Looking back at 2024

Not often one gets a second chance in life. I am beyond grateful for every minute of every day! It's been one year since my open heart six-bypass surgery!? I'm feeling great and ready to take on whatever comes next!?

The best advice I can give anyone is: “Remember 50% of the symptoms of a heart attack is death so if you feel something get checked up!” No health. No life!?

Our latest mission is to help the channel community take a bigger bite out of cybercrime so we can all enjoy life a bit more.

November was our one-year anniversary of the Cybersecurity Defense Ecosystem and the results look promising. It was a big challenge to get this rocket off the ground, but thanks to those who supported it, we got liftoff! Read about our first year review!

We are starting to believe that this community resource can assist MSPs in successfully improving their cybersecurity posture to 99.999%. We are also adding cyber-insurance just in case the 0.001% happens. In 2025, we are entering phase 2, where we will assist MSPs in scaling and streamlining their operations with the right mix of tools and skills. Watch for something coming that we call The “Digital Waterfall”.

This year, I dived deep into AI and I am “starting” to see the direction it’s heading, along with the benefits and challenges that come with it. It’s certainly a new era in our world so forget most of what you know. It’s time to think differently. You now have the power to mold AI into whatever you need to help you. Bad actors will always use anything against us so fight fire with fire. It’s still early days, but watch for a brand new series of AI monthly educational episodes and MSP AI training courses coming to eChannelNEWS in 2025.

We've also focused on the Sustainability message and it looks as it has gained more traction this year! Still not where it should be but the mindset is shifting in the right direction. You can hammer a huge rock 80,220 times without seeing any result until the 80,221 hit, then it cracks wide open! Keep hammering!?

Earlier this year and to my surprise, I found out that I’ve outlasted my main news media competitor in Canada after decades in the field! eChannelNEWS is now the longest-running (and largest) channel news media in Canada! It's a reminder that unless you are constantly innovating and embracing change, you can hit a wall. It’s never what you want! It’s always what the people want and if you can get them what they want before they know it, you win!??

For the first time in a long time, the hardware is NOT the weakest link in software performance. Not too long ago, it was the opposite. Today’s AI-powered PCs are ready for software to accelerate without much limits. You can explore a webinar I did with companies like Dell Technologies on their AI-Enabled PCs to get a sense of what’s to come! AI-Powered hardware may actually be the biggest news story of the year!?

We've wrapped up 4 Cybersecurity Defense Ecosystem Summits in the US, and we're excited to have at least 4 more planned for 2025! Meeting the CDE community provided us with the motivation and insights we needed to make this a success. If cybersecurity is your business, then this is one of your top watering holes! Join before December 31, 2024 for FREE. Come January 1, 2025, there will be a membership fee!

We wrapped up 2 ChannelNEXT events in Canada and have 3 more exciting ones lined up for 2025! We celebrated our 22nd anniversary and we are so happy to see that in-person events are back to full capacity. I believe my team has created a next level experience in channel events and we are pumped to show you live in 2025. Here is a recap of the most recent event. You can also find an extended story on the actual survey results on eChannelNEWS.

Back in February, we had the pleasure of hosting the best in the country at 2023 Canada’s Reseller Choice, 50 Best Managed IT Companies, and Women In Tech Award Gala. We will be doing a bigger encore on February 6 in Toronto. Now the biggest celebration in the Canadian IT Channel where top leaders are recognized for their hard work!?

On December 12, we announced the winners of the 9th 2024 British Reseller Choice and the 50 Best Managed IT Companies Awards! Congratulations to an amazing group of companies!

Throughout 2024, I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing and meeting hundreds of CEOs, CROs, CISOs, MSPs, ISVs, CISOs, Investors, ISVs, AI Experts, Cyber Experts, GSIs, Channel Managers, Channel Chiefs and Women in Tech. So many amazing and smart industry leaders! Check them all on eChannelNEWS and don’t forget to subscribe!?

I did my best to share at least one interesting story each day on LinkedIn. It’s just a fraction of the content we produce but if you like it, please like, comment, share and follow. It’s so easy and free for you to support and spread the news to help your network.?

We started to double down on the journey for MSPs to maximize their valuation to get the most money for their business on exit. Regardless if you plan to sell or not, you may want to follow this journey. If you need help, we can direct you to those who have done it successfully.?

If I can, you too can reduce your work time by at least 15% while generating the same output. If you streamline and automate, you can cut back the boring time-wasting stuff. It’s also a great use of AI to do better with less. Precious time that you can spend anyway you want!?

I'm honoured to continue a role in being useful in the channel by highlighting the stories of the amazing individuals who make it thrive. Over two decades, after a fast-paced decade in IT, I dreamt of producing a news media tech talk show. If you never give up, dreams can come true. I have some exciting plans that I put on hold because of my heart surgery, but I think I could make it happen in 2025 - announcement coming soon.

If 2024 was not such a good year for you, remember that you are not alone. One answer is called a Mastermind Peer-Group. You may discover that there is NOTHING better than collaborating with a small group of your like-minded peers to solve your pain points.

Last but not least, watch for a series of 2024 year in review and 2025 predictions with some of the industry leaders to help you get the right perspectives to do better in 2025! Watch for episodes coming over the next few weeks including Jay McBain , Rob Rae , Mark Scott , Joy Belinda Beland , Theresa Caragol and others.

Let's meet! I look forward to seeing you at any of our 2025 events to network, learn, have fun, eat, drink and build relationships!

Have a great Holiday Season!