Here Are The Most Significant Factors Contributing To MSPs’ Outlook For 2026

As part of the CRN MSP 500 we asked top executives to detail the most significant factors contributing to their outlook for 2026. Here’s what 20 had to say.

Success Factors

As managed service providers and managed security service providers enter 2026, a broad range of factors and circumstances can impact how successful they will be in the new year.

Some factors are within the control of MSP executives such as hiring, the practices they operate and services they offer, their focus on specific markets and technologies, service pricing strategies, and many other business decisions.

Other factors are largely beyond the control of MSPs such as customer demand and moves made by the IT vendors the MSPs work with around products, pricing and partner relations. And bigger-picture factors such as the global economy and geo-political uncertainty are out of their hands.

As part of the CRN 2026 Managed Service Provider 500 project, we asked executives at the MSPs on this year’s list the question: What are the most significant factors contributing to your outlook for 2026?

Here’s what 20 MSP and MSSP executives had to say. (The complete profiles of the MSP 500, including their answers to this and other questions, can be found at crn.com.) The following have been lightly edited for clarity.

Advizex

CR Howdyshell

CEO

We are expecting managed services to grow significantly in 2026 as Advizex continues its shift toward a service-led organization. This outlook is driven by strategic investments in our managed, consumption-based, and AI-enabled offerings, reflecting customer demand for flexible, outcome-focused solutions that simplify IT operations and accelerate innovation.

AvTek Solutions

Wayne Hunter

Owner and CEO

Our outlook for 2026 is shaped by a combination of industry shifts, client needs, and strategic focus.

-Rising compliance and security demands: Businesses in regulated industries continue to face increasing pressure around cybersecurity frameworks, data privacy, and compliance mandates. Our specialization in compliance confidence positions us to meet that growing need with clarity and reliability.

-AI integration and "trust but verify" mindset: The rapid adoption of AI tools introduces both opportunity and risk. Clients are looking for trusted partners who can help them leverage AI responsibly, balancing innovation with validation. This aligns directly with AvTek's approach to trusted technology enablement.

-Client experience and predictable performance: Our fully managed and co-managed IT models provide enterprise-level assurance without enterprise complexity. The more organizations seek simplicity and predictability, the more our model gains traction.

-Internal growth and talent development: We're investing in people, expanding our sales and marketing efforts, refining our processes, and developing team expertise to ensure sustainable, service-driven growth.

Partnerships and thought leadership: Continued involvement in industry events, like the Cyber Risk Summit, and community education around preparedness and cybersecurity readiness help solidify our reputation as a trusted advisor, not just a service provider.

Overall, AvTek's 2026 outlook is driven by our mission to simplify compliance, strengthen security, and give business leaders confidence in their IT—without compromise.

B&L PC Solutions

Brian Bratchie

President

We are expanding operations with a new physical office in St. Petersburg, Fla., and increased hiring in service delivery. [We are seeing] strong demand for cybersecurity, cloud, and compliance services from financial and legal firms in our core markets.

Calian IT & Cyber Solutions

Duane White

Senior Vice President

Managed security, managed outsourced IT services, patching, data center and networking, and Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider program [changes].

CorKat Data Solutions

Kevin Cox

CEO

The most significant factor shaping the 2026 outlook is a strategic decision to band together with other MSPs, creating a stronger, faster-growing collective. By collaborating, we expect to accelerate innovation, expand service capabilities, share best practices, and gain greater purchasing and negotiating power—benefits that translate directly into more value and resilience for clients.

DataVizion

Trevor Bullock

President and CEO

Escalating demand for managed IT, cloud and cybersecurity services, talent scarcity, delivery model evolution and partner ecosystems, and regulatory, geopolitical and sustainability pressures.

Driven Technologies

Rudy Casasola

CEO

Driven's 2026 outlook is shaped by rising enterprise spend on AI-ready infrastructure and cybersecurity, the shift to AI-native platforms and multiagent systems, and growing demand for our pervasive security solutions. Customers are looking for managed services to navigate this complex ecosystem and partners who can use more AI and automation to achieve security, scalability and speed.

FIS

Keith Shaffer

SVP, Division Executive (Commercial and BPaaS)

Adoption of AI and public cloud appetite in the financial institution space, M&A activity amongst [customer] base, and continued regulatory pressure and scrutiny.

Intelligent Technical Solutions

Tom Andrulis

CEO

Our 2026 outlook is driven by continued demand for cybersecurity, compliance, risk, and governance services, combined with strong client appetite for measurable business outcomes. At the same time, our internal AI and data initiatives are boosting efficiency, maturity, and scalability, which positions us to expand service offerings and deepen client value.

IT GOAT

Mike Murphy

President

1. Deepening tier-1 partnerships and industry recognition: Our recognition as a CRN 2025 Next-Gen Solution Provider Leader validates IT GOAT's position as one of the most innovative and forward-thinking MSPs in the market. This momentum, combined with strengthened alliances with Pax8, Acronis, and NordSecurity, enhances our access to top technologies, co-marketing support, and accelerated growth pathways.

2. Elite marketplace alignment and performance: Our designation from Pax8 + Galactic Advisors, awarded to the top 1 percent of MSPs globally, demonstrates our performance against revenue goals, alignment with evolving security frameworks, and our ability to operationalize best-in-class vendor partnerships. This recognition positions us for enhanced marketplace visibility and priority vendor collaboration in 2026.

3. Enterprise-level growth with flagship clients: Our ongoing technology partnership with the Dallas Stars (NHL), where IT GOAT manages all storage and network infrastructure, has created significant traction in the enterprise sector. Monthly co-hosted executive events and relationship expansion across Fortune 500 organizations give IT GOAT a unique channel for high-value pipeline growth moving into 2026.

