Driving MSP Growth With a Racer’s Mindset 

What can you learn about driving continuous improvement as a Managed Service Provider (MSP) from an up-and-coming professional racer? You’d be surprised.

Sixteen-year-old Jack Murchison, seen above, is one of the rising stars of the Spec MX-5 road racing class in which the next generation of Mazda MX-5 drivers vie for track superiority based on their skills as a driver (everyone drives the same vehicle with the same specifications).

We sat down with Jack to speak with him about what it takes to win on the racetrack. We learned that many of the skills developed in racing are transferable to the business world, particularly in MSP businesses. Among them, the need for sharp mental focus, adaptability, teamwork, and risk management are essential qualities for success.

Jack’s journey into the world of racing began with go-karts at the age of fourteen. Jack was inspired to race by his father, who took up race car driving to satisfy a craving for competition after an athletic career as a Division 1 college tennis player. The elder Murchison subsequently became a computer network operations expert with the National Security Agency (NSA) and later founded Blackpoint Cyber.

At the heart of Jack’s passion for racing – and his ability to compete and win – is the need for speed. “Everybody loves going fast,” Jack says. “The adrenaline is unbeatable.”

But speed alone doesn’t translate to success; being proactive and continually preparing is essential to confidently driving progress. Jack shares, “Winning takes being in the simulator every single day. You need to put in the time to separate yourself from others. I know that I’m fast from the simulator, and I rely on that on the track. That’s how I don’t doubt myself at all.”

Facing challenges, both on and off the track, is inevitable in racing. Whether it’s securing sponsorships or overcoming setbacks, resilience is essential. The key is to focus on the present moment and learn from past experiences without dwelling on them. Maintaining a resilient mindset and unwavering determination will propel individuals to excel in even the most competitive environments.

“I once blew three engines over the course of back-to-back weekends!” Jack recalls. “Anything can go wrong out there. In high-pressure scenarios, you’ve got to forget about the past. If you have a second thought, it can put you in a wall or lead to something way worse. Dwelling will ruin you.”

These same principles apply to running a successful MSP business. When thinking about how you go to market, service your customers, and secure your attack surface, you need to be fast, responsive, and resilient. Being meticulous and proactive in your business and cybersecurity posture will give you the ability to steer into the skid when the unexpected arises and keep you moving forward.

Technology has revolutionized every industry including managed IT services, and the racing industry has been similarly transformed. From engine data analysis to simulator training, leveraging technology provides insights into performance and gives drivers a competitive edge while maintaining integrity in the sport.

“We do a tremendous amount of data review,” Jack says. “We have sensors in the car that measure corner speed, breaking, throttle, and so much more. We can tell when someone is nervous just by how they pull the throttle. We make sure we know everything that’s going on so that we can get to a faster lap.”

At the same time, technology is used to keep an even playing field. “When my dad used to race, they’d have to submit logs of engine data to make sure people didn’t cheat,” Jack states. “Today, after every session, we download engine data and send it to the judges. It’s insanely close racing. Every second counts, and we want to make sure no one has an unfair advantage.”

At a time when competition is greater than ever among MSPs, and resources and productivity are strained to unprecedented levels, the effective use of technologies that drive efficiency are even more mission critical. MSPs can benefit from leveraging technology – and partnering with organizations that invest in optimization and integration of tools such as AI – to relieve the burden of managing their infrastructure and cybersecurity.

In racing, pushing boundaries is part of the game, but it must be done with caution. Finding the limit in the simulator during practice allows Jack to push safely during races while minimizing the risk of accidents.

“Dangerous driving is part of racing,” Jack asserts. “That’s what separates the greats from the others. You’ll always be taking a risk. You have to know where the edge is.”

Jack believes the difference-maker in helping him ride the lightning is the team at his side. Behind every successful racer is a dedicated team of engineers, mechanics, and support staff. Collaborating effectively with his team at TKG Motorsports has been instrumental in Jack achieving optimal performance.

“They support me with everything. I have people to coach me on the mental and mechanic aspects in every session. I have experts that look over engine data to understand performance. There are haulers that take my car everywhere. They make it so I just need to show up and perform. Having a great team gives you so much more confidence.”

The same is true as an MSP; the right partners at your side will lift the burden from you so that you can focus on your core tasks and push your own limits. Look for organizations you can rely on to take on responsibility, alleviate distractions, and let you put the pedal down on running your business.

With Blackpoint Cyber, advanced technology, human-powered SOC services and a proactive approach to cybersecurity result in the industry’s fastest cybersecurity response and highest efficacy. By far.

The Blackpoint SOC team uniquely monitors behavior to see attacks as they’re happening, instead of threat hunting based on events that have already happened – and they take action to eliminate threats on the spot. Blackpoint is the prepared, tech-powered team you want at your side to drive into first place in cybersecurity.

So if you’re looking to bury the needle on growth and advantage for your MSP business, see true response and remediation speed for yourself with a free demo. Schedule your meeting today.