Why I Joined inforcer and Why MSPs Will Lead in the AI Era

Summary

MSPs, not software vendors or in-house IT teams, are best positioned to lead the shift from managing Microsoft 365 systems to delivering AI-powered outcomes. inforcer's SVP of Business Development, Jason Ulacio, frames this as the move from MSP 1.0 (reactive break-fix) to MSP 2.0 (proactive monitoring and automation) to MSP 3.0, or Managed Intelligence. Global managed services spending is projected to near $600 billion by 2025, and MSPs that consolidate Microsoft 365 tenant management onto standardized, monitored baselines now are positioned to layer AI-enabled services on top without adding risk.

Versioned specifics

• Published October 8, 2025, by Jason Ulacio, SVP of Business Development at inforcer.
• Ulacio spent close to a decade at Microsoft, the last four years working on Intune, Defender for Business and Business Premium for MSPs and SMBs.
• Article frames MSP evolution in three stages: MSP 1.0 (reactive break-fix), MSP 2.0 (proactive monitoring, patching and automation), MSP 3.0 (Managed Intelligence).
• Global managed services spend cited at nearly $600 billion by 2025.
• SMBs cited at over 50% of global employment and 40-60% of GDP in most economies.
• Microsoft cited as serving more than 15 million small business customers.
• inforcer named a founding member of the #IntuneForMSPs initiative and a member of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA).

Scope and Limitation Statement

This piece is a leadership perspective on market opportunity, not a step-by-step product or AI rollout guide. It argues MSPs already managing Microsoft 365 tenants are best placed to add AI-enabled services, and points to inforcer's mission to consolidate tenant management, security baselines and drift monitoring across a client base. It does not detail specific AI features, Copilot licensing or AI governance tooling, and it does not assess any one tenant's AI readiness. That requires a dedicated Copilot readiness assessment.

From Microsoft to inforcer: a shared mission

For the past four years, I’ve been deeply involved in Microsoft’s effort to grow its SMB Security business, helping shape how products like Microsoft Intune, Defender for Business, and Business Premium empower MSPs and small & medium businesses (SMBs).

Through initiatives such as Microsoft Lighthouse and partnerships with RMM and PSA vendors, we aimed to simplify how MSPs manage and secure customers at scale. While our efforts didn’t fully deliver on their promise, one truth became clear: Microsoft’s success with SMBs would ultimately depend on how well MSPs could operationalize its technologies.

And that’s where the gap was. MSPs were juggling too many tools and portals, too much configuration, and too little visibility. The Microsoft 365 platform is immensely powerful, but managing it across dozens or hundreds of tenants without a native multi-tenancy layer has been a long-standing pain point.

When I first saw inforcer, it felt like the missing piece of the puzzle—purpose-built to simplify and scale Microsoft security and management for MSPs. They were solving the same challenges my team had been working on at Microsoft, but with the kind of agility and empathy for the MSP experience that only a team of former MSP practitioners and industry leaders can bring.

Joining inforcer wasn’t a pivot—it was a continuation of the mission I’ve been on for years.

The MSP evolution: from systems to Intelligence

The MSP model has always adapted to technological change.

• MSP 1.0 was reactive—fixing what broke.
• MSP 2.0 became proactive—monitoring, patching, securing, and automating.
• Now we’re entering MSP 3.0—the era of Managed Intelligence, where MSPs will guide clients through AI-powered transformation.

MSPs are no longer just maintaining uptime; they’re enabling business outcomes: productivity, compliance, resilience. AI is accelerating that shift by turning service delivery into something predictive, automated, and intelligent.

MSPs who embrace this shift early will define the next wave of growth. Those who wait risk being constrained by complexity while their peers scale through automation.

inforcer is building the platform to help them do just that.

The opportunity ahead

Global spending on managed services is projected to reach nearly $600 billion by 2025, but the true upside lies in how that value is delivered. The next generation of MSPs won’t just sell devices or endpoints—they’ll deliver outcomes powered by digital labor, AI, and deep integration with platforms like Microsoft 365.

The SMBs market is significant, SMBs account for over 50% of global employment and contribute 40–60% of GDP in most economies. Microsoft alone serves more than 15 million small business customers. Yet only a small fraction of these SMBs have the internal resources or technical depth to enable AI on their own. The barriers—talent, infrastructure, and continuous change—are simply too high.

That leaves the door wide open for MSPs, who already hold the position of trusted IT partner. AI is merely the next frontier of value they can deliver.

