Are your managed IT services delivering what you expect?
You're spending a significant portion of your IT budget on managed IT services. But when was the last time someone independently verified your MSP is delivering what's in your contract—and that your environment is actually secure?
Most MSP relationships rely on self-reporting, with no independent validation of service delivery or security controls.
The Problem
You're investing significantly in managed IT services. But many business leaders don't have independent visibility into whether their MSP is delivering the services, security, and outcomes they expect.
After 15+ years running an MSP and now independently auditing them, I've seen common gaps across otherwise well-intentioned providers:
Visibility gaps that make it difficult to verify service delivery against contract terms - sometimes the contract itself is worded in ways that would make validation difficult for non-technical leaders.
Security assumptions where controls are documented but implementation isn't independently validated and is sometimes not in place.
Compliance blind spots that surface during audits or cyber insurance reviews.
Service drift where what was initially delivered gradually degrades without anyone noticing.
This isn't necessarily malicious - it's often a matter of stretched resources, turnover, or simply no one asking the hard questions. But when something goes wrong, or when regulatory requirements come into play, those gaps become your problem to solve.
How I Can Help
I provide an independent audit of your MSP relationship—from contract terms to technical execution—so you have full visibility into service delivery and can make informed decisions.
What's Included:
Contract & Service Delivery Review
Line-by-line contract analysis, SLA verification, and documentation assessment to identify gaps between what was agreed to and what's being delivered.
Technical Validation
Backup testing verification, patch management review, security control verification, and disaster recovery readiness—the things your MSP says they're doing.
Security & Compliance Assessment
Gap analysis against your compliance requirements (CMMC, NIST, HIPAA, etc.) and cyber insurance policy verification to ensure your answers match reality.
Comprehensive Report & Presentation
Detailed findings with prioritized recommendations, cost-benefit analysis, and guidance for next steps—including contract renegotiation if needed.
What to Expect
Most MSP audits take 2–3 weeks from kickoff to final presentation.
Discovery Phase (Week 1)
Initial consultation call to understand your business, compliance requirements, and specific concerns
MSP contract and SLA review—line-by-line analysis
Documentation request submitted to your MSP (policies, network diagrams, asset inventories)
Stakeholder interviews to identify key concerns
Technical Assessment Phase (Week 2)
Backup restoration testing (with MSP)—verify backups are complete and restore successfully
Patch management review—identify any systems behind on security updates
Security control verification—MFA implementation, password policies, monitoring configurations
Access control audit—who has admin rights and why
Disaster recovery readiness assessment
Cyber insurance alignment review—compare your policy requirements against actual implementation
Analysis & Reporting (Week 3)
Gap analysis against your compliance framework (CMMC, HIPAA, NIST, etc.)
Service delivery scorecard—what's working, what needs attention, and where gaps exist
Cost-benefit analysis for identified gaps and recommended changes
Contract renegotiation guidance with specific language suggestions (if needed)
Comprehensive written report organized by priority level
Final Deliverables:
Executive summary with clear Ready/Not Ready determination
Detailed findings report (typically 15–25 pages) with evidence and screenshots
Prioritized action plan with implementation timeline estimates
1.5-hour presentation to walk through findings with your leadership team
Optional: Include your MSP in the review meeting for accountability and their response
30 days of email support for follow-up questions
Can't AI Audit My MSP?
AI provides powerful tools for analysis, but auditing requires validation that only human expertise can provide.
AI can analyze your MSP contract, compare pricing against industry benchmarks, and flag common security gaps based on documentation review.
But here's what AI can't do:
AI can't validate actual implementation. It can read a backup policy, but it can't verify backups restored successfully last week or identify that retention settings don't align with your compliance requirements.
AI can't conduct meaningful interviews. It can't ask follow-up questions, probe for specifics when answers are vague, or recognize when "in progress" means actively working versus back-burnered.
AI can't evaluate operational realities. It doesn't know when your MSP is stretched thin, when turnover has created knowledge gaps, or when contract language creates measurement challenges.
AI can't provide context for findings. When technical responses lack clarity, AI accepts them at face value. Experience recognizes when more detail is needed and knows which questions to ask.
AI analyzes data. I validate reality.
I use AI to accelerate analysis—running contract comparisons, identifying common security patterns, and researching compliance requirements faster than manual review. But the audit itself requires judgment that comes from 17+ years running an MSP, reviewing hundreds of client environments, and understanding the difference between documented and deployed.
You need someone who can:
Distinguish between "configured" and "actually working"
Recognize when documentation doesn't match implementation
Ask the right follow-up questions when initial responses lack specifics
Provide context: "Here's what this gap means for your compliance posture"
AI gives me speed. Experience gives me insight. You benefit from both.
Why Trust Me
17+ years auditing MSP service delivery: Personally reviewed hundreds of MSP contracts, IT budgets, and technology roadmaps for clients as an MSP COO
I know how MSPs work from the inside: Where corners get cut, what "industry standard" actually means, and what excuses sound like
Hands-on technical expert: Microsoft Certifications (Cybersecurity, M365, Sentinel, Defender) | Google Certifications (Cybersecurity, Deployment, Administration)
CMMC Level 2 implementation experience: I know what compliance actually requires, not just what looks good on paper
Completely independent: No MSP to promote, no vendor partnerships, no conflicts of interest
Ready to Find Out What You're Actually Getting?
Ryan Russey
