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MSP Service Delivery Mastery: Ctrl-Alt-Deliver

MSP Service Delivery Mastery: Ctrl-Alt-Deliver

By: Jeni Clift Nick Clift
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About this listen

Welcome to Ctrl-Alt-Deliver: MSP Service Delivery Mastery — the podcast for IT leaders, MSP owners, and service delivery professionals who want to elevate performance, improve processes, and stay ahead in the fast-changing managed services landscape.

© 2026 MSP Service Delivery Mastery: Ctrl-Alt-Deliver
Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Punk Leadership in Cybersecurity with Mitchell Colton
    Feb 1 2026

    Welcome to Ctrl Alt Deliver: MSP Service Delivery Mastery.
    I’m Jeni Clift, joined by my husband and business partner Nick Clift. Together, we spent nearly 30 years building, scaling, and eventually exiting our own MSP business.

    Along the way, we learned something critical.
    Great service delivery isn’t defined by tools, frameworks, or certifications.
    It’s defined by how you lead when things go wrong.

    In this episode, we’re joined by Mitchell Colton, Managing Director of Colton Computer Technologies, and a highly respected MSP leader who has lived through one of the most challenging situations an MSP can face.

    Mitchell shares a candid, firsthand account of navigating a major third-party data breach that impacted one hundred and thirty eight client organisations. The breach wasn’t caused by his business, but the responsibility, pressure, and consequences landed squarely with him and his team.

    What stands out in this conversation is not the technical response, it’s the human one.

    We talk about the emotional weight of leading through uncertainty, the reality that incidents become long marathons rather than short sprints, and why calm, structured leadership matters more than speed. Mitchell explains how clear roles, simple checklists, and early, consistent communication helped steady both clients and staff during months of ongoing investigation and regulatory oversight.

    Mitchell also shares hard-earned lessons about cyber insurance, incident response readiness, and the importance of building trusted relationships with brokers, lawyers, and advisors before you need them. He challenges MSPs to rethink how prepared they really are for incidents that are out of their control — and the hidden business impact that follows long after the headlines fade.

    Throughout the episode, we explore the often-unspoken reality of MSP leadership.
    The responsibility of holding sensitive data.
    The reputational risk carried on behalf of clients.
    And the quiet toll incidents take on founders, leaders, and teams.

    This is an honest and deeply practical conversation about leadership under pressure, trust built through clarity, and what it really means to show up for clients and people when the stakes are highest.

    If you are an MSP owner, leader, or service delivery professional responsible for client trust, risk management, and team wellbeing, this episode is essential listening.

    Listen to this episode and explore more Ctrl Alt Deliver conversations at
    https://www.ctrl-alt-deliver.blog/episodes

    Explore more about Mitchell Colton and Colton Computer Technologies
    https://coltoncomputers.com.au/

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    45 mins
  • Vivienne Winborne on Transparency, Resilience, and Client Trust in Crisis
    Jan 26 2026

    Welcome to Ctrl Alt Deliver: MSP Service Delivery Mastery.
    I’m Jeni Clift, joined by my husband and business partner Nick Clift. Together, we spent nearly 30 years building, scaling, and eventually exiting our own MSP business.

    Over that time, we learned something fundamental.
    Great service delivery is not proven when everything is running smoothly. It is proven when things go wrong.

    In this episode, we’re joined by Vivienne Winborne, Senior Marketing Manager at One Little Seed and a long time specialist in MSP and IT channel marketing.

    Vivienne has spent more than 16 years working across agencies, startups, and the MSP ecosystem, supporting service providers, vendors, and distributors to grow through trust, education, and authentic communication. Her work sits at the intersection of marketing, customer experience, and leadership.

    In this conversation, Vivienne shares a powerful firsthand account of supporting an MSP through a large scale third party data breach that impacted one hundred and thirty nine organisations.

    What stands out is not the technical response, but the human one.

    We talk about why silence is often the default advice in a crisis and why transparency, consistency, and calm communication matter more than perfect information. Vivienne explains how early and ongoing communication, dedicated support channels, and care for team mental health helped protect trust and ultimately resulted in the MSP not losing a single client.

    We also explore why MSP marketing and cybersecurity education are deeply connected. Vivienne challenges the industry to stop leading with products and start leading with education, particularly when it comes to AI and cybersecurity. She explains why a multi layered approach to security only works when people understand the risks, the responsibility, and the why behind the controls.

    Throughout the episode, we unpack the real weight MSPs carry. The sensitivity of the data we hold. The reputational impact of incidents. And the reality that leadership is tested most in moments of uncertainty.

    This is a candid and deeply human conversation about trust, transparency, and what good leadership looks like when the pressure is highest.

    If you are an MSP owner, leader, or service delivery professional responsible for client trust and team wellbeing, this episode is essential listening.

    Listen to this episode and explore more Ctrl Alt Deliver conversations at
    https://www.ctrl-alt-deliver.blog/episodes

    Explore more about Vivienne Winborne and One Little Seed
    https://www.onelittleseed.com.au

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    46 mins
  • Are You Still Waking Up With the Same Energy? with Zhaun Bhana
    Jan 19 2026

    Welcome to Ctrl Alt Deliver: MSP Service Delivery Mastery.
    I’m Jeni Clift, joined by my husband and business partner Nick Clift. Together, we spent nearly 30 years building, scaling, and eventually exiting our own MSP business.

    Over that time, we learned something fundamental.
    Great service delivery isn’t just about technology or growth. It’s about leadership, clarity, and knowing when it’s time to evolve.

    In this episode, we’re joined by Zhaun Bhana, a long time MSP leader who spent more than two decades building Leap Consulting into one of Perth’s standout MSPs before stepping into his next chapter in the industry.

    Zhaun has lived the full MSP journey from scaling and mergers to ownership stress to exit and life after the business. Today, he works closely with MSP owners across Australia, New Zealand, and globally, helping them navigate growth, consolidation, and transition with clarity and perspective.

    In this conversation, Zhaun challenges MSP leaders to ask a question many avoid.
    Are you still waking up with the same energy you had five years ago?

    We explore founder burnout, identity, and the hidden danger of staying in a business out of obligation rather than purpose. Zhaun shares why value breaks down when customers can’t clearly see differentiation, why MSPs that look the same end up competing on price, and why innovation that looks identical isn’t innovation at all.

    We also unpack what really goes wrong during MSP acquisitions, why the second acquisition is often the most dangerous, and how customer experience is shaped far more by relationships and communication than by tools or contracts.

    This episode is a candid, human conversation about leadership energy, value creation, and what it really means to lead an MSP through change, whether that change is growth, consolidation, or deciding what comes next.

    If you’re an MSP owner questioning your direction, your energy, or your long term path, this conversation will resonate.

    Listen to this episode and explore more Ctrl-Alt-Deliver conversations at
    https://www.ctrl-alt-deliver.blog/episodes

    Explore more about Zhaun Bhana
    Learn more about Evergreen and MSP M and A insights
    https://www.evergreensg.com/

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    53 mins
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