IT, MSP & MSSP Industry Notes

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April 17th, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your clients.

Logicalis US launches private network services with Cisco

• Reported on recwireless
• announced the launch of its private network services, supported by compatriot networking company Cisco
• Logicalis claims to be first U.S. partner to deliver Cisco’s private 5G as-a-service, including professional services

Adar Announces Rebrand to Rhodian Group

• announced it has completed a major rebranding
• Adar, Inc., a provider of managed IT and cybersecurity services
• "The Rhodian Group brand is born out of a vision to provide our Insurance and Professional Services customers and prospects the most advanced, reliable and compliant IT and cybersecurity solutions," said Phil Smith, CEO of Rhodian Group

Lexmark Honored with Fourth Consecutive CIO 100 Award Win

• honored as a 2023 CIO 100 Award recipient by Foundry's CIO
• IT Innovation and dedication to customer service recognized by Foundry's CIO 100 Awards
• Lexmark was recognized for the rearchitecting of its Service Operations, enabling real-time data analysis for immediate decision-making, transparency and long-term success for customers and partners alike

Canon U.S.A., Inc. Announces New Executive Appointments

• announce executive appointments and promotions that took effect April 1
• Mason Olds was promoted to executive vice president, Business Information Communications Group and the executive committee of Canon Americas
• Yukinari “Ritchie’’ Kaneta was promoted to senior vice president and general manager, Information Technology and executive leadership team of Canon Americas

directprint.io empowers resellers to unlock new revenue streams

• Cloud ISV io has expanded its SaaS offering with the launch of directprint.io RED
• io RED is a cloud-native, scalable, print management and monitoring platform, built on a predictable pricing model and available as a white-label product
• company will officially unveil directprint.io RED in the US at the Sharp National Dealer Meeting which takes place April 18 in Las Vegas, NV

Lead for IT Services in Mass (click link)

• Seeking proposals from qualified HPE certified vendor/resellers to upgrade our servers supporting all Town Offices, Police and Fire Departments.

Lead for Disaster Recovery Services (click link)

• Notice of Special Procurement: Disaster Recovery Services /Backup Data Center Project

ConnectWise Mulls Sale To Private Equity: Sources

• Reported on CRN, THE CHANNEL CO.
• “The talk went from ‘ConnectWise is being sold’ to ‘PEs are in their house having meetings day in and day out, and they’re all in there bidding,” one source tells CRN, noting that Bain Capital is currently a strong candidate
• Bain declined to comment when asked by CRN about a potential deal

ConvergeOne Recognized in the Elite 150 Category on CRN's 2023 MSP 500 List

• announced today that CRN^®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named ConvergeOne to its Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Elite 150 category for 2023
• ConvergeOne is the premier IP enabled, solutions led, customer experience company\
• The MSP 500 list is featured online at crn.com/msp500.

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• customer has a staggered refresh cycle, the value of the equipment can be issued in the form of a credit growing over time
• identifying assets that are usually passed over and often have significant value

PC Matic Delivers Invent Certified Application Allowlisting Integration for ConnectWise ...

• announced the delivery of the Invent Certified Application Allowlisting integration for ConnectWise Managed Service Providers (MSPs)
• Following an independent security review, PC Matic is now officially a ConnectWise Invent vendor and directly integrates with ConnectWise Automate

Kyocera Android app with 1M installs can be abused to drop malware

• Reported on bleeping computer.com
• A Kyocera Android printing app is vulnerable to improper intent handling, allowing other malicious applications to abuse the flaw to download and potentially install malware on devices
  • KYOCERA Mobile Print2.0.230119 and earlier (1 million downloads on Google Play)
  • UTAX/TA Mobile Print2.0.230119 and earlier (100k downloads on Google Play)
  • Olivetti Mobile Print2.0.230119 and earlier (10k downloads on Google Play)

Rosetta Technologies for Sale

• Technology Leader in MICR Engineering, Manufacturing & Distribution
• Founded in 1987, Rosetta Technologies Corporation (Rosetta) is a high-tech niche engineering, manufacturing and distribution business that consistently maintains profitability, vanguard technology and recurring growth. Since 2006, Rosetta stands alone as the sole supplier of Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) printing technology to Ricoh’s world-wide sales and distribution network
  • Sold through RICOH's World-Wide Sales Force
  • Predictable High Profits & Low Riskls
  • Asking Price:$7,500,000
  • Cash Flow:$1,313,000
  • Gross Revenue:$8,225,000

Aeries Technology Launches Cyber Security Managed Services Offering

• announced the launch of its cyber security managed services offering, giving companies access to world-class cyber security services and Information Security Management Systems
• new comprehensive offering includes a full array of cyber security initiatives such as governance, risk & compliance frameworks, application security services, data security & privacy services, cloud & infrastructure security and more

Get to Know the Latest MyQ X 10.1

• Video link

Lexmark partners with etherFAX solution

• Lexmark is part of Ninestar of China
• etherFAX services now built-into firmware of every Lexmark MFP
• customers can send documents to millions of etherFAX’s connected endpoints

This Week in Copiers Ten Years Ago

Third Week of April 2013

Real Copier Sales

Forget everything else "ITS ALL ABOUT CASH FLOW IN BUSINESS" if you can't meet payroll next week doesn't matter whats coming next month.

