Tubbtalk - The Podcast For It Consultants

In this episode, Richard Tubb speaks to Chris Pottrell. He’s the managing director of Nebula IT, an MSP with a strong focus on cybersecurity. Their comprehensive set of services make them an innovative MSP to watch.Richard asks Chris about their typical clients, their current tool stack and how they came to work with the Ministry of Defence. Chris also explains how Nebula ended up running their own events.They then dig into some of the key tools Nebula use: Huntress’ cybersecurity solutions, inforcer for 365 management, and Pax8’s cloud solutions, and shares an example of how Huntress helped them with a client problem.Chris also explains why MSPs should outsource their SOC and view their outsourcing partners as an extension of their team, as well as how this can help you to define your niche.Richard asks Chris about Nebula’s approach to SIEM, why they offer cybersecurity awareness training and their experiences with Azure Virtual Desktop and making it a successful client solution.Chris talks about the interna

In this episode, Richard Tubb speaks to Sergio Farache, the EVP of strategy and global technology business at TD SYNNEX. In this interview, he talks specifically about StreamOne®. A cloud management platform, it integrates with your MSP systems to assist you in expanding your cloud business.Sergio explains his role within the organisation, what TD SYNNEX and StreamOne® is, and how it helps managed service providers. He talks about how they help security operations, how they evaluate vendor partners and their approach to AI.Richard and Sergio then dig into StreamOne®. They look at how it works for MSPs, the PSA platforms it connects with, and the cloud platforms it supports, as well as its reporting capabilities.They discuss life cycle management, the financial impact of using manual billing and reconciliation and what it means for MSPs who have their own online shop fronts and portals.Sergio shares his advice on how to make Infrastructure as a Service and usage management easier, as well as other significant

In this unique TubbTalk episode, Richard Tubb becomes the guest! He was interviewed on The Remarkable People Show, broadcast earlier this year (2024). It’s hosted by Polly Brennan and Maggie Martin on Koast Radio, a local station in the north east of England.Richard shares his experiences of moving to the North East with his wife Claire and why it feels like home. He tells Polly and Maggie the origin story of his company, Tubblog, and how the TubbTalk podcast evolved from there.Richard also talks openly about his mental health challenges and how he supports his wellbeing with tactics to be resilient and to feel good on a day to day basis, even when things are tough.He also shares what he does in his downtime, who inspires him and the famous person he’d love to have dinner with. He tells Polly and Maggie the best piece of advice he’s ever been given, and how he’d like to leave the world a better place.Mentioned in This EpisodeDepartment for Business and TradeAuthor and journalist: Chris BroganBook: Bob Burg: T

In this interview, Richard Tubb speaks to Rob Rae, Corporate Vice President of Community and Ecosystems for Pax8. They're a cloud marketplace for future-focused managed service providers (MSP). After 20 years in the channel, Rob has a lot of advice on how to build better MSP ecosystems.Richard asks Rob for his thoughts on the recent Pax8 Beyond EMEA event, how he thinks events impact the wider MSP community and what the plans are for future conferences.Rob shares his journey in the channel and why he left Datto to work at Pax8, as well as what his day to day routine looks like. He talks about their company culture, what they’re up to behind the scenes and the realities of expanding into new continents.Richard asks Rob what he thinks of the recent CompTIA acquisition (Rob is a board member), the lessons he’s learned from his time in the industry and the advice he’d give to potential leaders, as well as who he goes to for inspiration and support.Cybersecurity and backup: DattoMSP Technology and IT Management: C

In this interview, Richard Tubb speaks to Colin Hogg, the vice president of sales for Couchdrop. They have an amazing migration solution for MSPs called Movebot. It makes it much easier to do data migrations for your clients.Colin explains the Movebot Migration solution and how the organisation manages rapid technology developments and how they quickly respond to and fix issues. He also talks about how they do the most common migrations for MSPs, and their real-time monitoring.Richard asks Colin how Movebot supports their MSP clients when things go wrong, and the advice he’d give on how to email migration, and how to do SharePoint migrations more effectively. Colin shares how they keep up to date with all the different platforms and how they work, as well as which products and platforms Movebot currently support. He also touches on Couchdrop as a company, and gives his advice to MSPs who want to DIY their data migrations.Mentioned in This EpisodePodcast interview with Michael LawsonVideo walkthrough demo of M

