Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

The shift to distributed work has permanently changed how managed service providers (MSPs) operate. Endpoints now span offices, homes, airports and everything in between, and each one requires consistent protection, visibility and management. Attackers have also accelerated their use of automation and AI, increasing pressure on technicians already managing growing workloads. Traditional, manual service models can no longer keep up.

In 2026, the digital landscape has shifted from a world of "AI assistants" to one of autonomous operators. For managed service providers (MSPs), this evolution marks the end of the traditional "land and expand" human services playbook and the beginning of a high-speed era of machine-on-machine warfare.

If managed service providers (MSPs) are going to grow as 2026 rolls on, they’re going to have to overcome both new and familiar obstacles in a tough environment. But there is good news for MSPs that are ready to adapt their business models to new market realities. A recent report from Omdia, MSP Trends and Predictions 2026, lays out clearly why MSPs are more likely to struggle to grow in 2026 than they have in past years.

For MSPs, vulnerability assessment and patch management are challenging primarily because of scale. Every new customer adds another tenant to configure, monitor and maintain, which multiplies operational overhead and increases the risk of inconsistency. The newly released cross-tenant, partner-level vulnerability assessment and patch management in Acronis RMM is designed to break this pattern.

The latest findings from WatchGuard Technologies reveal a stark reality for managed service providers: cyber threats are not only increasing—they’re evolving faster than traditional defenses can keep up. In its newest Internet Security Report, WatchGuard identified a 1,548% spike in new, unique malware from Q3 to Q4 2025. Nearly one in four threats bypassed signature-based detection, highlighting a critical gap in reactive security models still used across many customer environments.

The cybersecurity industry’s leading channel publication CRN, named LevelBlue to CRN’s Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list for 2026 in the Security MSP 100 category. “The companies on our 2026 MSP 500 list are redefining what exceptional managed services look like—helping organizations of every size stay agile, maximize their IT investments and scale with confidence,” said Jennifer Follett, VP of U.S. Content and Executive Editor, CRN, The Channel Company.

Now that CMMC is a mandatory part of participating in the defense supply chain, a lot of businesses are starting to grapple with the requirements and what they mean for operations. One of the biggest roadblocks is the use of an MSP, or Managed Services Provider. MSPs are the backbone of many businesses that don’t have the resources to spin up entire architectures on their own. It’s a huge benefit and allows companies to exist when otherwise the investment to get started would be way too high.