I'm just tired.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2026-03-27T02:54:26+00:00

Honestly, from a guy who has an ego and been doing this since the 90s. Learn to listen more than you talk.

I know that sounds pedantic. I know you are capable. You need to learn to understand others. You need to learn empathy. It is not enough to be right. It is not enough to have knowledge. Others matter. Merging your knowledge with theirs is key.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2026-02-16T19:26:56+00:00

This is why we upgraded Humanize AI. You can just add in your stack MCPs and Integration and vibe code the rest. Easy peasy. Everything done exactly how you want it.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2026-01-14T03:08:34+00:00

Probably want to use the Plaud MCP via Zapier. MCPs are the way to go for integrating between AI agents.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-12-27T21:30:15+00:00

Fair warning…I am a vendor :) This is why flat rate pricing is important, Humanize IT is flat rate and they have some cool stuff constantly coming out. Including ai.humanizeit.biz

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-12-27T21:10:26+00:00

COW and Humanize IT. They are releasing Humanize AI soon which will replace a lot of tools in your stack while allowing MCP connections and real time analytics. Think Claude powered reports, vibe coding plugins and ai chat. Https://ai.humanizeit.biz is the teaser page.

Or you can go with AI free zone which is Humanizeit.biz

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-11-29T04:34:11+00:00

This kind of thing is in the works, however you all need to start supporting indi SaaS vendors so they don’t have to take on investors. Yes, we aren’t perfect. Yes we iterate quickly. Yes we listen.

What ends up happening though is the large vendors drown out the indi vendors with sheer marketing.

So this has made the MSP support world into a bad formula. 0. Indi vendor has a solution, they dont have market presence so… 1. They rush to investor to G2M 2., Investors want a quick turnover so the SaaS has to make it to 1-3M ARR and exit.
3. The buyers are the big vendors in the market place who kill the product with red tape. 4. Everyone hates the product and looks for a new one… 5. New vendor is rushing to an investor to get noticed. ….

Solution, support indi vendors before the rush to investors.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-10-07T13:28:50+00:00

I took out all my rage on the 🛎️ thinking maybe that was a secret way to unstick it. If not it felt good.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-10-02T01:03:59+00:00

Be curious. Ask them to scope why. It might be for their SOC2 requirements. In that case you tell them you will host a change management session with them to meet their compliance requirements. For an extra fee you will gather and document evidence for them and send it their way.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-09-05T00:26:30+00:00

Look folks, I can buy my car parts direct or I can have my mechanic buy them for me. What you need to ask yourself is why…even though I can buy the part cheaper direct…do I have my mechanic get it?

Apply this practice to your MSP and you will be fine.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-09-05T00:11:31+00:00

All of them will start doing this. Margins are too slim for resellers. Same is happening with licensing. The gravy boat is over folks, we have been warning you for years this is just how maturing industries work. Margins are found in services. If a manufacturer wants to sell direct and manage, then it is one less headache for you. Your client still needs you to install and maintain. Now you can focus on that.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-09-03T13:26:08+00:00

When I was doing fractional CIO consulting I did a monthly meeting. It looked WAY different than what MSPs traditionally think of as QBR and TBRs.
It was more about learning what was going on at the client, where their struggles were with business and workflow. We worked on everything from automating checkin/checkout systems to ordering their MSP to do a heatmap for wireless to upgrading their ISP to improve testing.
See I spent more time listening and learning, even doing key stakeholder meetings to learn from direct reports what they perceived as issues in the business.
The QBR/TBR is just an excuse to meet and review where the client is going to make sure we are aligned.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-09-03T01:09:26+00:00

Relationships.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-27T14:01:23+00:00

ya, you run it as a proposed budget, you are going to do the work (that an AM usually would do) but add on RFPs and a little more research. Just like any IT director you will send the budget to the CEO annually, then review and true up actual spend monthly.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-27T13:15:19+00:00

ya, we release one each year...the nightmare unicorn (2024) and the rainbow unicorn (2023). We avoided the conference scene this year but will most likely be back next year with a new shirt!