In this episode, Richard Tubb speaks to Luis Giraldo, the Chief Evangelist for ScalePad, a company that offers a collection of applications to help MSPs launch their growth. In the IT space, he is something of an MSP guru.He has also been an MSP, CEO, SaaS consultant and an active member of the CompTIA peer group. And in this interview, he tells Richard about his journey to his current role and his live podcast show.He talks about his podcast, MSP Confidential, and his second career as a jazz musician, what he does in his down time and shares the books that have inspired him the most.Richard asks Luis to talk in depth about ScalePad: how they help MSPs and the type of businesses they attract, and how to get started with the solution. Luis also shares the biggest misconception that MSPs have about vendors like ScalePad?And on the vendor side, Richard asks Luis the number one thing they can do to improve the customer experience, as well as the one thing a typical vendor doesn’t appreciate about the life of an M

In this interview, Richard Tubb speaks to Todd Thibodeaux, President and Chief Executive Officer of CompTIA, a nonprofit organisation that supports MSPs and IT businesses. Todd explains how CompTIA supports MSPs, vendors and others in the tech space, how they change people’s lives, and shares his own journey with the organisation.Richard asks Todd to explain the CompTIA Research arm of the business and talk him through some of the business acquistions they’ve made. They also discuss accreditations for MSPs.Todd shares his advice on how MSPs can stand out and how to be future-focused. Richard asks him how he prepares to interview guests on stage and what he’s most proud of during his time at CompTIA.Finally, Richard and Todd dig into tech and tools: what Todd has in his own home, the technology he’s most excited about and the tech he’s still waiting for that we all thought would be here by now.Mentioned in This EpisodePeer group: The Tech TribePeer group: Network GroupPeer group: SBSC NorthwestCompTIA ChannelC

This episode was recorded live in Berlin, Germany at the Pax8 Beyond EMEA conference. Rob Rae is the Corporate Vice President of Community and Ecosystems for Pax8.Rob talks about how it feels to bring Pax8 Beyond to Europe and the decision to do so. He also discusses the MSP event industry in general, and shares his process for choosing keynote speakers.Richard asks how Pax8 partners answer the question ‘how’s business’ and the criteria for choosing vendors that are part of their client marketplace. Rob shares how he keeps up with the industry, why you should be part of the wider community, and the importance of talking openly about mental health.Mentioned in This EpisodeCybersecurity tech company: CrowdStrikeCybersecurity tech company: SentinelOneSecurity software: TruGridPax8 Chief Trust & Security Officer: Rob ReckOlympic track and field athlete: Carl LewisBusinessman and investor: Robert HerjavecEntrepreneur: Richard BransonIT certifications and training: CompTIACompTIA ChannelConMSP peer group: The T

Time for another Team Tubb Travelogue! This time, Gudrun Lauret catches up with Richard Tubb and Lenka Koppova, who are in Berlin for Pax8 Beyond EMEA 24.Grab a cup of your favourite tea or coffee, relax and join them for a fun conversation about the highlights from this big event.Richard shares how the community rallied around when he lost his luggage. Lenka talks about how fantastic the event organisation was, from hotel check-in to the closing remarks. Plus, they tell Gudrun how blown away everyone was with the special guest at the after-party!Other HighlightsWomen in Tech get-togetherTalks on AI, mental health and Pax8 partnershipsNetworking with new MSPsA busy vendor hallGreat food and drinkExciting updates from Pax8 and partners - plus the announcement of Pax8 Beyond EMEA 2025!Plus… the Team Tubb Travelogue Quiz is back! Can Richard and Lenka  answer Gudrun’s questions about Berlin?What are TubbTalk Travleogues?These are ad-hoc, bonus episodes of our regular TubbTalk podcast, recorded live at an ev

This episode was recorded live in Berlin, Germany at the Pax8 Beyond EMEA conference, and Richard Tubb speaks to Phylip Morgan. He’s the Pax8 Chief Revenue Officer EMEA, and they talked about what’s new at Pax8.Phylip talked the importance of the Pax8 cloud marketplace and why MSPs should embrace them instead of fearing them as the competition. He also explained how Pax8 work with their MSP partners to up-serve their clients.Richard asked Phylip to explain what he means by the phrase ‘data is the new oil’. Phylip also shared his advice for time-poor MSPs, and what he does to keep a level head with all the travel and responsibilities his role brings.Mentioned in This EpisodeIT certifications and training: CompTIABook: Bob Burg: The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business IdeaCloud computing tool: VMwareCloud computing tool: CitrixAI tool: ChatGPTPax8 Opportunity ExplorerPax8 Partner ProgramPax8 AcademyPodcast interview with Andy Readman

