Staff Spotlight: Micah Roth, Operations Manager at Virtuoso

At Virtuoso, we often say our people are our power—and nowhere is that more evident than in the operations team. This month, we’re shining a light on Micah Roth, our dynamic Operations Manager, whose background is as diverse as his toolkit. From medical research to social work, from tinkering with Linux to leading global teams, Micah brings a rare blend of curiosity, grit, and clarity to everything he does. Whether he’s refining processes, mentoring technicians, or implementing systems that just make sense, Micah is all about creating momentum—the kind that helps Virtuoso (and our customers) thrive in a fast-moving tech landscape.

Let’s get to know Micah: what drives him, what excites him about the work, and why he’s exactly the kind of person you want steering the ship.

Getting to Know Micah

Tell us a bit about your background before joining Virtuoso.
Immediately prior to joining Virtuoso, I was working as IT Services Director at a smaller consultancy and MSP. We specialised in the media and entertainment sector, which is fundamentally project-driven, feast-or-famine, and dynamic. Before that, I worked in technical sales for a virtualisation technology vendor that was acquired by Citrix just as I left.

I’ve also got a wider professional background, having worked in medical research (UCLA Vector Lab), social work (Red Cross), and education (US Peace Corps).

From my earliest memories, I’ve been interested in how things work. I was always dismantling stuff to figure it out, gradually progressing from mechanical to electrical. Then in primary school, a neighbour showed me how to launch games from a demo CD using CMD. From that point, I was hooked and constantly pushing the computers I could get my hands on to do new and novel things.

A pivotal moment was my first time using Knoppix, a Linux distribution. I was into building PCs in high school, but always on a tight budget and usually working with discarded machines. I read about Linux, downloaded and prepped an installer, and booted it up. Within minutes, I was in a fully functional OS. I only later realised I’d forgotten to plug in the hard drive—it was running live entirely from system memory. That blew my mind. It launched me into the Linux (and broader Open Source) community, which is an amazing place to learn. I owe much of my understanding of computing to the generosity of those communities.

What made Virtuoso stand out to you?
Initially, I was drawn to the role because it suited me well on paper. You’d think as a Linux nerd that a Microsoft focused MSP wouldn’t light me on fire—but during one of the interviews, I basically jumped out of my chair when Markus or Roman mentioned that Virtuoso applies EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System to their business. It’s a comprehensive, process-driven business management framework that I had championed at my last job. When they explained that Virtuoso not only uses EOS faithfully but also apply a formal methodology to drive continual improvement to Virtuoso customers, I realised this was a special company genuinely committed to putting systems in place that work.

Life as a Operations Manager

Can you tell us about your role at Virtuoso?
I’m mostly a people and process manager. All the technicians in NZ and AU report to me, along with a couple of global resources. When leadership makes a course change, I’m responsible for making sure we track it as tightly as conditions allow.

What excites you most about the role?
It’s deadly nature? Haha, there’s never a dull moment. One of my favourite things is the constantly evolving nature of the industry. As an MSP, we can’t afford to get comfortable—we have to keep shifting and evolving to meet the needs of the industry, vendors, and customers. I’ve come to believe it’s nobler to embrace this reality than to resist it. Comfort isn’t required for contentment or happiness.

How do you see your work contributing to Virtuoso’s success?
My role is the mast connecting the sail plan that Leadership puts up to the techs at the grinder stations. Both contribute massively to our hull speed, and both work much better when they’re in sync.

Belaboured sailing metaphor aside, it’s a crucial role. The leadership team is very focused on pulling the organisation forward into new territory. Operations management is the link that helps everyone on the ground understand what needs to be done. With recent sweeping changes, this area needs a lot of focus.

Culture & Team Vibes

How has your experience been so far?
It’s been great. I love how alive and dynamic the company is. A core part of our process is ensuring that our customers are evolving too, by updating the standards we align them to every quarter. It makes for really engaging work, whereas in many other MSPs, you might find stagnation, repetition, and a reluctance to change.

