The Theory of One and Why Tool Sprawl Kills Your Profit - with Jason Whitehurst
Wed Jan 28 2026
Welcome back to the MSP Security Playbook, the show where modern MSPs come to sharpen strategy, streamline operations, and secure sustainable growth. Brought to you by Heimdal Security, helping MSPs win with unified, AI-powered cybersecurity.
In this season-finale episode, host Jacob Hazelbaker is joined by Jason Whitehurst, Founder of FutureSafe, the exclusive MSP provider of Heimdal Security in the United States and an MSSP purpose-built to operate behind the scenes for MSPs.
FutureSafe has earned a reputation as the MSSP for MSPs, delivering complete cybersecurity stacks, SOC oversight, and incident response without competing for the end customer. In this conversation, Jason shares hard-won lessons from years of ransomware response, vendor vetting, and helping MSPs scale security profitably.
At the core of Jason’s philosophy is the “Theory of One”: One platform. One SOC. One provider. One incident response model. One responsible party.
Jason explains why tool sprawl, vendor sprawl, and process sprawl are not just inefficient, they actively slow down incident response, reduce accountability, and destroy margins. He also dives into why MSPs struggle to make cybersecurity profitable on their own, and how partnering with an MSSP can unlock scale without sacrificing control or branding.
Elsewhere, Heimdal Cybersecurity Advisor Adam Pilton delivers a sobering Threat Brief based on the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Global Cybersecurity Outlook. Adam exposes the growing cybersecurity governance gap at the board level, where compliance theatre replaces real accountability.
This episode is a powerful close to Season One, focused on simplification, accountability, partnership, and scaling security the right way.
Chapter Markers:
(02:00) – Threat Briefing: Cybersecurity governance gaps at the board level
(06:00) – How the Heimdal–FutureSafe partnership came to life
(11:00) – Hiring people smarter than you (and why it matters)
(13:30) – Vendor vetting: usability, expertise, and accountability
(17:00) – How MSSPs unlock economies of scale
(20:00) – Common MSP mistakes during incident response
(22:00) – Jason’s 2026 prediction for MSPs
(23:00) – MSP Hot Seat: One move MSPs can make tomorrow to improve security
(25:00) – Jacob’s Play-by-Play: Key takeaways
Useful Links
Connect with Jason Whitehurst on LinkedIn
To learn more about FutureSafe, visit their website
Follow Jacob for more cybersecurity insights on LinkedIn
For more from Adam, connect via LinkedIn
Explore Heimdal’s platform at heimdalsecurity.com
More
Welcome back to the MSP Security Playbook, the show where modern MSPs come to sharpen strategy, streamline operations, and secure sustainable growth. Brought to you by Heimdal Security, helping MSPs win with unified, AI-powered cybersecurity. In this season-finale episode, host Jacob Hazelbaker is joined by Jason Whitehurst, Founder of FutureSafe, the exclusive MSP provider of Heimdal Security in the United States and an MSSP purpose-built to operate behind the scenes for MSPs. FutureSafe has earned a reputation as the MSSP for MSPs, delivering complete cybersecurity stacks, SOC oversight, and incident response without competing for the end customer. In this conversation, Jason shares hard-won lessons from years of ransomware response, vendor vetting, and helping MSPs scale security profitably. At the core of Jason’s philosophy is the “Theory of One”: One platform. One SOC. One provider. One incident response model. One responsible party. Jason explains why tool sprawl, vendor sprawl, and process sprawl are not just inefficient, they actively slow down incident response, reduce accountability, and destroy margins. He also dives into why MSPs struggle to make cybersecurity profitable on their own, and how partnering with an MSSP can unlock scale without sacrificing control or branding. Elsewhere, Heimdal Cybersecurity Advisor Adam Pilton delivers a sobering Threat Brief based on the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Global Cybersecurity Outlook. Adam exposes the growing cybersecurity governance gap at the board level, where compliance theatre replaces real accountability. This episode is a powerful close to Season One, focused on simplification, accountability, partnership, and scaling security the right way. Chapter Markers: (02:00) – Threat Briefing: Cybersecurity governance gaps at the board level (06:00) – How the Heimdal–FutureSafe partnership came to life (11:00) – Hiring people smarter than you (and why it matters) (13:30) – Vendor vetting: usability, expertise, and accountability (17:00) – How MSSPs unlock economies of scale (20:00) – Common MSP mistakes during incident response (22:00) – Jason’s 2026 prediction for MSPs (23:00) – MSP Hot Seat: One move MSPs can make tomorrow to improve security (25:00) – Jacob’s Play-by-Play: Key takeaways Useful Links Connect with Jason Whitehurst on LinkedIn To learn more about FutureSafe, visit their website Follow Jacob for more cybersecurity insights on LinkedIn For more from Adam, connect via LinkedIn Explore Heimdal’s platform at heimdalsecurity.com