What the Technology Module Does for You
Automatic data analysis – Reports show real lifecycle data without manual prep work
Assessment context - Create the perfect view of your client technology with customized columns and filters. Set it once at the tenant level, and all users see the same consistent data for analyzing clients.
Arya AI assistance - Enable the AI to help fill out Reports with actual client data
Lifecycle Planning – Manage asset lifecycle budgeting based on real asset information
Understanding the Terminology
Different systems use different terms for technology data:
PSAs (ConnectWise, Autotask, etc.) call them Configurations - devices and assets they track.
IT Glue uses Configurations, Domains, and SSL Certificates as well as and Flexible Assets for custom asset types.
Strategy Overview calls all this data Flexible Items once it syncs into the Technology Module, regardless of where it came from.
Getting Started: "Less is More"
Start small and add more later.
Many MSPs make the mistake of turning on every integration and importing every data type or field. That creates overwhelm and delays the value. You don’t need a ton of data to deliver a great QBR and can mature the process over time.
Import only essential data first (workstations, servers, network devices, and useful columns only such as name, warranty date, operating system, etc)
Get familiar with how Strategy Overview works and organize the data
Clean up your source data where needed.
Run 2-3 successful QBRs
Then expand with more data
Remember: It's easy to add data later
Step 1: Configure Your Integrations
Before importing any data, you need to make choices about what to sync and where it comes from.
Choose Your Source of Truth
If you have both a PSA and IT Glue (or Hudu soon), you'll likely have overlapping data (like workstation/server configurations appearing in both systems). Strategy Overview doesn't automatically merge, so you need to pick one source of truth for each type.
Best practice recommendations:
PSA – Usually best for physical assets (workstations, servers, network devices). PSAs typically have better lifecycle and physical asset data: purchase dates, warranty info, ages, models.
IT Glue - Best for logical documentation (flexible assets like domains, SSL certificates, software licenses, backups).
These are guidelines, not hard rules. If your IT Glue Configurations are pristine, use IT Glue. The goal is clean data, not following a specific pattern.
A Note on RMM Tools
Strategy Overview doesn't directly integrate with RMM tools (ConnectWise Automate/LabTech, Datto RMM, NinjaRMM, Kaseya VSA, etc.). Instead, we recommend this data flow:
RMM → PSA → Strategy Overview
Most RMMs can sync their discovered devices and monitoring data into your PSA as Configurations. Then Strategy Overview pulls that data from your PSA.
Check your RMM documentation for how to enable PSA sync if you haven't already.
What to Import First
For your first phase, you may want to start with:
Workstations/Laptops
Servers (physical and virtual)
Network devices (switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points)
These are essentials that drive budget conversations and have the cleanest data in most MSPs. Feel free to add any other data types you consider essential.
Setting Up Your Integrations
During setup:
PSA Configurations - Only select the Types for your starter set (workstations, servers, network devices). Leave everything else unchecked.
IT Glue Configurations/Flexible Assets - Only check the boxes for data types you're bringing in now. Don't import fields you won't use for decision-making.
Here are integration-specific guides to connect your systems:
Step 2: Organize Flexible Items into Groups
Once your data syncs into Strategy Overview, it needs structure. Groups are how you organize your Flexible Items in the Technology module.
6 Recommended Flexible Item Groups
We recommend organizing your Flexible Items into these 5 groups, but you can adapt these into whatever structure you want:
User Technology (Workstations and laptops, mobile devices, etc.)
Infrastructure (Servers, Storage systems, Network devices, ISP, File shares)
Network (Firewalls, Switches, WAPs, Network Devices)
Software & Licenses (All software licenses, SaaS subscriptions, Adobe, LOB applications)
Security (SSL certificates, Backup appliances, Security software (antivirus, EDR)
Web (Domain registrations, Website hosting)
Note: Some items could fit multiple places (is a firewall Network or Security?). Pick what makes sense for your team and be consistent. The goal is logical organization, not perfect categorization.
