By
Mendy Green
December 18, 2022
•
20 min read
Business
A Cloud Perspective
“Should my business be going to Cloud?”
This is one of the most popular questions that comes up in my conversations with clients, and like every other question I get, I like to answer it with “It depends”.
Before we can address this, we need to address the ongoing struggle between IT Professionals and Marketing Professionals. This was cleverly outlined in the classic Project Management meme
We won’t get too far into the specifics of this as Marketing can be a post all by itself, but suffice to say, the…let’s call it exuberance to sell something new, tends to make for overly aggressive messaging targeting the Stakeholders which does not generate tingly-friendly feelings on the people who actually have to implement, support, or answer questions about the technical specifics. This is true no matter if the “Expert” person is at your company or the company the marketing person is sitting at. If you need a further demonstration of what this looks like you can watch the skit on YouTube called “The Expert” which should give you an idea of what frame of mind to approach this question with
Keeping this in mind we need to immediately increase our level of skepticism when we hear about Cloud Computing (or really any new technology).
Let’s switch tracks for a moment. One of the things I always talk about is how there’s at least two sides to everything. Literally you can take a specific item, scenario, concept, etc. examine it and you’ll see two or more sides that reflect or are directly opposite to each other. In business finances for example we have Operating costs and Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). Traditionally Operating costs were made up of things like Rent for the office, Utilities, supplies and things like that. Supplies would include the cost of equipment (such as computers) Utilities would include cost of the internet and so on. COGS would be made up of how much money the business would need to spend, in order to provide the service that they offer. This is essentially two sides to the same thing (money being spent), but you track them separately because they help you break down the cost of running the business vs the cost of providing services.
In other words, Operating Expenses can be broken down to the point where you would assign a Per Dollar amount for each Employee that you have, and COGS would be broken down and assigned a Per Dollar amount for each Customer
Now let’s get back to the point of this. Cloud, like everything else, has 2 or more (way more actually) sides. There’s Infrastructure as a Service offerings, Platform as a Service, Software as a Service, and so on and so forth and all of these items get mixed up and placed into the “Cloud” category. If you dig into what Cloud actually is, you’ll find that it’s just…rented computers. Really. If you’re skeptical, you can read more on this here from one of the bigger software platforms on their reasons why they’re leaving the cloud.
The questions we’d want to answer so that we can determine if you should be moving to the cloud are as follows.
Would you be moving your Operating Expenses to the cloud or your COGS. Specifically, are you providing an online service to your clients that requires you to rapidly scale up if you were to grow, or that allows you to measure out the cost of running in the cloud against the number of users you’re servicing?
Running in almost any cloud has pricing that is broken down to the minute, generally speaking. This is one of the big things marketing likes to tout “Scale up or down as needed, so it’s very cost effective”. Cost effective compared to running them 24/7 sure, but not cost effective compared to buying hardware. Marketing is selling you on the idea that if you needed to turn down services, you can do rapidly and save money with it off, but if you never need to turn down services, and your scaling doesn’t happen rapidly, then you’re actually spending way more over the same period of time of hardware life. Up to 4 or 5 times the amount potentially.
Do you have a need either from a compliance standard or your own security policy for enhanced security, physical auditing, a requirement to be highly available or a guaranteed uptime of 4 or more 9s (99.99%)?
Here is where it starts making sense to consider, although the question of finding a datacenter that will rent you hardware or allow you to place hardware vs running in something like Google Cloud, Azure, or AWS is still debatable. In the end the level of redundancies that exist in the cloud or datacenter are harder to build (read, more costly) than using an infrastructure that is already built and essentially being shared. This isn’t a new phenomenon, if you’ve read my article on the MSP Business Fallacy, or even just paid attention in the world the idea of pooling resources to save on costs is a well-established and very successful pattern. This is something that can range on a spectrum from sharing power costs, to sharing full on hardware and running your services on segregated containerized workloads.
Are you concerned about control of your data. Specifically, does it matter to you if your data is physically on equipment that you solely own and control, or is your business okay with the data being placed onto equipment owned and controlled by a trusted Third Party
Data sovereignty is an important part of the equation, even if you do trust it to a third party, the question of which region and where it is physically located is still an issue. In the end the agreements you sign with vendors and clients state that the data you hold for them is your responsibility to protect and keep safe and you do not have the right to assign that responsibility to anyone else. These are all concerns that should be evaluated and addressed in your assessment of moving to cloud.
In the end there’s no real good right answer, as most of these questions are ones you’ll need to decide for your business. I’ve outlined a table below to help with the decision matrix, but it is still only just a suggestion.
