Some managed service providers follow the rules. These 20 rewrite them. ChannelPro’s Top 20 MSPs for 2025 do more than run successful businesses. They’re innovators redefining what it means to serve SMB clients.
Selected in collaboration with ChannelPro’s Advisory Group, each honoree represents the best of the channel. They include forward-thinking leaders, relentless problem solvers, and community contributors who create measurable impact.
We asked the winners a simple but telling question: What sets your MSP apart from the competition? Their answers reveal the bold moves and fresh ideas that help them thrive, and offer lessons any MSP can take to heart. (Note: Not all of the winners responded to the question.)
People and Culture as the Differentiator
For some MSPs, success comes down to people, from committed teams to a culture that makes IT approachable and even fun.
Dawn Sizer (left) with Atul Bhagat
“Adherence to security frameworks, transparency, no outsourcing, and our people. We all want to believe that our tech and blinky lights set us apart, but it’s people. We have a fantastic team that really gets how we do business and the services we provide to our clients. We teach our clients, the public and other MSPs how we do things, so we can all succeed.” — Dawn Sizer, CEO, 3rd Element Consulting
“Cheaper Than A Geek is not your typical MSP. And that’s by design. We specialize in delivering enterprise-grade IT support to small businesses with as few as one employee. Our secret sauce? A fanatical commitment to customer service, a proudly nerdy culture, and a business model that gives even the smallest companies access to the power of a full IT department. … Our clients stay with us not just because we solve problems, but because we actually make tech support fun.” — Christopher Barber, founder and Chief Nerd, Cheaper than a Geek
“We operate as a fully integrated IT department, whether fully managed or co-managed. We deliver enterprise-level expertise and strategic guidance through a disciplined, agile service delivery process. Our approach ensures no issue falls through the cracks and enables us to meet KPIs such as ticket resolution time and ticket age while maintaining SLAs. The result: a consistent week-over-week CSAT score of 100%. Our focus on long-term client success, not just reactive support, is what sets us apart.” — Schyler Jones, CEO and founder, Mirador IT
Bold Innovation and New Solutions
Others MSPs lean into innovation, building new products, and weaving AI, automation, or custom tools into their service models.
“We take a proactive and deeply personalized approach to managed IT and cybersecurity. Our unique blend of enterprise-grade tools, bilingual support (English/Spanish), and real-time responsiveness allows us to serve clients in both the U.S. and Mexico with a high standard of care. Additionally, we’ve integrated our proprietary 1neConnect SD-WAN and 24×7 Zero Trust Help Desk to support secure, efficient, and scalable IT operations.” — Enrique Resendez, founder and CEO, 1 MSP LLC
“We’re a small, local NYC team, ready to take care of our clients’ needs. We are graduating from MSP to MSSP, and bringing an offline data backup product to market called MoonDrive.” — Bart Piotrowski, general manager, Computero Inc.
“Innovation is in our bloodstream. In early 2025, eMazzanti launched a groundbreaking AI agent advisory team to help SMBs integrate intelligent automation into their operations.
These AI agents can analyze real-time data, automate workflows, and even trigger marketing or inventory actions based on visual cues, like spotting branded cans on a beach via drone footage. It’s not science fiction. It’s eMazzanti’s reality.” — Jennifer Mazzanti, CEO, eMazzanti Technologies
Sean Maguire (center) on a panel at ChannelPro Defend Boston
“We focus heavily on standardization via automation initiatives to ensure consistent results for Synivate customers 100% of the time.” — Sean Maguire, president and founder, Synivate
Industry-specific Focus
Some service providers stand out by going deep in vertical markets, bringing unmatched expertise to industries with unique IT needs.
