Kaseya IT Operations Report Shows Big Opportunity for MSPs Amid Economic Uncertainty

MSPs are ideally positioned to grow their business during turbulent economic times, said Kaseya‘s Chris McKie.

“One of the unique attributes an MSP brings to the table is agility,” he said. “Furthermore, an MSP can bring in expertise that the multifunction IT professional at a small enterprise doesn’t have, such as in cybersecurity with EDR or managed security operations center (SOC) capabilities. What’s key for the MSP is having the insight to know how best to upgrade core tools and legacy systems.” 

Based on the survey results, many businesses are due for a major refresh, McKie said. This presents another major opportunity for MSPs.

“And having the knowledge and understanding of how to simplify their customers’ IT tool stack is critical,” he said. “Tool fatigue is a real issue, and the MSP who can help eliminate this challenge is going to succeed.” 

For an MSP, having strong cybersecurity professionals, tools and skills are going to be key, McKie said.

“The cybersecurity talent shortage affects all businesses, so having a deep bench for security will pay dividends to the MSP, as many of their customers simply won’t have the people or the right mix of tools to address bad actors,” he said. “In relation to this, MSPs who can offer solutions that reduce cyber insurance costs, such as EDR, managed detection and response (MDR) security awareness training, etc., will find themselves ideally positioned to grow their business.” 

Businesses are seeking to replace legacy tools with solutions that are faster and more responsive to evolving needs to stay competitive, tap into new markets and reduce operational costs, according to Kaseya. They also plan to allocate resources towards integration and automation capabilities to increase productivity and unlock growth.

“Automation is another area of growth opportunity for an MSP,” McKie said. “Here, the key is to have a solid understanding of their customers’ business goals and operations. Knowing this gives an MSP a blueprint for areas where they can strategically consolidate tools, streamline systems and improve IT efficiencies.” 

Nearly half of those surveyed want to invest in security awareness training to empower their employees to become the strongest link to their cybersecurity strategy, according to Kaseya. Another 36% of respondents were interested in vulnerability scanning tools that detect and address weaknesses in the IT infrastructure before attackers can exploit them.

Additionally, 47% of survey participants plan to add or change cybersecurity solutions this year, while 30% said backup and recovery solutions are on their radar, noting the importance of a comprehensive data protection plan. About 22% of the respondents also anticipate staffing growth in cybersecurity. 

Other notable findings from the Kaseya report revolved around integration. About a quarter of survey participants reported the integration of IT documentation within the endpoint management tool as most beneficial. When it comes to IT management tools, respondents listed their top five as: help desk/ticketing, endpoint management, IT documentation/knowledge management, network management/network performance monitoring and EDR. 

Other notable findings from the Kaseya report revolved around integration. About a quarter of survey participants reported the integration of IT documentation within the endpoint management tool as most beneficial. When it comes to IT management tools, respondents listed their top five as: help desk/ticketing, endpoint management, IT documentation/knowledge management, network management/network performance monitoring and EDR.