Stop Selling AI Tools. Start With an AI Readiness Assessment.
When a client says 'we need AI,' the worst thing you can do is start talking about tools. Here is the assessment framework that separates strategic advisors from vendors.
Author: Brent Lacy
Vendor-Neutral Technology Guidance: Why Your vCIO’s Recommendations May Not Be as Independent as You Think
When your vCIO recommends technology, are they advising you or selling you? The structural conflict most MSPs won't talk about.
The AI Revenue Gap: Why 48% of Your Clients Want AI But Only 13% of MSPs Sell It
The AI Revenue Gap: Why 48% of Your Clients Want AI But Only 13% of MSPs Sell It Kaseya’s 2026 State of the MSP Report carried a number that should keep every owner awake at night. Forty-eight percent of MSPs say AI and automation is the number one client…
The Math That Matters: MRR, Churn Cost, and Client Lifetime Value
Most MSP owners know they should track MRR, churn, and client lifetime value. Few actually run the numbers. And that gap between knowing and doing is quietly killing margins across the channel. According to Kaseya’s 2026 State of the MSP Report, which surveyed more than 1,000 MSPs globally, 71%…
The Owner Bottleneck: Why You Are the Ceiling on Your MSP’s Growth
The Owner Bottleneck Is Capping Your MSP’s Growth. Here’s the Math. You started your MSP to build something that lasts. But right now, you are the single point of failure in your own company. Every client decision, every escalation, every vendor call, every hiring choice runs through you. Revenue…
The vCIO as Business Advisor: Why the Best vCIOs Talk About Revenue Before They Talk About IT
The vCIO as Business Advisor: Why the Best vCIOs Talk About Revenue Before They Talk About IT Most vCIO job descriptions read like a hybrid of IT manager and account executive. They list technical certifications, tool proficiencies, and “growth targets.” That’s the problem. The vCIOs who earn real trust,…
AI Risks Your IT Provider Should Be Managing
Your Employees Are Using AI. Your IT Provider Should Have a Plan for It. Three out of four small and mid-sized businesses are now using artificial intelligence tools in their daily operations. That number would have been unthinkable five years ago. But here is what should concern you: 70…
Developing vCIOs Within Your MSP: From Technician to Strategic Advisor
The Gap Between Your Best Technician and Your Next vCIO Most MSP owners already have the raw material for a strong vCIO practice sitting on their bench. The technician who calmly walks a panicked business owner through a ransomware recovery. The senior engineer who notices a client’s workflow bottleneck…
On-Call Excellence Without Burnout: The MSP Owner’s Framework
Your on-call program is either protecting your team or destroying it. Most MSPs don’t know which. The numbers tell a brutal story. According to the Kaseya 2026 State of the MSP Report, which surveyed over 1,000 MSPs, staffing constraints as a top operational challenge jumped from 9% to 16%…
The Fiduciary Standard: Why vCIOs Should Never Earn Commissions
The Fiduciary Standard and the vCIO Role There is a line that separates a trusted advisor from a salesperson. It is not a marketing distinction. It is a structural one. It comes down to one question: when a vCIO recommends a technology investment, whose interest does that recommendation serve?…