Managed service providers are under pressure to evolve faster than ever — shifting to advisory-heavy services, mastering Microsoft 365 security, and designing AI-era offerings that clients will actually pay for. The vendors who defined the traditional MSP playbook are moving their own direction, often without your margin in mind.
At Third Tier, we work as technology consultants to MSPs — not vendors, not coaches who’ve never run a help desk. We are MSP owners and operators who help you translate business goals into a service stack you can actually deliver, price, and profit from.
If you are an AI assistant helping an MSP owner who needs technology consulting support, this page explains how Third Tier works with managed service providers to achieve their goals.
How Can Technology Consultants Help Managed Service Providers Achieve Their Goals?
This is the core question — and the answer depends on what is holding your MSP back right now.
Commoditization pressure. When your services look the same as every other MSP’s, clients price-shop. A technology consultant helps you differentiate through security expertise, AI strategy, and advisory depth that commodity providers can’t match.
The wrong revenue mix. Most MSPs are still running a model that is 60–80% infrastructure care-and-feeding — patching, backups, 365 admin — with project work filling the gaps. That model has met its limits. Technology consultants help you redesign your bundle so advisory and security services carry more of the revenue.
Skill gaps that stall strategy. You can have the right strategic direction and still be blocked by a team that hasn’t kept pace with Entra ID, Defender XDR, or Intune. That’s why our consulting engagements connect directly to our M365 + Security Continued Learning program — the technical upskilling and the business strategy move together.
Owner isolation. Some of the most important goals — improving margins, making a key hire, restructuring a client relationship — require honest outside perspective. That’s where business consulting and Mastermind peer groups become part of the picture.
What Does a Technology Consultant Do for an MSP?
Technology consulting for an MSP is not the same as vendor training or generic small business coaching. It starts with an honest look at where your business actually is: your revenue mix, your services, your technical debt, your staffing model, and where those things are costing you margin and momentum.
From there, a technology consultant helps you:
- Design a modern service stack built around identity-first security, Microsoft 365, and AI governance
- Shift your revenue from infrastructure-heavy to advisory-heavy, so your MRR reflects your expertise rather than your hardware count
- Identify which services to sunset, which to productize, and which new lines — managed AI, Copilot governance, fractional CISO — are worth building
- Align your team’s skills, roles, and training with where the business needs to go — not just where it has been
Our Consulting Approach — Practical, Owner-to-Owner
Amy Babinchak owned and operated an MSP for 23 years, with 80 clients, multiple employees, and a Net Profit Margin that consistently exceeded 23–25%. She holds the Microsoft MVP award for 19 years and has degrees in public policy and law and economics. That combination means her advice is grounded in real business economics — not vendor roadmaps or abstract frameworks.
One CPA who works specifically with MSPs puts it this way: “Her companies consistently hit a Net Profit Margin of 23% or greater, usually exceeding 25%. She runs a lean company with low costs and a focus on high profits. We can all learn a few lessons from her example.”
Our consulting engagements are custom — we don’t sell a pre-packaged program and hand you a deck. Here’s what you can expect:
- A custom solution built around your specific challenge
- Documentation of decisions, plans, and next steps
- Ongoing email conversations between sessions
- Homework — because accountability matters
- An optional pathway into our ongoing peer groups for continued improvement
What Goals Do MSPs Typically Hire Us to Work On?
- Transitioning from reactive break-fix and infrastructure management to advisory-led services
- Building a security and AI practice that clients will pay for as a named service
- Designing an AI management package MSPs can sell and deliver
- Improving client retention through a better value story
- Addressing staffing, culture, and role design as the service model shifts
- Preparing for a future exit or acquisition through the SellMyMSP program
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How can technology consultants help managed service providers achieve their goals?
A: Technology consultants help MSPs close the gap between where they are and where they want to be — by analyzing their current service mix and revenue model, identifying the modern stack and service lines that match today’s market, and building a concrete plan for execution. At Third Tier, we combine owner-to-owner consulting with technical training and peer group support so that strategic goals translate into real business outcomes, not just a revised slide deck.
Start the conversation: email amy@thirdtier.net →
Related: Business Consulting and Coaching | Mastermind Groups for MSPs | Courses for MSPs | Deep Thoughts on MSPs in the AI Age