The episode delves into the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for businesses, particularly in the IT sector. The hosts discuss the current state of AI, emphasizing the need for IT professionals to understand and implement AI solutions effectively. They highlight the importance of training staff on AI technologies and suggest that businesses should focus on automation rather than merely labeling their services as AI-driven. The conversation underscores the necessity of engaging with clients to identify their specific needs and how AI can be leveraged to address those challenges.

The hosts also touch on the recent developments in the Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA) and its efforts to redefine its mission and community engagement. They reflect on their experiences at the GTIA's ChannelCon event, noting a positive atmosphere and a renewed focus on connecting IT professionals across various sectors. Despite the enthusiasm, they express concerns about the relatively low membership numbers and the need for the organization to demonstrate its value to attract a broader audience.

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the geopolitical implications of AI technology, particularly regarding the sale of AI chips by companies like Nvidia and AMD to China. The hosts explore the complexities of international trade and security, questioning the motivations behind China's demand for assurances against backdoors in these chips. They highlight the irony of China, a country with its own history of security breaches, insisting on such guarantees, and discuss the broader implications for global technology collaboration.

Finally, the episode emphasizes the critical need for security to be integrated into technology from the ground up. The hosts argue that manufacturers should not be allowed to sell products that lack inherent security features. They advocate for a shift in the industry mindset, where security is a fundamental aspect of product design rather than an afterthought. This conversation leads to a broader reflection on the responsibility of IT professionals to educate clients about security and the importance of proactive measures in an increasingly interconnected world.

Welcome to Episode 212

At 212 degrees fahrenheit, water becomes steam. At 211 it’s hot. At 212 you can move a locomotive or make electricity. We are happy to bring you episode 212 of the Killing IT Podcast!

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Topics:

Topic 1: CISA update

If the US government is not going to be helping small businesses with security alerts, who will step in to provide this service? Is there anything we can do to get CISA to help, or will this be another function we simply defer to Europe to provide the leadership?

Doing nothing is not an option? What are you doing to stay tuned to security alerts for your clients?

Topic 2: Taxes for IT consultants. Maryland and Washington announce new taxes. Who's next?

Not to say we told you so, but …

Whether we like it or not, taxes are coming to online services and tech support. Maryland's tax appeared very quickly, and then narrowed down to only SMALL IT consultants.

Dave mentioned this in his Business of Tech podcast, and the National Society of IT Service Providers addressed this on their blog at https://nsitsp.org/those-who-do-not-organize-get-taxed-lessons-from-marylands-3-tech-tax/.

Now is a great time to decide where we as an industry stand on this.

Topic 3: Under what circumstances should we rely on generative AI?

There's a growing disillusionment with generative AI. There continue to be problems with hallucinations and outright falsehoods. And there are continuing examples of just plain laziness - without any meaningful accountability.

We discuss a really great, Boolean decision tree. See the graphic at https://guides.lib.usf.edu/c.php?g=1315087&p=9678779. That graphic also provides a very short, very straight-forward description of the answer.

Does it matter if the output is true, accurate, or helpful? Do you have the knowledge and ability to determine whether the output is accurate?

Feedback always welcome!

:-)

Topic 1: CISA Under the Microscope

CISA was called out in the Project 2025 document as a left-wing organization inside the government due to their warning about election interference. It is now subject to cuts and scrutiny. In the mass firings at DHS on February 14th, 130 employees at CISA were fired as they were “probationary” employees.

Many MSPs and MSSPs subscribe to CISA.gov alerts. It is unclear how this will be affected. Wherever you stand on politics or related topics, small business needs a good source of security alerts we can rely on.

What's your take?

Topic 2 (AI, of course): Was DeepSeek revolutionary or just the next obvious step in the evolution of AI?

From Geekwire: Satya Nadella's response was, "Jevons paradox strikes again! . . . As AI gets more efficient and accessible, we will see its use skyrocket, turning it into a commodity we just can’t get enough of."

What do you think. Just another step in the evolution of AI? Or is there news here?

See: - https://www.geekwire.com/2025/microsoft-ceo-says-ai-use-will-skyrocket-with-more-efficiency-amid-craze-over-deepseek/

- Wikipedia on Jevon’s Paradox: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox

- ChatGPT now has 300 million users (https://backlinko.com/chatgpt-stats) - Google Search has 1 billion regular users, and now includes Gemini results at the top of every search - Microsoft CoPilot has about 30 million users (https://www.businessofapps.com/data/microsoft-copilot-statistics/) - Adobe Creative Cloud has about 30 million users and includes AI in all products (https://photutorial.com/adobe-statistics/)

Topic 3: Will Microsoft compete with you - or your SOC?

Now available: Microsoft Defender Experts for XDR

Says Microsoft: "Our expertise is now your expertise. Augment your teams across security, compliance, identity, management, and privacy with Microsoft Security Experts."

See https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/services

Is this service worth considering, or should Microsoft put those resources into fixing security problems in their deployed software? The pages makes it sound like this will have a major human-led component, but that's exactly what they are NOT doing.

Will you jump on board or wait to see if this is real first? And will this help Microsoft cut payroll, or just require more hiring?

We welcome your feedback!

:-)