I'm passionate about IT, driven by a dual love for solving complex problems and a commitment to transforming the stereotype of technical support into a positive and enjoyable user experience. For over 13 years, I've been deeply involved in the MSPGeek community, lending my expertise to various Managed Service Providers (MSPs), while also serving as the CTO at IntelliComp Technologies.
My journey in the tech world is fueled by a passion for teaching others. I find great satisfaction in imparting problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and offering practical guidance during the troubleshooting process. It's this enthusiasm for mentorship and improvement that led me to my current venture.
Today, as the founder of Rising Tide, I'm focusing on the MSP industry, dedicating my time to coaching and assisting both individuals and businesses. At Rising Tide, we're not just about providing solutions; we're about nurturing growth, fostering innovation, and building a community where everyone can rise together. Whether it's through hands-on problem solving or strategic planning, my goal is to make the IT experience not just efficient, but also empowering and enjoyable
See some more of our most recent posts...
By the [run]Book: Episode 9
In Episode 9 of By the [run]Book Connor and Robbie finish out v2.2 reflecting on small-but-impactful improvements that simplify daily MSP workflows
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In By the [run]Book Episode 9, Connor and Robbie power through the rest of HaloPSA v2.2 — unpacking dozens of quality-of-life updates, automation improvements, and admin refinements that make daily operations smoother. From new calendar defaults and contract history tabs to long-requested rule enhancements and KB management upgrades, the pair keeps the banter light and the insights practical.
Perfect for MSPs, admins, and implementation teams who want to understand not just what’s new, but why it matters in real-world use.
Watch Now: By the [run]Book: Episode 9
For easier tracking, check out haloreleases.remmy.dev to filter and search HaloPSA updates by ID, version, and keyword.
Added the “Other Uses” tab to email templates | v2.2 #909265 | 2:53
This new Other Uses tab shows every place an email template is used — from rules to mailboxes to notifications.
- Easier to audit dependencies and clean up old templates
- Improves visibility when editing or deleting templates
Added a new Ticket General Setting that adds a system Action to log when qualification matching occurs on a ticket | v2.2 #898706 | 3:42
A new system action logs each time qualification matching runs on a ticket.
- Tracks when and how qualification criteria matched
- Useful for auditing automation behavior
Added approval option to choose CAB based on custom field | v2.2 #896229 | 4:22
CAB selection in approval processes can now reference a custom field.
- Supports text or single-select fields matching the CAB ID or name
- Enables dynamic approver routing based on ticket data
Logged in Users can now save a draft of a Ticket they are logging on the Self Service Portal | v2.2 #884056 | 5:50
Portal users can start a ticket and save progress as a draft.
- Ideal for long or multi-step ticket forms
- Prevents data loss if users need to pause
Quote Revised workflow trigger has been added | v2.2 #883519 | 6:51
A new trigger fires whenever a quote is revised.
- Enables automated notifications or state changes on revision
- Complements existing quote sent and approved triggers
Runbook start authorization type of “Halo API Bearer Token” added | v2.2 #881366 | 8:04
Runbooks can authenticate via Halo API Bearer Token.
- Executes the runbook as the agent calling it instead of a system account
- Adds flexibility for API-driven integrations
Added a new setting to always default the calendar selection to the currently logged in agent | v2.2 #859262 | 9:29
Simplifies calendar management for agents.
- Automatically opens their own calendar first
- Reduces manual selection errors
Added the ability to bulk update the Next Review Date field on Knowledge Base Articles | v2.2 #858884 | 11:12
Administrators can update review dates for multiple KBs at once.
- Great for annual content reviews
- Keeps knowledge bases fresh and compliant
Knowledge Base Article fields are now available as fields to be shown when Approving/Rejecting on an Approval Process | v2.2 #857514 | 11:12
Add KB fields to approval forms for better context when reviewing changes.
- Reviewers see article metadata before sign-off
Added a new column to the MessageContent table to identify Subject, Body, and Footer components of email templates | v2.2 #855304 | 11:58
Improves data visibility for developers working with email template records.
- Makes debugging and reporting easier
You can now add Sales Mailbox emails to CRM notes of Clients, Sites or Users | v2.2 #844239 | 13:45
Sales emails can be attached as CRM notes to keep records complete.
- Centralizes client communications
- Improves visibility for sales and account teams
Added a new method for receiving stock on purchase orders | v2.2 #843072 | 15:10
Introduces SKU validation during stock receipt.
