Customer demand for AI is accelerating, and many small and midsized businesses (SMBs) are moving quickly to capture value from tools such as Microsoft Copilot. The key to successfully doing so is ensuring AI is deployed on top of a strong security foundation with the right identity controls, data permissions, and governance in place. That’s where managed service providers (MSPs) can lead with secure AI readiness: by helping customers operationalize best practices, then roll out AI in a way that’s measurable, compliant, and built to scale.
To support MSPs, Microsoft® and the ConnectWise Partner Program™ delivered a coordinated enablement series, including the IT Nation Connect Global™ pre-day workshop, “From Campaign to Close: Supercharging MSP Growth with Sales, Marketing, and AI.” This was followed by the “Drive Success with AI” bootcamp and an interactive webinar designed to give MSPs a clear path to introduce secure AI, modernize client security layers, and accelerate go-to-market activities.
Create a repeatable “secure AI readiness” offer
AI adoption is already happening, often informally, and the risk is that data access, identities, and unsanctioned tools can scale faster than controls. Microsoft threat intelligence reinforces why this matters now: 67% of all phishing attacks now use some form of AI, making it easier for attackers to create convincing lures and accelerate social engineering.
How to take it to market
During the IT Nation Connect Global pre-day session, we discussed how to turn secure AI into a repeatable go-to-market motion:
- Start with an AI readiness assessment to help customers adopt AI responsibly: The ConnectWise Partner Program offers an SMB AI assessment to help you quickly determine where a customer is on their AI journey and what needs to be addressed first.
- Establish minimum governance guardrails: AI transformation brings new data risk, regulations continue to evolve, and protecting data in the era of AI can become complicated, especially when data classification isn’t consistent. Put identity controls, data permissions, and basic governance practices in place before you scale usage.
- Build an adoption pilot plan to make Copilot outcomes measurable: Identify three to five role-based use cases, define success metrics, and build a full rollout plan for broader deployment.
- Stand out with ready-to-run marketing: Take advantage of six-month white-labeled marketing campaigns, including “No Better Time to Secure AI” available in the ConnectWise Partner Program, which offers a customizable landing page, email sequences, and a follow-up email journey.
Turn Microsoft security and compliance into standardized SMB packages
Many SMBs want stronger security and compliance outcomes but don’t have the time or appetite for a piecemeal tool approach. That’s why one of the most actionable takeaways from the Microsoft sessions and bootcamp was this: standardization wins.
MSPs can also reference Microsoft’s Modern SecOps approach for SMBs, which outlines how security operations, identity protection, and data governance align within a unified operating model. This framework helps partners standardize their own service delivery and show customers how security foundations support responsible AI adoption.
During the post-IT Nation Connect Global bootcamp, “Drive Success with AI,” Microsoft highlighted three SMB-ready offers
- Microsoft Defender for Business Premium, positioned as the starter package
- Microsoft Purview Suite for Business Premium, suggested as a step-up package when customers need more robust coverage
- Defender and Purview Bundle, which offers a cost-effective way to offer comprehensive coverage under one SKU
Pro tip: To make these packages easier to launch, MSPs can leverage the “No Better Time to Secure AI” white-labeled marketing campaign to create demand. Just make sure to adjust the call to action to promote your standardized bundles or request a consultation.
Make Copilot adoption measurable and billable
Many SMBs are excited about Microsoft Copilot, but without a plan, Copilot adoption can quickly turn into one of two outcomes: licenses with low usage or usage without guardrails. This opens the opportunity for MSPs to lead the middle ground: secure deployment, real adoption, and outcomes leadership can measure.
That message was reinforced in the IT Nation Connect Global session, “Unlock the Power of AI with Microsoft Copilot and Agents.” Copilot becomes transformative when it’s paired with practical governance and enablement, so users know what to do, what not to do, and how success will be measured.
How to operationalize Copilot adoption
- Define “Copilot boundaries” up front: Establish what content Copilot should access today, what needs cleanup first, and what should remain restricted until governance matures. This reduces risk and improves answer quality.
- Position permission hygiene as a productivity unlock: Copilot is only as helpful as the access and content structure behind it. A focused permissions and content cleanup phase makes Copilot more accurate, more reliable, and safer to scale.
- Make governance part of the service, not an afterthought: As Copilot expands to more users and departments, consistent data handling practices and oversight become the difference between “helpful” and “chaotic.”
- Create an “adoption and outcomes” review cadence: Offer monthly or quarterly check-ins that track adoption by role, identify top-performing use cases, and surface expansion opportunities, especially where agents can automate repeatable workflows.
Microsoft’s Skilling Hub can help partners deepen their technical skills and support customer enablement with structured learning paths for AI, security, and modern work scenarios. It provides a centralized place to build readiness across sales, technical, and deployment roles.
Introduce the new Microsoft 365 Copilot for Business SKUs
At Ignite, Microsoft introduced new Copilot for Business SKUs created for organizations with fewer than 300 seats. This update came directly from MSP feedback. Many partners asked for AI-ready licensing options that fit the needs of SMBs and reduce friction during early adoption. Microsoft responded by refining the lineup so MSPs can guide customers through secure AI readiness with clearer entry points.
