This guide is for whoever is setting up Strategy Overview for their team. Work through it in order. Each step links to a deeper article when you need more detail.
Important: If you have 5 or more managed companies, book an onboarding session before you start. Schedule here. We'll walk through your setup and help you avoid common missteps.
Important: If you have 25 or more managed companies on an Emerging plan or above, enroll in vCIO Mastery. 12 sessions covering implementation, team building, TSM delivery, and scaling. Learn more and enroll here.
If you're looking to learn how to use the platform instead, start with Using Strategy Overview.
1. Account settings
Go to Settings > General and review:
Company Information: your MSP name, address, contact info. Make this as accurate as you can.
Localization: date format and regional settings.
Groups: used to segment clients by location, vCIO, account manager, or territory. Groups drive permissions, reports, and mass editing. Start with one Group and expand as needed. One Group should be your Integration Group: companies imported from integrations land here by default.
Markets: verticals for your clients. You can tag Assessment Items by Market for vertical-specific reporting. If you're connecting a PSA, rename the built-in Markets to match your PSA first for easier mapping.
Types: clients, prospects, vendors. Types with the "Prospect" box checked won't appear in the Schedule or Stack Modules.
Company Statuses: usually Active or Inactive.
Tip: If you've connected a PSA, edit Markets, Types, and Statuses in your PSA and let them sync. Don't edit them in both places.
2. Branding
Go to Settings > Branding:
App Name: rename "Strategy Overview" to your MSP name to fully white-label the experience.
Company Logo: your MSP logo. Accessible via macros on Report Cover Pages.
App Logo: a square symbol that shows in the top-left of the app.
Favicon: use 512x512 for clean mobile bookmarks.
Primary Brand Color: affects many sections across the app.
Login Wallpaper: shown on the login page.
Custom Domain (recommended): clients access the platform at app.yourmsp.com. See Setting Up a Custom Domain.
Custom Email (recommended): invitations and password resets come from your domain. Use a distribution list like [email protected] and add your admins and managers to it. See Setting Up a Custom Email.
3. Connect your PSA
A PSA integration is the fastest path to getting real client data into the platform. Follow the guide for your PSA:
What PSA integrations sync:
Company Types, Markets, and Statuses
Companies
Contacts
Configurations (devices and assets)
Tickets (ConnectWise only for now; other PSAs coming)
Projects, Opportunities, and Agreements (coming)
Adding companies: Add only companies that will be clients in a vCIO process or serious prospects. A few options:
PSA import: Settings > Integrations > [Your PSA] > Companies
Companies Module: use Add Company, or Excel import if you want to bulk add
Strategy Module: plus icon at the top of the company list
If you're adding companies from a spreadsheet, use semicolons to separate users in the permissions column (e.g., [email protected];[email protected]). Admins don't need to be listed: they have full access already.
Critical: Do not enable every Configuration type. Start with workstations, servers, and network devices. If you import everything at once, you'll spend days organizing data before delivering a TSM. That's the number one reason new users stall out. Add more Configuration types later once you've been through the process.
4. Connect IT Glue or Hudu
If you use a documentation tool, connect it to pull documentation data into Strategy Overview:
IT Glue Integration: syncs Configurations, Flexible Assets, domains, and SSL certificates
Hudu Integration - What's Planned (coming soon): syncs Configurations, Asset Layouts, domains, and SSL certificates
Note: All of these come in as Flexible Items in the Technology Module. Strategy Overview normalizes Configurations (from PSAs and documentation tools), Flexible Assets (IT Glue), and Asset Layouts (Hudu) into one consistent concept so your team works with the same fields and filters regardless of source.
What these integrations unlock:
View all technology info on a Report in the Technology Part
Relate documentation Flexible Items to Assessment Items for quick access while grading
Power Arya, who can use documentation data to help fill out the Assessment
Tip: If you're connecting both a PSA and IT Glue/Hudu, pick one as your source of truth for each type of Flexible Item. PSA is usually better for physical assets with warranty and lifecycle data. IT Glue/Hudu is usually better for documentation (domains, SSLs, software licenses).
5. Connect Office 365
Syncs Microsoft 365 users, MFA status, and licensing. Associates licenses with contacts for license review conversations.
See Office 365 Integration.
Google Workspace integration is planned.
6. Connect the Warranty Service
Enriches asset data with warranty expiration dates, purchase dates, and manufacturer info.
Supported now: Dell, Lenovo, HP, HPE, Acer, Asus, Apple
Coming: Microsoft, Fortinet, Meraki, Ubiquiti, Sophos, WatchGuard
7. Verify your data
After connecting integrations:
Companies Module: your companies should appear. If not, check Settings > Integrations > [Your Integration] > Companies.
Technology Module: enabled Configuration types should show up as Flexible Items.
Contacts (PSA): open a company and confirm contacts populated.
Initial syncs take a few minutes to several hours depending on volume. See Integration Sync Troubleshooting if something's missing.
