AI isn’t the future—it’s already here.
At IT Nation Connect Global 2025, that reality was front and center as MSPs and IT leaders came together to explore how artificial intelligence and automation are transforming every facet of service delivery. Across keynotes, sessions, and community conversations, one message was clear: success in the years ahead won’t come from adopting more tools, it will come from mastering how people, processes, and platforms work together to create more scalable operations and new services.
Each keynote this year explored a different piece of that equation: from the strategic vision for the MSP of the future, to the innovation powering new efficiencies, to the leadership mindset that sustains growth. Together, they revealed a simple truth: the MSPs and IT teams who win in the age of AI will be the ones who combine advanced technology with disciplined, best-in-class operations.
IT Nation Connect Global 2025 by the numbers
- 4,000+ attendees, including 40% first-time attendees.
- 200+ breakout sessions and workshops, including 150+ speakers and 50+ Automation Hub sessions focused on AI, automation, and robotic process automation (RPA).
- 150+ exhibitors filled the Solutions Pavilion to showcase solutions powering the MSP ecosystem.
- Celebrated 25 years of IT Nation Evolve™. Thank you to Arlin Sorenson for being the mastermind behind it all.
- Celebrated 7 years of PitchIT with 22 startups participating. Congratulations to this year’s winner, Strategy Overview!
The state of the MSP industry
According to data from Service Leadership, Inc.®, a ConnectWise company, the managed services industry is in the middle of its most profitable six-year run ever.
- Industry average for managed services growth is 10.6%
- Best-in-class MSPs are averaging 23.4% adjusted EBITDA
- The bottom quartile are losing less money than ever, with 0.7% adjusted EBITDA
- 8% of partners reported losses last quarter, which is down sharply from two years ago
Revenue growth has stabilized after the rapid swings of the pandemic years. Despite overall improvement, 58% of MSPs are growing below the industry average, and nearly a quarter are flat or declining.
This widening gap highlights two clear trends:
- Operational maturity pays off. Providers investing in automation, operational maturity, and data-driven decision-making are capturing outsized gains, while those delaying transformation are falling behind.
- Growth follows reinvestment. Top-performing MSPs consistently reinvest at least 14.2% of gross margin dollars in sales and marketing and understand that this investment is critical to sustainable revenue growth.
The third curve jump: Automate-first era
As MSPs look to sustain growth and profitability, the next major transformation is already underway. Every industry experiences cycles of growth, plateau, and renewal. At IT Nation Evolve™, we call this curve jumping. Each jump represents a fundamental shift in how services are delivered, scaled, and monetized.
For managed services, the journey has unfolded in three distinct phases:
- 1995–2005: On-site-first, where success depended on proximity and response time to resolve customer issues.
- 2005–2024: Remote-first, driven by the onset of RMM tools that enabled scale, standardization, and remote delivery.
- 2024 and beyond: Automate-first, defined by AI, hyperautomation, and the emergence of intelligent digital agents.
When RMM was first introduced, best-in-class MSPs increased their service multiple of wages (W2 multiple that indicates services efficiency and profitability) by 5.6% between 2008 and 2012, compared to only 2.0% for the median and 1.7% for the bottom quartile. However, since 2013, service multiple of wages has declined due to wage inflation outpacing efficiency gains. Hyperautomation and AI now represent the next “curve jump.”
According to Service Leadership data, this shift to an “automate-first” mindset mirrors the RMM revolution. But this time, the efficiency gains are expected to be exponentially higher. Best-in-class MSPs could see up to a 21.6% improvement in service efficiency over the next five years as AI-driven agents and digital workers take on workflows once limited by human capacity.
This new automate-first era is where the most agile and forward-thinking providers will set themselves apart.
10 ways AI is reshaping MSPs
The world is entering the next industrial evolution (Industry 5.0) where humans and intelligent systems work side by side to accelerate innovation, creativity, and efficiency. Every employee in every business will soon oversee AI agents that help them work smarter, respond faster, and make better decisions.
AI is already reshaping every function of the MSP business model:
- Service delivery: Shifting from reactive tickets to proactive, predictive automated resolution.
- Monitoring: Evolving from static thresholds to continuous, AI-driven anomaly detection.
- Security: Advancing from rule-based defense to adaptive, autonomous detection and response.
- Knowledge management: Transforming static documentation into dynamic, AI-curated knowledge bases.
- Client experience: Moving from traditional communication channels to intelligent, conversational AI interfaces.
- Reporting: Replacing manual QBR prep with real-time, AI-generated insights.
- Resource planning: Optimizing technician scheduling and workload distribution with predictive modeling.
- Pricing and packaging: Shifting from per-seat billing to value and outcome-based models.
- Account management: Using AI to forecast renewals and identify new revenue opportunities.
- Strategic advisory: Positioning MSPs as partners in digital transformation, not just IT support providers.