2) I'm not sure you get it. Sell NOW to people not in the market NOW. Not later.
4) Closing is just a natural progression from offering a break even TCO analysis now. Who wouldnt want to spend the same or a little more and get more? No one!
Example: you are paying monthly payments/maintenance/insurance/gas for a Toyota Camry right now yes? What if I could offer you a Mercedes for the same price right now? Would you do it? more here

Check These Great Copier Threads from Ten Years Ago This Week

"Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart."

Zig Ziglar

Think about your clients, as I ask you... are you staying true to your words, your actions, and are you leading with a grateful heart?

Keeping one’s promise brings value and simply makes it possible for you to earn respect in a sales world that sorely lacks it.

The expression “Keeping Promise” means doing an act you have previously said to do.

It’s a commitment you make with another person. In sales terms, it's a commitment you make to your clients and your future clients.

It's about keeping your promise. Think of it as a verbal contract between two people.

Let’s all be honest for a moment; the sales world is incredibly inconsistent.

Throughout the years, how many times have your clients be let down by salespeople who say one thing and then do the other? Let's face it, countless times.

Whether you are an executive leader, sales leader or sales individual, if you make a promise to someone, such as your clients, the consequences of breaking said promise could be devastating.

Let's set aside how this affects your relationship, as breaking a promise will damage your credibility.

“Breach of promise is a base surrender of truth.”

Mahatma Gandhi

So, when you break a simple promise...

• You may miss opportunities to excel
• It could damage your client relationships
• Your clients will refer to you as unreliable
• Your reputation can trigger adverse results

Keep your promises if you want your clients to perceive you as a reliable and trusted sales professional.

In a world full of busted dreams, broken promises and empty suits... Selling from the Heart becomes the difference maker. It's the commitment one makes to emotionally connect to their clients and future clients.

Why is this so important... it's the human thing to do!

Here is one simple question...

Why can you bring your heart to your personal relationships but leave it at the front door of your professional relationships?

EMOTIONAL CONNECTION, THE PROMISE GLUE

"The essential difference between emotion and reason, is that emotion leads to action, while reason leads to conclusions."

Donald Calne

According to a recent Forrester report, emotion is the most important driver behind the client experience.

For a moment, think about how broken promises adversely affects the client experience.

According to the results of Iterable’s Holiday Quick Poll, 83% of those polled indicated that they were more likely to purchase from a brand that they have an emotional connection with.

Let's replace the word "brand" from the statement above and add in "sales professional" - of those polled indicated that they were more likely to purchase from a sales professional that they have an emotional connection with.

No question about it, emotions play a part in sales. There's the emotional side of your clients and the emotional side of salespeople.

I believe when you are emotionally connected to your clients, you will feverishly act upon your word. Why? Well, it's quite simple, you do not want to let them down. You're invested and they are invested.

Let's take a quick break from reading this...

I would like for you to grab a sheet of paper and a pen. Now, I would like for you to think about your client relationships as well as the potential new opportunities you're working on... And I would like for you to write down the following...

When I break a promise, as little as it might be, how does this affect my ability to foster:

• Connection
• Satisfaction
• Differentiation
• Trust

If you want to drive exponential sales growth, then I encourage you to get to the heart of what matters with your clients. And stop breaking your promises!

What concerns me is the vast amounts of mediocrity running rampant throughout the sales world.

Average salespeople are a dime a dozen

Truly original, creative thinking, sincere, heartfelt, genuine and trustworthy professionals are hard to find.

This is why Selling from the Heart has struck a chord inside the sales world. It is about bringing honor, dignity, respect and nobility back to the sales profession.

Heartfelt professionals stand out. They are leaders: they build relationships, they connect, they cast vision, they motivate people to take action, and they ooze integrity.

It's about having the heart to rise up

Authenticity, congruency, and keeping one's word in a world full of sales fakes is sorely lacking.

If you're your authentic self, you have no competition

Are you ready to become the change maker?