- Reduces manual entry errors
- Found under Items & Stock Control → General Settings
Change History tabs have been added to Contracts and Supplier Contracts | v2.2 #836482 | 17:27
New tabs track every edit made to contracts.
- Adds an audit trail for agreements
- Increases accountability in contract management
Added a call management setting “Continue calls after logging or linking a call to a ticket” | v2.2 #833694 | 19:19
Calls no longer end automatically when linked or logged to a ticket.
- Lets agents keep the call open for follow-up
- Avoids losing context mid-conversation
Charge rate restrictions now apply, based off of the ticket type, when logging quick time | v2.2 #823209 | 22:44
Quick Time entries now respect ticket-type charge rate rules.
- Enforces billing consistency across types
- Useful for projects and service billing
You can now add Attachments to Canned Text | v2.2 #822463 | 24:14
Canned Text can include file attachments.
- Great for sending standard documents or forms
- Reduces manual uploads
Introduced a ticket type level override for the “Show the Quick close option on the new Ticket screen” global setting | v2.2 #816120 | 25:09
Control Quick Close visibility per ticket type.
- Enforce processes where closure must follow workflow
- Keep it available for simple incident types
Added access control to PDF Templates | v2.2 #814057 | 27:08
PDF Templates now respect access controls.
- Limit who can configure or edit templates
- Non-admins can be granted permissions as needed
💬 Off-topic: LOG SITE VISIT THE RENADA WAY | 28:35
The team demonstrates Renada’s custom “Log Site Visit” action as a cleaner alternative to Halo’s arrive/leave process.
- Uses custom fields for distance and travel hours
- Simplifies reporting and expense tracking
Main Contact has been added as an option for Site Column Profiles | v2.2 #812754 | 31:03
Show the Main Contact directly in Site views.
- Helps identify key contacts at a glance
The “Team” field under Ticket information is now a hyperlink | v2.2 #807462 | 32:01
The Team label is clickable and opens the team configuration.
- Quick navigation for admins and team leads
You can now receive stock on all purchase orders linked to a ticket at once | v2.2 #801168 | 32:30
A new system use allows receiving all POs from a ticket in one action.
- Saves time in procurement workflows
Added option to map to the source field when using event management | v2.2 #799024 | 34:28
Event management can map incoming data to the ticket Source field.
- Makes integration data more traceable
“Add Note to Parent” is now available as a separate checkbox option in action configuration | v2.2 #798972 | 36:43
The Add Note to Parent option can now be combined with other system uses.
- Allows dual behavior without duplicate actions
- Fixes previous limitations for linked tickets
Added the option to default custom SQL single selects to the first value | v2.2 #795490 | 37:44
Custom SQL single select fields can now auto-populate with their first value.
- Simplifies form design
- Reduces empty field errors
Added the “User” field to Actions Field List | v2.2 #795488 | 40:41
A new User field is available for actions.
- Lets agents reassign tickets without custom runbooks
- Fills a long-requested gap in action configuration
The total time logged against a Ticket can now be used on the Rules and Approval Rules | v2.2 #789731 | 41:59
Rules can evaluate total time logged to trigger pop-ups or actions.
- Example: warn technicians after X hours worked
- Adds granular control to service processes
Various improvements to the ServiceNow integration | v2.2 #788388 | 45:58
Backend optimizations enhance ServiceNow sync reliability and speed.
You can now use Dynamic Distribution Lists for Nurture Mail Campaigns | v2.2 #776030 | 46:17
Mail campaigns can leverage dynamic distribution lists.
- Automatically add new contacts to email sequences
- Great for onboarding and training emails
Client-side pagination added to large reports to improve rendering performance | v2.2 #772884 | 48:38
Large reports now load page-by-page to avoid browser timeouts.
- Default limit of 1,000 rows per page (can be adjusted)
- Keeps reports responsive and stable
Option to index tickets based on ticket rules and ticket filtering options when indexing existing records | v2.2 #771405 | 51:05
Adds criteria-based indexing controls for AI and search.
- Re-score tickets to match updated filters
Improved holiday allowance tracking | v2.2 #770136 | 51:42
Different holiday types can have their own allowances and carry-over rules.
- Better alignment with HR policies
- Overrides available per agent
The criteria option “Not equal to” has been added for Checkboxes used in Ticket Rules | v2.2 #674405 | 52:46
Rules can now check if a checkbox is not selected.
- Adds negation logic for workflow criteria
Dollar variables ($) can now be used on Recurring Invoices when generating Invoices for the Notes and Reference fields | v2.2 #578765 | 52:57
You can insert dynamic values into recurring invoice notes and references.
