Pax8 Unveils 'Managed Intelligence' Era: MSPs to Evolve in the Age of Agentic AI

Pax8 CEO: MSPs Will Become Managed Intelligence Providers In Agentic AI Era

'This is the revolution,' says Pax8 CEO Scott Chasin. 'Clients don't just want things to work. They want things to work for them. They want intelligence that moves at the speed of their ambition.' As agentic AI comes to market and bleeds into businesses, MSPs are once again evolving and will transform into what Pax8 calls "managed intelligence providers." These providers will offer more than just infrastructure and focus on delivering agentic transformation and business outcomes. "This is the revolution," said Pax8 CEO Scott Chasin (pictured above). "Clients don't just want things to work. They want things to work for them. They want intelligence that moves at the speed of their ambition." Chasin spoke at Pax8's Beyond conference in Denver this week about how managed intelligence will converge AI agents, marketplaces and strategic insight. "Support used to mean yelling, 'Turn it off and back on again' from across the room," he said. "But even strong models need to evolve." [Related: Pax8's Rob Rae On Partner Programs, MSP Documentary And Expansion] In the new model, managed intelligence providers will deploy and manage fleets of AI agents that can adapt and act in real time. They can assess customers for opportunities where AI agents can handle repetitive, slow or expensive tasks. They can also provide an app store or marketplace where businesses hire intelligence rather than download software. And they can build vertical-specific agents to automate workflows and govern networks of autonomous agents instead of endpoints. "This is not about tossing out everything you've built," Chasin said. "It's about evolving your playbook to meet the moment." And there's a different pricing model as well. Instead of pricing per seat, managed intelligence providers can price per agent, action, workflow and outcome. To support the shift, Denver-based Pax8 launched a managed intelligence toolkit that helps MSPs manage, scale and deploy agentic AI solutions for clients. John Douglas, president of Wichita, Kan.-based MSP Pileus Technologies, said MSPs should embrace the agentic AI era and evolve into managed intelligence providers, as he sees AI tools more as an ally than a threat. "As we evolve, it will allow us to use that technology more for our benefit to protect our customers," he told CRN. As Chasin sees businesses undergo a "seismic shift" amid the era of AI agents, his message to MSPs is clear: The future of the MSP industry is not in infrastructure, but in intelligence. "The groundwork is being laid for a world where intelligence is as essential as electricity," he said. "Those who evolve now will lead the economy tomorrow."

Pax8 Introduces The Era Of Managed Intelligence In Its 2025 Research Report: The...

SYDNEY, NSW (June 11, 2025) Pax8, the leading cloud commerce Marketplace, today released its inaugural research report, The Agentic Inflection Point: And the Rise of the Managed Intelligence Provider. The comprehensive study defines the future of small-to-midsized business (SMB) operations, transformed by agentic labor and the democratisation of enterprise-level technology access. It also introduces Managed Intelligence, a bold new framework that enables all stakeholders in the technology ecosystem to navigate this transition and thrive in the agentic era. "We are standing at the edge of a monumental new era where agentic systems will redefine how work gets done," said Scott Chasin, CEO of Pax8. "The proliferation of these AI agents will allow SMBs to compete against large enterprises and scale faster than ever, and Managed Intelligence Providers will be key to enabling the technology. The rate at which this technology is advancing makes the next 24 to 36 months critical. MSPs that evolve quickly into the MIP model will be poised to experience long-term success in the new paradigm." The report outlines the emergence of agentic systems -- AI-powered agents capable of autonomous action and reasoning -- and their transformative impact on the global SMB economy. It positions the MIP as the strategic partner that curates, orchestrates and governs intelligent agents: Making the move from simply managing services to truly driving business outcomes for SMBs. The Agentic Inflection Point also serves as a guide for partners ready to embark on their transformation and capitalise on the enormous opportunity in front of them. The report focuses on a new paradigm taking shape, where autonomous software agents collaborate with human expertise to redefine business operations. The fusion of AI and automation reduces the time spent between idea and execution, marking the dawn of the Idea Economy, where businesses are built and run by code, and software agents transition from supporting work to doing it. The result is the democratisation of capability, empowering organisations of all sizes with tools once reserved for industry giants. Pax8's research has identified four distinct levels of AI agent functionality, each representing a significant leap in autonomy and business impact. The Agentic Inflection Point introduces the Managed Intelligence Provider (MIP) - the next evolution of the MSP. The current MSP model is reaching maturity, with the demands of AI-driven businesses, the complexity of autonomous systems and the need to deliver business outcomes. MIPs guide clients through automation-powered reinvention, leveraging agent marketplaces, governance frameworks and curated solution stacks; reinventing how business gets done. According to survey results in the report, 66 Pax8 partners believe they will be seen as strategic business advisors to their clients in two years, a more than seven-fold increase to their current role as an IT support provider. This data proves that the change in the partner's identification from a reactive vendor to a proactive enabler is already in motion. To enable SMBs to compete with enterprise-scale capabilities, the Agentic Supply Chain will emerge, providing the necessary infrastructure to support digital labor. This comprehensive framework of intelligent systems will integrate into business operations and enable marketplaces to become orchestration hubs. In this new supply chain, agents will initiate the buying, selling and scaling of licenses and MIPs will shift from procuring licenses to procuring outcomes. The age of agentic AI will also introduce new pricing models that align with how MIPs generate revenue. Compared to the legacy model where software is sold by the seat, agentic systems will be sold based on the result they deliver. The Agentic Inflection Point identifies four primary business models for capturing value in this new paradigm: The Agentic Inflection Point reveals that 54% of midsize enterprises have already deployed AI, and 83% of high-growth SMBs are actively experimenting with it. As AI capabilities mature, Pax8 predicts the rise of the "AI-Built SMB" -- businesses that are AI-native from day one, embedding generative and agentic technologies into every facet of their operations. These companies automate everything from customer service to product development, favor modular, vertical solutions over legacy software suites and often scale with lean teams. This new breed of SMBs aligns more with the agility and innovation of tech startups than traditional small businesses. To lead the agentic transformation, Pax8 is building the foundation for the agentic economy, including an agent marketplace, a Model Context Protocol integration framework, an agentic orchestration platform, a Managed Intelligence toolkit and much more. By connecting builders (SMBs), enablers (MIPs) and producers (software/cloud vendors), Pax8 aims to create an ecosystem that could shape the next trillion-dollar economy. To download the full report or learn more about Pax8, visit www.pax8.com/managed-intelligence.