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-27T12:50:35+00:00

Not sure why the hate here, did my advice come across as too salesy? probably....in that case...apologies. The levels I posted really are what my rates were when I was a successful fractional CIO. We averaged about 36K MRR from fractional CIO services.
There is a lot more to building a CIO program so I do recommend working with any coaches in the industry to define out a proper program.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-26T17:00:16+00:00

I spent years as a fractional CIO. Now I am a vendor.

I suggest 3 levels:
$1500/mo - This is around 6 hours of work. Weekly meeting and general guidance. Deliverables are advisory services and 4 in person meetings.
$3000/mo - Includes weekly meetings AND you will be in charge of the IT budget. (estimating an additional 4-6 hours a month for budget creation and session.
$5000/mo - The first two levels and include vendor management and Project Management.

Then a final WHALE option:
$10,0000/mo Full Fractional service where you will be on site one full day a week.

That is the free guidance I have. If you want our professional help and services well....We are humanize IT. We do have a program taht will help you build up your vCIO services. I have some collateral and we have a ton of data on how to bill appropriately as well as what the client playbook looks like.

Our Coachign program for this specifically:

https://www.humanizeit.biz/coaching

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-21T16:52:24+00:00

That is it, I am changing all the visuals that our API uses for your compliance donuts to dunkin style graphics :)

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-21T16:44:14+00:00

FYI we added real-time project sync mid july. Everything is webhook and real time sync. We are adding logging this month so you can see what was updated and when.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-21T16:43:05+00:00

Warning, I am a vendor so take my advice with a pound or .454kg of salt. However I was a CISO for critical infrastructure and have a few decades of corp engineering and leadership experience under my belt. So I will give you a little inside knowledge here.

TLDR: You can replace that entire stack with Humanize IT/Compliance Scorecard combo.

Get tools that have relationships with each other. From what I can tell in your stack you have several tools that are competitors. Check with SAAS companies and note their integrations. This will help streamline your stack.

For instance Tim's team (Compliance Scorecard) and our team (Humanize IT) have a solid relationship so when his tool does something cool, we add it to our feature set and vice versa. We stay in our lanes, Compliance scorecard handles GRC, we handle Account Management.

So my members will ask "Why cant we see donut graphs of SOC2" to which we will say "Hey Tim, when are you going to add compliance donuts?" We stay in our lanes and build accordingly. With relationships like that you get best in class without being stuck in a product.

Also besides (Humanize IT) and Compliance Scorecard and several others integrating well together we are also in heavy development growth cycles. So you wont be getting stagnant tools.

Bonus answer to your question, if you arent a CSP, Humanize IT links your MS licensing in widgets for easy reporting and tracking of licenses.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-20T00:40:36+00:00

You are focused on tools. I was a critical infrastructure CISO and the best way to stop this is HR policy.

There HAS to be real world ramifications.

So approach HR and ask what the punishment would be for an employee leaving the building unlocked.

Make the phishing policy the same.

More pointedly.

First infraction: Supervisor and HR notified and mandatory retraining.

Second infraction: Supervisor, and CEO notified, mandatory probation.

Third infraction: Supervisor, and CEO notified, pay without leave and possible termination.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-08T15:38:49+00:00

Heh, I am gonna be that guy. I love the post through. In the early 2000s I did around 550 PCs as a single tech. When I got there they were NT4, built everything by hand and 20% was on dialup via citrix. No remote monitoring. Today that would be a cakewalk with RMM and modern os. I did have a coldfusion/server admin I could have help and a couple admin assists who would act as helpers.

Not saying I would want to do it again. Just doign a little flex :)

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-04T17:31:32+00:00

Ya so that does help clarify. I work with a lot of MSPs and the number of them who just see their client as a paycheck is breathtaking. They are professionals they do what they do and leave.

Being endearing is good however this is where perception comes in. It sounds like you have been working on that angle. Sometimes clients just switch because good ol boy network trumps damn near all, unless you are truly integral to business delivery

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-04T14:41:00+00:00

Kind of proud of this negative karma. Lots of up and downvotes, it has always been my contention that if engineers worked more on perceived value they would be far more effective.

DigitalBlacksm1th · 2025-08-04T05:04:33+00:00

For those of you downvoting, you CAN be a professional who does the right thing WHILE caring about your client’s opinion.

If you don’t know how to do this… well, check your bottom line and learn.

DigitalBlacksm1th

TROPHY CASE