Channel Futures' 2023 MSP Outlook: Cybersecurity, Automation Will Be Paramount

It’s that time of year again. It is time to look back on the past year, and gaze hopefully (albeit fruitlessly) into our crystal balls. Of course that’s silly — it’s impossible to predict what will happen six months, a year from now. However, our MSP 501 community has made some pretty well-educated guesses. For this edition, we bring you 2023 MSP predictions. 

The Significance of Cybersecurity

No surprises here: Cybersecurity will be all the more important, and a vital focus. Insurance companies and businesses are becoming more aware of the importance of cybersecurity. This is particularly true regarding the supply chain, where partners and vendors can pose significant risks. As a result, businesses are taking steps to improve their own security posture, and also requiring the same from their partners and vendors. 

According to Raum Sandoval, CISO, Entara, implementing additional security measures and solutions can be a complex and time-consuming process. This is where governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) comes in. By focusing on GRC, businesses will be able to identify their most pressing risks and develop a plan for addressing them in an orderly and systematic way. To support this process, we are likely to see an increase in the use of virtual chief information security officer (vCISO) services to help businesses navigate this shift effectively.

Automation, My Dear Watson

Automation will also be increasingly important for providers and customers alike, particularly smaller shops. According to Javid Khan, CTO, IT By Design, 2023 will be all about automation and innovation. This will be driven by customers who will push their IT providers to prepare for the ever-looming recession with more creative, cost-effective technology. 

“Automation will be key for reducing the time required to resolve service tickets and fulfill the more mundane daily tasks,” says Khan. “The automation will garner extra time for tech teams to focus on higher priority projects or additional revenue-generating special projects, boosting profitability.”

With all that in mind, we invite you to pore over Channel Futures’ 2023 MSP predictions. See the slideshow above to get started.

We polled the following MSP execs: