The Era of the Empath: What MSPs Need to Win in the Age of AI with Amy Babinchak

The Era of the Empath: What MSPs Need to Win in the Age of AI with Amy Babinchak

In this episode, GoTo's Vice President of Global Partner Ecosystems Steve Shattuck sits down with Amy Babinchak, MSP expert and cohost of the SMB Community Podcast, to talk about what it's really going to take for managed service providers to thrive in 2026 and beyond. As AI continues to reshape the IT landscape, Steve and Amy make the case that the biggest differentiator for MSPs isn't their tech stack — it's their people skills. Together, Steve and Amy cover why empathy, active listening, and genuine client relationships are becoming the new competitive edge, how to prepare your staff for the AI shift before it's too late, and why the MSPs who win will be the ones who make their customers feel truly cared for. Connect with GoTo: https://www.linkedin.com/company/GoTo [https://www.linkedin.com/company/GoTo] Learn about GoTo: https://www.goto.com [https://www.goto.com] Follow Amy Babinchak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybabinchak/] Check out the SMB Community Podcast: https://smbcommunitypodcast.com [https://smbcommunitypodcast.com/] Check out the MSP Maturity Hub: https://www.logmein.com/resources/msp-maturity-hub [https://www.logmein.com/resources/msp-maturity-hub]

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery for MSPs and IT Leaders in an Extortion-First Cyberthreats Era, with Acronis

Mike Gutierrez of GoTo speaks with James Abercrombie, Acronis’ Global Community Lead, about business continuity and disaster preparedness, amidst the world’s most alarming cyberthreats facing MSPs and IT teams. Together, they dig into Acronis' latest Cyberthreats Report, which is based on telemetry from over 1M unique endpoints, highlighting ransomware’s move to extortion-first tactics, increased exploitation of legitimate tools for lateral movement, control plane vulnerabilities, and the increased operational integration of AI in cyber attacks. James emphasizes that cyber risk is now defined by more of a trust failure, and the need for business continuity planning to account for data exposure, regulatory impact, and reputational risk, not just system restoration. The conversation covers managed service providers as high-value targets due to RMM access, supply chain attacks, data classification, segmentation, and incident response that includes workflow automation to reduce human error. Connect with GoTo: https://www.linkedin.com/company/GoTo [https://www.linkedin.com/company/GoTo] Learn about GoTo: https://www.goto.com [https://www.goto.com] Follow James Abercrombie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyberbeard [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyberbeard] Connect with Acronis: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acronis [https://www.linkedin.com/company/acronis] Read Acronis' Cyberthreats Report: https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/acronis-cyberthreats-report-h2-2025 [https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/acronis-cyberthreats-report-h2-2025] Learn about the LogMeIn Resolve Data Protection Suite powered by Acronis: https://www.logmein.com/features/resolve/bdr-software [https://www.logmein.com/features/resolve/bdr-software]

The Intersection of Product and CX, in the Age of AI, with Adrian Brady-Cesana from CXChronicles

Max Marchand, Sr. Director of Product Management at GoTo, talks with Adrian Brady-Cesana, founder and Chief Experience Officer at CXChronicles, about how AI is fundamentally changing the way teams build products and deliver customer experiences across The Four CX Pillars. Max and Adrian explore the benefits of AI-driven product development like “vibe coding” to collect customer feedback and accelerate prototyping, the importance of customer personalization, and what it takes to maintain brand trust when AI becomes the first, or a recurring, point of contact with customers. They discuss how AI is blurring traditional job functions and what this means for product, engineering, and UX teams. In this episode, they also highlight GoTo’s 2025 Pulse of Work report. A key finding, 62% of employees said AI is significantly overhyped, but 86% admit they aren't using AI to its full potential. Connect with GoTo: https://www.linkedin.com/company/GoTo [https://www.linkedin.com/company/GoTo] Learn about GoTo: https://www.goto.com [https://www.goto.com] Read GoTo's 2025 Pulse of Work Report: https://www.goto.com/resources/pulse-of-work [https://www.goto.com/resources/pulse-of-work] Follow Adrian Brady-Cesana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianbradycesana [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianbradycesana/] Listen to The CXChronicles Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/46c1YHMsx1oXcqeGXJSjhi?si=81aab483736b4913 [https://open.spotify.com/show/46c1YHMsx1oXcqeGXJSjhi?si=81aab483736b4913] Learn about CXChronicles: https://cxchronicles.com [https://cxchronicles.com/]

Human-Centered AI, a Data Science Perspective with Beth Rudden CEO of Bast AI

Olga Lagunova, GoTo's Chief Product and Technology Officer, discusses human-centered AI with Beth Rudden, the CEO of Bast AI and former IBM Distinguished Engineer and Chief Data Officer. This episode looks at explainable AI with a data science lens, covering real-world applications in high-stakes fields like healthcare and the importance of transparency in AI systems to ensure real-world use by humans. Together, Olga and Beth also discuss common challenges in AI development, the importance of being deliberate with AI deployments, and how to effectively drive AI adoption. Connect with GoTo: https://www.linkedin.com/company/GoTo [https://www.linkedin.com/company/GoTo] Learn about GoTo: https://www.goto.com [https://www.goto.com] Connect with Beth Rudden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brudden [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brudden/] Learn about Bast AI: https://bast.ai [https://bast.ai/]

AI and the Employee Experience with Dan Schawbel, New York Times bestselling author

Meredith Hawkins, GoTo’s Chief People Officer, and Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner of Workplace Intelligence, discuss how AI is fundamentally reshaping talent development and the employee experience. In this episode, they dig into GoTo’s 2025 Pulse of Work report. A key finding, 62% of employees said AI is significantly overhyped, but 86% admit they aren't using AI to its full potential. Together, Meredith and Dan dig into the need for adaptability and soft skills like critical thinking, in an AI-integrated work environment. They also explore the future of work with AI potentially accelerating a shift towards remote work, strategies for upskilling employees, and adapting organizational structures to harness AI’s potential. Connect with GoTo: https://www.linkedin.com/company/GoTo [https://www.linkedin.com/company/GoTo] Learn about GoTo: https://www.goto.com [https://www.goto.com] Follow Dan Schawbel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danschawbel [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danschawbel/] Read GoTo's 2025 Pulse of Work Report: https://www.goto.com/resources/pulse-of-work [https://www.goto.com/resources/pulse-of-work]