The Tier 5 approach

Fractional IT / The Escalator

  1. Built for flexibility: retainer, on-demand, or scheduled blocks

  2. Senior-level expertise from day one — no escalation tiers

  3. Emphasis on security, compliance, and strategic outcomes

  4. Custom policies, vCISO support, and cloud-native solutions

  5. Transparent pricing, no long-term lock-in

  6. Proactive, human-led service — not just tickets

  7. Tools and advice tailored to your needs

Sample Case:

Your user is going to be traveling to an unapproved location with company data

  1. 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

  2. Steve lets his contact at Tier 5 know what is happening, Steve usually calls Jack.

  3. Jack will confirm the activity is approved by you first.

  4. You decide only VM access will be granted.

  5. Jack & Tier 5 create a specialized VM with limited permissions for traveling users.

  6. Steve hands the employee a thin-laptop that can only access the VM.

  7. 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)

  1. Monthly contracts tied to help desk volume or endpoints

  2. Tiered support — junior techs first, delays for real answers

  3. Focused on uptime and hardware coverage

  4. Rigid packages and service catalogs

  5. Generic templates and vendor lock-in

  6. Often prioritize SLA compliance over actual outcomes

  7. Incentivized to keep you dependent, not independent

Sample Case:

Your user is going to be traveling to an unapproved location with company data

  1. User submits a ticket to the MSP, you do not know who will respond

  2. Tier 1 issues a generic response, they do not have permissions to address the issue

  3. Tier 2 looks at your policy and sees that it is denied, closes user ticket

  4. User contacts you directly, and is frustrated they wont have access on their trip.

  5. You contact the MSP, telling them to allow access.

  6. 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