Episode #902 of the MSPi PrimeCast
Technology change is nothing new for MSPs, but the ability to recognize disruption and respond to it can make a major difference. Ryan Walsh of Pax8 has experienced that evolution from multiple sides of the technology industry. His perspective offers MSPs practical lessons about differentiation, listening, execution, customer trust, AI, and the importance of preserving human value as technology advances.
1. Pay Attention to Disruptive Technologies
Walsh discussed how Clayton Christensen’s The Innovator’s Dilemma influenced his thinking about technology and competition. That perspective helped shape Pax8 as a company “born in the cloud,” without the legacy business traditional distributors needed to protect. Walsh sees those lessons becoming relevant again with AI. For MSPs, understanding disruption means watching not only established competitors, but also the new technologies and players that could reshape how customers buy and use technology.
MSP Action: Regularly evaluate emerging technologies and consider how they could change customer needs, service delivery, and the competitive landscape.
2. Understand What Makes Your MSP Different
Earlier in his career, Walsh helped start a small systems integration firm after working at Deloitte. He said that experience taught him to appreciate competitive differentiation and ask what made his business different from larger or competing organizations. That lesson remains relevant for MSPs operating in an increasingly crowded market. Technology alone may not define the difference. How an MSP serves customers, removes friction, applies expertise, and understands business needs can all contribute to a clearer position.
MSP Action: Define why a customer should choose your MSP instead of another provider and make sure that difference is reflected in how you sell and deliver services.
3. Listen Before Deciding What the Market Needs
Walsh described listening as one of the best things Pax8 learned during its journey. The company built its marketplace and enablement programs by paying attention to what partners needed and continuing to shape its offerings around that feedback. For MSPs, the same principle can apply to customer relationships. Listening closely can reveal where customers are struggling, what creates friction, and where new services or expertise could provide greater value.
MSP Action: Make customer feedback part of your regular process and use what you learn to identify service gaps, friction points, and opportunities to improve.
4. Give New Ideas a Practical Path Forward
Walsh repeatedly returns to a simple question when discussing technology and strategy: “What do I do on Monday?” He shared how Pax8 learned this lesson through an Azure boot camp. Partners appreciated the training but still wanted to know what to do next, leading Pax8 to create a 120-day “flight plan.” That experience helped influence the company’s broader approach to enablement. MSPs facing AI and other technology changes can benefit from the same emphasis on translating education into clear next steps.
MSP Action: When introducing a new technology or initiative, define the first steps, responsibilities, and milestones needed to move from learning to execution.
5. Establish Value Before Building
Walsh discussed the importance of understanding ROI before jumping into an AI initiative. He referenced research showing that businesses can save time with AI but may fail to redeploy that time effectively. He also described tools designed to help partners calculate where time is saved and determine how that value can be used. The takeaway for MSPs is that implementing technology is not the finish line. The business outcome needs to be understood and measured.
MSP Action: Define the expected business outcome and how success will be measured before investing significant time or resources in an AI initiative.
6. Keep Earning Customer Trust
Walsh considers the trust MSPs have built with their customers a powerful advantage as AI-native competitors enter the market. But he also makes clear that proximity alone does not guarantee that trust. MSPs need to continue earning it. Walsh sees security, governance, and data protection as important parts of the opportunity because AI agents will require all three. He also believes MSPs can strengthen their position by learning more about how their customers’ businesses actually operate.
MSP Action: Expand customer conversations beyond technology performance to understand business processes, priorities, risks, and where new technology can create meaningful value.
7. Know What Technology Should Amplify
Walsh believes the industry should spend more time discussing the human competencies that remain essential as digital workers become more capable. He highlighted qualities including judgment, instinct, and taste while exploring the balance between human and system value. The opportunity is not simply to automate as much as possible. In some areas, technology can amplify what people already do well while keeping humans involved where their capabilities provide important value.
MSP Action: Evaluate workflows by asking what should be automated, what should remain human, and where technology can make your people more effective.
8. Remove Friction Wherever You Can
Near the end of the conversation, Walsh connected the idea of removing obstacles and creating systems to the vision Pax8 followed as it grew. He described “remove friction” as a powerful concept for Pax8. Earlier, he also explained that the company focused on what partners wanted from cloud distribution, including speed, convenience, and billing that worked correctly. For MSPs, reducing unnecessary friction can make it easier for customers and employees to get what they need.
MSP Action: Identify recurring friction in your operations and customer experience, then look for opportunities to simplify the systems and processes behind it.
What This Means for MSPs
Walsh’s experiences across consulting, the vendor community, cloud distribution, and Pax8 point to a common theme: adaptability requires more than adopting the newest technology. MSPs need to recognize disruption, understand what differentiates them, listen closely, create practical plans, measure value, reduce friction, and continue earning customer trust.
AI makes these lessons especially timely, but they extend beyond AI. MSPs that understand where technology can create value—and where human expertise remains essential—can be better prepared to evolve alongside their customers and the markets they serve.
Catch the full conversation on MSPi PrimeCast Episode #902 and connect with Ryan at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmwalsh1/