Managed services providers are under pressure to scale cybersecurity services without the enough human talent to support them. As a result, AI-powered platforms are emerging to help providers deliver more with less.
At Kaseya Connect 2026, ChannelPro spoke with Cynomi’s David Primor, founder, and Tim Coach, community and channel evangelist. They shared how MSPs are capitalizing on the AI-powered security boom.
According to Primor, it starts with addressing the biggest issue facing small businesses: the talent gap.
“SMBs don’t have the talent or knowledge to protect themselves,” he told ChannelPro. “Many MSPs don’t have the talent, either. Cynomi was created to fill this gap and to bring more automation and standard process. And AI is helping our partners deliver security services at scale.”
From Talent Shortage to Scalable vCISO Services
David Primor
According to research by CyberSeek, the U.S. employs roughly 1.2 million cybersecurity professionals. However, the nation still faces a shortage of nearly 265,000 workers needed to meet demand. There simply isn’t enough human talent available to protect more than 36 million small businesses.
That’s why Cynomi is working to level up its platform with CISO Intelligence. It’s a layer of security expertise embedded in its award-winning platform designed to replicate the decision-making of an experienced security leader. Rather than acting as a standalone tool, CISO Intelligence is built directly into workflows, guiding users through assessments, remediation planning and reporting with context-aware recommendations.
The system evaluates what matters most to each client’s business, prioritizes actions based on real-world risk and translates technical findings into clear, actionable guidance. The goal is to ensure that every task is not just completed, but understood.
“Let’s say an MSP offers a security-related service, like vCISO. The IT business can support about 10 to 12 customers right now with help from Cynomi. It was five before partnering with us, now it’s 10,” Primor said. “With greater AI adoption, we can push it to 30. Maybe in one year, it will be 50. So the efficiency gains that you can experience are enormous.”
This approach to managing the security talent shortage hints at a larger transition in the industry, Coach added. In the agentic AI era, efficiency and scalability are no longer limited by headcount.
Standardization Becomes the Path to Profitability
MSPs have traditionally struggled with finding the balance between standardized processes and flexible delivery models. How do you take an assembly-line approach while still making clients feel like you understand their business and are customizing solutions to their needs?
According to Coach, consistency to key for MSPs to assess, manage and deliver security across their customer base. By embedding structured processes and AI-driven guidance into the platform, MSPs can deliver repeatable services at scale without increasing operational complexity. “When you bring in Cynomi, you’re standardizing what security looks like across every client and how you manage it,” emphasized Coach.
At the same time, that standardization doesn’t mean the platform is inflexible. Cynomi empowers MSPs to tailor outputs, including reports, presentations and other customer-facing materials.
“Standardization doesn’t limit you. It actually enables differentiation,” Primor said. “Look for vendors like Cynomi, that enable consistent process, but also give you the power to add your branding, structure and your way of delivering the service.”
AI Expands Security Beyond the CISO Role
Tim Coach
Security conversations aren’t limited to security experts anymore.
Salespeople need to speak confidently about risk. Account executives must break down a client’s security posture and provide a roadmap for next steps. Unfortunately, very few IT companies have more than one CISO-level expert on staff.
CISO Intelligence is powerful because of how broadly it helps service providers. “It’s not only relevant to leaders in a virtual CISO role, but for all the different personas within the MSP,” Primor shared.
Making CISO-level guidance accessible across the organization is a game changer, Coach said. “When an individual isn’t sure what to do next, they can ask the solution and it will come back with what is the right answer.”
This is especially valuable for less experienced staff, who can move faster without constantly depending on Tier 3 support. It also brings consistency to decision-making across the organization, ensuring that decisions are guided by the same logic and priorities.
MSPs Face Growing Pressure to Adopt AI
A wave of consolidation along with the rise of AI-first providers are early indicators of where the industry is heading, Primor pointed out. Emerging players are building their operations around automation from the ground up.
“We see some AI-first MSPs emerging, and they will probably use only AI tools,” Primor explained. “The competition is only getting tougher. Traditional MSPs will not have the ability to compete against MSPs that are using AI.”
That gap likely will close, but not because of comfort with AI or autonomous workflows, Primor said. “Some of the MSPs are afraid from AI, some of them really want AI. But change is coming because they’ll come to understand that if they’re not using AI, they will go out of business.”
Summing Things Up
Cynomi’s push into agentic AI highlights a growing reality for MSPs. The challenge is no longer just delivering security services, but doing so efficiently without relying on scarce expertise. By embedding CISO-level intelligence into its platform, Cynomi is aiming to help MSPs expand advisory services, standardize delivery and compete in an increasingly AI-driven market.
As AI reshapes how security is delivered, MSPs that can combine automation with oversight will be better positioned to grow.
Jonathan Browning is executive director of content and engagement for The ChannelPro Network. He has been a leader in the IT channel for close to a decade. He’s an avid fan and early adopter of technology. He believes that the Managed Services industry is the most important driver of economic growth and human innovation in today’s world.
Images: Jonathan Browning/ChannelPro, LinkedIn
