The Metaverse!

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

You might have heard of Meta and the Metaverse, but do you really know what it is? Unless you’re someone who has done your research into NFTs and cryptocurrency and has a good grasp on all things Metaverse, then you might be needing a debriefing on what it could mean for you and your business. Although we’re not experts in all things Meta, we can help you have a base-level understanding. So, let’s dive in!

Basically, the whole concept is an evolution of a digital platform. Like Facebook or Linkedin, all technology is constantly evolving and expanding and the Metaverse is a great example of that. 

Although it’s a confusing topic, Ready Player One paints a beautiful picture of what the Metaverse could look like, if done correctly. 

Ultimately, Meta is not about games. It’s a world where borders no longer matter. In the Ready Player One Metaverse, the entire world is a rubix cube and it is divided into sectors. Each sector has its own rules and purposes. For example, one sector allows you to do magic while another is strictly strategy and mathematics. The Metaverse could potentially take our imagination and make it a reality. 

If we did school in the Metaverse, there could be classrooms where students could learn without fear of being bullied. Or, when learning about Russia, students could virtually travel to Russia and learn first-hand what the teacher is discussing. 

Say you’re running a global company and you wish to have a meeting with your entire team, you can have everyone virtually work together as if they were in the same place. The Metaverse is offering the ability to comfortably work in person without having to leave your house. 

Another positive factor of this evolving technology is the ability for immune-compromised or disabled people to fully be a part of society without discomfort or fear. Meta opens up the world to everyone. 

This all might sound very far-fetched and out there, but we’re not that far away from having this technology become a part of our day-to-day. We’re not just talking about crazy sci-fi theories, we’re talking about being able to solve real problems with accessible technology. We predict that, within the next 10 years, we will see the Metaverse become available. The problem is, you currently have to wear a big, clunky headset. This technology is going to take off once the equipment is less intrusive. Imagine, being able to tap your eyeglasses and enter a world that is fully digital and accessible to all.

Currently, the only category that is really pushing for this development is the entertainment industry. But, if businesses can see how much could be learned from getting to interact and use this technology to train, develop and connect their employees — Or if schools could see the value in a more efficient online learning opportunity, then the Metaverse will truly take off. 

This technology is coming whether we’re ready or not! The best thing you can do is prepare and learn this new technology. 

Holiday Security Tips

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

The holiday season is in full swing, which means that you need to know security tips to protect
yourself from fraud and getting information stolen.

This time of year is so magical, but it’s also when people get duped and lose a lot of money
from internet scams or getting their information stolen. We’re here to help you avoid that or
prepare yourself for when it does happen.

The first tip we have for you is to stop using your debit card and start using another system like
ApplePay, PayPal or some other protected process. It is so easy for people to steal your card
number. You wouldn’t lay your card down on the counter at the mall or grocery store for anyone
to look at; having that same mindset online is very important. Anytime that you’re going to put
your card number into a website, think about whether you really trust the site or not. If you’re
unsure if the site is legitimate, then you should definitely not put any personal information into
the site.

The best thing to do is use PayPal or a protected service that will allow you to purchase without
using a card number. These services have teams of people that are specifically monitoring and
keeping track of your purchases to make sure everything checks out and looks good. These
services are the most up-to-date way to pay, making them the safest.

There have been a lot of changes and updates to cards over the years and that has allowed us
a lot more security. We need to train ourselves to use the most recent processes that will keep
your purchases secure and your information safe.

The second tip is to have a LastPass for your passwords to make it harder for your passwords
to get stolen. Password vaults are cheap if not free and they keep your passwords secure. It’s
an extra step and we know those aren’t fun, but they will give you an extra layer of security and
will help you out in the long run.

When using social media, you should have social awareness and be responsible. Hackers are
paying attention to what you post, and if you’re not careful, they will target you based on
information that you’re either posting or reposting. Make sure that you are aware of where you
are reposting information from and not linking any fishy sites. By doing this, you’re avoiding
putting a large target on yourself for hackers that are trying to steal your information or take your
account down based on what you’re posting.

Make sure you’re not buying anything on social media unless it’s from a site that you really trust.
Facebook ads are a great way for hackers to grab your attention and get you to put your card

information in. Pop-up websites were created to feature different popular items at a lower price
to trick people into purchasing, just to have the site disappear after 24 hours. Especially during
the holiday season, it is important to be aware of where you are purchasing presents from.
The third and final tip is to make sure you’re using something like LifeLock to have a team
actively making sure you’re protected.

