Couldn’t make it to The MSP501 Summit this year? No problem — our team was there. Jacci Robinson, our VP of Go to Market Growth, joined a panel on the future of managed services, and Jerry Villacres, Partner Manager was in the audience capturing insights from keynotes and breakouts. Together, they came back with the highlights you’ll want to know without sitting through every session.
The big theme? Managed services are in the middle of a once-in-a-generation shift. Industry veterans describe it as the start of a 20-year “AI arc” — a wave as transformative as the move to client-server in the 90s and cloud in the 2000s.
For Anunta, the event carried special significance. We were honored to be ranked among the MSP501 Top 100 providers and nominated for an AI Innovator award. But more important than recognition is what these industry changes mean for customers — CIOs, IT directors, and teams on the front lines of digital workspaces.
Here are the five takeaways that that stuck with our team:
Almost every conversation at the Summit circled back to AI. Channel Futures reported that for the majority of MSP501 providers, AI is now central to both internal operations and customer delivery (Channel Futures).
The most common use cases weren’t flashy. They were pragmatic:
We’ve seen this firsthand at Anunta. Early chatbot pilots didn’t resonate with users — they wanted problems solved, not scripted conversations. That’s why we’ve doubled down on self-healing automation, where AI prevents issues before they impact end-users.
And there’s proof these investments pay off. Synoptek, an MSP, reported that AI-powered observability reduced alert noise by 80% and trimmed cloud costs by 20% (LogicMonitor).
AI isn’t “coming soon.” It’s here, and customers increasingly expect it to be embedded in their MSP relationship.
A major theme was that IT leaders aren’t buying products anymore — they’re buying outcomes.
Research shows there are 28 touchpoints between a prospect’s first search and full adoption of a solution. Deals aren’t won at the point of sale — they’re won (or lost) much earlier, often around touchpoint 12.
Jay McBain of Canalys highlighted that over half of MSPs now charge for consulting and design, and a third manage full implementations (Channel Futures). MSPs are moving upstream: from resellers to architects, integrators, and lifecycle partners.
Jacci Robinson put it plainly during her panel:
‘…our impetus [with AI] was mostly on the end user experience: how do we prevent the problem from even happening?’ That mindset shifts the focus from transactions like tickets to outcomes like seamless productivity.”
If you’re still judging MSPs by who can “close the deal,” you’re missing the real story. The MSPs that matter are the ones delivering ongoing value across the lifecycle.
One of the most surprising stats: the managed services industry is now 1.5× bigger than SaaS (all 150,000+ SaaS companies combined) and 1.5× bigger than hyperscalers like AWS, Microsoft, and Google (Channel Futures).
That puts MSPs in rare company. We’re not side players — we’re the backbone of enterprise IT. With 82% of organizations outsourcing some or all of their IT, and most planning to increase that spend in 2026, the role of MSPs is only growing.
If you’re an IT leader, your MSP isn’t just another vendor. They’re a critical partner in how you build resilience and scale.
Historically, MSPs were judged on one thing: who “closed the deal.” That’s changing.
Today, vendors are starting to recognize the broader set of contributions MSPs make — design, integration, renewals, customer success — and they’re putting money behind it. More than 400 vendors now run incentive programs that reward partners for these lifecycle contributions ().
This evolution mirrors what customers already know: MSPs don’t just sell technology; they make it work, keep it running, and help it adapt over time.
Anunta’s inclusion in the MSP501 Top 100 and our AI Innovator nomination reflect this broader definition of value.
Recognition is catching up to reality: MSPs deliver value across the lifecycle, not just at the register.
The optimism at the Summit was tempered by plenty of reality checks. Economic pressure, talent shortages, and cybersecurity threats were recurring themes.
One pressing issue: the coming Windows 10 end of life (EOL) in October 2025. Microsoft will end support on October 14, 2025 (Synetic Technologies). The ripple effects are massive:
This isn’t just a licensing issue — it’s a budget and risk issue. CIOs need to plan now to refresh devices, ensure app compatibility, and avoid the ballooning costs of clinging to unsupported infrastructure.
On the AI side, it’s easy to get caught up in hype. But a recent MIT Sloan study found that 95% of organizations reported no return from early GenAI projects (MIT Sloan). That doesn’t mean AI isn’t valuable — it means discipline matters. Jacci shared in the panel she shared, “This isn’t really a tools conversation — it starts with frameworks. And it starts with data. If your data isn’t clean, your AI will misfire. You’ve got to get that right first.”
The MSPs who thrive will be the ones who pair bold ideas with disciplined execution — helping customers manage risks while still pushing forward.
Looking beyond the Summit, a few trends are especially important to keep on your radar:
The future of managed services is being written right now. It’s about AI as a foundation, outcomes over transactions, and lifetime customer value.
For us, being recognized among the MSP501 Top 100 and nominated for an AI Innovator award was a proud moment. But more than that, it reinforced that Anunta’s focus — blending AI innovation with customer-centric delivery — is aligned with where the industry is headed.
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