What do you love about the team culture?
We’ve got a great blend of people with different styles and presence. People are comfortable speaking out, and there’s a stream of good-natured ribbing that’s always fun. Vying for control of the office speaker is a highlight.

Any standout moments that made you feel welcome?
So many. The constant supply of oat milk at my request, the awareness of my vegetarian preferences. Feedback from staff in meetings that I’m having a positive impact. Our social events—fishing, bowling, axe throwing, archery—are always memorable. People really pay attention to who I am and what I enjoy: recommending books, celebrating fancy words, sharing music, inviting me for runs.

Passion for Tech & Life Outside Work

What areas of IT are you most passionate about?
Technology has amazing potential to streamline connection and collaboration. That’s what excites me most—whether it’s helping people find communities, enhancing contentment through accessible software, or introducing a simple feature that makes sharing tips easier. That’s where the magic is.

Outside of work, I’m a big fan of the Libre and Open Source software philosophy. I’ve been involved in various communities and love the idea of people contributing to something that benefits everyone. I use many of those projects routinely and try to support them however I can.

What do you enjoy outside of work?
I love being a dad. My girls are 1 and 3, and they’re the most important part of my life. My wife and I agree they come first, even before each other. It’s been a whirlwind, especially without family nearby to help, but the joy and delight far outweigh the challenges.

I’m a big reader—mostly sci-fi, but I appreciate anything well written. I also love reading about Buddhist dharma and am currently trying to find a compatible sangha near where we’ve just moved. Some of my most meaningful connections have come from that community.

Any cool tools or apps you’re into right now?
I’ve recently set up Lyrion Media Server at home, which has been amazing. It’s a fantastic piece of free software that ties in a huge variety of audio hardware for synced, high-quality playback across the whole house. It can run on something as small as a $30 Raspberry Pi Zero 2W or an old desktop.

At work, our new Professional Services Automation system and admin portals feel like superpowers compared to what we had before. I’m especially fond of CIPP, our internal automation and admin platform. It’s an open-source project that’s genuinely made a difference for me and the support team.

Looking Ahead

What are your professional goals?
’d like to be able to defensibly claim that my teams are outperforming Sebastian’s—my counterpart in the (slightly, wink) more mature UK operation.

Really though, I aim to be a sturdy servant leader to my staff and a reliable finisher for Leadership. Anyone who knows me knows those are some big, hairy, audacious goals.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?
Still here, right where I am—just with a broader remit. I genuinely think Virtuoso is on the right path. The IT landscape is crowded and only getting more competitive as AI accelerates service delivery. Virtuoso’s opinionated approach—constantly refining what “good” looks like and backporting that to customers—is a strong way forward. It’s challenging, exciting, and I think it really helps businesses. We’re being the change we want to see.

Any advice for someone starting in IT?
Find a project you genuinely want to do for yourself. Self-hosting services that you and your friends or family can actually use is incredibly motivating—it helps you push through and really learn. Use an old computer as a local hypervisor. Build and configure your own router. Host your own password manager, conferencing system, photo backup service, flashcard app, game server—the list goes on.

Whatever excites you, chase that. There are thousands of projects out there. And if your interests aren’t represented, start something yourself. Few things impress me more than someone—especially early in their IT career—who can answer, “Tell me about your home lab,” with something thoughtful and real.

Micah’s approach to leadership – thoughtful, adaptive, and deeply human – embodies what Virtuoso is all about. In an industry that never sits still, he brings both structure and spark, helping our teams stay agile, aligned, and always moving forward. Whether he’s optimising workflows or organising axe-throwing socials, Micah reminds us that great operations aren’t just about systems, but about the people. We’re lucky to have him, and even luckier that he’s just getting started.

If you’re looking for a new role and think Virtuoso seems like a good fit, check out our Careers page. We’re always looking for new talent!