- Automates naming with customer or agreement details
- Speeds up recurring billing setup
Added the ability to add Charge Rate restrictions and overrides to Top Level | v2.2 #557573 | 55:08
Charge rate controls can now be applied at the top-level entity.
- Enforces billing consistency for suppliers or clients
Checkbox custom fields can now be used as triggers in lookup profiles | v2.2 #483346 | 55:48
Lookup profiles can now trigger based on checkbox fields.
- Expands conditional form logic capabilities
A setting has been added to Report configuration so that a Mailbox can be specified to be used for sending Scheduled Reports | v2.2 #459155 | 56:15
Choose which mailbox sends automated reports.
- Improves deliverability and branding control
- Configurable under Reporting → General Settings
Filters on dashboards are now multi-selects | v2.2 #432838 | 57:25
Dashboard filters support multiple selections at once.
- Compare multiple teams, agents, or customers
- Huge usability improvement for managers
Book Clubs, Conversations, and Curiosity
Curiosity isn’t taught; it’s practiced. At Rising Tide, we build a culture where curiosity fuels both technical and personal growth. Through team discussions, shared learning, and a book club centered on The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann, we explore how better questions lead to better people, better work, and better service.
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Like many MSPs, Rising Tide invests in our people through access to books, trainings, conferences, and certifications. At its core, this is not education for education’s sake: rather, we believe the best technical work starts with curiosity, and we consistently seek ways to foster curiosity as a skill. You see, we think the best solutions come not just from curiosity about technology, but curiosity about each other, about our clients, and about our community. We want to be known as people who ask better questions, understand others' perspectives with clarity, and are always hungry for more. We believe that personal growth will always drive technical and professional success for our team, and as a result, our clients.
Curiosity is not something you learn from an SOP, a certification, or a conference.
So how does a business foster curiosity? Curiosity is not something you learn from an SOP, a certification, or a conference. It’s something you develop by creating the time and space for yourself and your people to feel safe to speak up, to ideate, to build, and to iterate.
We are doing our best to build a culture of curiosity and progress in as many ways as possible, not just through structured education, but in choosing tools, conversations, and activities where we can intentionally seek to learn from and about each other and the world around us. The last part is very important at a core level: we believe every person brings a different background, toolkit, and perspective that strengthens and deepens our own, even — or especially! — when we disagree.
every person brings a different background, toolkit, and perspective that strengthens and deepens our own, even — or especially! — when we disagree.
As a fully remote team of 6, this can be pretty difficult to do since we can’t go out for lunch or have regular physical touchpoints other brick-and-mortar businesses may enjoy. So, one of the standard ways we cultivate this is through scheduled daily and weekly team conversations where we review customer issues, books or videos, conferences attended, or other interesting things we’ve seen that we want to share.
Most recently, we chose to essentially start a book club where we would read The Go-Giver by Bob Burg, together, and to invite clients and friends to review it with us on a weekly call. It was important to us that as a team expectation, we should make sure no one felt the demand too great on top of weekly work expectations. Thus, we decided on reading one chapter (7-10 pages) a week, to make sure that it felt accessible to everyone. (Reading ahead is absolutely allowed and encouraged, but we will only discuss one chapter a week!)
how do you allow for people to join in the conversation even if they didn’t get a chance to read?
The next question for a book club is: how do you facilitate conversation in a way that allows for people to share what was meaningful to them, or to join in the conversation even if they didn’t get a chance to read? In preparing for our book meetings, I sought out online resources with simple chapter-by-chapter discussion questions. However, as a very easy read, it seemed that most questions online covered concepts that spanned multiple chapters, which encouraged reading ahead and missing perhaps some smaller ideas worth savoring in each chapter.
Honestly, we figure we’re not alone in this desire to have simple questions and to walk carefully through conversations, so we've decided to share our own discussion questions, chapter-by-chapter! These questions are written without consideration for future chapters of the book and are meant to help bring in conversation about the topics and themes specifically covered in the given chapter. These questions are open-ended and if you’re facilitating, we encourage you to take the stance of no-wrong-answers, just as an impartial listener. You never know what perspectives or fresh ideas may come out of conversation.
Check out The Go-Getter Chapter One Discussion Questions here.
We’ll continue to add discussion questions and commentary on the book club as we move forward. Next things I’d like to try is to offer facilitation to a team member who has read ahead, to help them stretch their muscles of asking questions and building conversations. What other ideas should we tie in?
