AI technologies for MSPS: From AI tools to managed service

AI is already part of daily work life for many of your clients. But, defined AI service offerings in the channel are still in their early stages in many places. A recent snapshot of opinion among Elovade partners in Germany and Austria showed: customer interest in AI is there, but many IT system houses and service providers still lack clearly defined, marketable AI services.

In the UK, our 2026 partner survey showed that 73% of respondents named AI and machine learning as the most promising emerging technology. Yet 60% said their customers are unsure how to use it effectively, and 75% said lack of understanding is the main thing holding adoption back.

The partners surveyed cite open questions around data protection and compliance, as well as how to shape such services in practice, as key challenges. Our new AI technologies category is built to close that gap, with the vendors and support partners need to build managed AI services of their own.

Why using individual AI tools no longer enough?

Individual tools such as ChatGPT or Claude may be a reasonable place to start, but they are not a strategy for a business. Once you have multiple models, multiple users and sensitive company come together, the starting point changes fundamentally. A practical question becomes a strategic one:

• Model diversity: As the number of AI models and tools grows, it becomes harder to keep track and to provide the right models in a controlled way.
• Shadow AI: Employees often use AI tools on their own initiative, without IT or management knowing, so nobody can see who is reaching which data through which model. This means visibility is lost over who accesses which data and models and when, which permissions apply, and where company data is going. The result is a loss of control and open questions around access, costs and compliance.
• Lack of integration: For AI to deliver lasting value, it has to fit sensibly into existing applications, workflows and business processes.

These challenges are no longer side issues. Whether or not clients say it outright, they expect their IT provider to give them a considered, secure way to use AI rather than a patchwork of separate tools.

From challenge to business line: what MSPs need now

Those same problems are where the service opportunity lies. Access to a single model isn’t enough to build something you can standardise and sell month after month. Partners need to be able to:

• Provide different models centrally and match each one to the right use case
• Set clear rules for access, usage and responsibilities, with permissions and data access that can be traced
• See an overview of which models, users and data are in use, along with the risks and costs attached
• Bring AI into existing applications and workflows, so one-off use cases become services that can scale

AI Security and compliance is another topic gaining importance in customer conversations. When AI works with company data, clients want to know it meets the standards they’re already held to. Typically that means:

• UK GDPR, or EU GDPR for clients in Ireland and the wider EU, for how personal data is processed
• SOC 2 as evidence of controlled processes around security and data handling
• ISO 27001 for structured information security management
• ISO 42001, the newer standard for setting up and running an AI management system responsibly

So, channel partners need to do more than supply the technology. They need to be able to tell a client how their data is processed, who can access it and what rules govern AI use. Partners who can cover that technically and organisationally have a solid base for managed AI services that last.

Our AI technologies category at a glance

In our new AI category, we’ve expanded our portfolio with vendors that address exactly these requirements. At launch, we’re focusing on two core areas: productive and controlled use of AI, and governance and transparency in existing IT environments:

nexos.ai brings more than 200 AI models together on one platform. Through its AI Workspace and AI Gateway, those models can be used in day-to-day work, built into applications and connected to automated workflows, while access, usage, cost and governance are managed centrally. For partners, it’s a way to give clients controlled access to generative AI without tying them to a single model provider.

Rencore focuses on governance in Microsoft environments. The platform gives visibility of resources, access and risk across Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Copilot and AI agents. It also helps enforce policies and automates routine governance tasks. Copilot is a good example of why this matters: it can surface anything a user already has permission to see, so overshared SharePoint sites and Teams become a much bigger issue once it’s switched on. With Rencore, partners can help clients bring permissions under control, reduce risk and introduce AI tools and agents into their existing set-up in a controlled way.

This is a first step, and a deliberate one. Over the coming months we’ll add more vendors and technologies to the category, giving partners a broader foundation for their AI services.

How Elovade supports partners on the road to Next Gen MSP

A new set of vendors doesn’t make a business model by itself. Alongside our portfolio, we’re expanding the support we offer around AI. including: technical expertise, information events and help developing your own service offerings. The aim is to support partners all the way from first getting to grips with AI, to running it as an established recurring service.

Philip Weber, CEO of Elovade, explains the thinking behind it:

“AI gives our partners a huge opportunity to develop their business model and build new services. Now is the time to make the right decisions and, step by step, make AI a permanent part of their service business. With our new AI technologies category, we’re combining a carefully selected vendor portfolio with expertise and enablement, and supporting our partners as they build their own AI services.”

That’s also the thinking behind the line we’re using for the category: AI is business. Make it yours.

Where to start

AI opens up new starting points for recurring services for MSPs. This includes the controlled provision to a range of models, governance and access control, and integration with the processes clients already depend on. nexos.ai and Rencore give you a technical foundation for that today, and we’ll keep building on it.

If clients are already asking you about AI, this gives those conversations some structure and a service to point to. If they haven’t asked yet, our survey numbers suggest they will soon, and having a defined offer ready puts you ahead of the question.

Have questions about our AI technologies? Get in touch with our team