Episode 101 - State of the Channel, 3D Homes, and Splinternet News
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: ChannelPro State of the Channel survey Bruised but roaring back? We you bruised in 2020? Is this a real reflection of the real channel? Or is this a sampling issue? As always, we think research is good. You just need to be careful about what the results mean. We discuss. And we give a few thoughts on eternal optimism - pro and con. We look forward to concrete house mod kits . . . and more. Related Link: Topic 2: 3D printed home. 1,500 sq feet. $299K We're not sure how much the printer cost - but the houses are serious. The story here is from New York, so the price point of $300,000...
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Episode 100 - Zoom Opens the Future, Texas Electricity, and AI Ethics
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: Zoom begins the next wave . . . getting back to the office We were impressed with Zoom's announcement of touch-free office connections for receptionist via Zoom. What other emerging technologies can we look forward to as we emerge from the pandemic? Remember: Innovation and technology both affect culture and are affected by culture. Related Link: Topic 2: Texas Electricity You heard about Texas' problem with electricity. If not, follow the link below. We're tempted to draw an analogy to the availability question regarding bandwidth. And we are reminded: All this stuff costs money!...
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Episode 99 - Nouveau Jargon and Visions of the Future
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: Jargon of the Week . . . DBIO Take it apart: Digital Business Infrastructure Operations. Is this usable terminology? Just another four letter acronym? "Digital Business Infrastructure Operations (DBIO) is an end-to-end approach to delivering managed services. It spans the entire digital value chain – from the core to the edge – and is supported by robust network and security infrastructure." One aspect - building things backwards - just amounts to selling solutions instead of selling “stuff” and integrating it. That sounds like the advice for last 50 years. We'd love to hear...
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Episode 98 - Betting on Reddit Stock Tips, Apple, and the Future of Privacy
The Killing IT Podcast
We cannot ignore what's going on with Reddit. This one is more "of interest" than a direct hit on topics we think you need to know about. There are many ramifications for business people, of course. And it's also a reflection of some bigger trends in society generally. We spent more time on Reddit, so this show only features two topics. Topic 1: /r/wallstreetbets/ . . . Good, bad, or just ugly? Sub Reddit takes on hedge funds. “Professional” hedge fund managers are selling Game Stop short - and the Reddit users are forcing the stock UP. They are bankrupting professionals hour by hour....
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Episode 97: Alphabet Internet and Creepy Microsoft Chatbots
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: Update on the update: Alphabet cancels their balloon-based internet offering Apparently, they listened to last week’s show. After many years and billions spent, Alphabet (Google) has dropped their plans to provide Internet access to remote areas via lighter-than-air balloons. Side note: We are deep inside an era where private organizations are taking on challenges - and trying new things - without direct government help. Related Link: Topic 2: Shall we adopted the word “integrator” to describe our channel partners? A view from another industry. The Commercial Integrator...
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Episode 96 - SpaceX, Microsoft, and Our Channel
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: SpaceX Takes Off! SpaceX launched sixty more satellites last week - with ONE rocket. They now have more than 1,000 satellites deployed. Their target is a total of 1,440. These will be dedicated to Internet-beaming. Last year, SpaceX launched 26 rockets successfully. This year, the goal is 40. Most of those rockets have landed successfully on their floating platforms in the ocean. Related Link: Topic 2: Microsoft coming after your customers. Really. Amy Babinchak has raised the alarm with a couple of blog posts. We look at Microsoft's complicated relationship with their so-called...
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Episode 95 - Dude. I need a data center
The Killing IT Podcast
Closing in on 100 episodes . . . After a few hiccups on the Internet, we managed to record this week's show. Please support our advertiser! Topic 1: Azure in a box? Microsoft is rolling out data centers "in a box." Earlier, we reported on Microsoft putting data centers on the ocean floor. This containerized project has been in the works since at least 2008. Note: We hereby claim copyright to the phrase, "Dude. I need a data center." Link: Topic 2: Net Neutrality Revived for 2021 Dead? Not at all! With the recent election, the Democratic version of Net Neutrality could see the light of day....
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Episode 94 - Open Source RMM and Touchless Controls of the Future
The Killing IT Podcast
One very serious topic, and two somewhat-lighter topics this week. Please post questions or comments. And don't forget to share with your friends. Topic 1: Open Source Managed Service Tools? Here's a seriously interesting question: Is open source software for managed services a beautiful vision of the future . .. or a nightmare. We have different thoughts on this one. Link: Topic 2: The next interface? Gesture controls. We start with a link to a white paper that lays the groundwork for this discussion. It's a quick read, and very interesting. We also encourage you to Google "computer gesture...
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Episode 93 - Online Shopping Report, Good News on Cybersecurity, Electricity
The Killing IT Podcast
Topic 1: Forrester says US online holiday shopping to reach $173 B Constant question: How much of this is temporary vs. permanent? Have you built a store for your clients? We think this is a great opportunity for IT professionals. Related Link: Topic 2: Is there any good news for MSPs in 2021 Cybersecurity? Predictions include: Cloud misconfigurations will be one of the top causes of data breaches. We’ll see the consequences of employees letting their guards down as work-from-home extends. Legacy security architecture like VPNs will be the weak link for many organizations, and use of zero...
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Episode 92 - End-of-Year show: 2020
The Killing IT Podcast
Special show - and video! We recorded a video version of this podcast. You can view it at . Or on YouTube on the Small Biz Thoughts channel (). In this episode, we take a look at technology in the year gone by and what it means for the year ahead. So, we're breaking away from the strict timing and 3-topic format. First up: What's the status of our big pizza/burrito delivery race? Delivery improved on many fronts in 2020. But none of us took delivery of a burrito! No visible progress, although technology is inching forward That morphed to a discussion of how much of the "changes" from 2020 will...
info_outlineWe have a special guest this week - Marie Rourke, Channel Chief Chief Channel Strategist at WhiteFox Marketing Inc.
So after our catch-up on what we're doing under quarantine, we jump in.
Topic One: Tim Berners-Lee’s Open Letter on the Role of Women on the Internet
Tim Berners-Lee is widely regarded as the creater of the World Wide Web.
Link:
https://webfoundation.org/2020/03/web-birthday-31/
He pinpointed three areas that cause women harm. The first is access. The second is online safety. And the third area that requires attention is gender discrimination that arises from bad engineering/algorithms.
As Dave points out, we brought in Marie so we don't have just three guys talking about the role of women. Thanks for the assist, Marie!
Topic Two: Ten trends for a post virus world
Here's the article that got us kick-started. We really encourage you to read this.
https://skift.com/2020/03/17/after-the-virus-10-consumer-trends-for-a-post-coronavirus-world/
We enjoy some of the new things people are trying. And we're happy to see some cool, cutting-edge technology coming into its own. We are particularly intrigued with who is in the right place in the right time.
Topic 3: New Show Segment - Life After Covid
Putting it all together, we introduce a new show segment. We're going to speculate from time to time on what we think the "new normal" will look like once we are allowed to leave our houses and wander out into the world.
We each give some opinions about what has changed and won't completely change back after the quarantine is over.
:-)