AI, Security, Project Management, and Cybersecurity Updates

[00:00:00] It's Friday, June 7th, 2024.

[00:00:04] And I'm Dave Sobel.

[00:00:05] Three things to know today.

[00:00:07] AI hype versus reality.

[00:00:09] Why training and security remain key for managed services providers.

[00:00:13] Salesforce enhances Slack with project management features,

[00:00:16] introducing Slack lists and government initiatives, cybersecurity

[00:00:21] strategies, and AI jailbreaking.

[00:00:23] Some key takeaways for Friday Big Ideas.

[00:00:26] This is the Business of Tech.

[00:00:30] According to Barracuda's Global MSP Report, 87% of MSPs feel the need

[00:00:35] to improve their knowledge and application of AI products and

[00:00:38] services to meet customer needs.

[00:00:41] IT service providers anticipate that 44% of their revenue will come from

[00:00:45] recurring managed services in 2024, up from 34% in 2023.

[00:00:51] They plan to introduce an average of six new services, primarily security related.

[00:00:56] The report also revealed that 77% of managed services providers feel under

[00:00:59] pressure to provide AI insights and tools to their customers.

[00:01:04] Furthermore, 92% believe cloud marketplaces will be critical in their organizations.

[00:01:10] New research from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

[00:01:13] Lab suggests that the impact of AI on the labor market will likely

[00:01:17] be slower than previously feared.

[00:01:20] The study found that only about 23% of jobs identified as vulnerable to AI

[00:01:25] would be cost effective to automate now.

[00:01:28] The findings indicate that job destruction from AI will unfold

[00:01:31] gradually, providing policymakers with time to prepare and mitigate its impacts.

[00:01:37] According to a Slack report, CIOs using AI to accelerate workflows

[00:01:42] risk increasing busy work if employees lack guidance.

[00:01:46] The report suggests that if AI lightens employees' workload, they are more

[00:01:50] likely to spend time on administrative tasks instead of high value work.

[00:01:55] To maximize productivity, organizations must focus on outcomes and provide

[00:02:00] training for employees to gain new skills in AI.

[00:02:03] Leaders should prioritize tasks and adjust how they view and talk about

[00:02:07] productivity, emphasizing quality over quantity.

[00:02:12] Why do we care?

[00:02:13] The picture that's taking shape is a world of AI as a tool coming on slower

[00:02:18] than the hype suggested and where training maximizes the value.

[00:02:22] Shocking, it's like most technology introductions.

[00:02:25] That's not a bad thing.

[00:02:27] Providers should feel pressure to provide insights and tools to their customers.

[00:02:32] That is literally your job.

[00:02:33] 100%.

[00:02:35] That's your job.

[00:02:36] And note that the primary focus remains introducing security services.

[00:02:41] I see a mismatch between customer wants and solutions being offered.

[00:02:47] Today's episode is supported by CoreView.

[00:02:50] Your customers need your Microsoft 365 expertise and CoreView has the only

[00:02:55] M365 management platform designed for MSPs.

[00:02:59] Manage hundreds of tenants, automate manual tasks and monitor compliance,

[00:03:03] all while intelligently comparing to the baseline.

[00:03:06] With a no-code control approach, CoreView revolutionizes your

[00:03:10] Microsoft 365 administration.

[00:03:12] This powerful platform enables customers to use their data in a

[00:03:15] way that's easy to understand.

[00:03:17] The core platform enables automatic reporting and remediation, ensuring

[00:03:21] optimal performance and security.

[00:03:24] The best part?

[00:03:25] You achieve this high level of service without the need for a large workforce,

[00:03:29] allowing you to focus on growing your business through efficiency.

[00:03:33] Want to know more?

[00:03:35] Visit coreview.com slash MSP and find out more.

[00:03:42] I mentioned Slack.

[00:03:43] Slack lists to transform Slack into a collaborative project management tool.

[00:03:48] This feature directly integrates project and task management functionality

[00:03:52] into Slack, allowing teams to structure conversations, manage projects and

[00:03:57] prioritize tasks within the platform.

[00:03:59] Slack lists aims to enhance collaboration, improve accountability and increase

[00:04:04] productivity by eliminating the need to switch between different platforms.

[00:04:08] Users can automate workflows and triage requests and benefit from Slack's

[00:04:13] generative AI capabilities.

[00:04:15] Sales, service and marketing teams can benefit from using Slack lists to streamline

[00:04:18] their processes and achieve their goals.

[00:04:21] Now, why do we care?

[00:04:23] It's tactical to be sure, but of interest because the integration of project

[00:04:27] management into a collaboration tool is exactly the kind of high value

[00:04:31] work to lean into for providers.

[00:04:33] For Slack lists to be effective, teams will need proper training to utilize its

[00:04:37] potential.

[00:04:38] Salesforce will need to ensure that resources and support are available to

[00:04:42] facilitate the transition.

[00:04:44] And of course, there's the entire implementation and training opportunity,

[00:04:48] which is why we care.

[00:04:51] And let's do our Friday Big Ideas.

[00:04:54] Dark Reading has got a piece on CISA's Secure by Design initiative one year

[00:04:58] later.

[00:04:59] Their take?

[00:05:00] There's been significant progress in raising awareness about secure design,

[00:05:03] and the initiative has set out principles for safe design and has influenced

[00:05:07] software security conversations.

[00:05:09] The initiative has collaborated with 16 other nations, extending its influence

[00:05:13] beyond US borders.