What makes these sales professionals different from all the other sales reps?

They keep their promises. They stay true to who they are. They are congruent. They see the big picture. They are heartfelt, genuine and they give a rip!

SELLING FROM THE HEART, PROMISE KEEPERS

A selling from the heart professional is committed. They are all in!

Ecclesiastes 5:5 (ERV) says “It is better to promise nothing than to promise something and not be able to do it.”

Therefore, if you know in your heart that you aren’t going to do something, then don’t say you are.

What characterizes these heartfelt professionals? They are promise keepers.

THEY ARE AUTHENTIC TO THE CORE

Authenticity is one of the biggest challenges for salespeople in a profession riddled with unscrupulous, fake and disingenuous sales reps; that quite frankly many despise. However, authenticity separates sales professionals from sales reps, and this is what your clients crave!

Authenticity is about being congruent. Does your walk match your talk? This directly affects your ability to keep your promise.

It's about moving from being seen as untrustworthy to being seen as authentic, genuine and trustworthy. This all starts with simply keeping your promises.

This requires vulnerability. You must be willing to get vulnerable with yourself. To build relationships and change the way people think, you need to understand who you are and what goods you bring to the table.

If you struggle to connect to the emotional side of who you are, you will struggle to connect to the emotional motivators of your clients.

Authenticity requires self-knowledge and self-awareness. A Selling from the Heart professional accepts their strengths and weaknesses. They are accountable to themselves.

They are deeply connected to their values and desires. They act deliberately in ways consistent with those qualities.

Plain and simple, at the core of a Selling from the Heart professional lies one word... CARE!

Never trade your authentic self for approval and never break a promise

THEY ARE FULLY PRESENT

A Selling from the Heart professional is self-aware and is highly capable of moving from being disconnected to being present in the moment.

A Selling from the Heart professional continually works to hone in their craft. They are not lost in the anxiety about hitting quota or where the next meeting may come from, they are present in the moment.

In client meetings, they connect through intentional and active listening.

How many in sales are present in the moment during their client meetings?

Unfortunately, many in sales are not present. You all may be present in your meetings but how many of you are truly present in your conversations?

I believe this is why many are breaking promises and not acting upon their word, many are simply not present in conversations, nor are they truly listening.

Being present in the moment is all about showing you care!

Give your clients the gift of being present

THEY ARE PROMISE KEEPRS

These professionals are lovingly firm with their words, and they are intentional.

They say what they mean, and they mean what they say. It's that simple.

Matthew 5:37 (ERV) tells us, “Say only ‘yes’ if you mean ‘yes,’ and say only ‘no’ if you mean ‘no.’

If you make a promise, keep your promise!

When you say you’re going to do something simply act on it!

Never make a promise you can’t keep. Keep every promise you make and only make promises you can keep. When you keep your word, you’re a person of integrity.

Integrity is about being faithful to the words you speak and the promises you make to your clients.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Your promise leads to an expectation, and that expectation leads to prediction. And this what is going on inside the minds of your clients.

So before making promises, however minor it may be, consider the long-term impact this will have on your reputation.

As we wrap up our time together, please reflect as I ask you:

• What have you promised to one of your clients lately that you have yet to fulfill?
• What's preventing you from accomplishing the thing you promised?

Remember, following through and keeping your word matters.

Welcome to the Selling from the Heart podcast with we chat with Justin Clark, the Vice President of Business Development at EVI Industries. When you have a genuine care for customers, whether they receive your good intentions or not, the outcome of your relationship does not matter.

Being real flows as well when you are a leader at the helm of a sales team. Justin shares how he took feedback and how this improved his relationships, and how "confident uncertainty" became their rallying cry through COVID. Justin also emphasizes the need for white space to develop genuine interactions with teams.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

How to draw the line with too much authenticity - Justin: "We don't give our pearls to swine, meaning we don't have to tell everyone all of the best things that we have in our life. However, connecting with our team so they recognize what's going on with you as a person in general."

Gain credibility with one-on-ones with your team - Justin: "Don't miss them, don't constantly reschedule them, don't make them they need to be important for the team but you are so busy that you're constantly—they need to be on your calendar and truly important or don't have them because that credibility that you're hoping to gain will go out the window."

Be-Do-Have is the secret to getting what you want - Justin: "In The Strangest Secret, since 1950, pre-podcast, they're talking about Earl Nightingale, we are what we think about. So Be-Do-Have. If you want to be it, start doing it, and before you know it, I promise you, you will have it."

Connect with Justin and get his ebook:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vpofsales...

Website: https://www.justinleadership.com/

Learn more about Darrell and Larry:

Darrell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/

Larry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevi...