In this interview, Richard Tubb speaks to Richard Tang, the founder and CEO of Zen Internet, consistently rated as the top internet service provider in the UK. Founded in 1995, the initial plan was to capitalise on the popularity of a new technology. Today, they provide broadband services to mainly business users.Richard explains how Zen does things differently, and how he juggles the needs of the staff and of their customers. He talks about the benefit of a strong company culture, and why Zen avoids dirty tactics to retain customers.Richard explains what B-corp certification is, why it’s important and how Zen implement it in their business. He also touches briefly on his relationship with David Brereton of Myson Pages, who shares an office in the Zen building with an interesting history.He talks through how they support MSPs and resellers of internet services, why making charitable donations is so important, and the surprising inspiration for the Zen company motto. He also shares his tips on how you can adop

In this interview, Richard speaks to Leigh Smith, Director of Growth and Happiness at AnswerConnect, a 24/7, live call-answering solution founded in 2002. The service enables MSPs to streamline issue resolution, manage tickets more efficiently, and maintain their SLA compliance. And they offer support with capturing and qualifying leads.Leigh explains why AnswerConnect specialise in working with MSPs, why it’s important to have a human on the other end of the phone and why using AI for call answering isn’t ideal.Richard asks Leigh to share some specifics around the types of tools AnswerConnect integrate with, their pricing model and why you should trust them to answer calls on your behalf.They also look at the service options: how to pick up your messages, how they deal with unsolicited calls and how they help clients hit their SLAs. Leigh also explains how they handle calls from prospects and the process for identifying and patching through urgent calls. Richard also asks Leigh about the company culture

In this interview, Richard Tubb speaks to Daniel Shone and Chris Gorman of Apex Computing: Daniel is the Managing Director and Chris is the CEO. Based in the North West, they support their clients with cybersecurity, hardware and software procurement, BDR and consultancy.They talk about how Apex got started, what it’s like running a business with a co-founder, and how they share the different roles and responsibilities between them. They also share their current tech stack.Richard asks Chris and Daniel why they think strategic relationships with vendors are essential, and to talk specifically about their relationships with Huntress and Pax8, as well as the solutions each provides to Apex.Daniel and Chris give examples of how network monitoring has saved their clients from cybersecurity incidents, and why most of the businesses they work with don’t mind that they outsource some of their services.Richard digs into the company culture at Apex, how they maintain it while building their business and how it also he

In this episode, Richard Tubb speaks to David Brereton. David founded Myson Pages 25 years ago, while most of his peers were operating on a break/fix model. Today, he has 15 employees and supports SMEs with a range of IT requirements.David talks openly about how early challenges helped Myson become the company it is today and why they do managed services differently. He also shares the company culture and how they nurture talent.He explains how to support employees with personal challenges, and why he has a philosophy of ‘never recruit, always retain’.  Richard asks David why peer groups are so important to him, why he’s started using the EOS methodology and why the ‘Traction’ model works for MSPs as well as more traditional businesses. David tells Richard what he’s learned from colleagues at Zen Internet, who his mentors and inspirations have been, his legacy plans for Myson Pages and the charitable contributions the business makes.Mentioned in This EpisodeMyson PagesBroadband provider: Zen Interne

Time for another Team Tubb Travelogue! This time, Gudrun Lauret catches up with Richard Tubb and Lenka Koppova, who are in London for UptimeLIVE.Grab a cup of your favourite tea or coffee, relax and join them for a fun conversation about the highlights from this big event.They share why UptimeLIVE is different from the usual MSP events, the new breed MSPs changing the industry and why the keynote speaker was so inspiring.Plus… the Team Tubb Travelogue Quiz is back! Can Richard, Lenka and special guest Bradley Munday answer Gudrun’s questions about angels?UptimeLIVE is hosted by Bradley Munday and Jason Kemsley, the co-founders of outsourcing experts Uptime. They provide NOC, SOC, helpdesk and project support white-label solutions to busy MSPs.What is UptimeLIVE?The event featured two tracks: one with speakers and the other with deep-dive conversations. There were also plenty of networking opportunities, vendor and sponsor exhibits and an evening reception.Were you at UptimeLIVE too? Send us a voice recording

