Kaspersky Ban, AI Innovations, MSP Programs, and AI Ethics

[00:00:00] It's Friday, June 21st, 2024, and I'm Dave Sobel. Three things to know today. Kaspersky banned in the US for all Americans. We review a bunch of news around the channel. And it's time for some Friday Big Ideas, particularly about latent expertise. This is the Business of Tech.

[00:00:22] The United States has announced a ban on domestic sales and integration of products by cybersecurity vendor Kaspersky, citing risks to national security. The ban prohibits Kaspersky from entering into new agreements involving information and communications technologies and services deals with US persons.

[00:00:42] The ban also includes restrictions on providing antivirus updates and operating the Kaspersky security network in the US or any American IT system. Kaspersky denies engaging in activities that threaten US national security and intends to pursue legal options to preserve its operations.

[00:01:01] The ban will take effect on September 29th, 2024, and customers are advised to find alternate security software. Why do we care? If you have Kaspersky, a forced re-evaluation. The buzz from the communities I listen to indicates this shouldn't be a particularly significant population. That said, it's not zero.

[00:01:22] Broadly, the ban could shift market dynamics with Kaspersky's competitors likely to benefit from increased demand for their products. The situation highlights the importance of trust and due diligence in selecting your vendors. Organizations must consider not only the technical capabilities but also the geopolitical affiliations

[00:01:41] and potential risks associated with their vendors. The clock is ticking. Are you ready to spot opportunities by aligning IT with your clients' business strategies? Get in Sync equips MSPs and IT professionals with the tools, methods, and training to deeply

[00:01:59] understand client strategies, ensuring IT investments directly support key business objectives for tangible outcomes. With Get in Sync, you gain critical insights that empower decisive actions, enhancing your competitive offering. This solidifies your role as a trusted advisor and supports your client's strategic needs, bringing greater success.

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[00:02:38] Visit getinsync.ca slash MSPradio to learn more. Pure Storage has introduced new capabilities in its platform, including storage automation, a generative AI copilot for data management, and improved cyber resilience. The platform offers a unified storage architecture across on-premise and cloud environments with continuous upgrades and service level agreements.

[00:03:05] Other innovations include AI storage as a service options and secure application workspaces with fine-grained access controls. Splunk has expanded its AI Assistant capabilities in its observability and security portfolios. The AI Assistants leverage natural language processing to simplify data analysis and provide recommendations for improving variables and addressing errors.

[00:03:28] The AI Assistant in observability can help identify and fix errors, while the AI Assistant in security can summarize security alerts and generate incident reports. Splunk's integration with Cisco's product platform is expected to enhance its AI capabilities and expand its domain-centric AI approach.

[00:03:47] Google is acquiring software virtualization company Cameo to integrate virtualized Windows app support into Chrome OS. This acquisition will deepen the integration of virtualized apps into Chrome OS, improving the user experience and simplifying deployment for IT admins.

[00:04:03] With improved virtualized app support, Google aims to entice more businesses to consider Chrome OS over Windows, especially as more apps move to the cloud and web-based technologies. Microsoft has acknowledged issues with upgrading from Windows 11 Pro to Enterprise following recent updates.

[00:04:21] The problem, which may result in OS upgrade failures, is expected to be resolved in a future Windows update. The issue has been present since April 2024. No workaround is available. Cloud accounting platform Xero has introduced an AI-powered smart business companion called Just Ask Xero, or JAX.

[00:04:41] The proprietary development model ensures greater accuracy and data security with a control system to ensure relevant task-related data is fed into the large-language model. Xero aims to reimagine accounting through AI and mobile, allowing customers to complete

[00:04:56] tasks using Just Ask Xero or Xero itself or other commonly used apps and devices. Xero has also introduced other AI developments, including generative AI-powered help content summaries and tailored AI guides for small businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers.

[00:05:13] Kaseya has launched TruePeer Emerge, a program designed for MSPs with one to five employees, providing them with a framework to grow and scale their business. The program focuses on boosting profitability, increasing monthly recurring revenue, and overcoming operational challenges.

[00:05:29] It also emphasizes marketing to help MSPs build their brand and generate leads. TruePeer Emerge is currently available in North America and Europe, with plans to expand into the APAC region. Why do we care? Well, lots of tactical today. Some quick thoughts around.

