Ken Cox, the president of InLink, leads a unique organization that operates at the intersection of data center operations and IT services. Initially founded in 2000, InLink has evolved from its roots in the dot-com era, leveraging its data center to create a variety of products and services. With a focus on providing affordable and reliable infrastructure, the company caters to clients who require a more personalized approach than what large public cloud providers can offer. This commitment to c...
Feb 08, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Microsoft's cloud business continues to grow, reporting a revenue of $69.6 billion in its second quarter of 2025, a 12% increase from the previous year. However, challenges in Azure sales have emerged, with Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood attributing these difficulties to partner sales execution and foreign exchange rates. Despite a 19% year-over-year increase in the intelligent cloud segment, the mention of partner execution issues raises concerns about the strength of organic Azure growth. Th...
Feb 06, 2025•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast significant security breach has been identified within the U.S. Treasury Department, where unauthorized individuals gained administrator-level access to critical financial systems, including the Payment Automation Manager (PAM) and the Secure Payment System (SPS). This breach raises serious concerns about the integrity of the U.S. financial system, as it allows for unauthorized modifications to federal payment workflows and security configurations. The threat actors, linked to a private sector e...
Feb 05, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast A recent study published in the Journal of Marketing reveals a fascinating trend: individuals with lower knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) are more likely to embrace it in their daily lives. This phenomenon, termed the "lower literacy higher receptivity link," suggests that people from nations with lower average AI literacy are generally more open to adopting AI technologies. The study, which analyzed data from 27 countries, indicates that even among U.S. undergraduate students, those wi...
Feb 04, 2025•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Gross Domestic Product report reveals that the American economy is experiencing steady growth, with a 2.3% annualized rate for the last quarter of 2024. This growth is largely driven by strong consumer spending, which has been bolstered by low unemployment and rising real wages. Notably, spending on goods surged by 6.6%, marking the fastest quarterly growth since the pandemic recovery, while service sector spending also saw a healthy increase. Despite some sectors, like business inves...
Feb 03, 2025•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Host Dave Sobel engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Arik Solomon, CEO and co-founder of Cypago, a leading cyber governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) automation platform. The discussion delves into the challenges faced by organizations in the GRC space, particularly the reliance on manual processes despite the abundance of data available. Solomon shares his insights from his experience as CTO at Ernst & Young, where he recognized the need for technology to enhance the efficiency an...
Feb 02, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dave Sobel engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Ryan Morris, Principal Consultant at Morris Management Partners, about the common myths surrounding sales in the Managed Service Provider (MSP) space. The conversation begins by challenging the notion that MSPs are inherently bad at sales. Morris argues that while many MSPs may struggle to scale their sales operations, they possess the foundational skills necessary to sell. He emphasizes that the entrepreneurial journey requires a blend o...
Jan 31, 2025•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast The episode highlights the fallout of DeepSeek, an open-source large language model that has gained traction for its cost-effectiveness and performance. Microsoft has integrated DeepSeek's R1 model into its Azure AI foundry and GitHub, while businesses like ZoomInfo report substantial cost reductions by switching from OpenAI's models to R1. However, the rise of DeepSeek raises concerns about data privacy, bias, and security, particularly given its reported vulnerabilities and the influence of th...
Jan 30, 2025•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The episode starts highlighting a recent survey by Civo that reveals nearly 90% of companies are facing significant challenges in executing and scaling their AI initiatives. Key obstacles include budget constraints, skills gaps, and a shortage of GPUs, which have led to project delays for many organizations. Despite these hurdles, there is a strong commitment to advancing AI goals, with projections indicating double-digit year-over-year spending growth primarily driven by AI upgrades. However, i...
Jan 29, 2025•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dave Sobel delves into the emergence of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company that has recently captured significant attention in the tech world. The discussion begins with an overview of DeepSeek's innovative breakthroughs, particularly their V2 model, which introduced a mixture of experts (MOE) approach and multi-head latent attention (MLA) technology. These advancements have made AI training orders of magnitude cheaper, allowing DeepSeek to compete effectively with established players like OpenAI wh...
Jan 28, 2025•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast New data points to the significant growth projected for the IT-managed services industry in 2025, with revenues expected to reach approximately $595 billion globally. The Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to lead this growth, driven by an increasing demand for cybersecurity services and a shift towards a security-first approach among managed service providers (MSPs). However, a recent Canalys survey indicates that many partners struggle to advance artificial intelligence (AI) projects beyond th...
