Microsoft Mentors

Most Microsoft rollouts don’t fail because the technology is broken. They fail because people never change how they work. In this episode of Microsoft Mentors, Oli Ridley sits down with Mark Reynolds, Founder and CEO of Hable, to unpack the problem Mark spotted while working at Microsoft, and why he left a successful corporate career to solve it. Microsoft customers were migrating to the cloud. The technology was live. The licences were provisioned. But meaningful adoption wasn’t happening. When Mark asked the Partner ecosystem who was responsible for fixing the active-usage problem, the answer was repeatedly: “That’s not our job, mate.” So Mark built a company around making it his job. Eleven years later, Hable has grown into a leading Microsoft Adoption and Change Management partner, helping organisations turn investments in Microsoft 365, Teams and Copilot into measurable business value. This conversation explores Hable’s journey through three major technology eras—cloud, remote collaboration and AI—and the shift every Microsoft Partner and business leader now needs to understand: The technical side of transformation is getting easier. The human side is getting harder. Mark explains why buying Copilot licences is not an AI strategy, why IT cannot own business-wide adoption alone, and why organisations need leadership, digital confidence and department-specific use cases before AI can create value at scale. This is a practical conversation for Microsoft Partner leaders, founders, CIOs and anyone responsible for AI adoption, Copilot rollout or organisational change. 👉 Enjoyed the episode? Like the video, subscribe and share it with someone responsible for turning AI investment into actual business value. 💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode The active-usage problem Mark identified while working at Microsoft Why Microsoft technology deployments weren’t creating genuine transformation What gave Mark the confidence to leave Microsoft and launch Hable How Hable created a category before Adoption and Change Management had a recognised name Why technical implementation alone does not produce business outcomes How COVID accelerated Microsoft Teams adoption almost overnight Why Copilot adoption is fundamentally different from previous Microsoft rollouts Why giving licences to enthusiastic early adopters rarely transforms an organisation How to move AI adoption beyond the first 16% of employees Why finance, sales and operational leaders must shape their own AI use cases How digital confidence affects adoption at boardroom and employee level Why AI implementation may be fast, but meaningful organisational change still takes time What Microsoft Partners need to understand about the growing importance of ACM Mark’s biggest lessons from moving from founder to CEO Why founders should hire people who think differently from them 📬 Enjoyed the Episode? Subscribe to the Microsoft Mentors Newsletter for new episodes, Microsoft Partner insights and leadership lessons from across the ecosystem: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7175453155780915200 🔗 Links & Resources Connect with Mark Reynolds on LinkedIn 👉 [Add Mark’s LinkedIn URL] Explore Hable 👉 https://hable.co.uk/ Connect with Oli Ridley on LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/oli-ridley/ Follow Cloud Decisions 👉 https://www.clouddecisions.co.uk/ 🏢 About Cloud Decisions Cloud Decisions helps Microsoft Partners and Microsoft-aligned businesses build high-performing teams across Cloud, Data, Security and AI. We combine specialist Microsoft ecosystem knowledge with data-led hiring strategies, helping Partners increase hiring velocity, protect delivery capability and scale sustainably as technology and skills requirements evolve.

A conversation on acquiring Microsoft capability, integrating culture, protecting people, and turning M&A into a real strategic advantage.

Buying Microsoft capability is the easy headline.
Building a business around it properly is the harder bit.
That’s what makes this conversation with David Keeling so useful.
This isn’t just a story about an acquisition.
It’s a story about why businesses make them in the first place.

David talks openly about the gap between wanting Microsoft capability and actually building it. Because in his words, you can’t just flick a switch, hire a few people, and suddenly become a serious Microsoft partner. The ecosystem is too complex, the skills are too specialist, and the credibility takes years to build.

Because this isn’t just about buying revenue.
It’s about buying capability.
Buying trust.
Buying a team that already knows how to navigate Microsoft properly.

David reflects on why Centrality was attractive as an acquisition, how Intercity approached the process with a clear cultural fit in mind, and why so much of the due diligence came back to one question: how do you make sure the capability you’re buying actually stays intact?

There’s a lot in this one for founders, Microsoft partners, MSP leaders, and anyone thinking seriously about growth through acquisition.

Because the truth is, becoming Microsoft-first isn’t just a positioning line.

