Secure Your Own House First: Degly Mendez on MSP Cyber Education
Release Date: 02/24/2026
Business Outcome Conversations: The Next Phase of MSP Customer Penetration with Luis Giraldo
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From Struggling Business to Thriving MSP in Salt Lake City – Ed Lukacs of 2Fifteen Tech
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Stop Getting Breached: Matt Lee Shares MSP Cybersecurity Strategies for Under $3M Shops
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🎙️ In this must-watch episode of MSP Unplugged, we welcome Matt Lee — Senior Director of Security and Compliance at Pax8, CISSP, CCSP, CFR, PNPT, and a leading voice in MSP cybersecurity. Matt has spent years raising the security bar for small and mid-sized MSPs. In this conversation, he breaks down practical, actionable strategies tailored for lean teams (under $3M revenue and Less 20 employees) who want to deliver strong cybersecurity without overwhelming overhead. Whether you're struggling with incident response planning, compliance, tool sprawl, or staying ahead of evolving threats,...
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Stop Alert Fatigue: Blumira’s Approach to MSP Cybersecurity in 2026
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🎙️ In this episode of MSP Unplugged, we sit down with Greg Saenz from Blumira — a leading security operations platform built specifically for busy IT teams and MSPs. If you're running a small MSP (under $3M revenue and fewer than 20 employees), you know security is a massive opportunity — but also a huge headache. Blumira makes enterprise-grade SIEM, XDR, threat detection, and response simple, fast to deploy, and profitable for small teams. Learn how to add managed security services without hiring a full SOC, reduce alert fatigue, protect clients from ransomware, and grow your margins...
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MSP Leadership Lessons from Nancy Henriquez – Head of Community at MSP Unplugged
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How to Scale an MSP with Partners: Derrick Wlodarz (FireLogic) Returns
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Simplifying Cybersecurity for MSPs: Joe Sykora (CEO of Coro) on Tool Sprawl and AI in 2026
MSP Unplugged
Joe Sykora, CEO of Coro Cybersecurity, joins MSP Unplugged to discuss how MSPs can simplify their security stack, reduce tool sprawl, and deliver better protection to small and mid-sized businesses. In this episode, Joe shares: Why traditional multi-tool cybersecurity approaches are failing most MSPs How Coro’s all-in-one, single-agent platform is changing the game for lean MSP teams The role of automation and AI in reducing alert fatigue What a truly MSP-friendly cybersecurity solution looks like in 2026 Practical advice on turning cybersecurity from a cost center into a profitable growth...
info_outlineIn this insightful episode of MSP Unplugged, host Paco Lebron welcomes Degly Mendez, CEO of Avanzar IT Systems (South Pasadena, CA) and Vice Chair of the GTIA ISAO Advisory Group. Degly shares his journey into MSP leadership, his focus on cybersecurity for small/mid-sized businesses, and practical ways to make education a real defensive layer.
Key takeaways include:
- Building ongoing cybersecurity awareness for non-tech-savvy SMB clients (beyond one-offs like "Be Cyber Aware" sessions) — challenges, retention tips, and scaling methods (webinars, tools, gamified scenarios)
- Metrics and stories showing when education truly reduces incidents
- "Secure your own house first": Fortifying Avanzar internally (team training, processes, tough investments) to avoid being the weak link
- Common MSP pitfalls on internal security (vendor risks, tool sprawl, early practice drops) and how to fix them
- Using the "Run, Protect, Grow" IT budgeting framework to prioritize Protect (including people education) without it feeling like a cost sink
- Evolving programs for AI-driven threats/opportunities — recent changes to stay ahead
- Best advice for resource-constrained MSPs: Scaling education without burnout or client overload, plus one non-negotiable step to fortify your own business now
- Rapid-fire: Underrated resource/habit for scaling efforts, biggest "aha" on internal ops, and the one cyber education practice he'd mandate industry-wide
Perfect for MSP owners, cybersecurity pros, and IT leaders focused on proactive defense, people-powered security, and leading by example in a resource-tight world.
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