Partner perspectives on AI in action
ConnectWise partners are already putting automation and AI to work in their businesses. Three leaders shared how their organization is navigating the shift to the automation-first era and what lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Peter Melby, CEO of New Charter Technologies
There’s a need to balance of risk and opportunity that comes with rapid technological change. He noted that as services evolve, MSPs must rethink how they create value, and that begins with keeping the customer first. For New Charter, success has come from building trust and agility into every engagement. “Technology will keep changing,” he explained, “but the constant is how we serve and connect with clients.”
Paul Mangano, Managing Director of Mangano IT
Leaning into the concept of curve jumping, his team recognizing that it was time to evolve and act decisively to embrace automation. He emphasized the importance of data hygiene and process consistency: “Our focus is on continuous improvement,” he said, “and AI helps us get there faster.”
Owen Whitlock, Group Head of IT Solutions at BDR
AI opportunities are growing within the customer base itself. His team focuses on identifying client pain points and areas of inefficiency or manual effort and how automation can address them. Through BDR lunch-and-learn series, they’ve been educating vertical-specific audiences on how AI can drive measurable results. “Understanding where our clients lose time and efficiency,” he said, “helps us design solutions that deliver real business value.”
These perspectives showed that the next leap in MSP maturity won’t come from technology alone. It will come from how leaders choose to integrate AI into the culture, processes, and strategy of their business, placing customers at the center and viewing innovation as a continuous journey, not a one-time project.
The platform for what’s next: ConnectWise Asio®
Major advancements across the ConnectWise Asio platform are addressing the future of the industry and giving our partners the tools to succeed. Unified data serves as the oxygen for AI, driving the automation, insight, and scalability that define the next generation of managed services.
Key innovations included:
- Asio platform evolution: Now supporting 7,000+ partners and nearly 3 million endpoints, Asio powers faster feature delivery, unified data orchestration, and shared services across all ConnectWise products.
- ConnectWise PSA™ powered by Asio: A fully modernized PSA experience with unified billing, adaptive layouts, granular permissions, and a transparent live progress tracker.
- ConnectWise RMM rebuild: A complete re-engineering of RMM in Asio delivering 1,200 out-of-the-box monitors, 300+ reusable scripts, biweekly patch validation, and unified network visibility.
- Third-party patch automation: Expanded catalog covering 7,000+ applications to close vulnerabilities and streamline compliance through automated patching.
- Integrated IT and security operations: Seamless connection between IT ops and security ops within Asio, uniting recovery, continuity, and threat response workflows.
- ConnectWise SIEM™ powered by Asio: Built on the Elastic Stack with 15+ new integrations, automated migration tools, and dedicated tenancy for advanced analytics.
- ConnectWise MDR™ enhancements: Introduction of a 15-minute triage SLA coming in Q1 2026, agentic automation for detection and response, and “proof of work” hero reports for transparent QBR insights.
- Agentic intelligence expansion: Embedded AI within ConnectWise Expert Services (NOC, SOC, Help Desk) to automate triage, classification, and remediation while keeping humans in the loop.
- Data-driven automation: RPA and AI-driven automation now leverage unified data to automate repetitive tasks, accelerate response, and improve decision-making across the platform.
- Commitment to transparency: A published six-month roadmap, live progress trackers, and partner feedback loops ensure open communication and continuous delivery.
Read the full product announcement recap blog for a deeper look at the latest innovations.
Lessons on leadership, resilience, and purpose from Gary Sinise
Gary Sinise is an award-winning actor best known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Dan in “Forrest Gump” and is the founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation, which serves veterans, first responders, and their families. His journey from Hollywood to humanitarian work delivers powerful lessons in leadership, purpose, and service.
- Leaders are made, not born: True leaders are shaped by experience through trial, error, and the willingness to learn along the way. “You learn from the wrong decisions,” he shared, “and those lessons, combined with your successes, build the confidence you need to lead.”
- Leading by example: Great leaders don’t stand above their teams; they stand with them. Never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. Leadership is not about titles or talent, it’s about character, humility, and the drive to serve.
- Family, legacy, and purpose: Legacy planning is important for family, philanthropy, and leadership. His foundation gave deeper meaning to his career when he turned fame into a platform for purpose.
The idea that “we always do a little more” captures Sinese’s leadership philosophy and the momentum that built his purpose and legacy. His story demonstrates that when leaders remain grounded, lead by example, and never stop learning, they can inspire lasting change and leave a meaningful legacy.
Conclusion: Built for what’s next
Each keynote delivered a different lens on what it means to be built for what’s next, from rethinking the MSP business model to how the Asio platform is fueling AI-driven innovation to reminders that resilience and purpose define great leadership.
As we look ahead, one truth remains constant: success in this next era of managed services will be driven by those who combine intelligence with integrity, innovation with purpose, and technology with the human spirit that powers it.
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