Get a 6-month service to ensure people have your back. They will dig through the dark web and
make sure that your information isn’t up for purchase or available to be used. There are lists of
passwords that are common for people to use, and they will make sure that your passwords
aren’t on that list.

It’s easy to have the mindset that, “if people want to get in, then they will.” We get it. But, giving
yourself an extra level of protection with our three tips will make it so much harder for people to
actually want to hack your accounts. Since these criminals are really just looking for easy
money, making it harder for them will protect you.

Just remember, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. When you’re shopping and browsing the
internet this month, be extremely careful and take precautions. If you do, you’ll have a magical
December.

Holidays

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

The holidays are here and that means that you might be figuring out who has to work over this time and who gets time off. If you’re an IT professional, you might be hoping to get a moment of peace and quiet in an empty office over the holidays. 

As IT professionals, we want to celebrate the holidays, but there are always projects that can only be done over a day off. Take Thanksgiving for instance. You can eat with your family on Thursday but then come in on Friday to do a major rollout on things like phones or swap out a couple of servers. This is sometimes the ideal situation for IT professionals. You can still celebrate with your loved ones, but you also get to really get stuff done without interruption or calls coming in. A quiet office is also a great break from those loved ones after a holiday spent together.

Say you came in on the Friday following Thanksgiving and got lots of stuff done. This allows you to monitor that progress over the weekend and fix any bugs or problems that might take place without interruption still. 

These holidays can become like custody battles. While many professionals are trying to get time off for the holidays, IT professionals are typically debating over who gets to work certain holidays or periods of time following the holidays in order to get done with everything they’re hoping to. 

This is called change management, which is super important in the IT world. The holidays are generally where we center this change management. Weekends work alright, but holidays are the best time to make big changes and implement new technologies.

Holidays can be a conflicting time as well. The personal side also comes into play. Family is very important, and spending time together is what the holidays are all about. Balancing this family time and also getting stuff done for work can be a complicated game to play. If you absolutely love your job, this becomes even more difficult. But, if you can learn to balance these two things, the holidays will be both a special time of togetherness and a time of solitude work. 

There is another aspect to holidays that most people don’t think about, and that is the fact that, worldwide, we all celebrate different holidays. Some holidays are universal while others are very specific to a region and it is important to keep these in mind when deciding when to work and when to take a break. You might also be able to let another take care of what you’re trying to accomplish if they are in another region and working when the United States is celebrating a holiday.

If you’re a business professional, it could be beneficial to have a conversation with your IT staff and figure out if they actually want the time off over the holiday season or if they would benefit from working one or two days in order to work in a quiet office, uninterrupted.

Tech Conferences

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

A few months ago, we posed the question: are conferences dead? We weren’t sure at the time, but, after recently attending a conference in Florida, we’ve got some more answers. 

Our experience at the recent conference was very similar to a normal event pre-covid. There were lots of events and activities going on within the conference and people were generally treating it like a normal event. For those of you that love conferences, this should be very encouraging to you!

Going forward, hybrid-type conferences are probably going to stick around. There are lots of positive things about this method of getting together, but there are also things that you can’t really receive in a remote format. 

Now, when you go to a conference, you shouldn’t go for information. You should always attend an event to make connections and build relationships with people. It’s not bad to learn at conferences, but most of that learning can come from talking to people who are passionate about the same things as you. This is the item that might be missing from your remote conference experience: connections with people in person! You might be an introvert, so this might be the factor that you are glad to be apart from, but, there is so much value in being able to chat with someone face-to-face.

If you are attending an event, go to the keynote presentations and listen to what the speakers have to say, but the most important part of these days is what happens after the event is over. Take the time to interact with other people in any way. That can be getting dinner or drinks with other attendees or simply having side conversations with people throughout the evening. These conversations generally lead to getting more information and insight than you could ever get during the event itself. The real meaty party of those conversations probably could not have happened remotely.

If you don’t love going to conferences, try being a vendor instead. Vendors generally do not attend the main events, and they get a lot of free time. This means that they have more time to meet people and connect with them over a load of topics. This is a great way to learn what other people are doing for their businesses and maybe even partner with an organization to make your company even better. B to B relationships are very important, and being a vendor can lend you the time and experience to make those connections. 

It’s important to pay attention and look for the really engaging parts of conferences. Sometimes, they aren’t found where you were expecting them. Listen intently to the Q and A sections of speeches and create side conversations throughout the event. This will ensure that you get the most out of any and all conferences that you attend going forward. 

If you had to boil it down to what a good conference looks like, it’s all about building relationships. So, we don’t think conferences are dead. Hybrid systems will stick around, but conferences are here to stay!

