Pax8 launched a global partnership with NinjaOne last month to help MSPs expand their IT operations and cybersecurity offerings for small and midsize businesses. The partnership will allow Pax8 partners to adopt additional unified IT operations tools, including remote monitoring and management, through NinjaOne. Pax8 will identify partner opportunities and provide guidance, while NinjaOne will work directly with referred partners and manage the customer lifecycle.
A Referral-Based Model
The partnership is starting as a referral-based model. That means MSPs will not immediately transact NinjaOne through the Pax8 Marketplace. Pax8 said marketplace availability is still the long-term goal, but the companies are beginning with referrals so they can start working together now.
Oguo Atuanya, corporate vice president of vendor experience at Pax8, told ChannelE2E, “The Pax8 and NinjaOne partnership is currently a referral-based partnership. Having the ability to transact NinjaOne through the Pax8 Marketplace is the end goal. However, development work is required to accomplish that. So, we agreed to start with the referral motion to begin working together now."
Pax8 has built its model around marketplace-led buying, selling, and management. With NinjaOne, Pax8 is taking a phased approach. Partners can begin engaging with NinjaOne before the technical work required for marketplace transactions is complete.
Why This Matters for MSPs
MSPs are under pressure to support more of the SMB technology stack. Customers need help managing devices, securing environments, backing up SaaS data, and preparing for AI adoption. Pax8 said SMBs are targeted by cyberattacks four times as often as larger enterprises.
Pax8 Pulse research also found that 84% of small businesses would trust an external technology advisor to help implement AI.
That puts MSPs in a bigger advisory role. They are no longer just helping customers buy tools. They are helping them decide which tools fit, how those tools work together, and how to turn them into managed services.
“This collaboration reflects our commitment to meeting partners where they are and connecting them with proven solutions that align with their business goals,” said Atuanya. “By working with NinjaOne, we’re expanding the options available to our partners and maintaining a flexible, partner-first approach.”
A More Flexible Vendor Model
The Pax8-NinjaOne partnership also reveals something about how Pax8 is thinking about vendor relationships. Pax8 remains focused on marketplace growth, but this deal shows the company may use referral-led partnerships when a full marketplace integration is not ready yet.
“Our vendor strategy remains focused on partner and Marketplace growth. In unique situations, we will work strategically with vendors to ensure we’re supporting our partners effectively and offering them the solutions they need,” Atuanya said.
That gives Pax8 room to bring strategic vendors closer to its partner base without waiting for every commercial and technical piece to be finished. For MSPs, the value will depend on whether the referral process makes it easier to evaluate and adopt tools without adding more steps to an already crowded workflow.
Building on the Dropsuite Connection
The partnership also builds on the existing relationship between Pax8 and Dropsuite, which became part of NinjaOne through its 2025 acquisition of the SaaS backup and archiving provider. That connection gives the deal a broader MSP context. Many partners already think about RMM, backup, and security as connected parts of service delivery. The Pax8-NinjaOne relationship brings those conversations closer together, especially for partners looking to manage customer environments more efficiently.
For NinjaOne, the Pax8 relationship opens access to partners that are already evaluating tools for SMB customers.
“Our top priority at NinjaOne is customer success, and that means making it as easy as possible for MSPs to find and adopt tools that simply work and build their businesses,” said Erzan Uygur, VP of strategy and operations at NinjaOne. “Globalizing our partnership with Pax8 allows us to engage with partners who are actively exploring solutions and have trusted guidance throughout that journey.”
The Real Test for Partners
Many MSPs already have RMM, backup, and security tools in place. That makes the practical value of this partnership important. Partners will want to know whether the relationship helps them simplify decisions, improve operations or build stronger service packages.
Atuanya said the partnership is about combining the strengths of both companies. “We see this as a partnership between two companies that are very strong in their respective areas and can go even further together. By remaining focused on what we do best, we’ll deliver better outcomes and more value to our partner ecosystem.”
Pax8 is creating a bridge to NinjaOne now, with marketplace transactions as the longer-term goal. The partner impact will come down to execution: whether this makes it easier for MSPs to evaluate, package and manage broader IT operations and security services without adding more complexity.
