What to expect from an AI-driven MSP 

Big changes are ahead for IT managed service providers

Artificial Intelligence is set to revolutionize the way work is done, and the managed IT services provider (IT MSP) world is no exception. In fact, in a global survey of MSPs by Lansweeper, 76.4% of respondents said they expect AI-driven service offerings to contribute between 11% and 50% of their revenue in the next few years—and increase their operational efficiency by 20%. 

But what will this mean for the average company outsourcing all or part of their IT operations? Predictive maintenance? Self-healing systems? IT tickets being serviced start to finish by autonomous chat bots? 

In the near future, yes, quite possibly. But it’s early days for AI adoption. This same Lansweeper survey revealed that only 25% of respondents said they had AI-driven service platforms ready to unroll as client offerings.  

As the CIO at an MSP on its own AI service journey, I can confirm, there’s a lot of work to do to research, vet, train, and deploy around this new crop of game-changing, automated, AI/automation tools for our clients. The same is true for IT service management (ITSM) platforms MSPs use to serve those clients. 

The AI journey at Integris: What we’ve learned 

As a national MSP, we believe it’s important to stay at the forefront of AI deployment practices. So, we’ve worked hard to implement use –case-driven, measurable AI deployments of our own. It’s a journey we are by no means finished making, but so far, we are excited by the results.   

In just 12 months, we reconfigured our workforce to focus on the industries we serve—including banking, legal, and manufacturing– and implemented new AI-enabled tools and processes to improve service. We’ve seen a measurable impact across efficiency, customer experience, and resource optimization. We saved more than 14,000 hours—the equivalent of 88 full-time employees—by deploying more than 100 automations that handle routine tasks.  

Each automation run is tracked, with time savings applied directly to our metrics, ensuring transparency and accountability. Our AI-powered subject matter experts (SME) agents have also accelerated information retrieval and enhanced customer interactions. These agents have allowed our engineers to focus on high-impact, strategic work rather than repetitive tasks, resulting in faster resolution times and a more robust, tailored client experience.  

As this is occurring, we’ve been building processes and expertise that will allow us to offer an AI consultancy for our clients, helping them with the finer points of implementing AI automation in their own systems. We’re excited about where this is taking us. Expect to hear more from us as we unroll AI consulting packages soon. 

While hype abounds around AI in general, MSPs have a lot to gain from the technology. When AI matures, it will allow MSPs to achieve the holy grail in the service business: a data-driven, proactive consultancy. The benefits of managed IT services have never looked better. 

Here are my predictions for the premium MSP service upgrades you should expect to see coming in the industry. 

Eight ways AI/BI will change how an IT MSP delivers client service 

No. 1: Sentiment analysis that lowers costs and paves the way for proactive service 

For the record, most managed service providers pride themselves on trying to stay one step ahead of client needs, finding opportunities to flag waste or anticipate new strategies to stay compliant. But this next generation of ITSM tools will allow MSPs to be proactive in ways they couldn’t have imagined before. 

Providers like ConnectWise, Halo, and ServiceNow are good examples of what AI can do for the customer service process. MSPs can use their artificial intelligence to parse incoming help desk calls and analyze written IT tickets for sentiment analysis. They look at the request’s specifics and the level of distress the user demonstrates. This helps them separate the truly urgent tickets from less-urgent issues. Tickets get moved through the queue faster, and AI can offer a suggested course of service action to help desk staff before they even reach out to the client. 

In addition to the urgency, it is a powerful way to enhance customer service, improve team efficiency, gain critical business insights, or highlight issues that may put a client at risk. 

Put simply, AI can help your IT service desk staff listen better and respond faster. I predict that MSPs using this technology can cut their response time down by at least 20% and ensure that truly risky and difficult tickets achieve resolution at the lowest possible cost. With more advanced automation, we could see turnaround times reduced by 50% in the not-too-distant future. 

No. 2: AI that handles much of the manual tasks of low-level help desk personnel and L1 engineers 

Imagine a day where your help desk personnel can rely on an AI engine to fully handle routine tasks like employee onboarding/offboarding, activating new software licenses, and employee password resets or system reboots. Tasks that used to take 30 minutes can now take five, freeing help desk staff to focus on more difficult service requests. 

According to recent case studies from industry watchdogs like Forrester, early adopters of AI service desks are showing dramatic results, some finding that half to two thirds of their incoming requests can be handled by AI driven agents. 

This will likely have a profound impact on how MSPs staff and train help desk service engineers. Lower-level staff, for instance, could be hired with less initial education, because AI scripts can help guide and train them more quickly. This will also allow engineers to move up the competence scale faster. With AI giving them access to advanced system metrics and advising them on next steps, they can graduate to more complex tasks and advanced consulting that can truly make a difference for clients. 

Does this mean that MSPs will reduce head count? For some, possibly. But I believe the smart providers will use this as an opportunity for upskilling and providing clients with more meaningful, strategic support. In an age where more MSPs might have access to enterprise-grade, AI-enhanced ITSM tools, service quality and strategic consulting will be the only way to stand out in the marketplace.  