Thanksgiving 2021

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

Happy Thanksgiving week! To celebrate this special time of year, Elijah, Adam’s son, guest-starred to chat about Thanksgiving and conversations. Let’s dive in!

Knowing who you are talking to and getting on the same page as them is very important for having meaningful conversations. While sipping on Fanta, Elijah shared his love for My Little Pony — something he and his dad watch together. This is a shared experience between the two that allows them to further and deepen their relationship. 

Whether you are talking to someone that has advanced degrees in finance, history or engineering, or it’s your 10-year-old son who’s just awesome, you have to find ways to relate to them. It’s important to look at client and co-worker relations in this same way. Create personal friendships with those that you are around and further your work ability and skill in return. 

Remember that you can have conversations with anyone, no matter what their background is. You can create shared experiences wherever you go. Whether it’s hanging out, drinking fanta or talking to a business owner, the most important part is creating relationships and being thankful for those relationships — this will make sure that you always be able to build memories that you can fall back on. When you talk to someone, it doesn’t have to only be business all the time. Create memories so you can work with and for people you know well and have a relationship with and enjoy spending time with. 

Adam is extremely thankful for those types of relationships, as well as being able to buy a business, go on trips and spend time with family and friends. As you enter Thanksgiving celebrations, be thinking of how you talk to your family and friends and maintain those relationships. Then, bring that charisma into your working relationships.

Daylight Savings

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

Drinks with IT is our series of episodes where IT professionals crack open a cold one and let the conversation flow naturally. Our goal with these chats is to let you be a fly on the wall during our conversations so you can get an idea of the types of things IT professionals talk and care about. 

Here are some things we talked about!

• Coffee Consumption ⇨ Daylight savings time used to require a lot more coffee, but now it’s less of a headache. We did choose coffee for our Drinks with IT episode, meaning that we were alert and ready to talk. Coffee is wonderful in general, but even talking about daylight savings requires some strong brew. 
• Daylight Savings Time ⇨ What used to take hours and a trip to each individual computer to correct the time can now be done much quicker. IT people have worked hard over the years to figure out how to make this transition less of a pain. Even with the quicker process, the time changes still take quite a bit of adjusting. At MSPL, we have clients and team members all over the world, meaning that we have to think about time much more than the average company. When the time change happens, it definitely takes a little adjusting. 
• What to do About Daylight Savings Time ⇨ Adam would like to see daylight savings time go away completely, even though IT professionals would have to adjust everything again. It would be easier to have everyone all synced up. Skip is okay with daylight savings and believes it makes sense, but does agree that it can be a pain. 

We loved chatting about these topics and more! Listen to this week’s episode of Humanize IT to get the full conversation. 

Dumb Technology

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd


Over the years, there has been a lot of dumb technology. It’s hard to keep track of all the ideas that seemed great at first but ended up being a nightmare. Here are a few pieces of technology that just didn’t make the cut.

Autodialers: an electronic device that automatically dials phone numbers. Once the call has been answered, the autodialer either plays a recorded message or connects the call to a live person. There were great intentions behind this invention, but autodialers aren’t people’s favorite piece of technology.

Virtual Boy: a tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. Basically, these 3D goggles were the 90s version of virtual reality but the technology was not ready for this advancement quite yet.

Microsoft Bob: an attempt at a digital assistant, this software was intended to provide a more user-friendly interface for Windows computers. It was discontinued shortly after because it was very clunky and cheesy.

Clippy: a paperclip office assistant character that was created by Microsoft. The main issue with Clippy was the technology was not fast enough to load in a timely manner, making the entire screen freeze and work come to a halt.

Digital Pets: an online pet you could feed, play with and take care of — this technology made doing real chores impossible due to the time commitment to caring for fake pets.

The main point is, there is a lot of technology and some of it works and some does not. The difference between good tech and interesting tech is the implementation and the audience.

If you have new technology, make sure people are ready for this technology and make it work with the already existing tech. If you solve problems instead of adding to them, new technology will be seamlessly added to people’s lives easier.

Inspiration

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

What are you inspired by? How does that inspiration play into your day-to-day life? Start thinking about those questions as we jump into our topic on innovation and inspiration.

First, let’s look at some definitions.

Innovation is a new method, process, idea, etc. Inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. Now, how do these two words relate to one another? Innovation comes from inspiration. Innovation comes from weird areas — sometimes laziness, hubris or impatience. But, when we challenge the status quo and do something different, we create inspiration for a variety of projects or passions.