4. Expanded security and compliance capabilities: As businesses increase investments in cybersecurity, governance, and compliance, our expanded SOC, disaster recovery, and vCIO initiatives position us to capture greater market share among scaling SMBs and mid-market enterprises seeking proactive, U.S.-based IT leadership.

5. Continued investment in operational excellence: Our commitment to rapid-response service metrics, U.S.-based support, and a vetted nationwide partner network ensures we can deploy service within 24 hours, an advantage that strengthens both retention and acquisition in 2026.

IVedha

Kumar Ratnam

CEO

1. Enterprise-level hybrid work model.

2. Cloud Adoption by Enterprises.

3. Transition from CAPEX to OPEX by clients.

4. Stringent compliance/security requirements.

Ki Security and Compliance Group

Seth Kilander

CEO

The most significant factors shaping my outlook for 2026 are the accelerating integration of AI into everyday business operations, the rising demand for trustworthy and efficient IT services, and the continued shift toward hybrid work environments that require stronger infrastructure and support.

Organizations are prioritizing scalability, automation, and cybersecurity resilience, which increases the need for reliable managed service partners who can simplify technology while supporting growth.

Additionally, economic uncertainty is prompting businesses to prioritize efficiency and long-term value, making smart IT investments and strategic partnerships crucial for stability and innovation in 2026.

Merit Technologies

Abe Varughese

CEO

AI continues to be the most significant factor shaping our 2026 outlook. As organizations rapidly adopt intelligent tools to improve efficiency, security, and decision-making, we anticipate even greater demand for solutions that help businesses integrate AI responsibly and effectively into their daily operations

MRE Consulting

Shayon Mazumder

Practice Leader, Technology Consulting

The most significant factors contributing to our outlook for 2026 include the rapid acceleration of cloud modernization, heightened cybersecurity requirements across every industry segment, and the increasing need for organizations to implement strong governance, automation, and AI-driven operational models.

As clients place greater priority on resiliency, compliance, and business continuity, we are seeing a shift toward long-term managed services partnerships rather than fragmented project-based engagements. Additionally, our strengthened ecosystem relationships with Microsoft, Ingram Micro, and other strategic partners allow us to deliver deeper capabilities, enhanced funding programs, and more scalable modernization roadmaps for our clients.

Internally, our operational maturity continues to increase through standardized processes, improved service delivery frameworks, and greater alignment between engineering, operations, customer success, and business development. Together, these elements enable us to take on larger, more complex environments while maintaining high service quality and predictable outcomes.

Overall, market demand, strong partner alignment, and our own expanding capabilities position us for accelerated growth and greater impact across the industries we serve.

Pearl Technology

Anthony Mini

President and CISO

-More mid-to-enterprise size organization are outsourcing portions of their IT.

-Our continued efforts in training and certifications allow for deeper knowledge in complex projects at organizations.

-Strategic company vision and execution at mid-to-enterprise organizations.

-Our continued creation of unique value-added solutions for the larger markets based on the gaps we constantly hear.

Red River

Anthony Christie

CEO

The 2026 outlook is driven by rising demand for cloud optimization, zero-trust cybersecurity and AI-powered automation. Growing managed services adoption across key verticals, strengthened technology partnerships, and continued investment in service delivery excellence position us for scalable growth and increased customer value.

Sourcepass

Matthew Brown

President

Our outlook for 2026 is driven by several strategic initiatives already underway across the organization. We're continuing to accelerate cloud adoption for our clients, helping them modernize their environments and operate more efficiently. At the same time, we're strengthening our advanced security capabilities to meet rising regulatory requirements and an increasingly complex threat landscape.

A major contributor to our 2026 position is our work toward achieving CMMC [Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification] Level 2 certification, which will place us among a very small group of providers able to support the government and defense ecosystem. This opens the door to new markets and deepens our compliance-focused service portfolio.

We're also expanding our offerings with advanced AI enablement solutions, giving clients the ability to automate processes, enhance productivity, and leverage intelligent insights.

Storied

Harvey Green

CEO

Storied's managed services growth in 2026 is driven by rising demand for senior EUC [end-user computing], virtualization, and cloud expertise, especially as customers struggle to hire.

VMware turmoil is pushing major platform shifts, and our rapid rescue and stabilization work consistently converts into long-term managed services.

Our lifecycle hardware and software sales also create natural pull-through for ongoing support.

TPx

Shaun Andrews

CEO

TPx's focused mid-market strategy, strong installed base, and integrated portfolio position us for meaningful growth across networking, security, M365, and UCx with Teams or Webex. Rising cyber risk, hybrid work, and the shift to OPEX-based IT are driving demand for managed security, SD-WAN, LAN/wi-fi, and cloud collaboration.

Our broad suite of managed IT, security, networking, and collaboration services allows us to address end-to-end customer needs and layer high-value add-ons through vendors like Zscaler, VeloCloud, Aruba, Juniper, Fortinet, and Meraki. With a large base still untapped for security and managed IT, structured sales plays around network transformation, secure access, and modern collaboration create clear cross-sell paths. Our channel ecosystem is increasingly aligned to these managed services, strengthening long-term growth.

Weaver Technologies

Donald Weaver

Founder and CEO

Our outlook for 2026 is driven by rising demand for predictable IT support models, increased customer adoption of “block hours” and managed infrastructure services, and expanded recurring offerings focused on lifecycle management, security, and modernization needs.

Continued investments in service delivery, customer experience, and operational tooling are also fueling consistent year-over-year growth.