"We need to fire our MSP." How many times do I hear this when I first talk to a new client? Every time. How many times do I end up firing the MSP? Only once in nine years and 20+ clients.
Why is that? It's pretty simple. An MSP (Managed IT Service Provider) is a tool — an important one — but it is not your IT strategy.
Why the MSP gets blamed
It's easy for leadership teams to assume that once they hire an MSP, IT is "handled." It isn't. That assumption leads to poor support experiences, gaps in capability, and increased cybersecurity and regulatory risk. Every time.
MSPs don't always correct this assumption. Many position themselves as able to "handle everything." Some even offer a "virtual CIO." That doesn't work. Leadership knows something is off — but not why. So the MSP gets blamed.
What's actually missing
In reality, no one is owning the full picture:
- No one translating business needs into technology priorities.
- No one creating accountability.
- No one building relationships across the business.
In one case, a client was ready to replace their MSP due to "poor support." The real issue? No prioritization, no ownership, no alignment with the business. I kept the MSP — and fixed everything around it.
When a Fractional CIO makes sense
When a business is small but starting to scale and feeling growing pains, when regulatory and security requirements get more sophisticated, and when business leaders are forced to step into the void of managing technology initiatives they don't fully understand — the business is setting itself up for failure.
Cue the Fractional CIO. Here's how a TPP Global Services engagement typically starts:
- Stabilize core technology services — infrastructure, end-user technology, and support services (all typically delivered by the MSP).
- Identify and close critical cybersecurity gaps and build a roadmap.
- Establish IT governance and decision-making frameworks.
- Build trust and align IT with the business — core applications, AI usage and governance, collaboration.
- Evolve, iterate, scale.
Who does what
A Fractional CIO typically operates at ~25% capacity — focused on direction, not execution. The role isn't to install or configure systems. It's to set strategy, align resources, make decisions, and drive accountability.
The MSP executes. The Fractional CIO owns the outcome. Both are critical, but they are not interchangeable.
If you're frustrated with your MSP, don't start by replacing them. Start by asking: who owns IT strategy?