
The Tier 5 approach
Fractional IT / The Escalator
Built for flexibility: retainer, on-demand, or scheduled blocks
Senior-level expertise from day one — no escalation tiers
Emphasis on security, compliance, and strategic outcomes
Custom policies, vCISO support, and cloud-native solutions
Transparent pricing, no long-term lock-in
Proactive, human-led service — not just tickets
Tools and advice tailored to your needs
Sample Case:
Your user is going to be traveling to an unapproved location with company data
Your user calls your local help desk technician
-His name is Steve, you like Steve, you see Steve in the break room and talk about movies
Steve lets his contact at Tier 5 know what is happening, Steve usually calls Jack.
Jack will confirm the activity is approved by you first.
You decide only VM access will be granted.
Jack & Tier 5 create a specialized VM with limited permissions for traveling users.
Steve hands the employee a thin-laptop that can only access the VM.
Your user is happy and goes on their trip.
Post resolution actions:
No company data is at risk of compromise if the device is stolen.
Tier 5 proposes a new modification to your IT Travel policy to streamline this process in the future
Tier 5 creates a new user training module for users going to risky locations.
Traditional MSPs
(Managed Service Provider)
Monthly contracts tied to help desk volume or endpoints
Tiered support — junior techs first, delays for real answers
Focused on uptime and hardware coverage
Rigid packages and service catalogs
Generic templates and vendor lock-in
Often prioritize SLA compliance over actual outcomes
Incentivized to keep you dependent, not independent
Sample Case:
Your user is going to be traveling to an unapproved location with company data
User submits a ticket to the MSP, you do not know who will respond
Tier 1 issues a generic response, they do not have permissions to address the issue
Tier 2 looks at your policy and sees that it is denied, closes user ticket
User contacts you directly, and is frustrated they wont have access on their trip.
You contact the MSP, telling them to allow access.
Since the MSP doesn’t offer managed VMs, the user takes their company laptop with confidential data on it. Your data is at risk of theft.
Post resolution items:
You are on your own to update policy and inform the MSP
The MSP wants to charge extra for contract changes
No user training
Your Cybersecurity insurance costs increase with company data stolen in a far away place
All company laptops need to be encrypted, the MSP charges extra for the service
Users have downtime while the change is made