How to Organize Items into Groups
Navigate to Settings > Flexible Items Settings > Groups. You'll see your Flexible Items imported from integrations.
Create your groups:
Click Add Group
Name it (e.g., "User Technology", "Infrastructure")
Repeat for each of the 5 groups
Assign items to groups:
Select the Flexible Items you want to group
Drag and drop them to the appropriate group
Work through your imported data systematically
Why this matters: Good organization now saves time in every QBR. You'll be able to find assets quickly, build cleaner reports, and give clients a more professional experience.
Step 3: Customize Your Columns
Out of the box, Flexible Items will show a set of built in Strategy Overview fields, as well as any fields you’ve synchronized. You will need to spend a little time customizing each Flexible Item type to show the columns, and the column order, that you want.
Here's an example layout for Workstations and Laptops
How to Customize Columns
Navigate to Settings > Flexible Items Settings > Columns tab
Select a Flexible Item type
Review the available columns
Note: for best results use Column Types Age, SmartMemory, and SmartOS Age, RAM, and Operating System.
Show only essential columns:
Check the columns you want visible
Uncheck columns you don't need
Reorder columns to put the most important information first
Save your settings
Repeat for each flexible item group you're using
Remember: This is another reason to start small. Configure 2-3 item types well, get familiar with how it works, then add more types later.
Step 4: Add Technology Module to Report Template
The Technology module is where your Flexible Items appear within your Report. You may need to enable it and, if you're an existing user, transition away from the legacy Assets module.
How to Enable Technology Module
In your template:
Go to Settings > Strategy Templates
Select your Template
Go to Parts > Add Part (or check if "Technology" or "Flexible Items" already exists)
If adding new:
Label: Technology
Type: Flexible Items
Icon: (your choice)
Enable it for Build Mode, Display Mode, and Presentation Mode as needed
Click Apply Part Settings to All Drafts to add this part to all open reports (this may take a few minutes to run).
Remove the old Assets module if present:
Find the "Assets" part in your template
Uncheck it from all three modes (Build, Display, Presentation)
Or delete it entirely if you've migrated all data
Step 5: Relate Flexible Items to Assessment Items
Why This Step Matters
Context during Assessments - See relevant documentation and data right when you're assessing a question
Enable Arya AI - Give the AI agent context about your actual environment so it can provide better recommendations and even fill out Assessments for you
Faster prep - No more jumping between screens to find information
How It Works
You connect specific Flexible Item groups to relevant Assessment Items at the Template level. Then, when you're filling out an Assessment, the related data appears right there.
Example:
Assessment Item: "Server Host”
Related Flexible Item: “Managed Servers”
Result: When you open that Assessment Item, you see your actual server list with age, warranty, OS version, and everything you need to give an accurate grade.
How to Relate Items to Assessment Items
From Settings:
Navigate to Settings > Strategy Templates
Select your Template
Go to Parts > Assessment
Click the pencil/gear icon next to an Assessment Item to edit it
In the Related Items section:
Select "Flexible Item Group" from entity type dropdown
Choose the specific Flexible Item group from the list (e.g., "Servers", "Workstations")
Save your changes
From any Report (for quick edits):
Open a report in Build mode
Find the Assessment item
Click the pencil/gear icon next to the item
Add the related item connection
This will update the template for all future reports
Using Filters for Specific Subsets
Sometimes you want to show only certain items from a Flexible Item group. For example, your "Servers" group might contain both physical and virtual servers, but you have separate Assessment Items for each.
To add filters:
After relating the Flexible Item group to the Assessment Item
Click the filter button on the Assessment Item
Set your filter conditions
Save the filter
The filter applies across all draft Reports using this Template, and each Assessment Item can have different filters for the same Flexible Item group.
What's Next
You've done the setup work. Now it's time to put it into action.
Your Next Steps
Grade and Budget your Flexible Items – Use filters and mass edit options to Grade and Budget your Flexible Items.
