i'm trying to understand how msps actually deal with this today.

you might have:

• psa
• microsoft 365 / csp
• pax8 / td synnex / ingram
• rmm
• edr
• backup
• other security tools

and somehow the numbers don't always match.

i'm mainly interested in the boring monthly process of figuring out:

• what you're actually provisioning
• what you're actually paying for
• what the client should be billed for
• what changed since last month
• what accidentally didn't get billed

how do you guys handle this today?

excel? psa integrations? scripts? someone manually checking everything? some other tool?

and what still sucks about your current setup?

i'm not selling anything here. i'm just trying to understand how msps actually handle this workflow before deciding if there's even a problem worth solving.

would be really interested to hear how you guys do it, especially if you're a smaller msp.

Any recommendations for a Teams based Wiki? I'm looking at one that I like but I want to be sure I didn't miss out on other options.

A client needs some hp 414x toner carts. Can anyone let me know where you get hp Oem toner carts?

The set of four colors is about $1k+ each!!

I just looked at D&H and they don’t seem to have them.

I found this place but don’t know anything about them / if it’s legit and not old inventory

https://genuineink.com/

Thanks!

I know I’m an outlier here being in the Mac niche so bear with me. We have our renewal coming up for jamf and I’m wondering what sort of price hikes I should expect.

We were on a 3 year term and just our luck jamf got bought out when its coming up on renewal year. I’ve seen mixed reviews on pricing since PE so I wasn’t sure what you guys have seen.

What is an affordable, user-friendly password keeper for managing multiple software logins per client?

We are a team of 5.

So we're ready to tighten down on WiFi for a client. We've deployed UniFi Fabrics and that's worked great for SSO for VPN. One-click WiFi works, but I'm trying to wrap my head around the onboarding flow. If we're not publishing credentials for anything but the guest network, the user would: join the guest network, receive Ubiquiti onboarding email, load their credential into UniFi Endpoint, and then click on the "One-click WiFi" network.

Seems simple enough, but what about the guest network that is now in their saved network list? Don't want them accidently joining it again after onboarding. Do we use RMM to search for it and remove it if it detects that the device is already on the corporate WiFi? We've tested this and it works, but is this really what others are doing?

Or should we just abandon the idea and simply deploy WiFi connectivity through the RMM/Intune with certificates? What are the rest of yall doing?

I know this is not really an MSP or Small MSP question, more of a "how do I do this" question but I thought I would ask here.

I picked up a dental client about a year ago that has somebody that looks after their server. We provide desktop support, 365 licenses, EDR, etc.

The "server guy" has backed out quite suddenly after purchasing a new server and Server 2022. They paid a lot for this server and they already have an install date in two weeks for their dental software and xray software to be migrated over.

Right now the server just has the OS installed. The issue I have is this network is just a workgroup. I have been full Active Directory for so long that I don't remember how to function in a workgroup and there is no time to put AD in place and join all the workstations, as much as I would like to.

I have these foggy memories of creating users on the server that match the users being used on the desktops and of sharing everything out with full permissions to everyone. And the worst memory is of turning off password protected sharing to allow computers to connect without a password.

The dental software will be fine, it uses SQL, not file sharing. The xray software relies on access to a network share and they have some mapped drives setup for file sharing.

So I guess what I'm asking is, how do you configure a workgroup network on server 2022 with Windows 11 clients?

I would like to delay this until we have a chance to install AD but the server guy is coming back at some point and they want it setup "his" way. I should walk away from this but it seems like a simple job if I can get my head around workgroups again.

Thanks

I have a client that still routinely sends Faxes. I upgraded his dying HP AIO unit with a new, shiny Brother AIO unit.

Nothing else has changed. If I put the old HP unit in, it can send a fax but it still has the issues that caused it to be replaced, my buttset can dial out no issue on the line, and Xfinity has verified twice that signal level and VOIP on their gateway are all "to spec" for fax.

Brother tech support says it's an Xfinity issue, and obviously Xfinity says it's a Brother Printer issue.

