Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Businesses Still Need an IT Provider with AI. Just Not the Old One.
Description
๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ฒ. ๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ. ๐ค
For most small businesses, that person is their IT provider, and that whole industry is going through its biggest shift in decades.
This week on the ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ, Kree and Varun sit down in studio with ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ, CEO of The ASCII Group, the original vendor neutral community for IT providers across North America, founded in 1984. Jerry has spent nearly thirty years in this channel.
The numbers that frame it: ๐
๐ The managed services market is forecast to grow just ๐๐% this year, with real margin pressure as basic IT gets commoditized
๐ Yet specialist providers who advise, rather than resell boxes, report about ๐๐% higher margins and charge more, not less
๐ Roughly ๐๐% of AI pilots deliver no measurable return, and two thirds of companies get stuck in experiments that never scale
๐ ASCII has powered over ๐๐๐,๐๐๐ exchanges, providers helping providers
Jerry's throughline: the technology keeps getting cheaper and easier. What stays scarce is trusted advice from someone who understands your business. If your provider only ever talks hardware, licences and problems, that's the commodity relationship AI keeps making cheaper. The one worth paying for asks how your business is trying to grow.
What this means for you: when your provider brings you AI, ask one question. What number in my business is this going to change, and how will we know? Answer that clearly and they're an advisor. Only features, that's a sale. ๐๏ธ
Stream on:
โถ๏ธ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SMBAIHUB
โถ๏ธ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/b93fd52f-bc53-4ee9-98d7-3b9e10ea0e6f/ai-breakdown
โถ๏ธ Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/ai-breakdown/id6799578599
โถ๏ธ Web: smbaimagazine.com
โถ๏ธ Web: smbaipodcast.com
Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as direct financial or business advice. Always consult with a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation. This is an Independent commentary. Third-party excerpts are credited on screen or in the show notes. Some voices in this program are AI-generated.