Here Are The Emerging Technology Areas That MSP 500 Execs See Offering The Biggest Opportunities In 2023

As part of the CRN MSP 500, we asked top managed service provider executives to tell us which emerging technology areas they saw as providing the biggest opportunity in 2023. Here’s what 20 had to say.

Emerging Opportunities

Demand for managed IT services continues to surge. But the specific services and technologies that businesses and organizations need is constantly changing. Cloud services and cybersecurity, for example, are generally in high demand. But the specific technologies and services within those categories is fast-evolving. And customers are looking to MSPs to provide technology and expertise around newer technologies such as AI/machine learning, robotics process automation and compliance-as-a-service.

As part of the CRN MSP 500 we asked top managed service provider executives to tell us which emerging technology areas they saw as providing the biggest opportunity in 2023.

Here’s what 20 had to say.

Advantage Industries

Keith Heilveil, President

Columbia, Md.

IT security continues to be a big driver in the marketplace. We believe that compliance requirements such as cyber insurance and federal/state regulations will provide opportunities for growth.

Aspire Technology Partners

John Harris, President and CEO

Eatontown, N.J.

Cybersecurity lodged on SASE, zero trust and managed detection and response (MDR) opportunities continue to expand as threats on the attack surface become stronger and more aggressive in 2023. Data applications, data protection, and cloud security are areas getting more attention while managed detection and response will also thrive as organizations look for better ways to secure their environments. IOT/OT for energy and utilities organizations is another area where we see potential growth, plus safety and security in transportation and manufacturing industries are a growing concern.

ATSG

Anthony D’Ambrosi, CEO

New York

Cybersecurity. As ATSG’s enterprise clients and partners adopt work-from-anywhere models and look for more robust cybersecurity consulting and operational offerings, ATSG will add deep, new capabilities and leverage proven software/API development processes to enhance our portfolio.

Compucom

Kevin Shank, CEO

Fort Mill, S.C.

The hybrid workplace with employees operating in a corporate office, the field, and from their home residences.

Compulink Technologies

Denise Arboleda, VP, Sales

New York

Security, Cloud, Device Management, Network Monitoring, and Staffing.

Denali Advanced Integration

Robert Vrij, CEO

Redmond, Wash.

Denali serves iconic customers across several solutions (supply chain, hybrid, mobility, automation). The company plans to expand into new areas such as automation, security, AI, fixed industrial scanning, machine vision and learning, and cloud services. It will invest in expertise and new capabilities to pioneer software solutions.

Entara

Pamela Diaz, President and CEO

Chicago

In 2023, we anticipate cybersecurity becoming non-negotiable. There will be increased command for solutions such as microsegmentation, user awareness training, zero trust, and vCISO. There will be a larger focus on Governance, Risk and Compliance, targeted ransomware, insider threats, and security talent shortfalls.

Interlink Cloud Advisors

Matt Scherocman, CEO

Mason, Ohio

Employee experience engagement software to help remote employees connect, find information and collaborate better.

ITS

Sharon Woods, President and CEO

Simi Valley, Calif.

AI/machine learning, cloud migration, dark web monitoring, enhanced network monitoring, endpoint security, end-user security training, identity access management, intrusion protection services, network security, phishing and SIEM.

KT Connections

Casey Parker, VP and CEO

Rapid City, S.D.

We see our clients moving more workloads to the cloud and away from on-prem infrastructure. With this move, securing these environments is going to be a big challenge + opportunity along with Identity management as workloads move to [dispersed] clouds.

MainMicro

Georges Chebli, VP Sales and Owner

New York

Cybersecurity, network management, high-performance computing [and] Cloud.

Mobius Partners

Jay Uribe, Co-Founder and President

San Antonio, Texas

Wider adoption of cloud platforms and SaaS models, coupled with increased AI-based security measures; AI and machine learning; hyper automation and observability.

Mode5

Luke Downing, President

Norfolk, Va.

Security is number one, but slightly after that is Office 365/Azure Active Directory. We are deploying more and more serverless environments with Azure AD. We also want to explore more of the included security services in Microsoft 365.

Pegasus Technology Solutions

Buck Jones, Founder and CEO

Frisco, Texas

We are seeing as-a-Service take hold in the market more and more, particularly Security-as-a-Service. We are also seeing an increase in AI for operations and security. Companies want insights into their data to make it usable for driving business decisions.

Phantom Technology Solutions

Henry Timm, President

Rolling Prairie, Ind.

RPA (robotic process automation)/hyper automation products, data mapping automation, and a focus on controls for further limiting exposure to supply chain attacks (namely due to insurance companies starting to more widely roll their own inspectors, software agents and 365 connectors). I also expect more focus on the development of “respond” and “recover” category of products outside of data BDR [backup and disaster recovery]. And lastly, I‘d be willing to bet that the big PSA/RMM companies will be eating up/baking in PAM/IAM tools along with RPA solutions everywhere they can as they fight for relevancy beyond patch management.

Proficio

Brad Taylor, CEO

Carlsbad, Calif.

Offering services to companies migrating to cloud services, like AWS and Azure, that require specialized MDR services. Automating incident response for attacks and compromises.

RetroFit Technologies

Jacqueline Lawlor, CEO

Taunton, Mass.

There are several areas of opportunity in 2023. The first continues to be MSSP services including SIEM solutions and 24x7 SOC services. We also see an opportunity in the area of technical, managed services/security for staff augmentation. Clients are struggling to hire technical talent and we have been able to fill that void.

SoftwareOne

Ashley Gaare, President, North America

Milwaukee, Wisc.

FinOps for cost control and ROI focus, programmatic focus on outcomes. AppMod [application modernization] for focus on improved effectiveness and efficiency.

Triton Networks

Robert House, CEO

Dallas

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) will be a key contributor to secure managed network services as the network and security continue to converge. Triton has been focused on security, cloud, virtual services and IoT for several years. The convergence of these areas continues to grow and Triton is well positioned to take advantage of the market and opportunities that lie ahead. We are creating important relationships and partnerships in the market to allow Triton to be a key player in secure managed network services.

Xceptional

Chris McKewon, Founder and CEO

San Diego

Everything as a Service (XaaS) is a growing trend within the market that we are capitalizing on. A large percentage of our small and mid-sized clients are looking for cost effective and dynamic ways of consuming and utilizing IT operations, services, hardware and software, platforms, and applications. Many clients are seeking utility-based pricing models that can expand and contract with their business and customer demands, so we are continuing to expand the portfolio of managed services that we provide the market. This includes Security-as-a-Service and Compliance-as-a-Service offerings [which] represent a massive market opportunity in 2023.