In this interview, Richard Tubb speaks to Jason Kemsley and Bradley Munday, the co-founders of Uptime, a white-label, outsourced solution provider. They offer helpdesk, NOC, SOC and project support. They are also the organisers of a new MSP conference, UptimeLive.They tell Richard how Uptime helps MSPs and what their typical client looks like. Brad explains the new, emerging MSP model – where outsourcing is used to accelerate growth. Richard asks Brad and Jason why they think outsourcing has negative connotations, how MSPs should balance technical skills with customer services on the help desk and how the help desk itself is changing.They also explore why good communication is essential for MSPs, when to outsource your customer services and where artificial intelligence fits in.Richard asks where the inspiration for UptimeLive came from, how they chose the speakers, and why Levi Roots is their keynote. He also asks Jason and Brad to share their predictions for the future of outsourcing.MSP event: UptimeLIVEJa

In this interview, Richard speaks to Ben Rogers, a Sales Manager at Cloud Billing. Cloud Billing offers a solution that helps MSPs to automate their billing processes quickly, accurately, and comprehensively.Ben explains how they help MSPs with their billing and support them manage all of their responsibilities, as well the types of clients they work with and what integrations they have.Richard asks Ben why so many MSPs don’t realise they have a problem with their billing until it’s too late, how a tool can make life easier and how to check if you’re losing money through your billing practices.Ben talks through the growth opportunities around billing, how they help MSPs with legislation and security and the one thing MSPs should do right now with their billing. He also shares what the future looks like for Cloud Billing and his experiences in the MSP industry.Mentioned in This EpisodeCybersecurity platform: KaseyaCloud marketplace: Pax8IT product and services distributor: Ingram MicroCloud BillingCloud Billin

In this episode, Richard speaks to MJ Shoer, the Chief Community Officer at CompTIA. After studying for a degree in computer science, he worked in sales for startup software and hardware companies. He taught himself everything he needed to know about technology and became an IT director. He went on to found his own successful MSP, which he sold to a competitor. After doing some consulting, he got his first role at CompTIA.He joins Richard Tubb to explain who CompTIA are and how they help MSPs. MJ shares the story of his own journey in the tech world and what it was like to experience the start of connectivity. Richard asks MJ about the ChannelCon events and what it means for members that CompTIA is a company information sharing and analysis organisation. They also look at being a local member and the CompTIA Spark Initiative.MJ also shares his thoughts on the changing relationship between MSPs and vendors, how to encourage younger people into careers in IT, and how CompTIA are playing a part in advancing wome

In this interview, Richard speaks to Fiona Challis. She’s been in the IT industry for over 25 years, firstly in corporate and then running a sales training company. Now, she’s passionate about mindset, personal development and energetics. Feeling like she needed a change, Fiona left the sector to grow, explore and try new things. She’s been helping women with their development, and had a journey of her own.Fiona explains what energetics and mindset are and how they can impact the performance of leadership teams, as well as how to model the right energy and mindset to your staff. She’s honest in addressing people who might find these ideas ‘woo woo’ and how to maintain high energy and a positive mindset. Fiona also explains how an MSP’s culture and values impact its success.Richard asked her to describe self-awareness and how to be kind to yourself if you don’t like what you see. Fiona shares examples of both poor and positive energy in MSP leaders, how to maintain positivity and how to address setbacks.R

In this episode, Richard Tubb talks to Dermot McCann. He’s the Executive Vice President and General Manager for Kaseya EMEA, having previously worked as General Manager for APAC in Australia.He tells Richard about his background as an MSP, why he rejoined Kaseya and how his new role will help the company to grow and develop in Europe. He talks candidly about Kaseya’s challenges and commitment to its partners.He explains the Partner First Pledge, Kaseya 365 and why they’re focused on cybersecurity, AI and automation in the coming months to grow their business and help MSP clients.Richard asks Dermot how his experiences as an MSP help him now he’s working on the vendor side and what, if anything, surprised him when he made that shift. Dermot also talks about his own personal resilience.Mentioned in This EpisodeIT conference: DattoconIT solutions: DattoKaseya’s Partner First PledgeEndpoint management: Kaseya 365MSP accountability programme: Kaseya TruMethodsKaseya cyber insurance fast trackIT management softwa