Opinion
How to avoid the AI pilot trap
Channel partners often fall into the "pilot trap" in customer AI projects—demonstrations succeed but implementation fails. This article analyzes the structural reasons behind this, compares the essential differences between traditional BI sales models and AI deployment, proposes the concept of "decision-level AI," and uses real cases to show how to build scalable AI services with decision design as the guide.
Consultants are walking away when AI clients need them most
After companies spend heavily on introducing AI technology, employee engagement often declines months later, precisely when consultants withdraw from the project. Sam Shar, CEO of Trend-Setters Consulting, points out that to bridge the gap between deployment and sustained effective use, digital transformation partners need to significantly extend their stay, even stationing full-time staff in client offices to provide ongoing training and immediate support.
Why AI deserves its own category
医疗和金融服务机构常将 AI 误作自动化工具，导致治理滞后和风险累积。IBM 数据显示，去年组织平均遭遇 54 起 AI 相关事件，其中 17% 为高严重性。MSP 凭借跨业务视角，正成为客户 AI 治理的核心伙伴。本文提出五个关键治理领域，强调从部署到治理的转变。
Rethink deal registration processes before adding AI
A guest post by Kenneth Fox, CTO at Channelscaler, argues that AI alone cannot fix broken deal registration processes. The article outlines four principles for modernizing registration—simplicity, written rules, journey visibility, and continuous refinement—and offers a practical AI roadmap for channel leaders.
MSPs are leaving email signature compliance money on the table
An Exclaimer survey shows that 80% of organizations still manage email signatures manually, and 92% believe signature consistency is crucial to a professional image. Regional MSPs, leveraging customer trust and localization advantages, can turn signature governance into recurring revenue, filling the gap left by larger service providers in the mid-market.
MSPs should double down on people, despite the urge to chase AI
Despite the industry's push toward AI, MSPs that thrive are those that ensure every customer has a named person accountable for their experience. This piece explores why personal accountability is the new competitive edge, how to implement it, and where AI fits without replacing the human touch.
How MSPs should handle the end of the SSL VPN era
MSPs serving small and medium-sized businesses are facing severe challenges from the recurring exposure of vulnerabilities in SSL VPN devices. Products from Fortinet, SonicWall, and others have continuously seen high-risk CVEs, making unpatched devices the primary initial access vector for ransomware. This article analyzes the structural risks, proposes a phased migration strategy toward cloud-native VPN and ZTNA, and emphasizes the window of opportunity for MSPs to proactively guide customer transformation.
The channel’s real AI opportunity is turning infrastructure spend into business outcomes
The AI market is still dominated by infrastructure investment, but the real value for channel partners lies in helping enterprises convert computing power investments into measurable business outcomes. This article explores how channel partners can become key enablers of enterprise AI adoption through process insights, outcome-oriented services, and governance capabilities.
How platform consolidation eases AI adoption
Omdia's latest research shows that 49% of managed service providers (MSPs) want a fully integrated software and service delivery platform, and 91% need integrated backup and recovery capabilities, marking a continued shift from point solutions to platform-based approaches in critical data protection and AI governance. The advancement of AI adoption and agentic AI is accelerating this trend, with governance and compliance challenges being the biggest obstacles.
ITAD firms are the new MSPs — and private equity is taking notice
The IT asset disposal (ITAD) industry is undergoing a transformation from one-time transactions to recurring service models, and private equity firms view it as an integration opportunity similar to the MSP market in 2018-2019. Industry leaders are attracting capital attention through service-oriented transformation, while the rapid iteration cycles of global tech giants and increasingly stringent environmental regulations further drive this change.