Evaluate what's working - After 2-3 QBRs, you'll know what other data would be valuable
Add more data types strategically - When you know why you need additional data, add it and follow this guide to configure.
Continuously clean your source data - As you use Strategy Overview, you'll notice data quality issues in your PSA or IT Glue. Work with your technical team to address these issues whenever possible. Look for your process issues that regularly contribute to bad data.
Additional Resources
Data Best Practices - Guide coming soon
Flexible Roadmap and Budget - Learn how to use Flexible Items in budget planning
FAQ and Troubleshooting
I imported too much data and it's overwhelming. How do I remove it?
Stop syncing that data type:
Go to Settings > Integrations > [Your Integration]
Find the section for the data type you want to remove (Configurations, Flexible Assets, etc.)
Uncheck or deselect the types you no longer want to sync
Click Save or Import to update
This orphans the data - It's no longer synchronized with your integration
Delete the orphaned data:
Go to Settings > Flexible Items Settings > Settings tab
Click Delete all unmapped Items button
This removes all unmapped items and blank unmapped groups in one batch
Or delete manually:
Go to the Flexible Items module
Find the items you want to remove
Delete them individually or in groups
Note: This is why we recommend starting small. But if you're here, it's fixable - just takes a bit of cleanup time.
I chose the wrong source of truth and now I have duplicates. What do I do?
Turn off the sync for one of the sources in your integration settings (see above)
Delete the orphaned duplicates using the batch delete or manual deletion
I have empty Groups showing up in my Technology module. How do I remove them?
Empty groups usually appear when you've disabled certain types in your integration settings but haven't removed the orphaned groups yet.
To clean up empty groups:
Go to Settings > Integrations > [Your Integration]
Adjust your filters - For PSA Configurations or IT Glue Flexible Assets, uncheck the types you no longer want to sync
Click Import or Save to update (this orphans those groups)
Go to Settings > Flexible Items Settings > Settings tab
Click Delete all unmapped Items button
This removes all orphaned items and empty unmapped groups in one batch
My data looks terrible (wrong models, missing ages, incorrect information). Where does the problem lie?
No - Strategy Overview shows you what's in your source systems (PSA, IT Glue). If the data looks bad here, it's bad at the source.
Data cleanup is ongoing work. All MSPs have data quality issues. Strategy Overview makes them visible so you can address them systematically.
We'll be creating guides on common data cleanup scenarios to help with this.
Tip: Don't just fix your data. Look at the process issues that are creating bad data in the first place.
Can Strategy Overview pull custom fields from my PSA?
Yes. Strategy Overview can sync custom fields from your PSA configurations. This is valuable for bringing in specialized data that matters for your vCIO process.
Common use cases:
BitLocker encryption status
Backup verification status
Try using automation tools to automatically populate custom fields in your PSA.
I related a Flexible Item to an Assessment Item, but no data shows up. What's wrong?
This usually happens when you forgot to select any columns (fields) during the integration setup.
To fix it:
Go to Settings > Integrations > [Your Integration]
Find the section for that data type (Configurations or Flexible Assets)
Look for "Fields to download" or "Select fields"
Make sure you've checked the columns you want to sync
Click Save or Import to update
The data should appear once the next sync completes
How do I know when I'm ready to add more data types?
You're ready when:
You've run 2-3 QBRs with your core data and feel comfortable
You find yourself wishing you had a specific type of data during a client conversation
Your existing data is clean and well-organized
Don't add more data just because you can. Add it when you have a clear use case - "I need X data so I can accomplish Y during QBRs."
Can I change how Flexible Items are grouped later?
Yes, absolutely. Groups aren't permanent. You can reorganize items, rename groups, or restructure your entire setup as your needs evolve.
Start with what makes sense now, and refine over time.
Need Help?
For questions or feature requests, use the chat widget in the bottom right corner of any page in Strategy Overview.
Take screenshots or videos and paste them directly into the chat if you encounter errors or need visual assistance.