- Banks face economic uncertainty given factors such as unpredictability about U.S. policy on tariffs and interest rates, tighter bank margins, and increasing competition from other financial institutions.
- To differentiate and compete, banks can turn to technology to boost customer experience, bolster cybersecurity, improve operational efficiency, and increase return on assets.
- Here’s how financial institutions can increase their competitiveness and operational efficiency with managed service providers—without breaking the bank.
Table of contents:
- Introduction
- How does an MSP work with banks? Boosting return on assets
- How MSPs can improve banks’ cybersecurity
- How AI is changing banking
Introduction: Economic uncertainty prevails for banks–but so does IT investment
As 2025 progresses, banks and other financial institutions are navigating a complex landscape, including uncertainty about Federal Reserve policy on interest rates and a rapidly changing regulatory environment.
With challenges such as high interest rates and tighter lending practices, banks need to deploy technology to create friction-free, secure digital touchpoints for customers and to achieve efficient operations. At the same time, an uncertain economy has left the banking industry, like others, unsure about the near term: 92% of banks surveyed reporting “economic uncertainty” a top five driver of current IT spending, according to the Integris report “Understanding U.S. Banks’ Annual IT Spend in 2025.”
Banks know they need technology to digitize. Digital modernization will help banks, in turn, boost customer experience with digital banking capabilities, bolster cybersecurity, and improve operational efficiency, they need to justify the cost of spending on managed providers. And according to Deloitte, thriving in a lower-growth environment may require tough choices. Banks will need to operate even more efficiently and make sound decisions. IT management is one area where banks can potentially improve efficiency surrounding expenditures.
Managed service providers can provide consistent, high-quality 24/7/365 IT support as well as strategic IT guidance to banks as they navigate cyberthreats, compliance regulations, and ever-increasing competitive demands of their industry.
Data supports the fact that managed service providers help banks up their game in challenging times. According to recent data, organizations that partner with MSPs report significant improvements in their operational efficiency–of up to 65%.
In this guide, we explore how financial institutions can work most efficiently and cost-effectively with MSPs—ultimately helping them become more operationally efficient while improving their return on assets (ROA). We also explore how managed service providers help banks ward off malicious cyberthreats, protect valuable PII, navigate regulatory requirements, and become more competitive in their industry. Finally, we explore some of the opportunities and challenges of AI in the banking industry. Read on to learn how MSPs help improve banks’ return on assets.
How does an MSP work with banks? Boosting return on assets
Working with managed service providers can help financial institutions up their game, but banks should educate themselves about some of the key elements of the relationship. Banks should work with MSPs to assess their environment to understand how their IT landscape can help or hinder their business objectives. Banks should also be prepared to develop and sign agreements with their MSP. Read on to learn more about how to get most out of your managed service provider relationship.
IT assessments for financial institutions
Managed service providers can equip your organization with powerful knowledge in the form of an IT assessment. An IT assessment examines your IT infrastructure holistically and provides a picture of how it affects your business goals.
“When IT is done right from an MSP, the banks staff is more productive and more focused on tasks that bring in customers or improve operations,” says Cal Roberson, vice president of the financial institution division at Integris.
Check out more on MSPs and IT assessments
What to ask before your bank signs an MSP agreement for IT
Ask these questions to know whether an MSP is up to the challenge of working in the highly regulated banking environment. From the extent of help desk help to other banks the MSP works with to the bank’s compliance operations.
Check out more on what to know before you sign an MSP agreement
Paid IT assessments: Why they’re worth It for community banks
While your bank’s executive team may not be keen to spend money for an IT assessment, this analysis will pay you back through smoother onboarding, better planning and implementation, and overall better system optimization.
Considering a paid IT assessment? Learn more here.
Why banks fail their FFIEC audit: The mismatch between cybersecurity policy and procedure
A failure to manage the intersection of cybersecurity policies and procedures can have real-world impact. A mismatch can cause cascading effects for your cybersecurity posture.
Six reasons banks need managed IT
From complying with regulatory requirements to improving a bank’s cybersecurity posture, here are six reasons financial institutions are turning to managed service providers for assistance in managing IT.
Here’s why banking can benefit from managed IT providers.
How MSPs can improve banks’ cybersecurity
Banks’ cybersecurity posture is critical to success with clients as well as their resilience in a competitive landscape. Eighty-four percent of respondents to the “Bank Director’s 2025 Risk Survey,” cite cybersecurity as a top risk for their institution, and Integris data indicates that 70% of banks are spending more on cybersecurity.
Top five cybersecurity threats facing community banks in 2025
In a recent survey, 70% of banks in the U.S. are spending more on their cybersecurity in 2025. If you truly want your bank to have future-focused, compliant cybersecurity, think holistically about your entire information technology portfolio. Here are the five major cybersecurity threats banks are facing in 2025, and how to address them.
Learn more about the key cybersecurity threats for banks in 2025.
2025 predictions: Where the smart money will be spent in bank cybersecurity
In our latest Integris special report, Understanding US Banks Annual IT Spend in 2025, we surveyed over 1,000 bank executives in US banks with $3 million to $20 billion in assets.
Here are some of the highlights from the report:
- No bank said it was cutting its IT budget.
- 88% said they plan to increase IT spending by at least 10% in 2025.
- 52% felt they needed to spend more on IT.
- 86% said that cybersecurity was a top concern and their biggest area of budget increases.
How AI is changing banking
A global survey revealed that a significant majority of financial institutions are actively deploying or in the process of deploying generative AI tools. While 64% of respondents said it was primarily to improve customer experience, 58% cited enhancing customer service functions, and 55% aimed to improve internal productivity. At the same time, the survey also indicated that respondents don’t trust AI, with only 27% of respondents saying they trust AI for such advice.
Updating our bank’s security Training for the age of AI
Initial experiments place overall AI-driven productivity gains for the U.S. economy at between 8% and 36%, according to a recent release from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. There are key bank security training strategies you can implement now to prepare your employees for the AI-enabled future.
Learn more about strategies for an AI-enabled future.
AI readiness for banks: Preparing Your cybersecurity for the advances to come
While there are many instances when it pays to be a “late adopter” of new tech, the AI boom is not one of them.
Prepare your cybersecurity strategy for AI.
AI for Banks: What to Expect and How to Prepare
According to data, 68% of community banks are exploring or implementing AI solutions to enhance customer experience and streamline operations.
Here’s how to think about AI for banking.
For more information on managed services for financial institutions, click here.