8. Invite your team
Go to Settings > Users and click Add User. For each user:
Default Template: leave this alone. It drives the main view on the Strategy Module and the default template usually works best.
Role:
Administrator: full control. Best for MSP owners and executives.
Manager: full access except admin-level changes. Best for senior vCIOs and team leaders.
Editor: can edit Reports and their own settings. Best for vCIOs and project engineers filling out Assessments.
Read Only: can view Reports. Best for most engineers.
External Editor: client-facing. No helper videos, no Strategy Overview emails, no support chat. Used for the client portal.
Groups: Groups drive permissions. Start with one Group and expand as your team grows.
Companies: choose "Allow access for all companies" for internal users and control permissions via Groups. For external client users, select specific companies only.
Templates: give access to the "Strategy Overview" template. It covers 99% of MSP Assessments.
Modules: pick carefully. Internal users typically get all Modules. External client users should be limited to Strategy, Plan, Tickets, Technology (if data is clean), Office 365, and any custom Modules you've built for clients (onboarding form, billing portal, etc.).
Common setups:
Solo vCIO / small MSP: one Group, Administrator access. Done.
Growing team (3+): Groups by territory or vCIO. Editors per Group. Manager role for team leads who coach across Groups.
Client portal: External Editor accounts assigned to specific companies only. Limited Modules. See Setting Up the Client Portal.
Tip: Create a test External Editor user (use a distribution list like [email protected]) to preview the client experience before inviting real clients.
For detailed permissions, see Set Up Your Team.
9. Set your TSM schedule
Go to the Schedule Module. Assign a vCIO to each company and set target meeting frequency. You can click vCIO name, Per Year, or Target Month on any row to edit, or select multiple rows and use Edit to mass-update.
Recommended frequencies by client size:
Small ($0-2k/mo): once a year
Medium ($2-10k/mo): twice a year or quarterly
Large ($10k+/mo): quarterly, monthly, or weekly depending on active initiatives
In a perfect world, every managed client gets a quarterly review. That's often unrealistic when starting out. The frequencies above are a reasonable starting point, but no hard rules. A small fast-growing client might need monthly meetings; a large stable client might only need annual.
10. Set up the IT Plan template
Most clients use an IT Plan to track project-level work across the year. Get the template ready so your team can attach it to each client's Report.
Go to Settings > Marketplace and download the latest IT Plan template. Check for newer versions than what's preloaded.
Also download the IT Plan - Filled Sample from the Marketplace and attach it to Dunder Mifflin. This gives your team a pre-filled reference they can explore to see what a well-built Plan looks like.
Review and customize the Plan template: columns, statuses, and labels to match your workflow. Rename anything that doesn't fit your team.
11. Build and customize your first Report
This is where it all comes together. As the admin, you'll likely be the one building out the first real Reports and refining the template as you go. The more you tailor the template to your MSP's stack and standards, the faster every future Report becomes.
Create a new Report:
Open the Strategy Module and find your client
Click the new file icon next to the company name
Template: pick the "Strategy Overview" template (covers 99% of MSP clients)
Date: when the meeting is scheduled, or approximately
User: who did the work (usually yourself for the first one)
Grade: overall health indicator at your discretion. For example, a client can have 99 of 100 items healthy, but if backups are failing you might grade the whole Report as a failure.
Walk through the Parts in order and fill what you can. You don't need everything perfect to deliver the first TSM.
Cover Page
Take time to make this great. It's the first thing the client sees and it sets the tone for the whole TSM.
Use template macros to pull in your MSP logo, the client's logo, company name, and date
Paste images directly if macros don't cover what you need
Test it in all three modes (Build, Presentation, Display) to see how it looks
Executive Summary
Keep it short: what a CEO or CFO can skim to understand the health of their technology. You can make it longer with different sections if the client wants more detail. A good workflow is to create a custom GPT or Claude project that helps fill this out consistently.
Assessment
This is the core of the analytical work and where the Health Score comes from. Fill out as many items as you can.
Don't know something? Leave it as "Needs Review" or "Needs Discussion." Items with the question mark Grade are excluded from the Health Score.
Item doesn't apply? Hide it using the eye icon on the group, or set the Grade to Not Applicable.
Tags: use the tag filter to narrow the list. The "1. Fundamentals" tag gives you a shorter set of core items to start with.
Mass maintenance: use filters and multi-select to apply Grades or statuses across multiple items at once.
Arya: once Flexible Items are linked to Assessment Items, Arya can generate statuses and Grades from your data. Status first, then Grade.
Customize the template as you go:
Click the gear icon on any Assessment Item to edit it at the template level
Add, remove, or modify Status/Risk/Solution preset options to match your MSP's stack and standard solutions
Adjust the Health Standard based on your MSP's definition of "healthy." This drives Arya's grading. It takes some trial and error to get right.
Associate documentation Flexible Items (from IT Glue or Hudu) with Assessment Items via the gear icon, then optimize the columns and filters to show only relevant items
Every refinement pays off across every future client
Technology
Set filters to Active only, Group by Type
Tweak columns to show what matters (grade, age, memory, OS, etc.)