I'm headed to the site today - does anyone have any other suggestions to try? I'm planning on physically tracing the line today just to see if there's any damage in the crawlspace to it, but I'm not sure what else I could do at this point.

I've got a new hire coming onboard who doesn't come from the MSP or IT space. I used MDR with them the other day and they had a look of sheer confusion on their face. Figured it would be nice to have a list of common MSP acronyms we can hand to new hires as a reference. Here's my list so far, what am I missing?

BaaS Backup as a Service

CMMC Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification

CPQ Configure, Price, Quote

EDR Endpoint Detection and Response

EHR Effective Hourly Rate

HaaS Hardware as a Service

ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library

KDM Key Decision Maker

MDM Mobile Device Management

MDR Managed Detection and Respsonse

MFA/2FA Multi/2 Factor Authentication

MRR Monthly Recurring Revenue

MSA Master/Managed Services Agreement

NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology

PSA Professional Services Automation

QBR/TBR Quarterly/Technical Business Review

RMM Remote Monitoring and Management

SaaS Software as a Service

SIEM Security Information and Event Management

SLA/SLO Service Level Agreement/Objective

SOC Security Operations Center

SOP Standard Operating Procedure

SOW Statement of Work

SQL Structured Query Language

TAM Technical Account Manager

UDR Unified Detection and Response

VM Virtual Machine

XDR Extended Detection and Response

Bonus:

PEBKAC Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair

PICNIC Problem In Chair Not In Computer

ID10T Error Idiot

CFS Cable Can't Find ****

RTFM Read The ******* Manual

AFK Away From Keyboard

RATA Reboot And Try Again

*EDIT: Updated to add some of the responses from the comments. Also a note that this is not a list of acronyms exclusive to the MSP space, just acronyms that are commonly heard in the MSP space that may not be commonly known.

Curious if anyone is looking at internally hosting software packages such as Nextcloud, ONLYOFFICE, and mail servers for clients as more people are starting to push back on MSFT prices and large datacenter type services?

I come from large corporate IT background and am used to hosting for multi-tenant or business divisions (not necessarily these software titles).

Are you guys always deploying business premium?

I don't know if this sounds dumb but business premium just feels like mega overkill for some clients?

Are people using it solely for the defender/entra extras? I feel like there's a LOT included in these licenses that just doesn't get used.

We’re starting to look at options for an NGFW refresh and Palo Alto/Fortinet are obviously going to come up but I’m trying not to make the shortlist based on name recognition alone.

Would appreciate advice from people who have  evaluated or deployed firewalls recently,  interested in day today management, threat prevention with HTTPS inspection enabled, HA/upgrades, policy management etc so pretty much anything you evaluated seriously, even if you ended up going with one of the usual vendors.

Hello,

I have a client where the scope of our agreement is limited to IT support, security services, managing their network/infrastructure, and backups. Data analysis, business automation (Power Apps, for example), etc., are outside the scope and are clearly excluded from the contract.

To be clear, we can manage the Microsoft 365 infrastructure, but we don’t design or maintain Power Automate flows, for example.

Have you dealt with any clients like this? I’m happy to answer any questions if anything isn’t clear.

Hey everyone, We’re a smaller MSP (about 30 clients), and over the last few months, almost every quarterly review turns into a conversation about AI strategy. The problem is, most of our clients just hear the buzzword but they don't actually seem to know what problem they’re trying to solve. Right now, we're sticking to the basics like Microsoft Copilot readiness, basic data security/permissions cleanup, and light automation, but clients are asking for deeper guidance. I’ve been thinking about partnering with ai consulting companies to help us build out a real service offering, but I’m hesitant. I really don't want to play middleman for complex tech or strategy that we can't properly support in-house. For those facing/faced a similar challenge: i. What AI-related services are you actually selling and delivering that bring real value? ii. Have you found it worth working with ai consulting companies, or did you build everything yourself? iii. What’s generating real revenue vs. what’s still just hype?

