01
Joins your leadership rhythm
I sit in your weekly or monthly staff, executive, or board meetings and learn the operational challenges your business is actually facing.
How I work with your MSP
I work alongside your MSP, never instead of it.
This applies whether you are a business that hires me or an MSP that works with me.
No competing services
I don’t sell help desk, security, or managed services, so I am never competing for your MSP’s work.
Loyal to the client
My loyalty is to the client who hires me. That is what makes the accountability real.
A fair chance first
I actively support the success of MSPs that deliver excellent service. When an MSP is struggling, I work toward repairing trust, with clearly documented problems and a healthy runway to fix them.
I speak in plain language with business leaders, give detailed technical direction to the MSP doing the work, and translate everything in between.
Services offered
Two ways to work together.
Do you run a business?
Fractional CIO leadership for companies that rely on an MSP, or want help choosing one, and need a strong IT leader to set and manage the technical direction.
Fractional CIO services
Do you run an MSP?
Senior operating leadership for MSP owners, from scaling the business to closing deals, by a versatile operator, without adding a full-time executive.
MSP leadership services
For businessesFractional CIO services
Run an MSP? Jump to MSP servicesA fractional CIO who works inside your leadership team.
For companies that rely on an MSP and need strong internal IT leadership. Your MSP does the daily technical support work. I give you the executive who sits in your staff meetings, sets the technical direction that enables your company’s goals, and holds that work to a standard.
You may have heard the term vCIO (virtual CIO). Here it means a senior leader who works inside your business week to week, not just at a quarterly business review.
A typical MSP relationship
With a fractional CIO
Responds after you bring a problem or a request.
Learns your business first, from inside your own leadership meetings, then helps identify issues and evaluate the options available in your industry.
Implements what was asked for.
Decides what should be asked for, and why.
Focuses on the specific technology stack it manages.
Fills the executive leadership gap that many MSPs do not provide.
What I do for your business
02
Sets technology direction
I turn those challenges into clear technology priorities, based on what actually works for small and medium businesses, and set direction from inside the company instead of waiting for a problem to arrive.
03
Holds your MSP accountable
Since 2003, I have founded, run, and integrated MSPs, so I know what a good MSP should deliver. I set clear expectations for your MSP and make sure they are met, while building a working relationship based on mutual respect.
04
Leads when something goes wrong
In a true emergency, I manage the incident on your behalf and keep your MSP equipped, accountable, and moving on the technical work.
I don’t work help desk tickets or do daily maintenance, which is your MSP’s specialty. I make sure your MSP stays pointed at what matters most to your company, and I am accountable for the outcomes.
Who this is for
Presidents, CEOs, CFOs, and COOs of companies with roughly 30 to 300 employees that work with an MSP, or are choosing one, and need a strong internal IT leader.
How an engagement starts
- 01
A paid assessment
A clear picture of your technology, the state of your MSP relationship, and any leadership gaps between them.
- 02
Ongoing monthly leadership
I stay in your leadership rhythm and keep direction and accountability moving.
For MSPsLeadership services
Run a business? Jump to fractional CIO servicesExecutive-level help without a full-time salary.
Fractional executive leadership for MSP owners, from an operator who has built, run, sold, and integrated MSPs. Engagements are scoped to where your MSP needs senior leadership most.
Fix operational bottlenecks
Find where tickets, projects, and handoffs stall, and remove the friction.
Systems that run without you
Service and account management that doesn’t route every decision through the owner.
Close more recurring revenue
A repeatable discovery-to-close process, and account managers equipped to grow your monthly recurring revenue (MRR).
Measure what matters
Service metrics, technician scorecards, and dashboards that show how the business is really running.
01
Operations
Diagnose the bottlenecks in service delivery and workflows, then design systems that run without the owner’s constant involvement.
02
Service metrics and PSA workflow
Design the PSA (professional services automation) workflows, measurement system, and dashboards that turn ticket data into clear performance signals for every technician and team.
03
Sales and account management
Lead client need discovery, communication, and closing deals, while coaching account managers to grow recurring revenue and retain clients.
04
Team structure and fit
Interviews and strengths-based assessments that show whether the right people are in the right seats, with clear recommendations for the team’s structure.
05
Executive advisory
A strategic advisor to owners and leadership teams on growth, structure, and the difficult decisions that come with both, including high-stakes moments like an at-risk client or a major deal.
06
M&A integration
Plan and lead integrations, and assess the operations of an acquisition target, drawing on hands-on experience integrating four IT companies, including my own, into one service organization across four time zones.
Have a client who needs more hands-on IT leadership than you want to provide?
Some clients need more executive attention than a quarterly business review can offer. If a client wants more customized strategic IT leadership than your team plans to deliver, send them my way. TrinIT does not compete for managed services, so the managed services relationship stays with you.
Your team also gains a primary point of contact at the client who understands both the daily challenges of running an MSP and the challenges of running a business that relies on one.
About
Aaron Lindsey
Founder, TrinIT Consulting
Connect on LinkedInTrinIT is pronounced Trin-I-T.
Yes, it sounds like “trinity.”
Since starting an IT company in 2003, I have been building, running, and integrating MSPs. I grew my own MSP, sold it to a NASDAQ-listed company, and then led that company’s IT services division through four acquisitions and 500% revenue growth, with a team of up to 25 people across four time zones.
TrinIT Consulting puts that experience to work in two ways. For businesses, I serve as a fractional CIO who sets technology direction and closes the gap between business goals and technical action. For MSP owners, I provide the senior operating leadership that fixes bottlenecks, builds systems that run without the owner, and grows recurring revenue.
I’ve sat in the owner’s chair, and I’ve worked under the desk. I’ve taught cybersecurity to large audiences, and I’ve worked alone all night in a server closet. For businesses and MSPs alike, my leadership comes from what actually worked, and what didn’t.
Questions
Common questions
My MSP already provides “vCIO” services. Why would I need you?
You may not! If your vCIO knows the ins and outs of your daily operations and technical headaches, and is the one bringing you solutions to those problems, you’re in great shape. In other cases, the vCIO title belongs to an account management or sales role whose main job is recommending products from the MSP’s catalog. That role has real value, but it is a different job from leading your technology direction. Which one do you have?
Will you replace my current MSP?
No. You still need your MSP, and my goal is to make that relationship work better for both of you. If you are choosing between competing MSP proposals, I can boil them down to clear pros and cons so you can pick the best fit.
How do you avoid a conflict of interest between businesses and MSPs?
I won’t accept a fractional CIO role at a company whose MSP I also support, unless both parties have full disclosure and agree to it.
Can you support my business or MSP from a distance?
Absolutely. Most day-to-day work happens remotely, and I’m happy to visit your office locations periodically through the year to work with your team in person, especially for annual planning and board meetings.
What’s with the beard?
I’ve admired great beards since my youth, most notably Gandalf’s. I encourage every man to take a season to explore the beard he can grow, free of judgment, as a celebration of life and a discovery of self.
Contact
Let’s talk.
Tell me a little about where things stand today, where you’d like to be, and where you’re stuck. I’ll follow up to schedule a conversation. I can’t wait to learn more!
Charlotte, NC
Serving businesses and MSPs across the United States