ConnectWise CEO On AI, ChatGPT And The Race On ‘The Autobahn Of Innovation’
‘Innovation continues to race forward at a breakneck pace, and we all can’t help but think of what the future holds,” says ConnectWise CEO Jason Magee.
With a significant focus on AI, ConnectWise CEO Jason Magee said the vendor is on the “Autobahn of innovation” and is accelerating at a rapid pace to bring the best AI-powered technologies to MSPs.
“Our goal is to make sure our product work, and while we’re not perfect we will continue to be transparent and show our commitment to being the best partner we can,” Magee said at ConnectWise’s IT Nation Connect event in Orlando, Fla. last week. “Innovation continues to race forward at a breakneck pace, and we all can’t help but think of what the future holds.”
At the event, ConnectWise announced its robotic process automation (RPA) technology, which offers hyperautomation to simplify the creation, deployment and management of software robots that mirror human actions when interacting with digital environments. The tool curbs is aimed at curbing costs while also acting as one resolution to talent shortages by enabling teams to automate more of the repetitive, time-consuming processes. RPA is available now on the Asio platform, ConnectWise’s platform-as-a-service solution.
[Related: ConnectWise CEO Jason Magee On AI, M&A, New Vendor Partnerships]
The Tampa, Fla.-based vendor also unveiled ConnectWise Sidekick, an AI companion designed for faster problem resolution, automation of complex tasks and increased efficiency. Sidekick leverages ConnectWise’s generative AI models and large language models to automates tasks such as generating PowerShell scripts, ticket categorization, summarization, providing resolutions and automated responses to end users. It’s available now across ConnectWise’s Business Management and Unified Monitoring & Management solution portfolios.
A visual workflow orchestration feature on the Asio platform was also announced where MSPs can automate across multiple ConnectWise products and third-party solutions. The new drag-and-drop capability seamlessly includes a wider range of processes, enhancing efficiency and simplicity.
To round out the show, ConnectWise RMM evolved to a unified monitoring and management solution that allows cloud and backup monitoring capabilities alongside a new real-time interactive dashboard. Innovations for ConnectWise Business Management included a new product catalog for ConnectWise PSA and ConnectWise CPQ, a quote and proposal tool, which provides quick search and customizable product lists.
With so many innovations and tools, Magee spoke at length about the future of AI and innovation and what it means to MSPs. Here’s more of what Magee had to say.
On The Future Of Technology
“In 2050, the world will look different. The term science fiction will become just science and our conversations today will shape the conversations of tomorrow. We’ll stand in front of mirrors that instantly measure our biometrics, real-time updates will be transmitted and shared to our doctors 24/7. Our food will be 3D printed.
Anyone remember the Jetsons? It’s all coming full circle. Everything will be implanted and we’ll have the ability to dispense medicine through robo release to predict cancer and to understand the health of our heart and our lungs. With this, we’ll be able to extend our life expectancy. Sound too futuristic? Perhaps. But the truth is the future is now and these are no longer visions. Rather, these are innovations inching us closer to our reality, a reality that will be here well before 2030.”
On ChatGPT And Using It For Business
“ChatGPT hit the market in November of 2022. By February of 2023 it hit over 100 million users. Most of us experimented with it. Some of us adopted it. But today all of us have tucked it into our collective vernacular. With open AI dominating our conversations in the airwaves, we went from, What is it? What can I do?’ to ‘How can I leverage this to help me for scalability, automation, efficiency and growth?’ It is such a powerful, modern tool that could make us faster, smarter. It quickly became an arms race to get AI working for you so you can gain a competitive advantage.”
On The Pandemic Changing Technology
“The last few years, if nothing else, has served as a wake-up call to us all with things like the pandemic thrusting us into being fully remote to embracing the cloud at a much quicker pace and the increased presence of threat actors. We all had to adapt to a new way of living and working. These circumstances and the market awakened and accelerated the technology revolution. In the end, it turned into a fertile ground for new innovations and opportunities to collaborate, to scale, to do more with less and it’s helping transform us. The technology revolution prompted us to re-examine its power, its purpose and the ethics of the machine replacing humans movement and it stretches the boundaries of what our future cells will be like and what we will act like.”
On Embracing ‘The Technology Revolution’
“As MSPs, I’m challenging you to reimagine your future. Your business and your customers will be different. This requires something new, a new way of thinking, a new way of operating in the new way of performing work. Some of you have an appetite to sprint to the future. You are the early adopters of the technology revolution. We celebrate your enthusiasm and the tolerance for risk. Many of you may be thinking about the role you play today and how that inevitably will change. It can be scary to imagine, it can be uncomfortable. You may be thinking how do we adopt technology and not sacrifice the human element of our businesses? How do we ensure job stability for employees?”
On ConnectWise Racing On ‘The Autobahn Of Innovation’
“ConnectWise is adapting our innovations to the fast and fluid world. It may feel like we’re on the Autobahn of innovation, and in some respects we are. But here’s what I know about the Autobahn, even though there’s no limit to how fast, everyone eventually regulates. Speed is important, but pacing yourself is paramount. We need you, the MSPs of the future, to embrace the movement and the opportunities that come with it. Everything will be centered around upskilling, embracing education and growing into your capacity and capabilities.”