Commercial Analyst - Acquisitions

MSP Summit takeaways: Growth starts with proving your value to clients. AI can help MSPs work faster. Getting clients to pay for that capability requires a different kind of work. That distinction ran through MSP Summit 2026, hosted by Informa on Sept. 28-30 in Orlando, Florida. Featured speakers throughout the event explored opportunities for MSPs to grow revenue, improve service delivery and deepen client relationships. Their advice often returned to the same principle: Understand the business problem before choosing the technology. For attendee and MSP 501 honoree John Snyder, the attention to business fundamentals stood out amid the AI discussion. "They've actually made some pains to talk about cybersecurity, the fundamentals, making sure that we've got good messaging and differentiate ourselves," the CEO of Net Friends Inc. told ChannelPro. "I thought that was really important because AI does suck up a lot of oxygen." For MSPs planning their next stage of growth, the discussions offered several practical lessons. Here are some of the biggest takeaways: 1. Make your value easier to see. Buying the same tools as competitors can improve operations. It also can make providers harder to distinguish. During an educational session on Sept. 29, Megan Killion of Pisces Growth Consulting urged MSPs to describe what changes for clients, rather than simply listing capabilities. Managing Microsoft 365, for example, can mean helping a business add employees and locations without technology slowing its expansion. "Strategic value requires a specific buyer, a specific workflow, and a specific outcome. AI is the enabling technology. It is not the value proposition," Killion said during her session, AI Is Making MSPs More Replaceable. Here's How to Stay Relevant. Killion suggested that MSPs choose one service and rewrite its description without naming a tool. Explain the business problem, the result and why the MSP is qualified to deliver it. Meanwhile, research presented by PartnerOptimizer founder and CEO Dina Moskowitz illustrated several opportunities in the MSP space. Some of the findings showed how MSP 501 winners compared with the industry at large. For example, an analysis of roughly 46,000 companies found that 47% of MSP 501 providers emphasized endpoint device management, compared with 11% of the broader group. "If you're not actually incorporating that into your MSP services, well, there's an opportunity for you," Moskowitz said during her main stage presentation alongside MSP Paco Lebron of ProdigyTeks on Sept. 30. "And if you are, talk more about it because your audience, your prospects, your customers expect you to be bringing that to them." 2. Start with discovery, then build the service. An AI conversation can uncover revenue opportunities that have little to do with AI itself. During the AI Revenue Architects panel, Pax8's Chance Weaver estimated that roughly 80% of the situations his team encounters can be addressed through capabilities such as automation or business intelligence. "I like to say it's a business conversation, not an AI conversation. If your client is asking about AI, it's time to dive in and really understand your client's business. That's how you can translate that. AI is just another tool in your quiver," Weaver said during the panel. AKATI Sekurity's Krishna Rajagopal outlined a progression from assessment to ongoing monitoring to implementation projects. That gives MSPs a way to identify needs before proposing a solution, while creating opportunities for recurring services. New Charter's Jason Rincker described how early client conversations helped his team develop an AI consulting practice. Those discussions explored readiness and leadership support. "Are you even ready for AI? Is it just a buzzword in your organization? Has your leadership bought into this transformation?" Rincker asked. For attendees from Micro-Tech USA, the next opportunity involves bringing AI capabilities to clients. Chief Technology Officer Jason Smith said he had been working extensively with AI for about two years and had built several programs despite not being a developer. His colleague Allen Schilling, a managed service engineer, added that he saw several ideas worth bringing home. "It's really interesting to see how all of these different MSPs are packaging AI to sell to their clients and selling AI as a service. I'm definitely going to bring that back to the table when we get back." 3. Protect the margin behind the promise. New revenue does not automatically mean stronger profitability. CloudBlue's Tarik Faouzi warned that MSPs need visibility into AI consumption. Token costs can erode margins when providers cannot track usage or adjust pricing. His advice was to start with one offering. Bundle it with services, understand consumption and master delivery before expanding. Security requires similar preparation. SilverSky's Thomas Neclerio described customers deploying AI before establishing policies and safeguards. Helping clients define acceptable use, protect data and monitor activity creates another service opportunity. 4. Give people more valuable work. Automation's growth potential also depends on how MSPs use the capacity it creates. ConnectWise's David Raissipour challenged the assumption that more customers must require proportionally more staff. He urged providers to retrain technicians for roles that bring greater strategic value. N-able's Meaghan Reinecke offered another application: Use AI to assemble reporting data so employees can spend more time discussing results with clients. The practical starting point is an existing client conversation. Find where work stalls, identify what improvement would matter and build a service around that outcome. Anjali Fluker is managing editor of The ChannelPro Network, where she covers news, trends and best practices for the MSP community. She specializes in telling the stories that matter to IT providers serving the SMB market. When she's not reporting on the latest in managed services, she's connecting with channel pros at industry events across the country. Images: Anjali Fluker/ChannelPro

XTIUM Named a Special Award Finalist of Informa's MSP 501 AI MSP of the Year Award for 2026. XTIUM earns recognition as a 2026 AI MSP of the Year finalist for its AI-native approach to helping organizations adopt, govern, deploy, and manage AI. TAMPA, FL - September 17, 2026 - XTIUM, a global AI-Native managed services provider delivering secure digital workplaces, managed security, cloud, network, and unified communications solutions, has been named a Special Award finalist of the 2026 AI MSP of the Year award. The winner in this category will be revealed live at the MSP 501 Awards Gala during Informa's MSP Summit, which will be held at the Loew's Royal Pacific in Orlando, FL, September 28-30. XTIUM will be attending the exclusive, invitation-only event. As an AI MSP, XTIUM supports the complete lifecycle and AI journey from initial readiness through governance, deployment, and operations under a single partner relationship. Each service is designed to stand on its own or work as part of a comprehensive solution. "This recognition reflects XTIUM's commitment to delivering AI as a practical business capability, not just a technology initiative," said Byron Young, XTIUM SVP and Chief Product Officer. "We have invested heavily in helping customers navigate the complete AI lifecycle, from readiness and governance through deployment and managed operations, and we are honored to be named as a finalist among the industry's leading AI-focused managed service providers." The AI MSP of the Year award recognizes MSPs that demonstrate exceptional innovation, customer impact, and leadership in helping organizations successfully adopt and operationalize AI. Being selected as a finalist places XTIUM among a select group of providers recognized for delivering measurable AI-driven business value and advancing the evolution of managed services. What is the MSP 501? The MSP 501 is now in its 19th year as the technology channel's first, largest and most comprehensive ranking of managed service providers around the globe. What started as a simple list has evolved into a data-rich annual report that provides deep insight into how the top MSPs are growing, what challenges they face, and what's driving success across the industry. Winners gain international recognition and are celebrated across the Channel Events platforms - culminating in an unforgettable Awards Gala during the MSP Summit. XTIUM is listed in the Top 25 for the 2nd consecutive year. About XTIUM XTIUM is a global, AI managed services provider trusted by organizations across North America, Europe, and Asia, delivering secure, scalable, and governed solutions that enable customers to do more with less. Combining desktop as a service, network, security, cloud, unified communications, and AI, XTIUM keeps critical applications always on and secure under one accountable partner relationship. Four-time Gartner(R) Magic Quadrant(TM) Leader in Managed Network Services. Gartner(R) Visionary in Desktop as a Service. Learn more at xtium.com and connect on LinkedIn.