The IT industry is at an inflection point. Two pressures above all others are defining which providers will lead the next decade: the rising sophistication of cyber threats targeting mid-sized clients, and the intensifying competition for the engineers and technicians who defend them. We are watching both closely.
SMB Cybersecurity Statistics and Trends: What MSPs Need to Know
ConnectWise's annual research into the state of SMB cybersecurity makes for sobering reading, and essential context for any MSP operating today. The numbers tell a clear story: mid-sized clients are increasingly in the crosshairs, their threat exposure is growing faster than their defences, and the expectation on their IT providers has never been higher.
The report draws on data from Vanson Bourne and the FBI's 2024 Internet Crime Report to show that cybercrime now generates losses on a scale that would rank it as the world's third-largest economy, and that AI has dramatically accelerated the sophistication and volume of attacks reaching everyday businesses.
"SMBs are ready to pay for protection, but they expect performance and accountability in return."
This is why cybersecurity is at the core of what our companies offer — not as an add-on, but as the central service. The businesses that will define the next generation of managed IT are those that can credibly bridge enterprise-grade security with the accessibility and trust that mid-sized clients need.
The Evolving Tech Talent Shortage: What MSPs Need to Know
SmarterMSP's deep dive into the talent landscape is required reading for anyone building a managed IT business. The piece captures a nuance that raw hiring statistics tend to miss: the shortage has evolved. It is no longer simply about the number of available engineers — it is about the depth of specialisation being demanded, and whether MSPs can cultivate it internally or continue relying on a thinning external pipeline.
Drawing on ISACA's 2025 Tech Workplace and Culture Study, which found that 74% of organisations struggle to find and retain top talent, the article assembles perspectives from HR leaders, CTOs, and MSP founders. The consensus is striking: the providers that will win on talent are those that treat their people as a product to be developed, not a cost to be managed.
"Today's best professionals want environments that invest in their growth, not just a paycheck."
MSPs building internal AI training programmes — prompt engineering, automation tools, AI-assisted triage — are creating talent moats competitors cannot easily replicate.
74% of organisations report difficulty retaining talent. The ones succeeding are treating recruitment as relationship-building and culture as a retention strategy.
Military veterans, non-traditional pathways, and apprenticeships are increasingly viable sources of disciplined, motivated talent that conventional hiring misses.
Our people-first philosophy isn't just a value statement — it is a business model. When we partner with a company, we commit to the team that built it. In IT, your people are your product.
Staying ahead of the curve
The IT industry is changing fast. Scale matters, but the businesses that will lead are not necessarily the largest, they are the most thoughtful. The ones that take cybersecurity seriously before clients demand it. The ones that invest in their people before the talent market forces them to.
We treat security as a foundational service, not an upsell.
Automation raises the floor. Exceptional people raise the ceiling. We invest in both, but we never confuse them.
The value in great MSPs compounds over years, not quarters.