CRN asked top MSP executives to tell us which emerging technology areas they see as providing the biggest opportunity this year. Here’s what 20 had to say.
Emerging Tech Opportunities
A significant reason why small and midsize businesses turn to MSPs is that they can provide leading-edge technologies that SMBs would otherwise not have the expertise or scale to implement on their own and utilize it to full benefit.
That means MSPs must stay on top of the latest IT so they can quickly build competitive solutions and services to meet customers’ demands. Savvy MSPs always have their ear to the ground as they try to stay ahead of the technology demand curve.
As part of the CRN 2026 MSP 500 project, CRN asked MSP executives what emerging technology areas they see as providing the biggest opportunities this year.
Not surprisingly, many—if not most—most MSPs cite artificial intelligence as the top technology opportunity in 2026. But just how and in what form varies widely.
Many cite the growing demand for AI-as-a-Service for automation and productivity improvements as the major opportunity. Others point to the use of AI in specific areas such as cybersecurity as the big driver.
“Going into 2026, we see the continued strong client demand in artificial intelligence, automation and data governance as the biggest opportunity for Blue Mantis. Much like the early days of cloud adoption, organizations are now shifting from AI testing to delivering measurable business outcomes,” Blue Mantis CEO Josh Dinneen wrote.
“The real differentiator will be how successfully they build and manage data foundations, operational discipline and governance to support AI at scale. Our role is to help them get there by reducing technical debt, building resilience and creating long-term competitive advantage,” Dineen said.
A number of MSPs pointed to the potential use of AI to automate their own internal business processes and operations as an opportunity to deliver IT services more efficiently.
Cybersecurity—helping clients protect themselves against the growing tide of cyberattacks—was also cited as a major growth driver this year. That includes the use of AI for pre-emptive and protective security systems (such as AI-enabled managed detection and response), as well as cybersecurity services to protect against cyberattacks that themselves use AI.
A number of MSPs also cited services around CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification), data governance and other compliance requirements as opportunities.
“We see CMMC requirements and the services around it, both from a compliance and remediation perspective, as a growth area,” wrote Eric Egolf, CEO of CIO Solutions.
All responses to the emerging technology opportunity question can be found as part of the MSP 500 profiles. The following is a sampling of responses from 20 MSP executives.
Aqueduct Technologies
Manak Ahluwalia
President, CEO
Advanced AI and cybersecurity solutions. AI-driven automation, analytics, and departmental GPT models will accelerate operational efficiency, while rapidly evolving cyber threats create strong demand for AI-enhanced detection, response and protection capabilities across customer environments. These areas will drive significant growth and differentiation.
BCM One
Sandy Preizler
CEO
Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex.
Bluebird IT Solutions
John Solomos
CEO
Artificial Intelligence is certainly going to be the largest opportunity through AI assessments and the new AIaaS [AI-as-a-Service] market that is taking off now.
Blue Mantis
Josh Dinneen
CEO
Going into 2026, we see the continued strong client demand in artificial intelligence, automation and data governance as the biggest opportunity for Blue Mantis. Much like the early days of cloud adoption, organizations are now shifting from AI testing to delivering measurable business outcomes. The real differentiator will be how successfully they build and manage data foundations, operational discipline and governance to support AI at scale. Our role is to help them get there by reducing technical debt, building resilience and creating long-term competitive advantage.
CIO Solutions
Eric Egolf
CEO
We don’t see a clear winner yet, and 2026 will be the year of growth in a few areas, but it’s not clear how much in each. We see CMMC [Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification] requirements and the services around it, both from a compliance and remediation perspective, as a growth area.
We also see a continued need for business productivity solutions, both in traditional solutions like analytics (Power BI and the Power Platform) and potentially AI-enabled services.
These markets have fluctuated from a customer demand perspective, and I expect more of the same in 2026. Most growth in 2026 will not come from emerging technologies, but from tried-and-true solutions that still aren’t adopted in SMBs in our markets.
CompassMSP
Michael Rapp
CEO
Generative AI is CompassMSP’s biggest opportunity in 2026, enabling faster, smarter and more scalable IT and cybersecurity services. AI can automate threat detection and response, streamline IT management, simulate risks and generate tailored insights for clients. It enhances operational efficiency, strengthens security, and delivers high-value, proactive advisory services coast to coast.
EPAM Systems
Balazs Fejes
President, CEO
EPAM is driving next-gen transformation through seven strategic pillars:
Agentic and operational AI with autonomous workflows to cut OpEx and accelerate MTTR
LLM platform ops for industrialized AI and data-centric innovation
Cloud-native modernization with AI-driven infrastructure automation
-Edge AI for privacy-first, real-time personalization
Composable platforms and industry clouds to reduce TCO and modernize enterprise ops
Responsible AI for governance and compliance
Cyber resilience with AI-enhanced security
Empowering clients to thrive in an AI-first world
Ferroque Systems
Michael Shuster
CEO
First, organizations are increasingly adopting platforms including AVD [Azure Virtual Desktop] and Windows 365 to streamline management, improve flexibility, and support hybrid work without the operational burden of traditional VDI. As Microsoft invests heavily in cloud-based desktop delivery and integrates more AI-driven capabilities, demand for expertise in designing, optimizing and managing these environments will continue to rise.
Second, SASE has firmly established itself as the new “ideal state” for networking and security. As customers seek to simplify architectures, strengthen zero trust postures, and support users from anywhere, SASE has become the logical evolution of legacy network and security stacks.
GuidePoint Security
Michael Volk
CEO
AI governance, especially around building practical guardrails, visibility and risk-management processes as organizations move from experimenting with AI to operationalizing it across the business.
Ransomware also remains a major challenge for organizations across all industries, so any technologies and services that help prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from a ransomware incident are critical. We have once again seen major growth in our Incident Response, Threat Intelligence and Threat Actor Communication services this year due to the increase in frequency and sophistication of ransomware attacks and expect that growth rate to continue into 2026.
Iron Bow
Rene LaVigne
President, CEO
Going into 2026, the biggest opportunities center on secure hybrid environments, zero trust networking, cloud optimization, modern collaboration platforms, and practical applications of AI and data analytics. Customers are seeking trusted partners to integrate these technologies responsibly—improving performance, security and workforce productivity—while managing complexity across hybrid, multi-vendor and regulated environments.
iT1
Bryan Clifton
Owner, Co-Founder
Companies that want MSPs to manage their business so they can take on AI-based projects. We also see the opposite in that customers want us to manage their AI initiatives as they continue to manage traditional IT.
Judge Consulting Group
John Battaglia
President, CTO (Judge Consulting and Copley Consulting Group)
AI-driven transformation remains the largest opportunity, especially in operational AI, cloud automation, cybersecurity analytics and data integration. Organizations are seeking partners who can help them turn AI strategy into execution with training, validated platform, and measurable business outcomes, areas where Judge is deeply invested.
Natural Networks
Anthony Polselli
CEO
While many MSPs point to AI as the next major opportunity, we are taking a calculated, customer-driven approach as we explore where AI can genuinely add value. We’ve begun having conversations with clients and selectively introducing AI-enhanced solutions where appropriate.
Going into 2026, our greatest opportunity will be the core services we excel at: proactive support, security and exceptional customer service.
Net at Work
Brian Kingsley
Practice Director, Managed Services
The intersection of AI, IoT and next-generation 5G connectivity presents the strongest opportunity for us, as organizations look for intelligent, integrated and ultra-reliable technology solutions.
Pomeroy
Tom Signorello
CEO
Agentic AI, autonomous systems, pre-emptive cybersecurity, edge computing, transparent displays and sustainability.
RSM US
Patrick Vance
Principal, National Technology, Management Consulting
RSM has signaled that agentic and generative AI will be its most significant growth area through 2026, anchored by a landmark $1 billion investment through 2028. Integration of industry-specific AI platforms across assurance, tax, consulting and client life cycle—deploying internal RSM-built solutions and platforms like myRSM Tax, RSM Luca, Atlas, and DASH will help automate workflows, strengthen compliance and deliver intelligence.
Cloud-native cybersecurity continues to be a major focus. RSM’s Middle Market Business Index report emphasizes use of hybrid/multi-cloud security and adoption of AI-powered managed security services to support resilience, risk mitigation and compliance.
Sourcepass
Matthew Brown
President
Beyond the acceleration of AI and AI-enablement, which will continue to transform how clients automate, secure and modernize operations, we’re leaning heavily into CMMC and advanced security as core pillars of our strategy. Rising regulatory pressure and growing threat sophistication create a major opportunity for providers with deep compliance and security capabilities.
As hybrid work continues, clients increasingly want integrated platforms that unify messaging, workflow automation and AI-driven insights. Solutions that blend communication, productivity and intelligent automation will be essential for operational efficiency and an enhanced employee experience.
Sean Freeman
Director
Our largest opportunity is AI and automation—both internally and for clients.
Internally, AI-powered systems enhance our support, security monitoring and routine task execution, enabling us to scale without proportionally increasing head count while improving response times. For clients, we’re positioned as their trusted AI implementation partner, offering readiness assessments, copilot deployments, workflow automation and AI-enhanced security.
This dual approach drives operational efficiency while opening new revenue streams through AI-as-a-Service offerings that differentiate us from competitors still operating traditional models.
Winslow Technology Group
Scott Winslow
Founder, President
Co-managed AI (AI help desk, AI operations, AI/data science-as-a-Service), zero trust application and network solutions (ThreatLocker and Zscaler for example), identity protection and management.
World Wide Technology
Jim Kavanaugh
Co-Founder, CEO
WWT sees two major trends: network modernization and management. AI investments are driving upgrades in infrastructure, security and operations. Our Nvidia partnership and AI leadership position WWT as a trusted AI MSP.
Post-COVID, clients face rapid IT changes and rely on WWT for end-to-end support: design, procurement, staging, deployment and management to modernize and navigate today’s evolving landscape.
