A tech conference is only as good as its keynote sessions, and the 2025 MSP Summit is jam-packed with industry luminaries and MSPs eager to share their success stories. Come hear industry stalwarts such as Jay McBain and Peter Kujawa, execs from Microsoft, Ingram Micro, Kaseya, ConnectWise, N-Able and Syncro, and Channel Partners experts to explore the channel from all angles. The keynotes cover AI like never before, including a marquee keynote on the importance of the industrialization of intelligence and several sessions dedicated to MSPs using AI successfully. Besides the business of AI, these keynotes cover other industry trends and forecasts such as how fast the market is growing, how cybersecurity remains a top priority and how vendors can better help MSPs.
The State of Managed Services
Canalys’s Jay McBain, today’s most influential channel analyst and managed services thought leader, will share exclusive research illuminating the biggest opportunities in the coming year. McBain will share the major trends shaping the overall IT industry that are impacting the fast-growing managed services ecosystem, insights on key vendors and suppliers, what MSPs must do now and in the future to sustain growth rates. As always, these insights are based on data. Attendees often say they cannot get enough of McBain so we are extending this session for him to share the data and answer some of the most-pressing issues of the day as voiced by our MSP 501 and MSP Summit Board members.
AI Transformation Leaders: How Top MSPs Are Revolutionizing Service Delivery Through Artificial Intelligence
Channel Mastered chief analyst Rich Freeman will host an elite panel of managed service providers who are at the forefront of AI integration in their service offerings. These industry pioneers will share their real-world experiences implementing AI solutions, from automated service desk operations to predictive maintenance and AI-enhanced security services. Learn how leading MSPs are monetizing AI capabilities, overcoming implementation challenges, and creating new value propositions for their clients. This session will provide actionable insights on AI strategy, practical implementation steps, and future opportunities in the managed services landscape. The panelists include CEOs Chris Ichelson of 360 SOC and Krishna Rajagopal of AKATI Security, and Anunta VP Jacci Robinson.
The Industrialization of Intelligence
Marquee keynote speaker Nina Schick, a globally recognized expert on AI, geopolitics, and power, will disclose why AI is not just about automation and software. It's an industrial revolution that demands energy, infrastructure, and compute at an unprecedented scale. Data centers, chips, and energy grids are now as strategically important as oil pipelines. She will tell you why industrial intelligence is the real battleground of AI supremacy. Schick, a trusted advisor to frontier AI firms and tech firms, has been at the forefront of how AI is reshaping global dominance—not just in business, but in military strategy, economic infrastructure, and state power.
The Platform Revolution: Shaping the Future of MSP Business Models
Bob DeMarzo and Kelly Danziger of Channel Partners will host a panel of strategic MSP vendor partners to dissect the fundamental essence of platform economics and its transformative impact on the MSP ecosystem. Executives from leading platform providers will take the stage: Jim Lippie of Kaseya, David Raissipour of ConnectWise and Michael Ader of N-Able. They will take part in a candid, pitch-free dialogue exploring how platforms are revolutionizing service delivery, operational efficiency, and business scalability. Moving beyond traditional tool-based discussions, this session will delve into the strategic implications of platform adoption and its role in shaping future MSP business models.
MSP Summit Exclusive CEO Interview: Michael George
An MSP visionary returns with game-changing industry insights. After five years of silence, MSP pioneer and current Syncro CEO Michael George steps back into the spotlight at MSP Summit for a riveting, no-holds-barred conversation that will reshape how you view the managed services landscape. Hear from the industry insider who said: "The industry has changed dramatically since 2019—and not all for the better. It's time for some uncomfortable truths."
Hear the brutal truth about growth in the coming year. In this high-impact interview, George pulls no punches on why today's vendor landscape is actively undermining MSP success and what it truly takes to achieve profitable growth in an increasingly challenging market defined by labor shortages and intensifying competition. Don't miss this rare opportunity to hear directly from the executive who's seen it all, built it all, and is now ready to tell all.
MSP Summit CEO Keynote Interview with Paul Bay, CEO, Ingram Micro
In this exclusive interview session at MSP Summit, Ingram Micro CEO Paul Bay will share his strategic vision for one of the world's largest technology distributors and its evolving relationship with managed service providers. As the IT channel transforms, Bay will discuss how Ingram is positioning itself to support and empower MSPs in an increasingly cloud-first, security-focused business environment while it transforms its own business model.
Channel Partners’ Bob DeMarzo will share the stage with Bay, as they explore critical areas that directly impact MSPs' growth and success such as cloud services evolution, security and compliance, emerging tech, global supply chain, growth opportunities and partner enablement. This interview will provide attendees with actionable insights into Ingram’s strategy and how MSPs can leverage the distributor's resources, technologies, and expertise to accelerate their growth. Bay will also address current market challenges and share his perspective on the future of the IT channel ecosystem.
Managed Service Providers – How Leading MSPs Grow Their Businesses
This MSP 501 keynote includes a diverse set of MSP 501 executives, representing segments of the industry’s highest performing managed services providers. In this session, attendees will hear from those who occupy the top of the list who are living in one of the most interesting times to be an MSP. In an era of rapid technological advancement and evolving business landscapes, MSPs play a pivotal role in shaping the IT strategies of organizations worldwide. Hosted by Channel Partners’ Dave Raffo, this session includes CEOs Tim Guim, of PCH Technologies, Ahmed Mahmood of Ocean Solutions, Josh Dineen of Blue Mantis and Julio Lopez of IT for Education.
They will share secrets of their successes and look at the major issues they and their customers face today. Topics will include best way to embrace AI, keeping up with changing cybersecurity threats, best practices for dealing with multi-cloud and hybrid clouds, how to acquire and retain the best talent, and the impact of tariffs and other geopolitical factors.
MSP Summit Keynote Interview: Monica French, USA SMB Director, Microsoft
Microsoft’s USA SMB leader Monica French will sit with Canalys analyst Jay McBain and Bob DeMarzo of Channel Partners to discuss how Microsoft is focused on unleashing an AI digital first mindset and what that means for partners. During this interview, attendees will hear the opportunities French sees in SMB market and why small business is critical to Microsoft’s growth. Hear how French’s career helped fuel her passion for empowering SMBs and what she learned from her experience at LinkedIn before taking over a key SMB role within Microsoft which has the largest partner network serving small businesses. She will discuss the company’s "AI-First" strategy, how Microsoft is accelerating AI solution development, her role overseeing deployment strategies. SMB is a huge market opportunity for partners who can help customers understand how AI can assist in every task, from enhancing customer experiences to optimizing operations.
Benchmarking Excellence: A Deep Dive with Service Leadership's Peter Kujawa
This in-depth conversation with Peter Kujawa of ConnectWise's Service Leadership group will offer invaluable insights into what truly differentiates high-performing MSPs in today's competitive landscape. Drawing from ConnectWise's extensive data analysis of top-performing managed service providers, Kujawa will speak with Channel Partners’ Bob DeMarzo and Xperteks CEO Marcial Valez about the financial benchmarks and operational strategies that separate exceptional MSPs from the pack.
The 2025 MSP 501 Preferred Vendor Awards
Come celebrate this year’s top vendors, distributors and marketplaces selected by the 2025 MSP 501 as their most preferred go-to-market partners. These suppliers are fueling the growth of today’s highest-performing managed services. Whether you are an MSP 501er or not you will want to know who these suppliers are that are favorites of the best of the best. Preferred Vendor Awards will be presented in the following categories: Infrastructure, Cloud Marketplace, AI, Cybersecurity, Cloud IaaS/PaaS, Backup and Disaster Recovery, Remote Monitoring and Management and Distribution.