--- title: "Summit Interview Series: SMB Nation's Harry Brelsford" description: "The host of The Business of Tech podcast, Dave Sobel, interviewed Harry Brelsford, the founder of SMBNation during the Acronis #CyberFit Miami Summit in October 2021 and talked about the opportunities and challenges the emerging legal cannabis sector can offer managed service partners (MSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs)." canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/summit-interview-series-smb-nations-harry-brelsford/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-11 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # Summit Interview Series: SMB Nation's Harry Brelsford The host of The Business of Tech podcast, Dave Sobel, interviewed Harry Brelsford, the founder of SMBNation during the Acronis #CyberFit Miami Summit in October 2021 and talked about the opportunities and challenges the emerging legal cannabis sector can offer managed service partners (MSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs). [Join our events](https://acronis.events/) [![Image 2: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/ "Acronis Editorial Team") [Acronis Editorial Team](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/) 2 min read Last updated 23 February 2022 The host of The Business of Tech podcast, Dave Sobel, [interviewed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiQQBEw-8dA) Harry Brelsford, the founder of SMBNation during the Acronis #CyberFit Miami Summit in October 2021 and talked about the opportunities and challenges the emerging legal cannabis sector can offer managed service partners (MSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs). Brelsford comments that this is a huge industry with ISVs quickly moving into the sector. However, cannabis legalization is a slow rollout from state to state, which provides an immense opportunity for MSPs and other ISVs. When asked about the biggest difference between a general service industry and the cannabis industry, Brelsford comments, “This industry is about compliance and traceability. We mirror the pharmaceutical industry. All the software from seed to sale must integrate with the compliance software to accurately report the sales and taxation data to the state. This keeps industry executives up at night because misreporting can result in a fine and/or the state shutting down the business.” [Video 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiQQBEw-8dA) Sobel and Brelsford also discuss the implications of a “cash” industry, other examples of the industry’s unique workloads and how an MSP or ISV can get started in this industry. Acronis kicked off the Acronis #CyberFit Summit World Tour in Miami, Florida with subsequent hybrid events in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Dubai and Singapore. If you missed the Miami Summit, all keynotes and sessions are now available on-demand - [https://acronis.events/summit2021/miami/](https://acronis.events/summit2021/miami/) [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Data loss prevention](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/data-loss-prevention/) ## Written by ![Image 3: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png) Acronis Editorial Team Acronis is a global cyber protection company that provides natively integrated cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management for managed service providers (MSPs), small and medium businesses (SMBs), and enterprise IT departments. [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/summit-interview-series-compliancy-groups-paul-redding/) [Summit Interview Series: Compliancy Group's Paul Redding](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/summit-interview-series-compliancy-groups-paul-redding/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/summit-interview-series-ascii-groups-jerry-koutavas/) [Summit Interview Series: ASCII Group's Jerry Koutavas](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/summit-interview-series-ascii-groups-jerry-koutavas/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=acronis.com) ## Related stories Want to learn more? Read the latest stories featuring this solution on our blog. [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) ![Image 4: From AI vision to MSP action: The journey continues this October](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/65821c3bd72f935cd680e584fe43de66.png) [From AI vision to MSP action: The journey continues this October](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/from-ai-vision-to-msp-action-the-journey-continues-this-october/) The first event answered why AI matters and the second event demonstrated what's possible. Acronis Accelerate: Time to Act brings those ideas to life through a practical, workflow-driven experience that follows a future day in the life of an MSP. **September 23, 2026**4 min read ![Image 5: Why the best vendor relationships go beyond technology in Australia](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/5e04b89948d9f1fa28095b7ff7206957.png) [Why the best vendor relationships go beyond technology in Australia](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/why-the-best-vendor-relationships-go-beyond-technology-in-australia/) Many MSPs know their clients well but have limited time to build campaigns from a blank page. Effective vendor marketing support removes work while preserving the MSP’s own brand and market position. Sports marketing can add another dimension. Through the Acronis #TeamUp Program and Acronis #SportsIgnite Program, participating MSPs can use opportunities such as premium hospitality, business development events, brand exposure **September 11, 2026**5 min read ![Image 6: IEC 62443: the industrial cybersecurity standard explained](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/b9ffaf41bd2bebd037b7b210e1e1974a.png) [IEC 62443: the industrial cybersecurity standard explained](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/iec-62443-explained/) What is IEC 62443? A practitioner's guide to security levels, zones and conduits, certification types, and how it maps to NIS2 and NIST SP 800-82. **September 09, 2026**13 min read