Technology is no longer a differentiator for managed service providers (MSPs) — the next phase of growth for MSPs will be about understanding the customer’s business — and to get there they will need business growth support.
This will help them evolve from technical operators into trusted advisors, said Kaseya senior vice president of MSP enablement APAC Shaun Witherden.
“One of the biggest challenges MSPs continue to face is business growth. In our MSP benchmarking reports, around 71 per cent identify marketing and customer acquisition as their primary business hurdle”
“Today, websites need to do much more than look good—they need to generate leads. One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is the transition from traditional SEO to what some people refer to as Answer Engine Optimisation, or AEO.”
AI platforms like ChatGPT and Claude increasingly influence how people discover businesses, Witherden noted.
“MSPs need websites that are structured in ways that allow those AI tools to surface their content,” he said. “We’ve spent a lot of time working with partners to understand whether their businesses appear when someone asks AI tools questions such as, “Who’s the best MSP in Melbourne?”
“If you’re selling into a specific vertical and you already understand that industry, you should know many of the customer’s pain points before they even raise them. That allows you to have much higher-value conversations.”
Creating a mature business
Witherden argued that operational maturity helps MSPs strengthen existing customer relationships while creating opportunities to win new business.
It also enables providers to run more structured and scalable operations, invest in staff development and focus on strategic business growth rather than constantly reacting to day-to-day demands.
This becomes increasingly important as MSPs navigate external pressures, including growing interest in AI, rising cybersecurity threats and customers looking to reduce IT spend.
“We’re seeing a similar shift with AI to what we saw years ago when cybersecurity became a major focus,” Witherden said. “MSPs don’t necessarily need to be AI experts, but they do need enough knowledge to identify opportunities, ask the right questions, and guide customers toward outcomes.
“If you’re operating in isolation, it’s very difficult to keep up with changes in AI, security, regulation, compliance, and business strategy. AI governance is becoming increasingly important as well.”
Witherden recently spoke with an MSP that achieved AI-related ISO certification and is already using that accreditation to win business.
“Customers are actively looking for evidence that providers understand AI governance, risk management, and compliance,” he said. “Just as we spent years educating customers about phishing attacks and cybersecurity awareness, we’ll need similar education around AI.
“Businesses need to understand that information entered into AI systems may be retained, processed, or used in unexpected ways.”
This elevates security from a technical requirement to a business imperative, at a time when new business generation remains critical to growth.
“We’re also seeing customers reduce IT budgets in some cases, which is concerning,” observed Witherden. “Our role as MSPs is to help customers understand that technology investment isn’t an optional expense.
“Through security, AI, automation, and productivity improvements, we need to demonstrate clear business value.”
Having the capability to focus beyond technical metrics, will provide MSPs with that ability to conducting regular business reviews customers. This will help them explore operational challenges, business goals, and opportunities to improve efficiency.
“Those conversations create stronger customer relationships and make customers far less likely to consider alternative providers,” Witherden said.
Source: ARNnet
