MSP Summit 2026 in Orlando made one thing clear: the managed services market is not standing still.
A big thank you to Informa for having me at MSP Summit again this year. I’ve attended the event for the last several years, and this was one of the strongest turnouts I’ve seen. There was great energy from both MSPs and vendors, and the event reflected how quickly the channel is evolving. MSPSummit Sept 2026 Intro-trans…
The scale of the event itself was notable. Informa said MSP Summit 2026 was its largest edition yet, up 25% year over year in size and scope, with a record number of MSP 501 organizations participating. MSP Summit orlando 2026-09-28 1…
The numbers presented on stage also help explain why there is so much attention on the MSP market.
According to the MSP Summit 2026 data presented at the event:
- Industry revenue growth was 10.3% year over year, reaching approximately $32 million.
- Recurring revenue represented 71.2% of total revenue, including 49.6% managed services, 11% cloud and 10.5% security.
- 89% of the organizations represented were at 6% EBITDA or higher, with 42% above 15%.
- MSPs were reinvesting 42.3% of profits back into their businesses.
- 99% offered managed security services.
- 73% expected security to be a leading source of revenue growth.
- M&A remained heavily buy-focused.
That is a market with momentum—but also one going through significant change.
AI dominated many of the conversations, but the most valuable discussions went beyond simply talking about the latest technology. They focused on outcomes, profitability, security, customer relationships, automation and what the MSP business model may look like next.
Three MSP Summit Conversations Worth Hearing
While I was at MSP Summit, I also recorded three conversations for Joey Pinz Conversations, each looking at the MSP opportunity from a different angle.
#959 — Chance Weaver, Global VP at Pax8
AI Adoption Means Nothing Without Business Results
Chance and I focused on an important distinction: adopting AI is not the goal. The goal is achieving better business results. MSPSummit Sept 2026 Intro-trans…
#960 — Mike Casey, CRO at Flowmind
MSP AI: Are You Getting Answers or More Work?
Mike and I explored the practical side of AI. Is it actually removing complexity and helping the MSP operate better—or are we simply adding another layer of tools and work? MSPSummit Sept 2026 Intro-trans…
#961 — Ahmed Mahmood, Founder and CEO of Ocean Solutions
From $2,000 to Building a Thriving MSP
Ahmed’s story brings another perspective entirely: entrepreneurship, resilience and building an MSP from very little into a thriving business. MSPSummit Sept 2026 Intro-trans…
Those conversations, combined with the Summit keynotes and panels, left me with seven takeaways MSPs should be acting on now.
1. AI Has to Produce a Business Result
AI adoption by itself is not a business strategy.
For an MSP, AI should ultimately improve something measurable: ticket resolution time, technician capacity, customer experience, revenue, margin or another meaningful business metric.
One Summit panel described workflow efficiency gains above 50%, while another MSP organization reported reducing mean time to resolution by as much as 70% in some cases and creating more than 25% additional capacity. MSP Summit orlando 2026-09-28 1…
The question MSPs should be asking is not, “Are we using AI?”
It is:
“What business result did AI produce?”
2. Use AI Inside Your MSP Before Selling It to Customers
Several of the larger MSP organizations on stage described using AI internally first.
They are looking at workflows across service delivery, back-office functions, account management, quoting, invoicing and project work—not simply buying an AI product and adding it to the stack. MSP Summit orlando 2026-09-28 1…
That matters for another reason: experience creates credibility.
When a customer asks how AI could change their business, it is considerably more powerful to say, “Here is what we did inside our own company and here are the results,” rather than simply presenting another vendor product.
MSPs should become their own first AI customer.
3. Managed AI Could Become a Major MSP Service
Customers are already experimenting with ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools.
Many of them do not have an AI roadmap. They do not know how to govern the technology, secure it, identify worthwhile use cases or redesign workflows around it.
That gap creates an opportunity.
