2026 Agenda

Ping pong tables don't retain your best engineers. Neither does free lunch, generous PTO, or virtual happy hours nobody wants to attend. Yet most MSPs competing for technical talent in remote environments default to these surface-level perks—then wonder why turnover remains high.

Building a high-performance remote team in technical services requires something fundamentally different: intentional systems, honest conversations, and a culture built on alignment, and belonging.

In this session, Andrea Kaercher, Director of People and Strategy at Fortified Data, reveals how a 40-person fully remote organization operating in highly specialized database services has cracked the code on employee engagement, technical talent retention, and authentic culture-building.

Drawing from real data and real stories, Kaercher will walk attendees through:

• The real hiring challenges of sourcing niche technical roles—and how to overcome them
• What replaces traditional performance reviews in a modern, remote-first technical environment
• The systems and frameworks that drive retention when perks fall short
• How to build alignment and accountability without micromanagement or burnout

This isn't theoretical. It's a functioning people operations model built inside a lean MSP—designed for leaders ready to move beyond gimmicks and build teams that perform, stay, and grow.

Ideal for MSP leaders, HR and People Ops professionals, and MSP 501 organizations looking to scale technical teams without sacrificing culture or performance.