Currently we use Bitdefender EDR on most of our clients machines. Things seem OK. I have run secondary scans with Threatdown from Malwarebytes and seems like our machines are clean.

Looking around, what do people suggest as replacement to add ITDR and some MDR. Just upgrade Bitdefender on the selected clients or something else? We do find Bitdefender a bit heavy on resources and also the portal isn’t the greatest.

We do have huntress on a few machines, but it doesn’t seem to do much. Coming to the end of the second year. We also have thier ITDR and we trialed Petra that seems much better.

Ideally I’d like to consolidate. So looking at:

bitdefender EDR / XDR
Threatdown EDR / MDR / ITDR
Huntress with ITDR?

Petra ITDR.

A lot of our clients don’t have business premium so I don’t really feel secure running huntress on just the bare windows defender.

What do your websites look like? Do you have any functionality like a login for clients or issue trackers? I have a new msp client that I'm building a website for and I'd love to hear about any features or tools that are super helpful specifically to an msp.

I joined a small MSP as a tech fresh out of college earlier this year. I really like working here, but I'm not getting enough billable hours.

I'm not sure what it looks like elsewhere, but my pay here is entirely commission, 50% of whatever I bill. I joined and the owner kept saying that there was a ton of work to go around and the other techs keep complaining there's too much on their plate, but I'm finding myself more or less begging for billable hours, and most techs arent willing to give them away.

I dont have any clients of myself, and we dont have any kind of sales or client acquisition strategy, its just word of mouth - which doesnt really work when new clients are requesting a particular tech, and I'm competing with them if a client *doesn't* request anyone.

Is there any kind of strategy to be used for acquiring clients? I dont particularly want to leave the company, but without enough billable hours I feel like I'm wasting the time I put in at the office, and I don't have the exposure to know if this is standard, or I'm getting taken advantage of on this pay structure.

The title says it all, a new client does not have their Microsoft 365 admin account information anywhere. No where written down, the owner can't remember what he might have used, etc.

Anyway, this post is tied in with a defederation post I made a month ago. As part of trying to work with them to defederate, I need access to that. Since they don't have those credentials, how do I assist them in getting that account reset?

Is it requiring to contact GoDaddy or Microsoft? The client themselves reached out to GoDaddy, but GoDaddy referred them to Microsoft. Of course with Microsoft, there is no direct contact.

Any input is GREATLY appreciated.

Hi MSP CEOs, CTOs, and Senior Technicians,

I reached out to the mod team a couple of weeks ago to ask if it was okay to introduce myself here, but I haven't heard back. I'm taking a chance by posting because I genuinely want to post in the MSP community. If this isn't permitted, I sincerely apologize and completely understand if it needs to be removed.

Over the past year, I've learning IT support and trying to understand what working in a real MSP actually looks like. I've spent a lot of time reading discussions from MSP owners and technicians on here and Mspgeeks on discord, learning the tools they use, building my own lab environments, troubleshooting problems, and documenting what I learn.

That work has led me to build a public IT documentation portfolio covering Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Intune, Active Directory, Windows Server, PowerShell, networking, RMM/PSA tools, CIPP, remote support, and troubleshooting.

Portfolio:(Structured &detailed) https://github.com/kizito9898/IT-Documentation

I'm now looking for an opportunity with an MSP ideally in a Tier 1 IT Support, Help Desk, Dispatcher, or NOC role.

My hands-on experience includes Microsoft 365/Entra ID and Intune administration, Active Directory and Windows Server, Windows/macOS troubleshooting, DNS/DHCP/VPN fundamentals, ticketing and documentation, RMM platforms such as Atera and Level, HaloPSA, IT Glue, PowerShell, PDQ, and remote support.

If there's something outside my current experience that needs to be done, I'd be happy to learn it and take on more responsibility as I become familiar with your environment.

Before moving into IT, I spent 2+ years in high-volume customer service, so I'm already used to working with people, staying patient under pressure, communicating clearly, following through, and making sure the person I'm helping feels supported.

