Most MSPs say they care about security—Richard Avery actually trains his team to think like hackers. In this episode, John Rice sits down with Richard, founder of Titanium Computing, an Austin-based MSP and cybersecurity shop, to unpack how a childhood spent picking locks turned into a career protecting businesses from real-world threats.​

Richard explains why he builds “hackers first, technicians second,” giving every team member paid daily study time, pushing them through deep fundamentals like DNS, and equipping them with hands-on labs that mirror real attack paths. He also shares how Titanium helps growing companies navigate compliance (CMMC, SOC 2, PCI, HIPAA) while actually implementing the infrastructure, pen testing, and remediation work required—not just handing over a report.​

For MSPs and IT firms, Richard’s perspective on AI, security, and redundancy is a wake-up call. From using AI agents to configure firewalls to avoiding single-vendor lock-in and designing environments with “one is none” redundancy, this conversation is packed with practical, immediately usable ideas for leveling up your security offering and scaling a resilient, high-trust MSP.​

Episode Highlights

• [00:45] From locksmith’s son to cybersecurity leader: how physical security and early hacker culture shaped Richard’s approach to IT and MSP work.​

• [04:10] Why Titanium trains “hackers in-house”: paid daily study time, certification incentives, and deep DNS fundamentals that separate real engineers from checkbox techs.​

• [09:30] The AI wave inside MSPs: turning off noisy AI features vs. using AI to safely program routers, firewalls, and configs with human-plus-AI workflows.​

• [14:20] Compliance as Lego: how Titanium tackles CMMC, SOC 2, PCI, and HIPAA by combining cabling, infrastructure, and pen testing under one roof.​

• [19:05] The real growth engine: why many of Titanium’s best clients arrive after an incident or MSP failure—and how they position as a long-term security partner.​

• [24:00] Building a 20–40% growth machine: acquisitions, investment, and why 2026 is set up to be a breakout year for Titanium Computing.​

• [27:15] “Don’t worry, I’ll let myself in”: Richard’s upcoming book, YouTube education, and why marketing, social engineering, and security are all deeply connected.​

• [31:40] “One is none”: why every critical asset—domains, phones, websites, merchant accounts—needs backups, and how that mindset applies to MSP resilience.​

Tags/Keywords

• MSP cybersecurity

• AI in managed services

• Hacker mindset for MSPs

• Compliance for IT providers

• CMMC and SOC 2 for SMBs

• PCI and HIPAA security

• MSP growth strategies

• AI automation for IT teams

• Pen testing for MSP clients

• Redundancy and business continuity

Call to Action (CTA)
👉 To connect with John Rice and AI Savants:
Website: https://www.aisavants.io
Email: john@aisavants.io
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-rice-31329526/

👉 To connect with Richard Avery and Titanium Computing:

Website: https://titaniumcomputing.com/

Email: ravery@titaniumcomputing.com

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-avery-140a3010/