It has to show up in the people.
The process.
The capability.
And the way the business actually operates after the deal is done.

If you enjoy this episode, don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Why Intercity chose acquisition rather than trying to build Microsoft capability from scratch

Why becoming a credible Microsoft partner takes years, not months

What made Centrality such a strategic fit for Intercity

Why cultural alignment and people retention mattered so much in the acquisition process

How David approached scaling Centrality with stronger structure, process, and capability

Why Microsoft security has become a much stronger proposition for customers and partners

How Intercity is helping customers unlock value from Microsoft licensing they already pay for

Why proprietary IP and customer-facing tooling can help Microsoft partners stand out

How David thinks about AI adoption, customer maturity, and practical use cases

Why leadership, health, and bringing people with you matter just as much as strategy

Memorable Quotes

“we are now Microsoft First MSP that is absolutely at our core”

“it’s not something that you can flick a switch and overnight… say we’re Microsoft capability”

“that journey to be known as they’re a great Microsoft partner can take… years”

“you’ve got great people how do we make sure that during this process that capability isn’t lost”

“the asset is the people”

“you’re like a Ferrari with no brakes”

Enjoyed the Episode?

Subscribe to the Microsoft Mentors Newsletter for insight-led conversations on cloud, cyber security, leadership, partnerships, and scale across the Microsoft ecosystem.

Links & Resources

Connect with David Keeling on LinkedIn
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-keeling-bb84a84/

Explore Intercity
👉 https://intercity.technology/

Connect with Oli Ridley on LinkedIn
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/oli-ridley/

Follow Cloud Decisions on LinkedIn
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/company/clouddecisions

About Cloud Decisions

Cloud Decisions is a trusted Microsoft Talent Partner, we combine deep ecosystem knowledge with data-led hiring strategies to help organisations scale securely and sustainably in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.

Most businesses don’t fail because they start badly. They fail because they stop adapting. That’s what makes this conversation with Mark Taylor, Founder and CTO of Chorus, such a useful one. Mark didn’t build Chorus in a hot market with perfect timing, big funding, or some polished founder playbook. He built it the old-fashioned way. From scratch. From his parents’ bedroom. By spotting a real Microsoft opportunity early. And then by staying in the game long enough to evolve with the market over and over again. In this episode of Microsoft Mentors, we get into how Chorus grew from a Small Business Server opportunity in 1999 into a much broader Microsoft business spanning managed services, Dynamics, and cybersecurity. But more importantly, we get into the decisions underneath that growth. Because this isn’t just a story about staying around for 27 years. It’s a story about changing before the market forces you to. Mark talks about what it looked like to start as a technical founder wearing every hat, why Microsoft became a day-one strategic commitment, how a small early acquisition unexpectedly helped Chorus move into Dynamics, and why cyber has now become such a major growth engine for the business. He also reflects on one of the harder founder decisions: knowing when the company needs something different from you as a leader. There’s a lot in this one for founders, Microsoft partners, MSP leaders, and anyone trying to build a business with staying power. Because the truth is, long-term growth usually doesn’t come from doing one thing well forever. It comes from knowing what to keep. What to change. And when to let the business evolve into something bigger than its starting point. If you enjoy this episode, don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why Microsoft Small Business Server gave Chorus such a clear starting point in the early days What it actually looks like when a technical founder has to learn sales, finance, operations, and leadership on the job How an early acquisition helped Chorus gain traction in Microsoft Dynamics Why staying tightly aligned to Microsoft created long-term leverage for the business How Chorus evolved from traditional managed services into a multi-pillar Microsoft business Why cybersecurity has become such a major strategic growth area How Chorus turned part of its cyber capability into a channel-led SOC-as-a-service model What changed in customer expectations as the market moved from server uptime to user experience and service speed Why stepping out of the CEO role was one of the right moves for the business What long-term adaptation really looks like when you’re trying to build a company that lasts Memorable Quotes “we had the very specific goal early on that... small businesses, they're going to want this small business server thing.” “you suddenly go, yeah, no, I can do this better. I can do this.” “if we stick to this, let's stick to this and be good at this.” “we now deliver SOC as a service to other MSPs.” “our CEO these days is just perfect for that role.” Enjoyed the Episode? Subscribe to the Microsoft Mentors Newsletter for insight-led conversations on cloud, cyber security, leadership, partnerships, and scale across the Microsoft ecosystem. Links & Resources Connect with Mark Taylor on LinkedIn 👉https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-taylor-1041864/Explore Chorus 👉 https://www.chorus.co.uk/Connect with Oli Ridley on LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/oli-ridley/ Follow Cloud Decisions on LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/company/clouddecisions About Cloud Decisions Cloud Decisions helps Microsoft Partners and Microsoft-aligned businesses build high-performing teams across Cloud, Data, Security, and AI.

