Channel Brief: Is AI Expanding the MSP Mandate?

KPMG’s 2026 Managed Services Outlook is giving a pretty clear read on where this market is going. AI is now a core expectation for managed services buyers. The report surveyed 1,224 senior leaders involved in managed services decisions, and the numbers tell the story: 98% of companies see AI implementation as a critical managed services capability, 91% say managed services matter for agentic AI delivery, and 87% say managed services are already highly integrated into their digital transformation strategy. So for MSPs and larger service providers, customers are not just asking who can run their environment. They are asking who can help make AI useful, governed, and tied to real business outcomes.

And that is where the opportunity gets more interesting. KPMG found that AI management is expected to become the top area of managed services investment over the next two years, cited by 56% of respondents. Cybersecurity also stays high on the priority list, which makes sense because AI only works if the data, cloud apps, SaaS environments, and security controls underneath it are in good shape. The providers with the stronger story will be the ones that can connect AI to cost control, compliance, resilience, and better day-to-day operations, not just promise faster workflows with a shiny new AI layer.

This Week's Tech, Channel, and MSP News

Proofpoint launches dedicated MSP business unit: Proofpoint has launched a dedicated MSP Platform business unit and brought Proofpoint 365 Total Protection to North America, expanding its MSP and SMB push following the company’s December 2025 acquisition of Hornetsecurity. The platform gives MSPs a multitenant Microsoft 365 security offering that combines email security, phishing and ransomware defense, backup and recovery, archiving, encryption, continuity, security awareness training, compliance support and AI cyber assistance. Proofpoint is also building out the channel motion through a Pax8 Marketplace partnership and new U.S.-based data centers in Georgia to support local processing, storage, availability and data sovereignty needs.

Aura Business partners with TD SYNNEX: Aura Business has partnered with TD SYNNEX to make its identity-centric BYOD security solution available across TD SYNNEX’s North American reseller and MSP network. The offering is designed to help MSPs secure access to corporate systems from employee-owned devices without managing the device itself or accessing personal data. For MSPs, the partnership is focused on addressing a common gap in distributed work environments: employees are using personal devices to access business systems, but many providers do not have a practical way to monitor identity risk, credential theft, phishing attempts and account compromise tied to those unmanaged endpoints.

HPE names Ingram Micro and TD SYNNEX as distribution partners: HPE has named Ingram Micro and TD SYNNEX as its two global distribution partners as it moves toward a more unified distribution model across networking, cloud and AI. The company said the new structure is intended to give partners more consistent enablement, operational support and access to HPE’s full portfolio, while regional and specialist distributors will continue to play a role based on country-level needs. The move follows HPE’s acquisition of Juniper Networks and is part of a broader effort to bring the two companies’ distributor networks into a more coordinated channel model. For partners, the practical impact is a clearer route to sell and support HPE solutions across the portfolio, with particular emphasis on cross-sell opportunities around HPE Networking.