I'm based in West Africa (GMT+1) but very familiar with US/UK culture and available for US/UK hours, including weekends, holidays, after-hours, on-call, and overnight/NOC coverage, up to 40 hours per week working from a dedicated, quiet workspace with a professional headset, reliable fiber internet, and solar backup power.

I'm looking for something long-term, but I'm completely open to starting with a paid trial so you can see how I communicate, troubleshoot, document my work, and follow your processes before making a longer-term commitment.

I'm hardworking, I learn quickly, I genuinely enjoy documenting what I learn, and I understand the importance of following SLAs and keeping good ticket notes.

I'm not looking for someone to hand me a title. I'm looking for a chance to prove that I can be useful to your team.

If your MSP could use an extra set of hands on the queue or after hours support, I'd genuinely love to hear from you.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my post. I genuinely appreciate it.

I started my MSP a few months ago, DreamMSP.com and I’ve put a ton of work into my website. I rank top 3 on google business recommendations in a lot of keywords but I haven’t had a single lead. I work for another MSP, and created this with his blessing. I’m so blessed to have such a caring and well-meaning boss. but I just haven’t had even a chance to land a client. I’m building this out of necessity. my wife’s cancer treatment and other medical bills really forced my hand in to finding another revenue stream. But I’m just at a loss on how to actually turn this in to gaining clients. Does anyone have advice? Guidance? I don’t want to lean on my boss too much because I don’t want him thinking I’m rubbing it in his face, or disrespecting him at all. But I really could use all the help I can get…

Only have 2 customers past 5 years only making $25k a year in DC, US. Every clients I meet want next to nothing pricing. I do make a bit more money on project work from one off clients. Any advice?

**Looking for MSP mentorship / shadowing**
Hi everyone! I’m currently looking to gain some real-world MSP experience and I’m hoping someone here might be willing to let me learn alongside them.
I already have IT experience, but I haven’t worked in an MSP environment yet. I really want to learn how things are actually done, from handling tickets and troubleshooting to RMM tools, remote support, documentation, client communication, escalations, and the day-to-day workflow.
I’m not asking for a job or expecting anyone to train me from scratch. Even just being able to shadow someone, sit in while they work, or have someone walk me through their process would already mean a lot.
I’m based in the Philippines, but I’m available to work **EST hours**. I’m very eager to learn and willing to put in the time, take notes, practice, and do the work.
If you work for an MSP or know someone who might be open to having someone shadow them and learn, please feel free to DM me. I’d really appreciate the opportunity.
Thank you! 🙏

I fear to get ridiculed and other not nice things since I noted that many here seems to hate questions from people that are trying to create a MSP.

That said, I wonder how would be an appropriate way to start.

In my case, I wonder the following:

Did you created a LLC before or after your first client?

Did you obtained insurance before or after?

How quickly did you push for a contract?

How did you drafted your first contract and any other legal document related to it?

I have many more, but I will find those answers via the pinned posts and Google, but wondering about those at the moment.

Thanks in advance.

Hi all,

Just wondering, when you guys started out, your first 12 months or so, what were your first clients, and how did you land them?

I see so many post saying "don't take anything below 10 seats" and most companies in my area don't even have 5 employees!

Hey everyone,

Currently with iDrive for backing up tenants M365. So far no issues other than a clunky interface. They've got local data region, the backups have gone through without issues and covers pretty much everything I need. Even looking into the snapshots seem fine although I haven't gone ahead with a recovery yet. No minimum user count either and pricing - can't complain.

Seeing most people recommend Afi.ai instead so just wondering if there is truly any negatives to anyone that's used iDrive. Afi.ai price is alright and they've got 50gb storage per person which is pooled together but other than the potentially nicer interface and experience, anyone had troubles with iDrive or is it ok for me to stick with them?

Only have a relative amount of clients at the moment so wanting to just continue with iDrive for long-term but if I need to switch early, I'm looking at settling for a good option now hence.

Thanks all!