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MSPs Are Uniquely Positioned for the AI Future — If They Act Now

· 5 min read
Cameron Rohn
Cameron Rohn
cameronrohn.com

Here's what I keep coming back to after every MSP conversation about AI: you've already done this before.

Cloud and Hybrid changed the architecture of IT Infrastructure. It expanded the edge. It blurred the lines of what MSPs take ownership of for their clients. And the MSPs who moved first — who built competency before the market demanded it — are the ones who thrived.

AI is the same pattern. Different technology, same playbook.

The MSP Advantage Nobody's Talking About​

MSPs have spent decades building exactly the capabilities that AI deployment demands: managing complexity across heterogeneous environments, enforcing policy at scale across single-tenancy deployments, adapting through constant technological change, and translating abstract technology into business outcomes for non-technical buyers.

MIT Sloan's 2026 outlook on AI and work highlights the shift from AI experimentation to viable solutions at scale. The emphasis is on finding real ROI from generative AI and AI agents — not through moonshot projects, but through disciplined deployment into existing workflows. That's literally what MSPs do for a living.

The 96% of MSPs who believe delivering AI support is a priority for growth in 2026 aren't wrong. But "priority" and "prepared" are different things.

The Compliance Moat​

Here's where it gets interesting for MSPs who want to differentiate. The compliance landscape is about to create a natural moat for organizations that invest in governance early.

Colorado's AI Act enforcement begins June 30, 2026. The EU AI Act Commission enforcement powers activate August 2, 2026. Nearly half of US states are proposing or adopting AI governance legislation — 1,208 bills introduced in 2025 alone, 145 enacted. Cyber insurers are introducing AI Security Riders requiring documented governance practices.

For MSPs, this isn't just a compliance burden. It's a services opportunity. Your SMB clients — especially those in regulated industries — are going to need help navigating this. They don't have the internal capacity to build AI governance programs, monitor compliance across multiple jurisdictions, or prepare for AI-specific insurance requirements.

You already do this for them in cybersecurity. AI governance is the next extension of that trusted advisor role.

The Insurance Parallel​

I keep drawing this parallel because it's so instructive. Remember when Advanced Threat Protection and SIEM were viewed as expensive, "nice-to-have" technologies for large organizations? That lasted until cyber insurance companies started taking massive losses and made them coverage requirements.

The same pattern is forming with AI governance:

  1. Early adopters implement governance voluntarily (where we are now)
  2. Major incidents expose gaps in organizations without controls
  3. Insurers adjust underwriting criteria to require governance
  4. What was optional becomes table stakes

We're somewhere between steps 1 and 2. The MSPs who build ISO/IEC 42001 alignment, document their AI risk management practices, and help clients do the same will be ahead of the curve when insurers move to step 3.

Three Moves to Make Now​

1. Audit your AI surface area. Not just the tools you've intentionally deployed, but the shadow AI your team and your clients are already using. ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini — these are in your environments whether you've sanctioned them or not. Understanding the current state is step one.

2. Build governance into the foundation. Don't wait for an incident or a compliance deadline. Start with a lightweight AI use policy, document your risk assessment process, and establish controls around data handling. ISO/IEC 42001 provides a comprehensive framework, but even a simple internal standard is better than nothing.

3. Package governance as a service. Your clients need this. Most SMBs won't build AI governance programs themselves, just like most didn't build their own cybersecurity programs. This is a natural extension of your existing managed security services — AI risk assessments, policy management, compliance monitoring, and incident response planning for AI-specific scenarios.

The Opportunity Window​

The global MSP market grew approximately 13% in 2025. Growth is projected to accelerate through 2026. But growth without governance is a liability waiting to materialize.

The 2026 Channel Partners Conference & Expo (April 13-16 in Las Vegas) has already built its programming slate around AI, cybersecurity, and the operational shifts they demand. Every major MSP vendor — ConnectWise, N-able, Datto — is embedding AI into their platforms. The market is moving.

The question isn't whether MSPs will adopt AI. It's whether they'll adopt it on their terms — with governance, with intentionality, with the same rigor they apply to everything else in their stack — or whether they'll be reactive, scrambling to catch up when the compliance deadlines hit and the insurance renewals come due.

If you've been doing this work for more than a few years, you already know the answer. The MSPs who move now are the ones who'll be teaching everyone else how it's done in two years.

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