

[00:12:04] Instead of generic AI hype, it gives partners a sector-specific, outcome-driven framework, a big improvement for any provider trying to define and sell AI-powered offerings. Partner maturity scoring is smart. By mapping where a partner sits, from AI-aware to AI-competent, TD Cynch's is offering consultative sales enablement that avoids over-promising to underprepared firms.

[00:12:30] LastPass has introduced a new feature that enables its password management service to monitor shadow software-as-a-service usage among employees. This capability aims to help small and mid-sized enterprises manage the risks and costs associated with unauthorized software use, particularly as more employees turn to artificial intelligence to enhance productivity.

[00:12:51] The new Business Max tier, which includes SaaS monitoring, will be priced at $9 per user per month, a slight increase from the $7 per user per month charge for the current business edition. LastPass's Chief Product Officer, Don McClellan, stated that detecting which applications employees are accessing is a challenge traditionally addressed by expensive technology many mid-sized enterprises cannot afford. As organizations increasingly rely on password managers to enforce credential management best practices,

[00:13:21] LastPass's new service aims to provide these companies with critical visibility into their software usage patterns. Why do we care? LastPass's move to add SaaS monitoring capabilities to its Business Max tier isn't just a feature bump. It's a strategic expansion into adjacent territory, typically occupied by tools like Augment, SaaS Alerts, or Zluri.

[00:13:43] By using its position as a credentialed gatekeeper, LastPass is now offering lightweight shadow IT detection aimed squarely at cost-conscious S&Bs, MSBs, and mid-market companies. LastPass leverages its unique position. Sitting at the entry point of credentials gives LastPass first-party insight into what apps are actually being accessed, without requiring endpoint agents or complex integrations.

[00:14:09] That lowers the barrier to adoption for customers who already use LastPass for password management. It won't necessarily displace full-featured platforms like Augment or SaaS Alerts, but for MSPs serving small clients or just getting started with SaaS Securities, it may be good enough, especially when cost and simplicity trump depth. The real question, will LastPass play nice with others or try to own the visibility stack?

[00:14:38] This episode is supported by FlexPoint. Managing cash flow can be tough for managed service providers. FlexPoint's working capital solution is designed to bridge the gap between invoicing and payment, giving providers access to funds when they need them. With quick approvals on flexible terms, it helps cover expenses, invested growth, and maintain financial stability. Keep your operations running smoothly with FlexPoint.

[00:15:03] Visit getflexpoint.com slash msp-radio to learn more. Select Heard It on the Business of Tech or MSP Radio. You'll get 10% off. Thanks for listening. Today is National Chocolate Chip Day. Just the chip, mind you. The cookie gets its own day. It's no coincidence that I've been talking about AI Discovery this week. It's emerging as a new theme. If you missed it, check out my conversation with Srinivas Krishnaswamy of SysCloud,

[00:15:33] who wrote a whole book on how to take advantage of the trend. It's available on the podcast feed and on YouTube right now. The Business of Tech is written and produced by me, Dave Sobel, under ethics guidelines posted at businessof.tech. If you've enjoyed the show, make sure you've subscribed or followed on your favorite platform. It's free and helps directly. Give us a review, too.

[00:15:57] If you want to support the show, visit patreon.com slash msp-radio and you'll get access to content early. Or buy our Why Do We Care merch at businessof.tech. Have a question you want answered? We take listener questions, send them in, ideally as a voice memo or video to question at msp-radio.com. I answer listener questions live on our Wednesday live show on YouTube and LinkedIn.

[00:16:23] If you've got a comment or a thought on a story, put it in the comments if you're on YouTube, or reach out on LinkedIn if you're listening to the podcast. And if you want to advertise on the show, visit msp-radio.com slash engage. Once again, thanks for listening and I will talk to you again on our next episode. Part of the MSP Radio Network.