No. 3: Predictive maintenance that fixes problems before they start 

AI can play an important role in system maintenance, being the eyes and ears of your MSP that sees all parts of your system. High-end, integrated monitoring systems have been around for a while, but the big transition will come when AI agents are actively addressing problems without the need for human intervention at all.  

AI can see patterns developing long before they’d be noticed otherwise. They can act fast with directives such as the following: 

• Predicting server failures based on historical data, and recommending immediate replacement 

• Installing patches as notifications come in from hardware/software companies  

• Remediating cybersecurity threats found through endpoint detection tools and other monitoring software 

• Automatically generating remediation reports customized to your compliance regimen 

In the future, AI will take care of routine tasks, eliminate administrative bottlenecks, and free up MSP staff for more strategic work. 

No. 4: IT MSP services better tailored for your specific industry segment, with automated compliance 

If you run a smaller company, you may be resigned to getting whatever service you can afford from an MSP down the street. But with AI, more MSPs than ever will be able to provide customized AI solutions designed specifically for your industry segment. This is particularly true for highly regulated industries such as banking, healthcare, or government manufacturing, as a start. 

In my position at Integris, I can confirm this to be true. We are reorganizing and dedicating our service teams to customers within each industry, so we can serve their industry in a focused and collaborative way. I expect more MSPs will look for tools to help them provide this level of customized service in the future. 

As you’re shopping for an MSP, look for ones that can automatically generate monitoring and remediation reports customized to what regulators will be looking for in your annual reviews. They should also be able to easily vet whatever industry-specific productivity and business intelligence tools you’re considering, based on an extensive knowledge of your industry’s best cybersecurity practices. If they have industry-specific service desk and engineering staff that can understand your vertical, even better. 

No. 5:  Strategic data governance consulting will become the gold standard for MSPs 

Excitement for the current AI wave is high, as it should be. But some recent statistics should give any IT leader pause. According to a recent analysis from MIT, 95% of company-wide AI launches in 2025 are failing to produce the desired result. S&P Global Market Intelligence found similar dissatisfaction, with 42% of businesses opting to scrap their AI-driven projects in 2025—a number that’s risen from just 17% in 2024.  

Poorly trained algorithms and immature AI engines could certainly be a part of the problem. But AI systems are only as smart as the data they’re being fed. Sadly, most companies don’t police their data storage, management, and permission levels well enough to offer up the right pool of information to their AI agents. 

This will make premium MSPs with data governance consulting the gold standard for the industry. They’ll be able to guide their clients through what they need to do on the front end, so they can plan a proper AI launch. They can walk clients through their permissioning and data leveling programs, create controlled tests, and handle employee training, as well. 

No. 6: Enhanced cloud data optimization that flexes around your usage levels, managed by AI 

Many companies experience big peaks and valleys in their cloud data usage, especially when running systems to support high-data security pursuits such as online shopping/banking, or the demands of a manufacturing facility. AI can help those businesses create variable capacity systems that flex when they need it—so they never waste money on cloud capacity they’re not using. While it’s making your network run faster and safer, AI can ensure the right data is getting saved to redundant cloud backup, too. 

The business world is clearly seeing the possibilities. According to the “Multi-Cloud Optimization Tools Global Market” report, the market for these AI driven network management tools will grow to $19.25 billion in 2025, up 18.5% from 2024. The entry of major players such as Microsoft Cost Management + Billing, Google Vertex AI, and AWS Cost Explorer into this space shows these tools are going mainstream. Find an MSP who can help you navigate this new world and use the information it gleans to make all the right moves for your data. 

No. 7: Rise of fractional CIOs and CISOs 

The tools available to IT leadership are more diverse and customizable than ever. Because of this, companies of every size will need IT leadership that truly understands data governance and has their vendors on speed dial. Virtual chief information officers (vCIOs) can step into the gap, providing visibility into industry best practices while they strategically incorporate AI into your tool stacks. Fractional chief information security officers (vCISOs) can do the same from the compliance and security side, making sure all of your business intelligence, monitoring, written security policies, and security reporting are up to the standards of regulators.  

No. 8: Customer service portals customized with business intelligence 

One of the greatest advantages of AI is its ability to surface meaningful, customized data that can be used to make better business decisions. This has tremendous potential for MSPs, allowing them to become the truly trusted advisers they’ve always wanted to be. Expect to see this playing out in more sophisticated client dashboards which will allow you to see your organization’s custom key performance indicators, tracked in real time. Now is the time to have those conversations with your MSP partner to decide what data is most important to your business growth, and plan accordingly. 

Let your IT MSP be your partner for AI success 

Would you like to resolve tickets faster, while also significantly reducing your ticket volume?  Would you like to cut routine tasks and free up your staff and MSP partners to work on higher-level strategic opportunities? Would you like to tap into your data in ways that will drive your business innovation and productivity? 

AI can do all these things, but only if you have a deep bench of strategic advisers helping prepare your organization for the road ahead. The right partner can take you there and help you realize the benefits of managed IT services. Is your organization ready for the ride?