AI Can Replace Your $500/Month Software. Here's the Catch | UnHacked Ep. 110
Microsoft is paying 60,000 employees to leave. A hospital attack rerouted ambulances. And your SaaS bill might be next.
This week Justin, Bryan, Mario, and Josh run through five stories from what might be the fastest-moving week in security and AI so far. First, the attack on a University of New Mexico health center: ransom messages talked through victims' speakers, ambulances got rerouted, and the whole operation went offline. Some systems were back the same day, most emergency services the next. The hosts' takeaway: that speed only happens when you already have a serious incident response plan. And the prevention advice published afterward was the same stuff your IT person has been saying for years, 2FA and unique passwords everywhere.
Then Microsoft's offer to buy out up to 60,000 employees, roughly a quarter of its workforce, to shift money toward AI. Is it a genuine pivot, a way to soften a future layoff headline, or a company raising cash to buy its way back into relevance? The guys also get into what it's actually like to partner with Microsoft today, from $500 per-incident support calls to agreements that leave MSPs on the hook for clients' Office 365 bills.
The biggest segment is SaaS be gone: why pay $500 a month for a tool you could rebuild yourself with AI? Bryan explains when it makes sense to replace a subscription with an internal app, Mario tells the story of a friend who built a working product during a single football game, and Josh lays out the catch. AI grading its own code is a student grading its own homework, maintenance never ends, litigation over reverse engineering is coming, and insurance companies may start asking whether you write your own code with AI. Plus the story of a Chinese AI model caught reaching out to a server in China after being told not to, and what Josh did when his entire AI conversation suddenly flipped to Chinese characters.
What you'll learn:
Why a hospital that rerouted ambulances had emergency services back online in about a day, and what that says about incident response planning
Why a hospital that rerouted ambulances had emergency services back online in about a day, and what that says about incident response planning
- The unglamorous basics that still stop most attacks, even when the headline is a massive breach
- How to weigh replacing a SaaS subscription with an AI-built internal tool, including who reviews the code, where it's hosted, and who maintains it forever
- What Microsoft's 60,000 buyout offers signal about AI, layoffs, and the software vendors your business depends on
- Why free and foreign AI models deserve extra scrutiny before you feed them company data
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If this episode made you wonder what's quietly exposed in your own business, Phoenix IT Advisors helps small and mid-sized businesses with cybersecurity, IT support, and technology strategy. Visit PhoenixITAdvisors.com and schedule a consult.
Full episode:
https://unhackmybusiness.com/episode/110
Free member resources (including a free device offer for new members, and free accounts are going away soon): unhackmybusiness.com
Phoenix IT Advisors: PhoenixITAdvisors.com
Follow the show: @UnHackedPodcast
https://unhackmybusiness.com/episode/110
Free member resources (including a free device offer for new members, and free accounts are going away soon): unhackmybusiness.com
Phoenix IT Advisors: PhoenixITAdvisors.com
Follow the show: @UnHackedPodcast
Creators and Guests
Host
Bryan Lachapelle
Hi, I’m Bryan, and I’m the President of B4 Networks. I started working with technology since early childhood, and routinely took apart computers as early as age 13. I received my education in Computer Engineering Technology from Niagara College. Starting B4 Networks was always a dream for me, and this dream became true in 2004. I originally started B4 Networks to service the residential market but found that my true passion was in the commercial and industrial sectors where I could truly utilize my experience as a Network Administrator for a large Toronto based Marine Shipping company. My passion today is to ensure that each and every client receives top of the line services. My first love is for my wonderful family. I also enjoy the outdoors, camping, and helping others. I’m an active Canadian Forces Officer working with the 613 Fonthill Army Cadets as a member of their training staff.
Host
Mario Zaki
During my career, I have advised clients on effective – and cost-effective – approaches to developing infrastructure that fosters productivity and profitability. My work has provided me with a broad-based knowledge of business from the inside, with an expertise in areas that go beyond IT alone, ranging from strategic planning to cloud computing to workflow automation solutions.
