iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
AI and automation are the service area managed service providers (MSPs) say clients want most, yet relatively few providers are earning meaningful revenue from it. Meanwhile, large annual customer contracts have become less common, customer acquisition remains a major challenge and hiring skilled technicians is getting harder. Those findings come from Kaseya’s 2026 State of the MSP Report, released April 14, 2026, and based on a survey of more than 1,000 MSPs worldwide.
What Kaseya’s 2026 MSP survey found
The report points to a mismatch between what customers request and what many MSPs can sell profitably: AI and automation are emerging as a leading client need, while the traditional large annual deal is less prevalent.
| Finding | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Typical annual customer spending above $25,000 | Fell from 75% to 41% year over year, according to Kaseya’s 2026 report. |
| Acquiring new customers | 71% of respondents named it their top challenge. |
| AI and automation as a client need | 48% ranked it as the top client need for 2026. |
| Meaningful revenue from AI services | 13% said they were generating meaningful revenue from those services. |
| Internal AI use | 53% said they already used AI to automate ticketing, patching and monitoring. |
| Difficulty hiring skilled technicians | Rose from 9% to 16%. |
These figures describe survey responses, not audited market-wide revenue or a guarantee that AI offerings are profitable. The gap between client interest and meaningful revenue is the central business issue: demand creates an opening, but MSPs still have to define a useful service, deliver it reliably and price it to cover the work.
Why smaller deals make the AI gap more important
When fewer customers spend above $25,000 annually, providers may have less room to absorb labor-intensive delivery within a broad, high-value contract. Smaller contracts can make a modular offer easier to adopt, but they also raise the importance of clear scope and repeatable delivery. An AI feature is not itself proof of customer value; the offer should connect to an outcome the customer can recognize, such as faster response, more useful reporting or earlier detection of a problem.
#1 Best Overall
- EVOLUTION CORE ULTRA 9 285H MINI PC - GMKtec EVO-T1 is the next evolution in AI mini PC Ultra 9 series. The Core Ultra 9 285H offers 16 cores (six P-cores + eight E-cores + two LPE-cores) and 16 threads with a turbo clock of 5.4 GHz. It is currently one of the best value for performance AI mini PC computers.
- AI NPU - The 285H features an Intel AI Boost NPU, capable of up to 13 TOPS (Tera Operations per Second) for INT8 calculations, which is designed to accelerate AI tasks.
- INTEL ARC 140T GAMING PC - The Arc 140T GPU includes 8 Xe cores and supports features like DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.5, and OpenCL 3, making it capable of handling modern games and creative applications. It also supports Quick Sync Video for efficient video encoding and decoding, as well as AV1 encoding and decoding.
- 64GB DDR5 RAM + 1TB SSD - The EVO-T1 is equipped with Dual 32GB (Total 64GB) SO-DIMM DDR5 5600MHz memory sticks. 2TB PCIE 4.0 SSD Drive with 3x M.2 2280 Expansion slots. Each slot capable of reading up to 4TB. (12TB MAX)
- QUAD SCREEN 8K DISPLAY SUPPORT - EVO-T1 AI Mini PC support 4-screen 4K/8K output via HDMI 2.1 (8K@60Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (4K@60Hz), and USB Type-C Transfer speed (supporting PD3.0/DP1.4/DATA). Ideal for gaming, video editing, and multitasking, it provides expansive and crisp multi-display support.
Acquisition adds pressure. Kaseya found that 71% named winning new customers as their top challenge. ITPro reports that 33% of new clients were switchers moving from an incumbent MSP, adding a competitive dimension: some opportunities may depend on demonstrating a concrete reason to change providers, rather than simply offering AI capabilities.
How MSPs can turn AI interest into a service
Start with an outcome and a bounded offer
Choose a specific client problem and define what the service will do, what it will not do and how success will be assessed. A smaller, clearly scoped entry point can make the value easier to evaluate than an expansive promise to “add AI.” Potential outcomes include reducing routine ticket handling, improving response times, producing more consistent reporting or surfacing issues proactively. The provider should set expectations appropriate to its actual tools and delivery model.
Rank #2
- LOW ENERGY HIGH PERFORMANCE MINI PC - The Intel Core Ultra 5 125U is part of the Ultra 5 lineup, using the Meteor Lake architecture with BGA 2049. Intel Hyper-Threading technology is available and effectly doubles the core-count of the P-Cores, to a total of 14 threads. Core Ultra 5 125U has 12 MB of L3 cache and operates at 1300 MHz by default, but can boost up to 4.3 GHz, depending on the workload. With a TDP of 15 W, the Core Ultra 5 125U consumes very little energy but outputs high performance efficiency
- 32GB DDR5 RAM + 512GB SSD - The K15 mini computer is equipped with Dual 16GB (Total 32GB) SO-DIMM DDR5 4800MHz memory sticks. 512GB PCIE 4.0 SSD Drive with 3x M.2 2280 Expansion slots. Each slot capable of reading up to 8TB. (24TB MAX)
- QUAD SCREEN 4K DISPLAY SUPPORT - K15 Mini PC support 4-screen 4K/8K output via HDMI 2.1 (8K@60Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (4K@60Hz), and USB Type-C Transfer speed (supporting PD3.0/DP1.4/DATA). Ideal for gaming, video editing, and multitasking, it provides expansive and crisp multi-display support
- OCULINK PORT - The Oculink port on the rear interface enables higher bandwidth capabilities, better frame rates and lower lag. The standard also operates at PCIe x4 speeds, compared to Thunderbolt's x3. Gamers and content creators can benefit from Oculink's higher bandwidth, resulting in better performance and lower lag for eGPU setups
- DUAL NIC FAST 2.5GBE + WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 - Dual Ethernet 2.5GbE LAN port design provides more applications, such as firewall, multichannel aggregation, soft routing, file storage server. Built-in WIFI 6E / Bluetooth 5.2 is more stable and efficient to connect multiple wireless devices such as projector, printer, monitor, speakers and etc
Check the delivery economics before selling broadly
Estimate the technician time required to configure, supervise and support the service, then compare it with the recurring revenue and workload it is expected to generate or reduce. Demand figures show interest, not willingness to pay at a particular price or a provider’s margin. Track technician hours saved and service workload alongside client adoption and revenue; otherwise, a growing feature set can conceal a costly implementation.
