Each day, the flood of technology news hits.  In an industry that always changes, those who deliver technology services need to focus on the information that matters to them.  The Business of Tech podcast focuses on the news you need to know.   Covering both the story and why it matters to the way services are created and delivered, channel veteran Dave Sobel brings you up to speed and gives you resources to go deeper.   With insights and analysis, this five minute podcast focuses on the knowledge you need to be effective, profitable, and relevant.

The podcast is hosted by Dave Sobel, a leading expert in the delivery of technology services with broad experience in both technology and business.    He owned and operated an IT Solution Provider and MSP for over a decade, both acquiring other organizations and eventually being acquired.  This firm was a winner of multiple awards, including Kaseya’s Cutting Edge and ConnectWise’s Best New Idea, as well as being a finalist for Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner of the Year in the Small Business Specialist category.    After his MSP experience, he worked for multiple vendors at such companies as Level Platforms, GFI, LogicNow, and Solarwinds, leading community, event, marketing, and product strategies, as well as several M&A activities.

He was named a CRN Channel Chief multiple times, to the CRN UK A-List, as a Channel Futures Circle of Excellence winner, to Channel Pro’s 20/20 Visionaries, and has been an MSPmentor 250 member for multiple years  Dave has been recognized as one of the top virtualization experts globally as a Microsoft MVP for Virtualization. and author of “Virtualization: Defined.  A Primer for the SMB Consultant.” Dave has served on the executive council for Managed Services and Emerging Technologies, the Vendor Advisory Council, as founding Chair for the Mobility Community for CompTIA.

News and commentary delivered daily from experience.

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All Episodes

The Business of Tech Lounge – Wednesday, March 20 2024

On this episode of the Business of Tech Lounge, host Dave Sobel covers a range of topics, including preparedness for CMMC 2.0, training technicians to understand the business, and an interview preview with Fred Carey. The show also addresses listener questions and updates on Broadcom and VMware partners, McDonald’s self-serve, and United Health. The episode highlights the support of Salesbuildr, the first Patreon vendor sponsor. Additionally, a major change in the real estate market is discussed as the National Association of Realtors settles a lawsuit to shift from standard to negotiable commissions, potentially bringing increased competition and new business models.

Fri Mar-22-2024: NIST Delays, Microsoft Suspends Cloud in Russia, Enforcing Software Agreements

Today’s episode of the Business of Tech covers critical industry news. NIST’s National Vulnerability Database is facing delays, impacting security efforts. Microsoft warns about cloud services in Russia due to European sanctions. Enforcing software agreements through resellers is a pivotal decision. The NVD slowdown and its implications for security are discussed, along with criticism of MITRE for not addressing the issue. The episode also mentions CISA’s budget requests, highlighting key challenges in the tech industry.

Thu Mar-21-2024: AI Hacking March Madness Bets, Tech Support Scam, Ransomware Battles, EU & Broadcom

In this episode of the Business of Tech podcast, Dave Sobel covers the rising cyber frauds impacting US businesses, ransomware gangs’ battles, tech support scams leading to a $26 million FTC settlement, and an EU cloud trade body’s call for an investigation into Broadcom’s VMware licensing changes. Additionally, the impact of AI hacking on March Madness bets and Microsoft’s warning of a phishing campaign targeting tax filers are discussed.

Wed Mar-20-2024: Apple + Google, AI in Healthcare, Marketing, Sports, & Politics, Ingram Micro IPO?

On this episode of the Business of Tech podcast, key highlights include Apple negotiating to use Google’s Gemini AI for Siri, the increasing use of AI in various industries such as healthcare, marketing, sports, and politics, and Ingram Micro’s $8 billion IPO plans with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Additionally, Microsoft has upgraded the free version of Copilot to GPT-4 Turbo, enhancing its logical reasoning capabilities. Lastly, Apple is exploring incorporating Google Gemini into the next iPhone OS to enhance Siri’s performance.

Tue Mar-19-2024: Remote Work Trends: Layoffs & Promotions, 32 hr Work Weeks, AI Adoption & Copyright

Today on the Business of Tech podcast, Dave Sobel discusses the challenges remote employees face with higher layoff rates and lower promotion rates. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Fain propose a shorter work week to address long hours compared to global peers. Additionally, generative AI adoption is recommended to combat slowdowns due to copyright concerns. Dave also delves into the impact of return-to-office mandates on firms’ financial metrics and employee satisfaction levels. The episode explores how such mandates may be used to reassert control over employees and points to declines in overall job satisfaction and work-life balance as a result.

Mon Mar-18-2024: 2024 Economic Paradox, CompTIA: IT Channel Optimism, Microsoft’s Co-Pilot Strategy

In this episode of “The Business of Tech,” host Dave Sobel discusses the 2024 economic paradox, with rising inflation concerns conflicting with surging small business optimism. The episode covers CompTIA’s report on the IT channel’s optimism for AI and tech services growth, Microsoft’s co-pilot strategy, Musk’s open source gambit, and OpenAI’s App Store impact. The market review includes a drop in the Russell 2000 and S&P 600, despite small business confidence and consumer spending rising under the Biden-Harris administration. Economic optimism among small businesses is at a 22-year high, with most business owners feeling positive about the national economy.

Understanding the $100,000 Cost of CMMC 2.0 for MSPs with Mike Semel

On this bonus episode of The Business of Tech, Dave explores the buzz around regulation and CMMC 2.0 with guest Mike Semel. They discuss the $100,000 impact and the differences between CMMC 1.0 and 2.0, shedding light on the evolving cybersecurity landscape and its implications for MSPs across various industries. Tune in to gain insights on the changing regulatory environment and its potential effects on businesses.

The Business of Tech Lounge – Wednesday, March 13 2024

In this episode of the Business of Tech Lounge, host Dave Sobel discusses a variety of topics relevant to the tech industry. The episode includes an analysis of a lawsuit involving a law firm and its IT provider, featuring insights from attorney Brad Gross. It delves into IDC data concerning the evolving role of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and examines the allocation of budgets for cloud storage. Listeners will learn about Claude 3 and its ongoing testing phase. The episode also recaps Dave’s conversation with Tabitha Scott and teases an upcoming interview with Mike Semel.

Fri Mar-15-2024: Apple’s Strategic Move in AI and FCC Redefines Broadband

Today’s episode of the podcast discusses Apple’s strategic move in AI with the acquisition of Darwin AI, signaling a focus on generative AI capabilities. The FCC redefines broadband with higher speed requirements, shifting to 100 down and 20 up. Other topics covered include navigating privacy regulations, IT spending trends, AI’s cloud impact, and the quest for shared reality. Apple’s acquisition of Darwin AI aims to enhance their generative AI capabilities, with Alexander Wong from Darwin AI joining Apple’s AI group. Microsoft Teams is set to merge into a single unified app for work and personal use.