The year 2025 didn’t represent “big bang” disruption in the channel. It was the year of accumulated pressure and big lessons learned by MSPs. Expectations rose, threats accelerated, and service providers had to navigate a landscape where efficiency, trust, and resilience mattered more than ever.
Sure, AI grabbed most of the headlines. However, the real story was how rapidly MSPs were forced to adapt their operations, their communication, and even their business models to keep pace with customer demands.
The truth is, the challenges from last year weren’t new. What changed was their intensity. Talent shortages, fragmented vendor ecosystems, and the widening gap between technology adoption and governance put MSPs in the position of being both the shield and the strategist for their customers. In that environment, partners thrived when they operationalized what works, shed what doesn’t, and leaned into clarity over complexity.
‘Guideposts’ for Better Business
Looking back at 2025, four lessons stand out. These can serve as guideposts for how MSPs can strengthen their business and better serve their customers in 2026 and beyond.
Lesson 1: Talent Scarcity Quietly Became the Channel’s Biggest Cyber Risk
MSPs struggled not with demand but with bandwidth, especially burnout, alert fatigue, and the shrinking cybersecurity talent pool. We learned that efficiency through automation is no longer optional; it’s the only way to scale securely. Partners that re-engineered workflows around automation saw the biggest gains in margin, response time, and customer satisfaction.
The Takeaway: People must be reserved for decisions, not repetitive tasks.
Scott Barlow
Lesson 2: AI Adoption Outpaced AI Governance — and MSPs Were Forced into the Gap
In 2025, customers adopted AI far faster than they implemented policies or controls around it. MSPs were pulled into unintended virtual CISO roles because no one else in the organization knew how to evaluate AI risk.
The Clear Lesson: Partners must lead with governance frameworks first, tools second. Without structure, policies, and controls, AI creates more operational risk than efficiency.
Lesson 3: Customers Rewarded Partners Who Explained Risk in Plain English
Last year proved that technical excellence wasn’t enough. MSPs that translated cyber risk into business language won more trust and higher-value contracts. Customers increasingly expect their partners to act as strategic advisors, not just security troubleshooters.
The Lesson Is Clear: Communication is now a competitive differentiator in cybersecurity. Partners who simplify complexity grow faster than those who amplify it.
Lesson 4: Supply Chain Fragility Exposed Every Weak Link in MSP Service Delivery
Last year, even the most mature partners underestimated their dependency on third-party tools and vendors. Disruptions revealed that many MSPs lacked contingency plans, cross-vendor coverage, or failover playbooks.
The Big Lesson: Resilience must be architected, not assumed. MSPs that validated dependencies and built redundancy came out far stronger.
Looking Ahead
If 2025 proved anything, it’s that MSPs can’t rely on their previous playbooks. Talent, governance, communication, and resilience all emerged as defining pressures. The partners that responded with intentional, operational discipline came out ahead.
The path forward is clear. Automate where it counts, lead customers with structure, translate risk into business terms, and build redundancy before you need it.
MSPs who carry these lessons into 2026 won’t just weather what comes next. They’ll lead it.
Scott Barlow is chief evangelist and global head of community for Sophos.
Featured image: ultramansk — stock.adobe.com