[00:05:15] Practical steps have been taken, such as building secure design into public

[00:05:19] procurement processes.

[00:05:21] Future focus areas are relevant and important, such as securing secure by

[00:05:26] demand, understanding economic impacts on software security, and incorporating

[00:05:30] security into education.

[00:05:32] However, the initiative needs to provide more detailed guidance on threat

[00:05:36] modeling, which is a crucial aspect of secure design.

[00:05:39] The legislation on liability for software providers, which is a potential

[00:05:43] game changer, has yet to be introduced.

[00:05:46] The focus on education needs to be extended to support the education of

[00:05:49] current software designers and upskill the next generation of developers.

[00:05:54] I'll offer that Information Week also has a good read on the topic.

[00:05:59] Gartner identifies three areas for CISOs to augment their cybersecurity

[00:06:03] approach, building cyber fault tolerance in the business, streamlining to a

[00:06:07] minimum effective cyber toolset, and building a resilient cyber workforce.

[00:06:12] CISOs should focus on adapting to and recovering from issues in generative AI,

[00:06:17] implementing third-party specific business continuity plans, adopting the

[00:06:21] fewest number of tools required, and creating a resilient workforce through

[00:06:25] support, sharing failure and learning stories, and reducing burnout.

[00:06:30] And a bit of different hacking.

[00:06:32] VentureBeat interviews a prolific jailbreaker of large language models,

[00:06:37] such as GPT-4.0.

[00:06:39] The jailbreaker, known as Pliny the Prompter, has been finding ways to

[00:06:43] bypass content restrictions on LLMs and has even created a community for other

[00:06:48] jailbreakers.

[00:06:49] The interview explores his motivations, goals, techniques, and the impact of

[00:06:53] jailbreaking on AI model providers and usage.

[00:06:56] Pliny believes that jailbreaking raises awareness about the capabilities of AI

[00:07:01] and advocates for removing restrictions for transparency and freedom of information.

[00:07:06] And a piece in GeekWire.

[00:07:08] Imovid, a Seattle-based startup led by former Evite CEO Victor Cho, aims to

[00:07:14] revolutionize workplace communication by replacing written emails with

[00:07:18] asynchronous video messages.

[00:07:21] Imovid's platform allows users to record and share video messages for later

[00:07:24] viewing, offering a more authentic way of conveying messages.

[00:07:28] The startup also uses artificial intelligence to generate video summaries

[00:07:32] and improve the appearance of speakers.

[00:07:35] Imovid is currently raising a seed round and accepting users on its wait list.

[00:07:40] Why do we care?

[00:07:41] I just can't get video email as a useful tool out of my head, and thus I wanted to

[00:07:46] plant the seed of idea for listeners.

[00:07:49] Secure by design will slowly become the norm because the government is out to

[00:07:53] protect consumers and end customers.

[00:07:55] MSPs and software developers must stay ahead of secure design practices and

[00:08:00] legislative developments to ensure compliance and enhance service offerings.

[00:08:04] How many of your vendors have signed on?

[00:08:07] And learn about how hackers work at PlinyRead is enlightening.

[00:08:14] Today's episode is supported by Huntress.

[00:08:16] You want to focus on your clients and are always looking for ways to get more time.

[00:08:22] Use Huntress' fully managed cybersecurity platform to fight off cyber threats.

[00:08:27] Huntress is more than cybersecurity software for endpoints and identities.

[00:08:32] It's a 24 by 7 security operations center.

[00:08:35] It's security awareness training, community engagement and dedicated

[00:08:39] partner support with an average CSAT score of 99.3%.

[00:08:44] Technology can only get you so far.

[00:08:46] Human expertise is what's needed to truly elevate and protect small

[00:08:51] businesses and you get that with Huntress.

[00:08:54] Secure your clients and help them thrive with the number one rated

[00:08:57] EDR for SMBs on G2.

[00:08:59] Visit huntress.com slash MSP radio to find out more.

[00:09:06] Thanks for listening.

[00:09:06] It's national donut day.

[00:09:10] Donuts.

[00:09:11] Have a question you want answered?

[00:09:12] We take those listener questions, send them in ideally as a voice

[00:09:15] member or video to question at MSP radio.com next week, 3pm Eastern.

[00:09:20] YouTube and LinkedIn.

[00:09:22] This weekend, an interview with Paul Betty and Dave Schwartz about identity

[00:09:26] management that'll drop in the feed on Sunday and podcast listeners will

[00:09:29] get my live show from Wednesday, which includes my criticisms

[00:09:33] of the cybersecurity industry.

[00:09:35] Thanks for listening and share with a friend if you like what I'm talking about.

[00:09:39] Have a great weekend.

[00:09:40] I'll talk to you on Monday.

[00:09:42] The business of tech is written and produced by me, Dave Sobel under

[00:09:46] ethics guidelines posted at businessof.tech.

[00:09:50] If you liked the content, please make sure to hit that like button,

[00:09:54] follow or subscribe.

[00:09:55] It's free and easy and the best way to support the show and help us grow.

[00:10:00] You can also check out our Patreon where you can join the business of tech

[00:10:04] community at patreon.com slash MSP radio, or buy our, why do we care

[00:10:10] merch at businessof.tech.

[00:10:13] Finally, if you're interested in advertising on this show, visit

[00:10:16] mspradio.com slash engage.

[00:10:20] Once again, thanks for listening to me.

[00:10:22] I will talk to you again on our next episode of the business of tech.

[00:10:29] Part of the MSP radio network.