Join the Conversation
Want to hang out in these conversations with the Rising Tide team? We meet Fridays at 9:30 AM ET to talk through important business, technological, and communal developments, and for the next 14ish weeks, The Go-Giver! If you’re an MSP owner, consultant, or service professional who wants to grow your team’s emotional intelligence alongside your technical skill, you’re welcome here.
Reach out to partners@risingtidegroup.net for the Rising Tide Fridays Teams link. Bring your coffee and curiosity: no prep required.
Chapter-by-Chapter Discussion Questions for The Go-Giver by Bob Burg: Chapter One - The Go-Getter
At Rising Tide, we use book clubs not to read—but to listen, question, and practice curiosity. Join us as we unpack Chapter One of The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann, using open-ended prompts to reflect on ambition, connection, and growth. Perfect for service-minded teams who want to slow down and think differently.
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About this Series
If you’ve already read Book Clubs, Conversations, and Curiosity, you know that at Rising Tide, we don’t host book clubs for the sake of reading. We use them as an excuse to talk, to listen, and to practice curiosity together.
The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann is the first book that we've chosen to explore together in this way. Each week, we’re reading one short chapter together and using a few open-ended questions to spark real conversation: no lectures, no wrong answers, just reflection.
Below are our discussion prompts for Chapter One: “The Go-Getter.”
They’re written for teams like ours: busy, service-minded, sometimes too practical for their own good...who want to slow down long enough to notice what these stories have to teach.
How this guide is different from others you'll find online: We keep it chapter-focused. Every set of questions focuses only on the current chapter so there is no foreshadowing, no jumping ahead, no “we’ll get to that in Chapter 7.” The goal is to slow down and savor the smaller ideas that get lost when you rush to the big themes, and we're going to make sure that team members that are "behind" have enough data points to connect the dots and contribute even if they're not caught up to the current reading.
Use them however you like. Whether you’re reading along with us or just looking for a fresh team conversation starter, we hope these questions help you stretch a little, think differently, and see something new in yourself or your work.
Some Tips on how to use this Guide
- Keep it simple. No slides. No structured lessons. Read a question aloud, give a solid 10-second pause, sometimes you have to let the awkwardness of silence drive the conversation.
- Honor the one-chapter rule. No spoilers, no summaries! Stay inside the chapter or assigned reading. If someone raises a later theme, park it in a “Next Chapters” list and keep today focused. Similarly, don’t try to solve the book. Ask what this chapter made people notice or feel—nothing more.
- Actively include people who didn’t read and make space for quieter voices. Use prompts like, “From this idea alone, what stands out?” Curiosity doesn’t require homework. Explicitly ask: “Anyone who hasn’t shared want to weigh in?” Intentionally invite two voices before anyone speaks twice
- Time-box it. 15–30 minutes. One good discussion beats five rushed questions.
- Close with a single takeaway. Each person names one sentence, idea, or action they’re taking into the week. Log it. Revisit next time.
If you tweak or add questions, tell us at partners@risingtidegroup.net. We’ll keep improving this tool for other MSP teams.
Chapter One Discussion Questions and Observations
Chapter One Questions
- How would you describe or define a go-getter?
- Is it a good or bad thing? Why?
- Do you consider yourself a go-getter?
- Do you know people like Joe, Gus, or Melanie? What do you think of them as people or colleagues?
- Why do you think the authors chose the name Pindar for the Chairman?
- What do you think Pindar's conditions are going to be?
Chapter One Observations from the Rising Tide Team
- Being a Go-Getter isn’t a bad thing!
- It’s important to remember that the authors of this book are likely flattening the depth of characters into caricatures to more cleanly get the point of their story across. This is important to remember because rarely in life will the humans you interact with be the fulfillment of the assumptions you make about them.
- Pindar is the name of a Greek poet who wrote odes of Victory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pindar. Does this mean we can expect victory for Joe?
Creatures of a day! What is anyone?
What is anyone not? A dream of a shadow
Is our mortal being. But when there comes to men
A gleam of splendour given of heaven,
Then rests on them a light of glory
And blessed are their days. (Pythian 8)
Join the Conversation
Want to hang out in these conversations with the Rising Tide team? We meet Fridays at 9:30 AM ET to talk through important business, technological, and communal developments, and for the next 14ish weeks, The Go-Giver! If you’re an MSP owner, consultant, or service professional who wants to grow your team’s emotional intelligence alongside your technical skill, you’re welcome here.
Reach out to partners@risingtidegroup.net for the Rising Tide Fridays Teams link. Bring your coffee and curiosity: no prep required.