As a managed service provider (MSP), there comes a time when you decide to grow. Robert Thompson founded Toronto-based Tech Fuel in 2014 as the CEO of a one-person MSP. With only an IT help desk for support, he succeeded in helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) meet their technology needs.
But as demand grew, so did the pressure to scale. Thompson knew he would need to unlock greater efficiency to grow.
How Pax8 Helped
After discovering Pax8 at industry trade shows, Thompson was intrigued by the promise of ROI through automation and joined Pax8 in 2018. The first major shift came with Pax8’s consolidated billing and PSA integrations, which helped him reclaim 30 minutes each week. Over the weeks and months, that added up to significant time he could reinvest in client work and business development.
“Smoother billing and syncing to the PSA have saved me a lot of time. With my previous distributor, I always had to double-check and triple-check my bills,” Thompson said. “Working with Pax8 is such a relief.”
Unlike distributors, Pax8 doesn’t charge for unused licences, which immediately improved Tech Fuel’s margins. Efficiencies like these gave Robert the confidence to scale.
With no other staff, Robert relied on the Pax8 support team to help him build tailored solution stacks and explore new offerings. These interactions gave Thompson the insight and confidence to take on more complex client needs.
“Having experts who understand what you’re doing and care about your success has been a real benefit,” Thompson said.
One of Tech Fuel’s biggest challenges was clients still relying on on‑prem infrastructure. After Covid, hardware delays and high upfront costs made traditional deployments harder and harder.
Pax8 helped Thompson move to the cloud by exploring Azure Virtual Desktop and learning to deploy environments with Nerdio Manager. This gave him hands-on experience and helped him avoid costly mistakes during the first deployments.