Let’s look at space exploration as an example. The latest space trip involving billionaires and non-scientific people is the latest and greatest thing in all things space exploration. This type of travel is not easy and is not as simple as someone might assume. There is a lot that has to go into this flight and massive amounts of innovating and problem-solving are necessary. So, how did this end up becoming a reality? Innovation.

Lots of research went into solving this problem, which resulted in not just more accessible space travel, but Tesla became a well-known car brand. Tesla was created with the goal to make a vehicle that was battery-operated and durable enough to go to space. So, the car was created out of innovation with space travel being the inspiration. Crazy, right?!

Another thing happened through space exploration: demand for battery-operated vehicles grew. Tesla has dramatically changed the landscape that every automatic manufacturer is working on. Because Tesla showed that electric cars are possible, the company inspired manufacturers. Tesla wasn’t created to sell more cars, it was created to make more demand for batteries. And this all stemmed from billionaires wanting to go to space and do something crazy.

The changes that are being made in our world today are not always market-driven — they are inspired by the idea that we can do something better than the current way of doing things.

Ultimately, there are a lot of benefits of trying to reach beyond your comfort zone.

So, for your business, how long have you been in a rut? How long have you been doing the same thing? How are you going to innovate and inspire entrepreneurship inside your organization?

In order to make positive changes in your business, you must challenge the status quo and do something that might not seem possible.

Marketing Your MSP Part 2

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

In our continued chat with Paul Green, we learned even more about marketing your MSPs through a three-step process. Here’s how it works.

Step one: Build multiple audiences. 

Ultimately, you need people to talk to. The more people you have listening, the more likely your company will do well. Your basic audiences are your email and LinkedIn, meaning that those platforms should be given the most attention. 

Other audiences could include podcasts, social media platforms and a direct mailing list — all things that you should be implementing in order to have the biggest audience and the biggest impact.

Step two: Create a relationship with your audience. 

This relationship-building aspect is all about content. This content should include both education and entertainment in order to fully engage people. When we talk about educating people, it’s best to not get too technical — more low-level stuff that you can explain so any normal person can understand. This will help your audience view you as a helpful resource. 

In order to build up your audience, engage with them daily, weekly and monthly. Put out relevant social media content daily. Curate this content from the mindset and eyes of the consumer. Send out a weekly email to teach your audience something that they do not know that will help them learn. Create and send out a monthly newsletter, giving your audience something to physically hold, read and pass along. 

Another fun tip is to keep a dream 100 list. This list is the top 100 people you dream of working with that you actively engage and maintain relationships with. 

Step three: Commercialize your audience.

This step is mostly done over the phone. It can be done by either you or someone that you know who is warm, friendly and great with people. Pick up the phone and call all of the people who you engage with, either by email, social media, direct mail and more. This isn’t a sales tactic — it’s a chance to talk to people about what they love to chat about most: themselves. 

Human relationships are very important so using this three-step process will ensure you create and maintain great relationships with your audience and ensure success for your MSP. 

Market Your MSP (Part 1)

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd

MSPs can easily talk to each other about the latest gadgets and gizmos, but talking to other people about that same technology can be more of a struggle. It is the same with MSPs and their conversations with businesses. 

Watching someone try to sell their services to people can be like watching a slow-moving train wreck — there is enthusiasm when MSPs talk to business owners, but it can be hard to translate that excitement to the client. 

That is where the importance of conversations comes into play.

If you’re an MSP, then your entire training for becoming an MSP has been technical. You learned the tips and tricks and workarounds for all things technology. Now, all of a sudden, you are being asked to work with people and explain your services and abilities to them. You most likely do not have the training or knowledge to have conversations that will enable those business professionals to fully understand what it is that you do and what you can do for them. 

When entering those conversations, it is important to approach them as people and not as machines. You cannot simply throw solutions their way expecting them to grasp what it is that you are trying to tell them. You have to listen — find common ground and really understand what it is that they care about. 

If you are only talking about technology, it will most likely make their eyes glaze over and feel impersonal. At the selling stage, business professionals do not care about the technology — they care about whether they like you or not. Look at the technology solution through their eyes. See how this technology can truly help them, not from an IT standpoint, but from a personal perspective. 

Here’s an example. An MSP makes a business’s internet speed much faster and its bandwidth much better. The MSP will look at this solution as a complete technical solution. But, the business professional is excited about having extra time due to not having to actually drive into the office, letting them attend their daughter’s softball game. Both people had totally different standards to measure success, but both situations were using the same technology. 

Ultimately, people make most decisions with their hearts, not their heads. If you are great at connecting with the person before talking business, then selling to them will be much better for both parties.