Fractional IT leadership · PA, MD & DE

Enterprise experience. On your side of the table.

30+ years in technology, 25 in enterprise IT, including leading a services organization of 800+ technicians and 43 team leads and managers across the Eastern US. One senior leader for your technology, your vendors and your budget. I take no vendor money on deals I advise.

Book a free 30-minute reviewStart with an IT Assessment
No vendor commissionsYou own every accountOne accountable person
Matt Cox, founder of CROIA
Matt Cox · Mechanicsburg, PA
Why CROIA

I spent twenty years on the other side of the table.

Every business owner knows the meeting. A polished rep sits across from you with a quote for servers, software, or a maintenance renewal, and you have no way to tell whether it is fair. You sign, because the business has to run.

I was that rep. For more than twenty years I sold and delivered enterprise technology, including a statewide storage contract for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania worth over $200M. I know how those quotes get built. I know where the margin hides, which line items are real, and which ones count on you not asking.

Read the full story

In 2003 we took the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's statewide out-of-warranty maintenance contract away from an incumbent charging $8.8M a year. Our price was $2.7M a year. Then we ran it at 99.2% SLA attainment, including 4-hour on-site repair anywhere in the state. Pomeroy still holds that contract today, 23 years later.

Same coverage, a third of the price, and the customer never left. That is what this work looks like when it is done right.

CROIA is me sitting on your side of the table now. Send me the biggest IT contract you have: a renewal, a maintenance agreement, an MSP quote. I will tell you plainly whether it is fair and what I would do about it. That first read costs you nothing. If I find savings and you hire me to go get them, my fee comes out of what you save.

I am in Mechanicsburg. I will come to your office, sit in the chair across from you, and work the problem in person. That is the whole model: enterprise experience, on the owner's side of the table.

Three ways to start

Pick the door that fits where you are.

Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute call. No pitch deck, no pressure. If I'm not the right fit, I'll tell you who is.

The low-risk first step

IT Assessment

30–90+ days, scoped to you

A clear picture of what you have, what it costs, and what to fix first: about 30 days for a small business; 90 days or more for a mid-size, multi-department organization. Timeline and fee are set by scope.

By scopeQuoted by scope. The assessment fee is credited to a retainer signed within 30 days.
  • Vendor, license and contract inventory
  • Security and backup check
  • Prioritized 12-month plan
What's included
The core offer

IT Leadership Retainer

I run your IT like it's my own business: vendors, budget, security, uptime.

from $4K/mo$4K, $8K or $12K a month, scope dependent
  • Monthly owner briefing in plain English
  • Vendor management and renewals
  • Runbooks for everything
What's included
Paid only from savings

Savings-Based Contract Review

I go through your IT contracts and renewals line by line.

8–12%of savings. Verified savings only. You pay only from what I save.
  • Telecom, software, support and hardware
  • Renewal negotiation on your behalf
  • No savings, no fee
What's included

Every price is scope dependent.

What running your IT means

You run the business. I run the technology under it.

Illustration: two people at an office desk in front of a whiteboard listing IT projects
Illustration: warehouses, shops, offices. The kinds of businesses CROIA is built for.
  1. 01

    Vendors

    I deal with the providers, the renewals, and the fine print, so you don't get upsold.

  2. 02

    Budgets

    A plan you can read in five minutes, with every dollar tied to a reason.

  3. 03

    Security

    Backups that actually restore, accounts locked down, and staff who know what to click.

  4. 04

    Uptime

    Systems watched, problems caught early, and a plan for the day something breaks.

  5. 05

    One accountable person

    One person to call. No ticket queues, no finger-pointing between vendors.

The independence pledge
I take no vendor money on deals I advise. The only person paying me is you.

No referral fees, no reseller margin, no quiet kickbacks.

  • No commissions
  • No reseller markup
  • Every quote shown to you
  • Conflicts disclosed in writing
Continuity

You own every account. Everything documented in runbooks.

If I got hit by a bus tomorrow, your business keeps running. That's the standard.

Accounts in your name
Domains, cloud, licenses and admin logins all belong to the business, not to me.
Written runbooks
Step-by-step for every system, so anyone qualified can pick it up.
No lock-in
Month-to-month after the first 90 days. You stay because it works.
RunbookIllustration
Backup & restoreVendor directoryAccount ownership
Domain & DNSOwner: you
Cloud & emailOwner: you
Admin passwordsYour vault
Software licensesOwner: you
Close to home

Three Rivers Water Filtration

A new local business that needed a clear position, the right systems to run on, and a launch plan, before it had a single customer.

Full disclosure: Three Rivers Water Filtration is my son Brandon's business. I helped him position the company, choose his systems and plan the launch, then built his website and online booking, and I still run them today.

Read the case study
What I helped with
  1. Positioning and launch plan
  2. Choosing the systems to run the business on
  3. Website built and maintained
  4. Facebook page run week to week
What people I've worked with say

Twenty-five years of colleagues and clients, in their words.

Matt is a rare standout in the sales and delivery profession.
Donald Jacobs, MBA, CFEIRetired CIO, client 5+ years
Rarely do you find a professional with a combination of technical excellence, service management and sales achievements.
Gerald RutledgeWorked with Matt for more than 20 years
One of the most creative problem solvers and out-of-the-box thinkers...
Dave CallanSmall business owner and mentor

From LinkedIn recommendations about my enterprise work.

Let's talk

Thirty minutes. Owner to owner. No pitch.

Tell me what's bugging you about your IT. I'll tell you honestly whether I can help.

Book a free 30-minute reviewStart with an IT Assessment

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