[00:05:45] AI providing more insights on backup is intriguing. Wouldn't you like to have more analysis and ideally recommendations and adjustments? Same with Splunk's move. I'm looking for more of this. The ability to ask about data, like in Just Ask Xero, interestingly solves a reporting

[00:06:02] problem in a lot of products. One can't necessarily dream up every scenario about data for a report, and it's hard to build a report generator or build reports yourself. But if I could just ask about the data I need and get analysis, that would be a win.

[00:06:18] Virtualized apps remain an area I think that is a bit underserved, and it's a great security solution. Finally, I wanted to note that program for emerging MSPs. It's not necessarily unique, but that doesn't mean it's not valuable to some. It's time for some Friday Big Ideas.

[00:06:35] I want to start with AI can't fix what automation already broke from Blood in the Machine, which begins with call centers. It highlights a case where AI is used to show video montages of call centers workers' families to alleviate stress.

[00:06:51] However, the article argues that this is just a bandaid solution to problems created by automation in the first place. Interactive voice response systems have led to frustrated and angry customers, causing that stress for call center workers. The root cause of the frustration is the automation itself.

[00:07:07] It's a bandaid to put the video fix on top of it. It also mentions the growing trend of companies offering AI-free products and services as a reaction to ethical concerns and the reputation of AI-produced content.

[00:07:22] This one mentioned on LinkedIn and tagging me, the New York Times with Can AI answer the needs of smaller businesses? Some push to find out. While larger businesses are finding uses for AI, smaller ones are just starting to explore its potential.

[00:07:38] Adoption of AI is rising, but only about 5% of companies nationwide are currently using the technology. The article highlights examples, including hospitality, manufacturing, educationing, and tutoring in the small business space. And in that vein, I was taken with the article Latent Expertise, Everyone Is an R&D.

[00:07:59] The premise is that the value lies in unlocking AI's latent expertise and how experts can utilize AI effectively. It highlights the need for experts to guide AI systems, share their knowledge, and explore specific use cases.

[00:08:14] It also emphasizes the potential of AI in various industries and the benefits of starting with expert use rather than centralized solutions. There's a great example of using it for job descriptions, including the Full Prompt document, which helps create job descriptions that don't sound like generic AI-written slop.

[00:08:34] The information with How the World Plans to Stop American AI Domination. The article discusses how countries worldwide are working to prevent American domination in the field of artificial intelligence. Startups in Europe and other countries are raising funds and developing their own AI

[00:08:50] models to ensure their nation's digital sovereignty and avoid being left behind. The push for homegrown AI is driven by the desire to reflect local language, politics, and culture and avoid being caught in the middle of tensions between the US and China.

[00:09:06] Governments are investing in AI initiatives, but there's concern that much of the funding may end up benefiting US tech companies. Why do we care? More automation is not always the answer. The backlash is so strong, some companies are going to differentiate by not using AI at all.

[00:09:24] The focus should be on the customer and providing better service. I'm leaning into my augment-not-replace argument here. Why not make it easier to do everything? Better technology for customers, but also better technology to make customer service reps amazing. And spend some time on that latent expertise article.

[00:09:44] AI's effectiveness significantly increases when paired with domain expertise. This approach ensures that AI solutions are relevant and accurate and add real value to the business process that they're intended to improve. That's the key unlock.

[00:10:02] With as many breaches and security concerns as I report in this show, it should be obvious that cybersecurity is not just about technology, but also the human expertise needed to interpret and respond to complex threats. Huntress is focused on elevating SMBs and MSPs around the world.

[00:10:21] Huntress has a suite of fully managed cybersecurity solutions powered by a 24x7 human-led SOC dedicated to continuous monitoring, expert investigation and rapid response. And the proof is the execution. Huntress is the number one rated EDR for SMBs on G2. Want to know more about the platform?

[00:10:43] Visit huntress.com slash MSP radio to learn more. Thanks for listening. Today's National Take Your Dog to Work Day. The cats were there earlier this week. It's also National Wagoo Day, which I celebrated on Wednesday with a burger after that Nationals game. Have a question you want answered?

[00:11:02] We take list your questions, send them in ideally as a voice memo or video to question at MSP radio.com. I'll be a live show next week, Wednesday 3pm Eastern, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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[00:11:28] That'll drop over the weekend. Back again on Monday. Have a great weekend. The Business of Tech is written and produced by me, Dave Sobel, under ethics guidelines. Post it at businessof.tech. If you like the content, please make sure to hit that like button, follow or subscribe.

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[00:12:02] Finally, if you're interested in advertising on the show, visit MSP radio.com slash engage. Once again, thanks for listening to me. I'll talk to you again on our next episode of the Business of Tech. I'm Delaney Howell, and I'll see you next time.