Website: https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/

Got a video about how you sell from the heart? Share it by texting VIDEO to 21000.

Selling from the Heart Experience tickets available HERE

https://sellingfromtheheartexperience...

Please visit WHYINSTITUTE.COM

https://whyinstitute.com/

Please go to WORKBETTERNOW.COM

https://www.workbetternow.com/

Click for your Daily Dose of Inspiration

https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/d...

Check out the 2023 Authentic Selling Challenge

https://authenticsellingchallenge.com/

Get your Insiders Group FREE PASS here

https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/f...

This Week in Copiers Five Years Ago

Third Week of April 2018

Real Copier Sales

Hacked!

4/13/2023

Have you been hacked?......Have you been hacked? Find out what to do if you think you're the victim of a cybercrime. Start. Share on. Was this information helpful?

Phone hacking: Five signs to check for Android users -....Hacking of a phone is more commonplace today than it ever was before, and a check online shows that devices powered by the Android operating system are still far more vulnerable than its counterpart, the iOS

Collegedale, Tenn., Has Computer Systems Hacked, Restored - Government Technology.......Data from the city of Collegedale was leaked this week after the city's computer systems were hacked, a spokesperson said. "Safety measures were in place that allowed the city to quickly recover the data and restore all its systems," spokesperson Bridgett Raper said in an email Tuesday. "The city is continuing to work with its IT provider to assure all data has been accurately restored."

Is Your Site Acting Strange? 29 Signs A Website Is Hacked ....Is your website misbehaving or has it been hacked? It can be difficult to determine the difference between the two. Malware infections are designed to remain hidden for as long as possible, leaving website owners confused about the state of their site. Some malware is even configured to only appear to users coming in from Google, making it nearly impossible to detect.

The Hacking of ChatGPT Is Just Getting Started -.....It took Alex Polyakov just a couple of hours to break GPT-4. When OpenAI released the latest version of its text-generating chatbot in March, Polyakov sat down in front of his keyboard and started entering prompts designed to bypass OpenAI’s safety systems

Info of More Than 2,000 Modesto Employees Potentially Hacked - Government Technology.....The personal information of 2,280 current and former Modesto employees may have been accessed in the recent ransomware attack on the Police Department's IT network

Ukrainian hackers say they have compromised Russian spy who hacked Democrats in ... .....A group calling itself Cyber Resistance says it had stolen correspondence from Lt. Col. Sergey Morgachev, who was charged in 2018 with helping organize the hack and leak of emails from the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign

LockBit 3.0 Posts Dubious Claims of Breaching Darktrace Cybersecurity Firm - HackRead....LockBit 3.0, a notorious ransomware gang known for its high-profile and some time making up attacks, has claimed to have successfully hacked, prominent Cambridge, United Kingdom-based Darktrace cybersecurity company

-=Stay Safe=-

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Hacked!

Ukrainian Hackers Compromised Russian Spy Who Hacked Democrats In 2016 ....Morgachev's inbox could potentially hold insight into Russia's hacking operations, including the operation against Clinton and the Democrats.

1M+ WordPress Sites Hacked via Zero-Day Plug-in Bugs - Dark Reading......1M+ WordPress Sites Hacked via Zero-Day Plug-in Bugs. A wide-ranging campaign to inject malicious code into WordPress-run websites has been ...

Collegedale computer systems hacked, data restored - Chattanooga Times Free Press.....Data from the city of Collegedale was leaked this week after the city's computer systems were hacked, a spokesperson said.

Canada Vows More Military Aid for Ukraine as PM's Website Hacked - USNews.com....By Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer. OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada on Tuesday imposed new sanctions over Russia's invasion in Ukraine and pledged fresh ...

Sheriff's Department hacked | Big Bear Grizzly....Sheriff's Department hacked. Staff Reports. Apr 12, 2023 12:00 AM. The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, Public Affairs Division announced ...

Israeli spyware firm QuaDream developed tools for hacking across 10 countries: reports....Citizen Lab said in its report it had been able to identify a handful of civil society victims whose iPhones had been hacked using surveillance ...

Hacked videoconferencing firm 3CX says North Korea behind massive intrusion | NK PRO.....Hacked videoconferencing firm 3CX says North Korea behind massive intrusion. Company cites researchers' 'high confidence' that DPRK target MacOS ...

PasswordManager.com Survey Finds Nearly Half of Workers Have Hacked Former .......PasswordManager.com, a dedicated resource for password security and internet safety, has published a recent survey report that examines the prevalence of former employees accessing and using company passwords after they leave their jobs. The study also shares insight into the top reasons workers ..

-=Stay Safe=-

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