What does it take to build a Microsoft business that lasts nearly 27 years?
In this episode of Microsoft Mentors, we sit down with Mark Taylor, Founder and CTO of Chorus, to explore how the business grew from a bedroom startup in 1999 into a multi-pillar Microsoft business spanning managed services, Dynamics, and cybersecurity.
In this trailer, Mark shares part of that journey, from spotting the early Small Business Server opportunity, to backing Microsoft from day one, to evolving Chorus as the market changed.
This is a conversation about more than longevity.
It’s about:
starting with a clear opportunity
adapting as customer expectations shift
building around Microsoft with intent
and knowing when the business needs to evolve
🎙️ Full episode available tomorrow on Microsoft Mentors.

How has Microsoft security evolved from the world of Active Directory and infrastructure into one defined by AI, data security, and non-human identities?

In this episode of Microsoft Mentors, Oli sits down with Luke Elston, Microsoft Practice Director at CyberONE, to explore both his personal journey and the wider evolution of Microsoft security over the last decade. From starting out in engineering roles at Microsoft during the early Azure years, to building deep expertise across identity, Defender, and Purview, to now shaping the roadmap for a specialist Microsoft-first MSSP, Luke shares a practical view of how the security conversation has changed — and where it is heading next.

This is a conversation about much more than certifications or tooling. Luke reflects on how identity has come full circle as a security priority, why Microsoft’s investment in security has changed the market, and what it takes to turn technical depth into commercial leadership. He also explains why CyberONE doubled down on Microsoft, how that specialisation has strengthened its relationship with Microsoft, and why leaders who want to grow their careers need to stop waiting for opportunities to happen by accident.

Along the way, the conversation explores Sentinel, Defender, Purview, MISA, MXDR, shadow AI, data governance, AI-powered attacks, voice cloning, non-human identities, and the growing importance of securing agents as organisations adopt Copilot and broader AI systems. For Microsoft partners, cyber leaders, technical specialists, and anyone trying to understand the new shape of Microsoft security, this episode offers a grounded look at what good security really looks like now.

If you enjoy this episode, don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How Luke’s career started in Microsoft engineering roles and why Active Directory gave him such a strong security foundation
• Why identity has come back to the centre of the security conversation in the age of AI and non-human identities
• How Microsoft’s security stack evolved from early Azure and Defender investment into the broader ecosystem we now see across Sentinel, Purview, and AI security
• What changed in Luke’s career when he moved from engineering into architecture, go-to-market, and commercial leadership
• Why CyberONE chose to specialise so deeply in Microsoft security and how that has accelerated its growth
• What MISA, MXDR verified status, and Microsoft’s security ecosystem actually mean for partners and customers
• Why any serious AI adoption needs to start with a data security mindset
• How organisations should think about agent sprawl, shadow AI, and the risks of unmanaged non-human identities
• Why data security remains one of the most overlooked parts of many organisations’ security posture
• Why Luke believes a SOC should be one of the first investments a business makes, not one of the last
• How CyberONE is using AI internally to strengthen human-led security operations rather than replace them

💬 Memorable Quotes

“identity is that is a key part of security.”

“any adoption of AI generally needs to come with a data security mindset.”

“organizations who were early adopters of the various copilot products likely have agents floating around that don't have an identity associated.”

“assume breach or assume compromise.”

“get a SOC. Just get a SOC. Don't make that the last thing you invest in.”

📬 Enjoyed the Episode?

Subscribe to the Microsoft Mentors Newsletter for insight-led conversations on cyber security, AI, leadership, partnerships, and scale across the Microsoft ecosystem.

🔗 Links & Resources

Connect with Luke Elston on LinkedIn
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/luelston/

Connect with Oli Ridley on LinkedIn
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/oli-ridley/

Follow Cloud Decisions on LinkedIn
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/company/clouddecisions