As I look to the new year ahead of us, it’s clear to me that the Managed Service industry will experience big changes. To be prepared, I recommend finding out the trends for MSPs in the year to come.
Specifically, two huge obstacles — and opportunities — will present themselves to MSPs, and they are both linked.
Here are my insights into the two top trends for MSPs in 2024.
#1 Artificial Intelligence and Automation
The first obstacle/opportunity is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation.
Thanks to services such as ChatGPT, AI went mainstream last year.
The growth of AI-based tools is stunning, and yet, many Managed Service Providers (MSPs) I speak to still see AI as a possible, not a must-have – something that they can look into at some undetermined point in the future.
In reality, 2024 will see forward-thinking MSPs utilise AI-based tools to do things faster, better and cheaper than their competitors.
For instance, at the tail end of 2023, I had a raft of MSPs calling me to ask my opinion on moving from their legacy PSA/RMM products to AI-based platforms like SuperOps.
In a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) market that saw blood in the water in 2023, with investors withdrawing funding and forcing SaaS companies to make dramatic cutbacks, SuperOps raised $11m of funding and launched a global expansion. No mean feat.
When MSPs are struggling to recruit top quality talent, why wouldn’t you utilise tools that can allow you to do service desk work intuitively and bypass grunt work with automation?
AI-Powered MSP Tools for 2024
Here are just three AI-powered MSP tools to keep an eye on in 2024:-
- CrushBank – An AI-based knowledge management system that can augment and enhance legacy PSA tools
- MSP Bots – A data-driven process automation platform enabling MSPs to create bots to handle boring, repetitive tasks
- SuperOps – A Combined PSA/RMM platform for MSPs built from the ground up on AI-based automation
MSPs helping clients with AI
But AI won’t just be a tool that MSPs use internally.
This year, I think the most progressive MSPs will look to help their clients utilise AI to do things faster, better and cheaper too.
For instance, the news coming out of Microsoft’s Ignite conference was that the company are going “all in” on their Copilot AI-based tool.
Forward thinking MSPs will be looking to help their clients adopt Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 to solve complex work tasks in one place.
Make no mistake about it, if your MSP doesn’t embrace and share these AI-based tools with your clients, then your clients will find their own path to these tools.
If you want to learn more, then Kristen Fehrenbach of Pax8 recently joined Tamim Chowdhury of Microsoft in an excellent video entitled “Unlocking Copilot: Live Demo & Expert Insights“.
In my opinion, MSPs collaborating with partners like Pax8 will help accelerate their understanding of AI-based tools and their growth.
And it’s the subject of partnering that leads us to our next obstacle/opportunity for MSPs.
#2 Cybersecurity
The second obstacle/opportunity for MSPs in 2024 is cybersecurity.
As a result of AI, the cybersecurity sector is accelerating beyond the capabilities of many MSPs who just can’t keep up with determining what is good from what is bad.
As the Huntress SMB Threat Report for 2024 shares, threat actors are moving away from malware-based attacks and are focusing on abusing legitimate tools and systems.
Therefore, MSPs need to extend their threat detection beyond their current scope.
If all this sounds like a nightmare, that’s why MSPs are taking routes such as partnering with outsourced Security Operations Centres (SOC) or specialist Managed Service Security Providers (MSSPs) to help mitigate the cybersecurity load.
Plus, as a former MSP owner myself, trust me when I share that when it hits the fan (and, sadly, it will) you want experts in your corner to help you deal with the situation.
I regularly ask the question Why do IT outsourcers not outsource more?
As the pace of cybersecurity threats becomes more than the majority of SMB-focused MSPs can handle, outsourcing is an obvious solution.
The bottom line here is, if you’re planning on “business as usual” in 2024, then you’re in for a rude awakening.
Conclusion
If there’s one constant in the world of IT Managed Services, it’s that everything changes.
As the owner of an IT Solutions Provider or Managed Service Provider (MSP) business, I’d highly recommend you get ahead of the curve and research the trends for MSPs in 2024.
Modern AI-based MSP applications might feel cutting edge, but they will very quickly be seen as standard fare.
Additionally, seek out a security partner today to help you manage your cybersecurity response.
One thing is for certain, though. Every Tuesday, like clockwork, you’ll hear from me in my MSP Insights email to the MSP community, and every Friday, without fail, you can check out the Tubbservatory with the top five resources to help your MSP grow. That’s not going to change. 🙂
What’s your opinion?
What do you think? Are there any AI-based tools that you think I should become aware of? What Cybersecurity changes are you seeing?
Leave a comment below or get in touch. I’m a real-human being and respond to every comment!
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Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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