AI and automation are “the new black.” Beyond operational benefits, these technologies open monetization avenues for MSPs, from licensing and management fees to project-based consulting. AI-driven tools can shorten timelines for repetitive tasks from weeks to minutes, fostering innovation and rekindling your team’s enthusiasm for technology.
In this MSP Success Roundtable, MSP business owners reveal their strategies for harnessing the power of AI and automation to revolutionize their operations and fuel business growth. Our guests highlight the tangible benefits they’ve achieved to date by embracing these transformative technologies, their future plans, and actionable tips for other MSPs.
This wide-ranging and lively discussion examines how these MSP business owners launched company-wide initiatives to use AI and automation in internal operations and client-facing services.
Getting Started With AI And Automation
Their recommendations on how to get started include the following:
Implementation Strategies
- Establish a Culture of Automation: Get employees involved in identifying mundane, repetitive tasks and documenting the workflow process.
- Dedicate Resources: Decide early whether to invest in building automation in-house or to partner with a specialist. Effective implementation requires time, staff, and financial commitment.
- Employ Iterative Testing: Regularly test workflows and AI-generated outputs to ensure reliability and avoid errors. Design modular, reusable components for scalability.
Monetization Potential For MSPs
- MSPs can offer AI and automation as value-added services, helping clients integrate and safely use these tools.
- Opportunities include recurring revenue (e.g., licensing and management fees) and project-based engagements for implementation and training.
- Educating clients about AI’s ROI and addressing security or compliance risks strengthens trust and positions MSPs as strategic partners.
The Power of “Wins”
Roundtable participant Stuart Bryan, president of I-M Technology, encourages MSPs to just get started and not worry about perfection. “When we started sharing the wins [with staff], that was when we really started to gain traction,” he notes. “[Our] biggest mistake was trying to get it perfect before we really brought it wider instead of trying to get more people involved and just showing the success and telling the ways we did the things.”
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The Takeaway: Put AI And Automation To Work Now
Strategic use of AI and automation in an MSP business can unlock new levels of efficiency and scalability. It can also improve the customer experience with consistent results and eliminate single points of failure. Finally, the technologies have the potential to open up new revenue streams.
Roundtable participant Shane Naugher, president of DaZZee I.T. Services, says there’s no time to waste. “I go back to when security operation centers were the decision point we all had to make. For us, we had to make the decision: Are we going to try to build a SOC ourselves internally or are we going to partner with someone? I think that’s the decision point that most MSPs have got to make now. Are you going to dedicate the time, the resources and the effort to build this or are you going to find a partner? You’ve got to make that decision soon because I think it’s going to happen quickly.”
In other words, if you’re not moving forward with an AI and automation strategy, your competitors will have the edge.
View the full discussion in the video above for all the ins and outs of putting AI and automation to work for your business.
