IT Channel Trends 2026: How MSPs and Vendors Plan to Grow

Throughout December and early January, we have spoken with executives at vendors, service providers, and other channel organizations about their goals for 2026. 

Below are some of the key takeaways from our reporting:

• MSPs are reassessing core ITSM, RMM, and PSA platforms as customer needs grow more complex and AI-driven.
• Managed services continue to expand beyond traditional MSP models, with AI-enabled offerings emerging as a major growth opportunity.
• Security services, including vCISO and fractional advisory models, are becoming central to partner differentiation and recurring revenue.
• Vendors are increasingly positioning their platforms and programs around long-term partner outcomes rather than point solutions.

Below, we break these down with further detail and expert insights from executives at channel-focused vendors and service providers.

The evolution of ITSM, RMM, and other key MSP tooling in 2026

One of the key themes many in the channel are following this year surrounds the typical tooling channel partners rely on to run their business operations.

Many MSPs still rely heavily on ITSM platforms, as do their customers, alongside RMM/PSA tooling and other key needs.

Now, as their clients’ needs become increasingly complex and AI-enabled workflows

“Partners are going to find and choose the best technology to solve their problems, and they’re going to choose things that are built with MSPs in mind for MSPs’ needs,” said Michael Fass, CEO of Slide.

For companies like Slide, this opens an opportunity for emerging vendors to displace the legacy players in the industry. As MSPs look for solutions, they might be inclined to move away from traditional approaches they’ve used previously.

That trend aligns with broader IT trends, in which more teams are pursuing unified platforms that offer multiple tools and capabilities within a single experience.

New operational capabilities MSPs need to stay competitive in 2026

In our quarterly and annual news recap discussion on Channel Insider: Partner POV, our team highlighted the industry’s evolving nature and how MSPs might need to change alongside it.

To some, that evolution will require MSPs to rethink their internal operations and the tooling within those workflows.

Xurrent CPO Phil Christianson emphasizes the importance of internal tooling to investors, noting how investors will consider MSPs in potential deal activity this year.

“There’s a lot of activity in the channel right now. When investors look at MSPs, they want to see best-in-breed tooling and advanced operations, not holdovers from years past. We want to bring that to the partners who need it,” Christianson told Channel Insider in a conversation about the company’s ITxM offering.

Why managed services and AI-driven offerings are expanding in 2026

From MSPs to VARs and even some of the largest GSIs in the industry, managed services are on the menu for everyone this year. To many, recurring services, and the revenue they bring, are crucial to meeting the needs of customers from SMB to the enterprise.

One of the most significant growth opportunities within the services space is likely to come from the expansion of AI services and the potential to leverage AI to further deliver data-driven success.

“Partners have an incredible opportunity to move beyond transactional relationships and become true growth advisors. To achieve this, MSPs should focus on three priorities: expanding managed services with AI-powered analytics, deepening industry-specific delivery, and leveraging vendor ecosystems for bundled solutions,” said Gretchen O’Hara, EVP of business development and strategic partnerships at Sage.

“Now is the time to audit portfolios, close gaps in cloud and automation, and co-create programs with vendors that deliver measurable outcomes. Those who invest early in AI and cloud skills and align with strategic roadmaps will unlock new revenue streams and deepen customer trust,” OHara continued.

In a recent interview with Channel Insider, ePlus president Ken Farber said the next goal for his company is to understand what their customers need and develop solutions that address common challenges.

“What’s next is working with our customers on their business journey and helping them achieve and succeed in the goals that they have – to provide a consultative set of solutions to help them ideate their dreams and help them get to their business outcomes,” said Farber. “And then help them design, architect, manage, and build those environments for our customers.”

Why MSPs and MSSPs are expanding security and vCISO services

Back in 2024, we covered the then-emerging trend of vCISO offerings. In 2026, vCISO and other fractional advisory services are not on the fringe; they’ll likely become the next logical evolution of security services offered by channel partners.

Vendors like Cynomi have bet heavily on the opportunities vCISO and specialized security offerings pose for channel partners who can efficiently build them into managed services.

“What we see is that a lot of MSPs and MSSPs want to differentiate themselves from others, and we think security is one way to do that,” Cynomi CEO David Primor told Channel Insider in December. “We also know that they need to be able to show the additional value they provide as partners, and the tools they use need to help them translate the technical things they do into business outcomes customers understand.”

What these 2026 channel trends signal for MSPs and vendors

As we said when we covered 2026 business and technology predictions for the IT channel, one thing remains true: the only constant is change. 

“It feels to me like the business world is getting less predictable,” Fass said, noting that economic cycles, costs, and other factors are more complex than they might have been years ago. 

Along with that, as Fass also told us, the channel writ large may be returning to a sense of “normal” following pandemic-related years of exponential growth as companies were forced to modernize tech and adjust to new ways of working.

Whatever might come in 2026, channel vendors and their partners appear poised to make the best of it through tailored solutions and evolved business models driven by new service offerings.