Beyond technical enablement, AI also gives MSPs a unique opportunity to move up the value chain—from trusted IT partner to strategic business enabler. With AI-powered capabilities like intelligent agents, MSPs can now embed themselves directly into their clients’ business processes, delivering automation, insights, and outcomes that drive direct operational impact. This evolution positions MSPs not just as service providers, but as co-pilots in their customers’ business operations.

This evolution is already underway. SMBs are adopting AI faster than large enterprises—driven by agility, fewer legacy systems, and immediate ROI. The MSPs that guide these businesses through AI adoption will become indispensable partners in the new digital economy.

In many ways, AI will do for MSPs what the cloud did a decade ago—it will level the playing field, open new service categories, and reward those who innovate first.

Early momentum: why I’m more excited than ever

Since joining inforcer just over a month ago, I’ve seen a level of alignment and urgency that’s rare. In a short time, we have:

• Strengthened our collaboration with Microsoft:
  • Became a founding member of the #IntuneForMSPs initiative
  • Joined the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA), an exclusive group of premier security partners
• Launched a major product release delivering user management, tenant assessments, and a more intuitive UI.
• Engaged with Microsoft and leading MSPs across the UK, EU, and US to co-develop our roadmap for product, enablement, and partner programs
• Laid the groundwork for innovations that will redefine how MSPs manage Microsoft 365 and Copilot at scale

It’s been energizing to see how quickly inforcer’s technology and vision resonate with partners. There’s a clear sense that we’re solving something fundamental—helping MSPs operate smarter, faster, and more profitably in a landscape that’s changing by the week.

Looking forward: building the future of Managed Intelligence

I believe the next era of managed services will belong to those who combine security, automation, and AI into a seamless experience for clients.

At inforcer, our mission is to make that possible - by giving MSPs the tools and insights to run secure, scalable, and AI-ready operations on the Microsoft stack. We’re building partnerships, products, and programs that meet MSPs where they are and prepare them for what’s next.

This moment isn’t just exciting - it’s defining. AI isn’t replacing MSPs - it’s amplifying them. The ones who learn to orchestrate intelligence, not just infrastructure, will define the decade ahead.

The AI era is here - and MSPs have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead.

Whether you’re already on this journey or just getting started, I’d love to hear how you’re thinking about the future. Let’s connect and build what’s next - together.

Jason Ulacio

Jason Ulacio

SVP of Business Development

FAQs

Are MSPs going to be replaced by AI, or are they positioned to lead it?

MSPs are positioned to lead. The argument here is that AI amplifies MSP capability rather than replacing it: the job shifts from reactive fixing and monitoring to orchestrating intelligence across a client base. MSPs already juggling too many tools, too much manual configuration and too little visibility are the ones with the most to gain from consolidating first, then adding AI-enabled services on a standardized base.

How big is the AI-driven opportunity for MSPs right now?

Large and growing. Global spending on managed services is projected to reach nearly $600 billion by 2025, and small and mid-sized businesses, which account for over 50% of global employment and 40-60% of GDP in most economies, sit at the center of that market. Microsoft alone serves more than 15 million small business customers, many of which depend on a partner to manage security and adopt new tools.

What does "Managed Intelligence" mean for an MSP in practice?

It is the next stage of MSP service delivery, described here as the shift from MSP 1.0, reactive break-fix work, and MSP 2.0, proactive monitoring, patching and automation, to guiding clients through AI-powered transformation. That shift only works on top of a Microsoft 365 environment that is already standardized and monitored, since AI tools inherit whatever security and data posture a tenant already has.

Do MSPs need a new tool stack before they can sell AI services?

Not a new stack, consolidation of the one they have. The barrier most MSPs face is tool sprawl and inconsistent per-tenant configuration across Intune, Entra ID, Defender, Purview, Teams, Exchange Online, SharePoint and OneDrive, not a lack of AI tools. Standardizing those baselines from one platform is the groundwork that makes rolling out AI features to clients safe to do at scale rather than tenant by tenant.

How should an MSP judge whether a client is ready for Copilot or other AI tools?

Readiness is a security and data governance question before it is a licensing one. inforcer's Copilot readiness assessment audits adoption, security posture, data governance and technical readiness, including identity and access controls, sensitivity labels and DLP, then produces a report with a readiness score and recommendations, so an MSP can show a client exactly what to fix before turning AI features on.

Is the AI opportunity for MSPs about new revenue or about internal efficiency?

Both, and they compound each other. The near-term gain is efficiency: consolidating tenant management frees up technician hours currently spent on manual, per-tenant configuration. The larger opportunity is new revenue, since MSPs who standardize and monitor their client base first are the ones able to sell AI readiness and AI-enabled services on top, instead of competing purely on commodity IT support.