“Astoria stands out by combining innovative IT and cybersecurity solutions with a commitment to excellence, empowerment, trust, and legacy. We deliver tailored services that address industry-specific needs, from restaurant tech to advanced cybersecurity, while fostering genuine relationships and proactive problem-solving.” — Nate Sheen, president, Astoria
“Unlike general MSPs, ProdigyTeks specializes exclusively in construction, providing deep industry expertise and understanding of sector-specific challenges. Leveraging the latest MSP framework for more sophisticated automation and predictive capabilities compared to competitors using older models.” — Paco Lebron, founder, ProdigyTeks
“At Titan Technologies, what sets us apart is our deep specialization in cybersecurity for professional services like CPA firms and law offices, combined with a highly personal, responsive support experience. We don’t just fix IT issues, we proactively secure and optimize your entire tech environment so you can focus on your business with confidence.” — Paul Nebb, founder and CEO, Titan Technologies LLC
Strategic Growth and Vision
Growth-minded MSPs are reshaping their businesses with disciplined processes and intentional strategies for long-term scale.
“In early 2025, Linear 1 Technologies took a bold step forward by adopting the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), signaling a commitment to disciplined growth, accountability, and leadership alignment. That same quarter, we also joined forces with Robin Robins’ Technology Marketing Toolkit, further investing in proven strategies to amplify our impact, refine our messaging, and accelerate growth. These moves reflect our deep belief in continuous improvement and our vision to become a premier MSP not just in Central Ohio, but across the region.” — Scott Verbus, co-founder, Linear 1 Technologies
“We are constantly evolving. Each year, we evaluate our services to keep up with the needs of our clients, whether from a security or productivity standpoint. We’re currently presenting ‘Model ‘25’ to new clients, and are working on what ‘Model ‘26’ will hold. IT doesn’t stand still for anyone, why should our services?” — Bob Coppedge, CEO, Simplex-IT
Resilience and Forward Momentum
Several MSPs have turned challenges into fuel for reinvention, resilience, and client growth. From major cyberattacks to market shifts, they have emerged victorious.
Ann Westerheim of Ekaru
“As a Ph.D. engineer and author of Cybersecurity for Main Street, I’ve built our MSP to do more than just fix tech issues. We help small businesses truly understand and leverage technology to thrive. We connect the dots between security, productivity, and strategy, all while keeping the personal support our clients count on. We’re also passionate about closing the digital divide because every business, no matter the size, deserves access to modern tools and guidance to compete.” — Ann Westerheim, founder and president, Ekaru
“Our MSP survived a major cyberattack in November 2019 that originated in our ConnectWise Automate RMM software. We were one of the earlier attacks of Sodinokibi that went on to affect many other MSPs through other RMM vectors. Since navigating this attack, we have built a stronger than ever passion around excellence as an MSP and forward-thinking in security. This passion has challenged us to evolve into a best-in-class MSP in all areas that we serve.” — James Wroten, CEO, Intelos
“We stand apart as a true partner in our clients’ success, serving as a fractional CISO, CTO, and business advisor to align technology strategy with growth, compliance, and resilience. Rooted in deep engineering expertise, guided by a proactive security posture, and inspired by our unique ‘digital hive’ philosophy, we deliver tailored solutions that secure, streamline, and future-proof operations, always with a focus on driving revenue and profitability. Our commitment to responsiveness, innovation, and trust makes Kee Innovations more than an IT provider. We’re a force multiplier for our clients’ businesses.” — Eddie Kee, president, Kee Innovations Inc.
“Vistem has a long history of supporting projects from aerospace and large-scale manufacturing to hospitality, engineering, logistics, transportation, and other diverse business services. … Recently, we are excited to announce the launch of Vistem Elevate powered by VistemSecurePro, our breakthrough vCISO service built to help businesses leverage our cybersecurity, processes, and compliance muscle. Vistem Elevate powered by VistemSecurePro is the full suite of enterprise-grade solutions delivered to SMBs, without the commodity trap, providing hard business outcomes with data and metrics showing real business improvement. Our competitors simply cannot keep up with this kind of customized, result-focused service.” — Keith J. Nelson, CEO/CISO, Vistem Solutions Inc.
Anjali Fluker is senior channel editor for The ChannelPro Network, where she covers news, trends, and best practices for the MSP community. She specializes in telling the stories that matter to IT providers serving the SMB market. When she’s not reporting on the latest in managed services, she’s connecting with channel pros at industry events across the country.
Images: iStock, The ChannelPro Network