What’s new
Microsoft released several SMB-focused options that support structured AI adoption.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Business
A streamlined Copilot option that fits common SMB licensing scenarios and keeps deployment straightforward.
- Business Basic with Copilot Business
Helps small teams begin with practical AI support in everyday productivity tasks.
- Business Standard with Copilot Business
Supports collaboration-heavy workflows where AI can improve communication and daily operations.
- Business Premium with Copilot Business
The strongest fit for MSPs because identity, device management, and security controls are already in place, making secure AI adoption easier to operationalize.
These SKUs give MSPs more flexibility when guiding customers through the early stages of secure AI. They also reduce the gap between where many SMBs are today and what is required to adopt AI responsibly.
Why this matters for MSPs
The new Copilot for Business options align closely with the steps outlined earlier in this playbook. They support:
- A clearer starting point for secure AI readiness
- Standardized deployment frameworks that align with ConnectWise Partner Program guidance
- Consistent governance practices that scale as AI use expands
- Measurable outcomes tied to role-based use cases
- A smoother path from Copilot usage to workflow automation with agents
For MSPs, these SKUs show how Microsoft is evolving the licensing model to support SMB needs. The ConnectWise Partner Program complements this by giving MSPs assessments, campaigns, and enablement content to bring these changes to market with structure and speed.
Microsoft also published a Copilot for Business launch kit that includes sales guidance, customer-facing materials, and adoption resources.
For more details on the new SKUs, see Microsoft’s announcement blog.
Expand Copilot into Agents and workflow automation
Many SMBs will start with Copilot as a productivity assistant, but the bigger, longer-term opportunity comes when AI moves from “help me do this faster” to “help this work happen automatically.” Copilot can drive individual productivity, but as usage matures, the next step is leveraging agents to create repeatable processes and workflows across the business.
How to position it without overwhelming customers
- Start where the work is repetitive: Look for high-volume, high-friction tasks, such as ticket triage, user onboarding/offboarding steps, recurring reporting, monthly patching/compliance checklists, and customer communications.
- Frame agents as a governed workflow layer: Agents shouldn’t be “set it and forget it.” They should operate with clear boundaries, approvals, and visibility, so customers gain speed and control.
- Make it iterative: Sell “one workflow at a time” rather than “AI transformation.” It lowers risk and accelerates wins.
Use renewals and QBRs as your easiest expansion moments
Customers don’t always have time for “another initiative,” but renewals and QBRs are already scheduled moments where they expect strategic guidance. When you connect AI usage to business outcomes, and pair it with the right security and governance, the conversation shifts from “new technology” to “measurable business impact.”
How to put it into practice
- Make renewals a “secure AI checkpoint”: Use the renewal window to review what’s changed, such as AI adoption, data exposure risk, or evolving threats, and align on what guardrails need to be in place before AI scales further.
- Use your QBR as the outcomes dashboard: Report on adoption by role, top-performing use cases, and concrete wins, such as time saved, quality improvements, and faster turnaround, then recommend the next 90-day plan.
- Present a clear expansion ladder: Tie recommendations to a simple progression customers understand. Secure foundation → Copilot adoption → agents/workflow automation → ongoing optimization.
- Keep the next step easy: The CTA isn’t “buy more.” It’s “approve the next phase,” whether that’s an adoption expansion, governance uplift, or workflow automation pilot.
The MSP opportunity: Beyond licenses
Licenses are only the starting point. The real MSP growth opportunity is becoming the partner who makes AI secure, valuable, and continuously improving. That’s where durable revenue lives: in implementation, governance, enablement, measurement, and optimization.
How to monetize AI long term
- Implementation you can repeat: productized deployments and configuration standards you can roll out consistently across SMB customers.
- Governance as an ongoing service: permissions, data handling practices, oversight, and policy alignment that scale as AI use expands.
- Enablement that drives adoption: role-based training, use-case libraries, and coaching so customers consistently realize value.
- Measurement that proves ROI: adoption and outcomes reporting that leadership can understand and use to guide decisions.
- Optimization that expands accounts: quarterly improvements, new use cases, and workflow automation opportunities that keep customers moving forward.
Cutting through the AI hype
The MSPs who win won’t be the ones who talk about AI the most. They’ll be the ones who deliver secure, governed, outcome-driven adoption. Customers want AI that is safe, structured, and tied to measurable results. They want a partner who can guide them through each phase with clarity and repeatability.
Your opportunity as an MSP is to lead with security, build strong adoption frameworks, and expand into workflow automation as customers mature. This creates durable revenue across implementation, governance, enablement, measurement, and continuous improvement. It also positions you as the strategic partner who helps customers move from early AI interest to sustained operational value.
The path is straightforward. Start with secure foundations. Make Copilot measurable. Introduce agents where work is repetitive. Use renewals and QBRs to advance the roadmap. Keep each step simple and focused on business impact.
MSPs who follow this approach will deliver AI that customers trust, use, and expand over time.
