MSPs need to push through the AI fatigue and embrace its operational benefits
AI has moved well beyond the “emerging technology” phase and is now an operational requirement for MSPs. Rising service complexity, constant pressure to defend against evolving security threats, and tightening margins are leaving little room for inefficiency.
The time has come for MSPs to acknowledge that they will struggle to meet service level agreements through manual processes alone. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day or people available to deliver reactive support at scale. Continuing to rely on human-only workflows is not a badge of honour; it’s a bottleneck.
Skills shortages and cost constraints are also limiting the ability to scale support teams in line with customer demand, which is forcing MSPs to find new ways to maintain service quality and profitability
While predictions swirl about the “AI bubble bursting”, truth be told, AI is an opportunity for MSPs to scale their efficiency and consistency.
AI-driven automation is reshaping service desk operations, improving ticket triage and alert prioritization and reducing response times across IT operations and security. Indeed, 62% of MSPs recently said they can see a clear link between AI and operational efficiencies . AI enables MSP teams to focus on higher-impact work that improves customer outcomes and strengthens long-term relationships.
AI is a necessity for MSPs, not just a nice-to-have
What makes AI valuable is that it can automate the day-to-day grind without compromising service. AI, trained on language models and behavioral baselines, can spot security threats before human users, consistently, across thousands of messages a day. That’s not a theory; that’s already happening inside modern Integrated Cloud Email Security platforms.
The same is true for Entra ID and Microsoft 365 backup environments. AI-powered platforms can alert suspicious backup schedules, validate recovery integrity and isolate potentially poisoned restore points.
All critical identifiers as threat actors increasingly target identity and backup layers in ransomware chains.
These aren’t peripheral systems anymore, they’re prime targets. Modern ransomware campaigns often go straight for identity and backups, because once those layers are compromised, recovery becomes impossible and leverage swings entirely to the attacker.
Despite the documented benefits of using AI, many MSPs are still hesitant to embrace it. Some are skeptical of the AI’s maturity which leads to a fear of overpromising from vendors - platforms that tout “AI-powered” capabilities, but in reality deliver little more than basic automation. Others are wary of rising costs, complexity or compatibility with their existing tech stack. Then there’s the elephant in the room: tool sprawl.
Most MSPs are already managing a sprawling mix of Remote Monitoring & Management tools, ticketing systems, security stacks and backup platforms. The use of fragmented solutions makes it harder and costlier for MSPs to respond to threats, decreases visibility across systems, and increases vulnerability to sophisticated attacks that can spread across client networks via shared infrastructure.
The thought of introducing a standalone AI tool on top of these existing tools just adds to the chaos - another dashboard, another source of alerts, another system to manage.
The most effective way for MSPs to gain value from AI isn’t to chase the latest chatbot or invest in custom tooling. It’s to choose platforms that already embed AI into the services they deliver. That could be cybersecurity platforms that automatically detect and quarantine malicious email, or backup systems that flag anomalies in restoration patterns, or DNS filters that learn from web activity trends across tenants.
The fastest path to achieving value is to use AI that’s operational by design, not a separate initiative, but a built-in advantage.
Let’s use phishing protection as an example. Traditional anti-spam filters rely on static rules or signature-based detection. They can miss intent-based threats which have been deliberately crafted to impersonate internal communications or manipulate user behavior without using any known malicious malware or domains.
By automating threat detection and by integrating these capabilities across a single platform, MSPs can reduce admin overhead and focus on increasing customer satisfaction.
The use of AI needs to be closely managed
AI isn’t magic. It needs training, fine-tuning, strict governance and, importantly, human oversight. AI should be governed with the same rigor as you would with administrative users. Explicitly define what an AI tool can access, what actions it can initiate and which decisions require human approval.
The alternative of running modern MSP operations without AI is no longer sustainable to remain competitive. The truth is that customers don’t care how clever your internal processes are, what they care about is that support tickets get closed fast, cyber attacks are identified and stopped early before any damage is done, and that their data is securely protected without compromise. AI helps MSPs deliver that at scale efficiently and consistently.
Threats will continue to adapt and as they do, so will customer expectations. MSPs that embed AI into their core platforms will be the ones that scale, differentiate and start to lead the market. Those that don’t will find themselves stuck in a reactive mode - always behind, always overworked and perhaps always one breach away from losing a client.
In this market, resilience and responsiveness aren’t optional; they are essential!
About the author: James Griffin , CEO of CyberSentriq , an integrated cybersecurity and data protection platform purpose-built for Managed Service Providers. James took the helm as CEO of Redstor in March 2023, after serving as Chief Product Officer since 2019. With over two decades of experience, he has held senior leadership roles across multiple technology providers and sectors, spanning cloud infrastructure to software. Previously, as Chief Cloud Evangelist at Vodafone, he worked with CIOs of leading global companies to build and execute transformational cloud strategies. James brings deep expertise in designing and delivering critical operational and strategic transformation, and is now leading CyberSentriq through its next stage of growth while championing diversity, sustainability, and innovation across the organisation.
Edited by
Erik Linask
