MSSP AI Opportunities
In this article, learn:
- Why MSSPs should implement legal frameworks and risk management for client AI usage.
- How MSSPs can extend premium security tiers by utilizing AI-on-AI defense to counter adversarial attacks.
- That MSSPs can, too, focus on centralized AI compliance, working to standardize and manage decentralized AI tools to ensure regulatory adherence.
Managed security service providers (MSSPs) have a ripe AI opportunity. Researchers at Gartner predicted that by 2030, preemptive solutions using AI for predictive threat blocking will account for 50% of all security spending. This hints at a lucrative field for MSSPs in the coming years. By 2029, technology products lacking preemptive cybersecurity (PCS) will lose market relevance.
3 AI Smart Moves for MSSPs
How you leverage AI matters. It must yield the best outcomes for customers and your practice. The right tech stack delivers the full benefits of AI. Traditional detection and response consistently leave organizations one step behind threat actors. PCS is the most effective defense against the escalating, AI-driven threat landscape. Here are three opportunities and how to take advantage of them in 2026.
1. Navigating AI Governance as a Service (AI-GaaS)
Deploying AI just to say you use AI is a mistake. However, MSSPs not using AI in their practices or customer environments in 2026 risk falling behind the current revolution.
MSSPs can implement legal frameworks and risk management for client AI usage. It offers refined client AI management. MSSPs can guarantee that front-facing AI usage is secure, accurate and transparently disclosed. This delivers trust and assures quality.
To do this confidently, establish a strict “never upload PII” policy for public AI tools. This protects client data privacy. Always review and fact-check AI output before it reaches a client.
Automate this process and maintain high accuracy. Treat AI output as a first draft requiring human expertise and final sign-off. Maintaining human oversight ensures accuracy and prevents overreliance on automated processes.
2. LeveragingAdaptive AI Defense
Another critical MSSP tool is the ability to extend premium security tiers. Use AI-on-AI defense to preemptively counter adversarial attacks.
This strategy requires leveraging advanced AI and machine learning (ML) models. Use them to identify and neutralize attacks. This could mean sophisticated attacks launched by deepfakes or novel malware. Preemptive cybersecurity focuses on preventing, disrupting, or deterring attacks before they occur.
To achieve this, implement AI security platforms. These platforms must continuously train defense models on adversarial techniques. They use Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) tools. These tools automate the preemptive blocking of emerging threat patterns. Key applications include Al-driven predictive threat prevention for cloud platforms and SaaS applications.
This practice addresses a central pain point for MSSPs and clients: time spent on active threat detection. Implementing these tools decreases that time. It frees up partners to focus on other high-value work. This work directly impacts the bottom line and still requires human performance.
Krishna Rajagopal
3. Centralizing AI Compliance
This piece of the MSSP pie is arguably the most satisfying. It can standardize and manage decentralized AI tools to ensure regulatory adherence. It prepares you for audits and allows you to perform a simple search to locate required data. This is a critical piece of the regulatory equation.
Adoption and Continuous Education Are Key
The stack you choose has far-reaching implications for customers and your MSSP practice. Choose wisely. Confer with colleagues and professional associations. Ensure you adhere to best practices when leveraging AI for cybersecurity.
Adopting PCS unlocks strategic advantages like differentiating core business offerings with proactive security features. It helps you build trust with customers, auditors, regulators, and partners.
FAQs
Q: What is AI governance as a service (AI-GaaS)?
It is a service where MSSPs create a set of legal and ethical guardrails for AI use, ensuring compliance with data privacy laws and internal risk management policies.
Q: How does “adaptive AI defense” protect me?
This is a powerful AI-on-AI system. It preemptively detects and instantly blocks attacks by novel AI tools that threat actors leverage.
Q: What does “preemptive detection” mean for security?
It is simple. Systems identify patterns of an emerging threat. They automatically block it before damage is done. This replaces reacting to a known breach.
Q: How does the MSSP handle “Centralized AI Compliance?”
MSSPs should standardize and manage all the different AI tools employees and customers use. This enforces a unified set of regulations across the organization. This guarantees ongoing regulatory adherence and prevents data loss.
Krishna Rajagopal is CEO of Malaysia-based AKATI Sekurity. The company specializes in digital forensics. Rajagopal has 25-plus years in digital forensics. He is the author of the 2025 book, The Cybersecurity Power Play: A Boardroom Guide to Digital Defense.
Featured image: Mehboob — stock.adobe.com