Jan 27, 2025•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dave Sobel welcomes Anil Gupta, co-founder and CTO of Wyebot, to discuss Apple's transition from Mobile Device Management (MDM) to Declarative Device Management (DDM). This shift represents a significant change in how enterprise device management is approached, particularly as organizations increasingly rely on a growing number of Apple devices. Anil explains that the traditional MDM model, which relies on a central server to manage devices, can become a bottleneck as the number of devices incre...
Jan 26, 2025•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of the Business of Tech Lounge, host Dave Sobel welcomes Anurag Agrawal, Chief Global Analyst and CEO of TechIsle, to discuss key trends that SMBs and mid-market companies should watch for in 2025. They explore the rise of agentic AI, the impact of AI-powered PCs, and how SMBs can effectively tackle their top business goals and IT challenges. Anurag shares his insights based on nearly 40 years of industry experience, providing valuable predictions and strategies for technology pr...
Jan 25, 2025•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Trump signed an executive order aimed at formulating a comprehensive AI action plan within six months, focusing on eliminating ideological bias in AI systems. This move comes as a response to previous policies established by the Biden administration, which Trump has directed his advisers to dismantle. The Office of Management and Budget has been tasked with revising prior AI-related memorandums, signaling a proactive approach from the current administration. Sobel also delves into the ...
Jan 24, 2025•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast The episode opens with President Donald Trump's announcement of a four-year initiative called Stargate, which aims to enhance the nation's AI infrastructure with a staggering budget of $500 billion. This initiative involves major tech players like Oracle, OpenAI, and Microsoft, who will invest $100 billion to expand computing capacity and construct large data centers. The goal is to address the current shortage of high-capacity computing infrastructure necessary for AI advancements. Host Dave So...
Jan 23, 2025•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast The episode highlights the achievements of the Biden administration in establishing baseline cybersecurity requirements for critical infrastructure, with notable compliance rates among U.S. pipelines, railways, and airports. Sobel also covers the arrest of Army Communications Specialist Cameron J. Wagnius, linked to a massive theft of phone records from AT&T and Verizon, which has raised concerns about the security of sensitive data in the telecommunications sector. The episode further delves in...
Jan 22, 2025•13 min•Ep 1530•Transcript available on Metacast The episode highlights a notable rise in small business optimism, with the National Federation of Independent Business reporting an optimism index of 105.1, the highest since October 2018. Despite this positive sentiment, challenges such as inflation and labor quality persist, with a significant percentage of business owners planning to raise compensation. The episode also touches on the impact of Donald Trump's presidency on channel partners, with many expecting positive outcomes from tariffs. ...
Jan 21, 2025•14 min•Ep 1529•Transcript available on Metacast Dave Sobel engages with Holly Rollo to discuss the critical role small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) play in national security. Rollo emphasizes that in today's interconnected environment, the security practices of every company are vital, as vulnerabilities often arise from third-party interactions. She highlights the importance of maintaining robust cybersecurity measures, particularly as many breaches have occurred through less secure connections with external partners. The conversation shi...
Jan 19, 2025•20 min•Ep 1522•Transcript available on Metacast Host Dave Sobel engages in a lively discussion with seasoned technology journalist Jessica Davis and veteran industry writer Howard Cohen. The conversation kicks off with an exploration of the recent trend of CEO changes in the tech industry, particularly focusing on notable shifts at companies like Kaseya and ConnectWise. The trio delves into the implications of these leadership changes and speculates on the potential reasons behind them, including possible mergers and acquisitions, as well as ...
Jan 17, 2025•42 min•Ep 1526•Transcript available on Metacast The episode highlights the recent push by major companies like Microsoft, Google, and LinkedIn to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) tools into their services. Microsoft has relaunched its free AI chat service for businesses, now branded as Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, which enhances workplace productivity through AI agents for a monthly fee. Google is also making strides by incorporating its Gemini AI experience into its Workspace plans, eliminating additional fees and reflecting a belief th...
