ConnectWise set a confident tone for the week ahead at IT Nation Connect Global 2025 in Orlando. In a Welcome Keynote that mixed data-driven optimism with candid self-assessment, CEO Manny Rivelo described a company evolving alongside its partners. This is happening in an industry entering what they called the automation-first era.
ConnectWise’s pledge: to make life simpler, more efficient, and more profitable for MSPs.
Setting the Stage for Growth
Peter Kujawa, executive vice president and general manager of Service Leadership and IT Nation for ConnectWise, opened the keynote by welcoming more than 4,000 attendees. He also noted a 10% increase in MSP participation year over year, and a record 40% of IT Nation Connect first-timers in the audience.
Peter Kujawa
He highlighted ConnectWise’s focus on community and education through IT Nation’s curated content tracks, expanded automation hub, and the 25th anniversary of IT Nation Evolve, the peer-group network originally founded as HTG.
“This industry is in the middle of the best six-year run ever of industry profitability,” Kujawa told the audience, citing Service Leadership benchmarks. “The best-in-class and the median have made more money in the last six years, and the bottom quartile is losing less money than they ever had before.”
He cautioned, however, that 58% of partners grew less than the industry’s current 10.6% average. Plus, nearly one in four showed zero or negative growth. Kujawa encouraged MSPs to reinvest in marketing, sales, and automation.
CEO’s 3 Commitments
Taking the stage in his second IT Nation Connect as the chief executive, Rivelo framed ConnectWise’s transformation around three partner priorities:
- Innovation at Speed: Accelerating platform enhancements across RMM, PSA, and RPA
- Improved Support and Communication: Ensuring that partners know and can reach their account and success managers
- Simplifying Business Engagement: Reducing friction around billing, onboarding, and renewals
“These were hard things to hear,” Rivelo admitted. “But look, mea culpa, this is on us as a business, ConnectWise.”
He also introduced several new C-suite leaders at ConnectWise: Chief Revenue Officer Joe Barker, Chief Customer Officer Mari-Frances Bentvelzen, and Chief Product and Technology Officer David Raissipour. These new execs were part of what Rivelo called a broader cultural reset built on “MSP Obsession,” “high velocity with low chaos,” and “extreme ownership.”
“We’re here for you, period,” he told attendees. “We’re here to support you and to drive the business that you need to support the SMB.”
A Call to Embrace the Automation-first Era
Rivelo’s message to MSPs was both cautionary and optimistic. He predicted a shift in which every technician and business leader will manage agents as part of AI-driven workflows.
“The MSP of today will not exist in just a few short years,” he forecast. “You will all look different. And you’ve got to get used to that change.”
CEO Manny Rivelo takes the stage for the Welcome Keynote.
He described the rise of AI and agentic technology as an inflection point that will redefine service delivery. He urged partners to view every individual contributor as a manager, managing agents to make them more productive.
“The SMB needs you,” Rivelo emphasized. “They don’t know how to get ready for AI, how to scale it, or how to deploy it safely.” He outlined four pillars — enable, secure, empower, and serve — for MSPs evolving into strategic AI advisors.
In addition, he previewed deeper integration and intelligence within Asio, ConnectWise’s cloud data platform built on a $100 million Azure investment. He also touched on ConnectWise’s efforts to consolidate cybersecurity, data, automation, and AI capabilities to simplify toolsets and improve scalability.
A Foundation for What’s Next
While Rivelo saved product specifics for the Nov. 6 Innovation Keynote, his address positioned ConnectWise as a partner entering a new phase of accountability and cultural renewal. This new direction is centered on measurable progress rather than promises, he said.
“I want to challenge you to think about your business. Transform yourself from being IT providers, service providers, managing the IT environments, to really become these strategic AI partners of your businesses. The journey for AI will last for decades to come.”
The keynote underscored ConnectWise’s belief that the next wave of success will come from collaboration, automation, and data-driven intelligence.
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: Anjali Fluker/ChannelPro
