IT Nation Connect

As Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Operations Officer (COO) at Nucleus, Karl and Jen oversee the internal technology needs of our organization. One of their key responsibilities is accelerating innovation within our company. Last month, Karl and Jen travelled to IT Nation for one of the industry’s largest conferences which was hosted by ConnectWise, one of our key line-of-business applications, to learn, meet our IT partners, and mingle with peers and industry leaders. We sat down with Karl and Jen to find out more about AI, zero trust, and other related security trends in Managed IT Services.  

AI Boosting Efficiencies for Technology Providers 

AI is prevalent in business these days and it was at the forefront at IT Nation. ConnectWise announced the release of their Sidekick AI product, as well as a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) tool. These tools will help streamline ticket management using hyperautomation (Sidekick will even read the sentiment of an email to raise or lower the severity of the ticket based on that sentiment!). 

Key benefits include: 

• Faster problem resolution 
• Automation of complex tasks 
• Increased efficiency 

“Imagine a world where manual tasks fade, and customer issues are met with seamless responses and without the need to add more resources—this is the power of ConnectWise Sidekick. We are enabling more intelligent and more innovative ways for TSPs to support and drive greater satisfaction to SMBs. ConnectWise Sidekick is the only purpose-built solution that provides value for every persona/role across the TSP.” - Raghu Bongula, Chief Technology Officer, ConnectWise  

As part of our commitment to both client satisfaction and innovation we will continue to review new AI tools and implement those that will increase efficiencies on our IT Help Desk to better serve our clients and improve the daily work of Nucleus employees.  

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)  
 
Security is always the cornerstone of IT conferences and was front and centre at this conference as well. There was a great deal of discussion on locking down remote connectivity and funneling all users through Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). ZTNA is a security framework and architecture designed to enhance network security by assuming that no user or system, even those inside the corporate network, should be automatically trusted. Key standards in a zero-trust network access model are: 

• No implicit trust 
• Least privilege access 
• Continuous authentication 
• Micro-segmentation 
• Application-centric security 
• Encryption  

Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) 
 
As security risks become more complex, businesses of any size and across industries need to have a framework to manage risk and meet compliance regulations. Staying ahead requires oversight and ongoing internal risk assessment. Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) tools and processes were highlighted at the conference reflecting a broader trend among small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to improve their compliance within their respective industries.   
 
Identity Management and Microsoft 365 Monitoring  
 
We are also seeing new capabilities enter the SMB business world that have previously only been available to enterprise businesses at enterprise pricing! Last month, we launched Managed Detection and Response for Microsoft 365 to respond to ongoing business email compromise threats and better secure Microsoft 365 ecosystems. 
 
If your business has any questions about identify management, Microsoft 365 security, GRC, ZTNA, or how we’re embracing innovation at Nucleus, please reach out to us or ask your Client Success Manager for more information.