Integris has launched CORE, a managed services offering that combines AI, automation, cybersecurity, and data governance as the MSP looks to redefine what managed services should include as artificial intelligence changes the needs of small and midsize businesses.
AI creates a new inflection point for managed services
For Integris CEO Rashaad Bajwa, the shift reflects the latest evolution of the MSP model. Managed services previously moved from break-fix support to proactive infrastructure management, then expanded again as cloud and cybersecurity changed customer environments.
AI is now creating another inflection point.
“It’s not just about infrastructure,” Bajwa told Channel Insider. “At some point, it became about cybersecurity, but it’s not just about cybersecurity. I think we’ve been talking about governance for a while, but now with AI, it’s also about figuring out these use cases.”
Integris expands into AI and application development
CORE brings AI, automation, data governance, and cybersecurity together in one managed service, with Integris positioning the offering around operational performance rather than simply maintaining IT systems.
Bajwa said that requires capabilities beyond securing AI subscriptions or managing customer usage. MSPs increasingly need to understand customers’ business processes and determine where an AI agent, automation, custom application, or existing off-the-shelf product makes the most sense.
That also pushes MSPs toward a discipline they historically have not provided: application development.
“The bar to what is worthy of writing software has come down so much,” Bajwa said, adding that MSPs need people who can work alongside customers to understand their processes and identify where AI can improve them.
The challenge is particularly apparent as businesses experiment with generative AI and “vibe coding.” Bajwa said a prototype can sometimes be built in a matter of hours, but transforming it into a secure, scalable production application can take months once authentication, APIs, data access, and security requirements enter the picture.
Integris wants to help customers close that gap and avoid accumulating AI projects that never make it into production.
Automation threatens traditional MSP service models
Bajwa also sees the shift creating a broader challenge for the managed services market.
Routine MSP functions such as checking backups, patch management, and troubleshooting basic issues are increasingly candidates for automation and AI agents.
That does not eliminate the need for MSPs, he argued, but it could shrink the opportunity for providers that remain focused primarily on infrastructure support.
The transition resembles the industry’s move to cloud services. MSPs whose value proposition centered on maintaining physical servers had to evolve as infrastructure moved off-premises. AI now presents a similar pivot.
“We can’t just be a utility keeping the lights on anymore,” Bajwa said. Instead, MSPs will need to understand how customers operate and help them apply technology to improve their businesses.
AI expertise becomes a competitive differentiator
Developing those capabilities also requires MSPs to build AI expertise internally.
Integris began experimenting with its own internal data structures and AI models nearly two years ago, according to Bajwa, giving employees experience they can now apply to customer environments.
The company is also drawing on experienced software architects as it develops what Bajwa described as its own version of “forward deployed engineers.”
Not every MSP will make that transition, Bajwa acknowledged. But as more traditional support functions become automated, he expects the ability to combine technical expertise with business-process knowledge to increasingly separate strategic technology partners from infrastructure-focused providers.
“The MSPs are the people. We are the service,” Bajwa said. “We are the trusted advisor for our customers, and we need to be where they need us.”