Jan 16, 2025•13 min•Ep 1527•Transcript available on Metacast The FBI successfully hacked approximately 4,200 computers across the U.S. to eliminate the PlugX malware, which has been a tool for state-sponsored hackers in China since 2012. This operation, conducted in collaboration with French law enforcement, marks a proactive approach to combating cyber threats and underscores the importance of government intervention in mitigating advanced persistent threats. Sobel also discusses the ongoing struggles of the LockBit cybercriminal organization following a...
Jan 15, 2025•12 min•Ep 1525•Transcript available on Metacast Host Dave Sobel discusses the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) in business operations, highlighting a recent study by MIT and McKinsey. The study reveals a significant gap between high-performing companies and their peers, with top firms achieving faster returns on their AI investments. Key factors contributing to this success include strong executive support, a shift in partnerships towards established consultants, enhanced interdepartmental collaboration, and effective data m...
Jan 14, 2025•17 min•Ep 1524•Transcript available on Metacast The episode highlights a surge in small business digital transformation initiatives, with over 80% of surveyed leaders either adopting or considering AI technology. This trend is accompanied by a forecasted 40% increase in capital expenditures, reflecting a strong optimism among business leaders regarding future profits and sales. The episode also notes a recovery in the global smartphone market, driven by consumer demand for ultra-premium devices, and a substantial rise in data center spending,...
Jan 13, 2025•12 min•Ep 1523•Transcript available on Metacast The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and automation is reshaping the future of IT. This episode explores how managed service providers (MSPs) can leverage these powerful technologies to optimize their operations and deliver exceptional value to their clients. 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/subsc...
Jan 12, 2025•38 min•Ep 1518•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of the Business of Tech Lounge, host Dave Sobel is joined by AI news writer Esther Shittu and seasoned journalist TC Doyle to discuss the current landscape of artificial intelligence adoption, upcoming regulations, and the implications of data center expansion. They explore how these factors impact IT services and strategies for guiding customers in a rapidly evolving tech environment. The episode also features audience questions, making it an interactive discussion on the future...
Jan 10, 2025•35 min•Ep 1521•Transcript available on Metacast Key highlights from CES 2025, focusing on market predictions and the impact of potential tariffs on the tech industry. The Consumer Technology Association forecasts a 3.2% growth in the U.S. tech market, reaching $537 billion, contingent on avoiding a trade war under President-elect Donald Trump. The episode emphasizes the growing familiarity and usage of generative artificial intelligence (AI) among U.S. adults, with significant market growth anticipated in AI retail and virtual try-on technolo...
Jan 09, 2025•14 min•Ep 1520•Transcript available on Metacast The federal government has reported a substantial increase in AI use cases, with over 1,700 applications identified across 37 agencies, more than doubling the previous year's total. These use cases span various categories, including health, mission-enabling tasks, and government services. The Department of Health and Human Services leads with 271 reported cases, showcasing the growing integration of AI in public services. Host Dave Sobel highlights new innovations from companies like Synchro, Ap...
Jan 08, 2025•14 min•Ep 1519•Transcript available on Metacast Host Dave Sobel discusses significant cybersecurity developments involving the U.S. Treasury Department and its recent breach linked to Chinese hackers. The breach, which was discovered on December 8, 2024, involved unauthorized access to unclassified documents within the Office of Foreign Assets Control, raising alarms about the potential exposure of sensitive information related to economic sanctions. The episode highlights the ongoing investigations and the U.S. government's response, includi...
Jan 07, 2025•14 min•Ep 1517•Transcript available on Metacast A recent report from Kaseya reveals that 91% of MSPs are prioritizing profitability, with a significant portion expecting revenue growth despite challenges in customer acquisition. The competitive landscape sees smaller MSPs leveraging niche expertise, while the rise of AI-driven threats poses new challenges, with over two-thirds of providers reporting increased attacks. Sobel highlights the findings from a Fiverr survey of U.S. small business owners, which indicates a strong sense of optimism f...
Jan 06, 2025•13 min•Ep 1516•Transcript available on Metacast Dave Sobel engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Danny Tomsett, the CEO of UneeQ, a company specializing in AI-powered digital humans. The discussion begins with an exploration of the concept of digital humans—interactive avatars designed to assist users across various digital platforms, such as kiosks, websites, and mobile apps. Tomsett explains how these digital humans are transforming customer service and marketing by providing a more human-like interaction, allowing users to commu...
Jan 04, 2025•21 min•Ep 1515•Transcript available on Metacast 