One MSP organization at the Summit described launching a managed AI offering that includes helping SMB customers adopt AI securely, develop roadmaps and eventually build agents and workflows specific to their businesses. MSP Summit orlando 2026-09-28 1…
Another described three potential areas: advisory services, packaged AI offerings and solving individual customer business problems. MSP Summit orlando 2026-09-28 1…
That starts to look a lot like the next managed service category.
4. AI Security Needs to Become Part of Every MSP Conversation
AI creates opportunities, but it is also creating an entirely new security discussion.
The AI security keynote at MSP Summit highlighted shadow AI, employees using personal accounts for company information, sensitive data being uploaded into AI systems and AI agents receiving access to company credentials and infrastructure.
The speaker cited data showing widespread AI use across customer environments and substantial levels of shadow AI. MSP Summit orlando 2026-09-28 1…
The recommended progression was straightforward:
Visibility → Governance → Deeper Monitoring → Enforcement
MSPs already own much of the cybersecurity conversation with SMB customers. AI security is a natural extension of that responsibility.
Before selling another AI tool, ask the customer:
Do you even know which AI tools your employees are already using?
5. Stop Adding Technology Without Asking What It Improves
The MSP industry has never lacked tools.
The Summit discussion around platforms was especially relevant because nearly every vendor now wants to call itself a platform.
But MSPs should be evaluating technology based on business outcomes.
Does the platform make the MSP safer?
Faster?
More efficient?
More profitable?
One panelist summarized the issue well: MSPs already have enough vendors, and if those vendors are not making the business safer, faster or more profitable, MSPs should question whether they are truly partners. MSP Summit orlando 2026-09-28 1…
Your technology stack should support your business model—not become your business model.
6. Customer Trust May Be More Valuable Than Your Technology Stack
One of the most interesting moments in the M&A panel came when the discussion shifted from AI and technology to valuations.
Again and again, the conversation returned to people, customer relationships, retention and trust.
One participant said deep customer relationships are critical because customers need to trust their MSP enough to ask, “What should I do with AI?” Another stressed that companies with unsatisfied customers are extremely difficult to turn around after an acquisition. MSP Summit orlando 2026-09-28 1…
That is important.
The MSP’s competitive advantage is not simply access to technology. Customers can increasingly buy technology themselves.
The advantage is becoming the trusted organization that helps customers decide which technology matters and what they should do with it.
7. The MSP Business Model Is Getting Bigger
The final takeaway may be the most important.
Managed services are expanding beyond the traditional recurring stack.
The Summit discussion pointed toward consulting, advisory services, implementation, security, automation, marketplaces and new AI services surrounding the customer journey. MSP Summit orlando 2026-09-28 1…
One speaker described MSPs as the critical “last mile” connecting major technology providers to the businesses that actually need to implement their technology. MSP Summit orlando 2026-09-28 1…
That is an important position to occupy.
Future MSP growth may not come from putting another $2 or $5 per-user product into the stack.
It may come from solving bigger business problems.
Ahmed Mahmood’s story is a good reminder of that entrepreneurial side of the MSP market. Technology changes. Vendors change. Platforms change.
But identifying a customer problem, adapting and creating value around it does not.
The Opportunity Ahead
I left MSP Summit 2026 believing the MSP opportunity is getting larger, not smaller.
AI is changing how MSPs operate internally. It is creating new cybersecurity challenges. It is opening the door to new advisory and managed services. And it is giving MSPs another reason to move higher in the customer’s organization and become a business advisor rather than simply a technology provider.
But there is an important qualifier.
AI adoption means very little without business results.
MSPs should experiment. Automate. Secure AI. Build new services. Reevaluate the technology stack. And have deeper conversations with customers.
But keep asking one question:
How does this make our business—or our customer’s business—better?
Thank you again to Informa for having me at MSP Summit 2026 and for continuing to bring together the MSPs, vendors and channel leaders shaping where this industry goes next.