Review and grade assets for risk
Use mass maintenance to apply grades across multiple assets at once
Hide assets that shouldn't be there by grading them Hidden
Column configuration is set account-wide at Settings > Flexible Items Settings > Columns and applies to all users and all Reports.
Contacts
Filter to Active, Group by Type
Tweak the columns to show what matters
Review contacts for missing MFA
If your contact list isn't clean yet, hide this Part from the Report. Don't let it block you from delivering.
Office 365
Filter to Active, Group by License type
Hide free licenses that add noise (Fabric, Power Automate Free)
Review any users missing MFA
Plan
The IT Plan is where you lay out the projects and initiatives that will move the client's IT forward. A well-built Plan can carry an entire TSM conversation.
Organize items by quarter
Bundle related work instead of listing every task separately. Example: one item called "Email Security Overhaul" with scope in the notes (implement Mesh, implement EasyDMARC, security awareness training). Keeps the Plan strategic and client-readable.
Estimated Budget$ is for planning conversations and does NOT flow to the Roadmap
Confirmed Budget$, Year, Month are the fields that land items on the Roadmap and Budget Parts
Anything not ready to schedule goes in the backlog
Tip: A workflow that works for most clients is to use the Assessment for your internal documentation and grading, and drive the client conversation through the Plan. The Assessment gives you the "why," the Plan gives you the "what's next."
Network Map (optional)
If you build network maps for clients, you can embed them in the Report. Two options:
Embed from Lucid Chart, Visio, or similar: paste an embed code into the Network Map Part. 900x690 pixels prints cleanly to PDF. Use a real paper size in Lucid rather than infinite canvas. Bonus: if you embed the same map in IT Glue or Hudu, updates flow to both places.
Text Part with screenshot: add a Text Part called Network Map and drop in a screenshot from Visio, Auvik, Domotz, or any other tool.
If you don't build network maps, delete the Network Map Part from the template or uncheck it from all three modes.
Roadmap and Budget
Roadmap: timeline of projects and replacements, focused on one-time costs
Budget: complete financial picture including both one-time and recurring costs
You can start without showing either to clients and add them as your financial data matures
Eventually, establish a financial roadmap for every client even if they're not yet mature enough to see it
Report Settings
Click the Settings gear at the top of the Report to customize it.
Current Report Settings: control which Parts appear in this one Report
Template Settings: shortcut to edit the template itself
After editing the template, click Apply Part Settings to All Drafts to push changes to existing open Reports. Without this, changes only apply to new Reports going forward.
12. Configure dashboards
Dashboards give you visual summaries of health, progress, and client data. You don't need to touch them to deliver your first TSM: the defaults work out of the box and you can expand them later as your data flows in.
There are three places dashboards appear:
Company Page dashboard
Each company has its own dashboard on their company profile. Use it for a quick visual check on one client: Health Score, asset breakdowns, license mix, open tickets, or whatever else matters for how you manage them.
Strategy Module Home Page dashboard
The Strategy Module home page has a dashboard that gives you a cross-client view: who's healthy, who needs attention, what's on the roadmap across your book of business. Useful for vCIO team leads and account managers.
Dashboard Part on a Report
Each Report can include a Dashboard Part showing visual summaries of that client's Assessment and asset data. Good for opening a meeting with a high-level snapshot before diving into details.
Customize any dashboard by clicking the gear or edit icon to add, remove, and rearrange widgets. Start with the defaults and expand as you see what's useful.
13. More to explore
A few things worth knowing once you're set up:
Templates: your templates define your standards and will evolve as your process matures. Our preloaded "Strategy Overview" template is built from thousands of real TSMs. Start there and modify it for your stack rather than building from scratch. See Understanding Strategy Templates.
Stack Module: cross-client view of your technology stack. Useful for forecasting your pipeline without cluttering your CRM with speculative opportunities. Create an opportunity in your CRM only when a client tentatively approves the budget from the Roadmap.
Custom Modules: you can add your own Modules to the left navigation for onboarding forms, billing portals, ScreenConnect, IT Glue, MyGlue, or any strategic spreadsheets you use. Not required, but useful as you grow.
Mobile bookmark: the app works in a responsive browser. Bookmark it to your phone's home screen for quick access to Plans, Strategy, and Tickets. You can run multiple instances for different tenants.
Support and feature requests: use the chat widget in the bottom right of the app. Arya can help you find what you need, and our team is right behind her.
14. Start simple
Don't try to perfect everything before your first TSM. Pick a client you know well, build a Report, keep it basic, deliver it. You'll learn more from one delivered TSM than from a week of configuration.
Your team is ready to start using the platform. Send them to Using Strategy Overview for how to use the platform day-to-day.
Important: If you haven't booked an onboarding session yet and have 5 or more managed companies, now is a great time. You've done the setup, you have context, and we can help you plan the team rollout. Schedule here.