Recommended Free Tools
Use automation inside the MSP first
Kaseya says 53% of respondents were already using AI to automate ticketing, patching and monitoring. These internal workflows can help providers manage capacity when hiring is difficult, but automation needs oversight: exceptions, errors and security-sensitive changes still require defined handling. Measure whether a workflow actually reduces time or improves service quality before expanding it.
Rank #3
- Entry-level NAS Personal Storage：UGREEN NAS DH2300 is your first and best NAS made easy. It is designed for beginners who want a simple, private way to store videos, photos and personal files, which is intuitive for users moving from cloud storage or external drives and move away from scattered date across devices. This entry-level NAS 2-bay perfect for personal entertainment, photo storage, and easy data backup (doesn't support Docker or virtual machines).
- Set Your Devices Free, Expand Your Digital World: This unified storage hub supports massive capacity up to 64TB.*Storage drives not included. Stop Deleting, Start Storing. You can store 22 million 3MB images, or 2 million 30MB songs, or 43K 1.5GB movies or 67 million 1MB documents! UGREEN NAS is a better way to free up storage across all your devices such as phones, computers, tablets and also does automatic backups across devices regardless of the operating system—Window, iOS, Android or macOS.
- The Smarter Long-term Way to Store: Unlike cloud storage with recurring monthly fees, a UGREEN NAS enclosure requires only a one-time purchase for long-term use. For example, you only need to pay $459.98 for a NAS, while for cloud storage, you need to pay $719.88 per year, $2,159.64 for 3 years, $3,599.40 for 5 years. You will save $6,738.82 over 10 years with UGREEN NAS! *NAS cost based on DH2300 + 12TB HDD; cloud cost based on 12TB plan (e.g. $59.99/month).
- Blazing Speed, Minimal Power: Equipped with a high-performance processor, 1GbE port, and 4GB RAM on Board, this NAS handles multiple tasks with ease. File transfers reach up to 125MB/s—a 1GB file takes only 8 seconds. Don't let slow clouds hold you back; they often need over 100 seconds for the same task. The difference is clear.
- Let AI Better Organize Your Memories: UGREEN NAS uses AI to tag faces, locations, texts, and objects—so you can effortlessly find any photo by searching for who or what's in it in seconds. It also automatically finds and deletes similar or duplicate photo, backs up live photos and allows you to share them with your friends or family with just one tap. Everything stays effortlessly organized, powered by intelligent tagging and recognition.
Fit the offer to the existing service stack
Before committing to a tool or building a package, assess the client outcome it supports, time to deploy, compatibility with the existing PSA and RMM stack, workload coverage, security and data-governance controls, technician hours saved and recurring-revenue potential. These criteria help distinguish a useful operational improvement from an isolated AI feature that adds integration or support burden.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Keep established services visible
AI does not replace the core responsibilities customers still depend on MSPs to deliver. Kaseya identifies security and backup/business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) as continuing revenue anchors. Providers can position AI-related services alongside those foundations, while making clear how each service is scoped and what operational outcome it supports.
Rank #4
- [Powerful PC] Gaming PC equipped with Core i9-14900F, 24 Cores 32 Threads, 36M Cache, Max Turbo Frequency: 5.8GHz, Windows 11 pro (64 Bit). With GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs. Adopting DLSS 4 technology, it dramatically improves frame rate performance, supports FP4 low-precision computing, and doubles the efficiency of AI inference. SD graph generation speed is 3 times faster than RTX 4070 Super, significantly increasing creative productivity. Graphics work productivity has increased significantly.
- [High Speed DDR5 RAM & PCIE4.0 SSD] The desktop computer is equipped with Dual-DDR5 RAM (dual channel DDR5 high-speed memory, which can support up to 128GB RAM), 1 x M.2 2280 PCIE4.0 high-speed SSD, and support add 2 x 2.5-inch SATA HDD/SSD(not include) is enough to accommodate system files and massive games, Excellent reading and writing speed greatly shortening your boot time.
- [8K@60Hz Quad-Display] Desktop PC with GeForce RTX 5070 12G GDDR7, supporting DLSS 4, ray tracing, and AI cores. Easily connect 4 monitors via 1×HDMI 2.1 + 3×DP 1.4a — all ports support 8K@60Hz. Delivers stunning visuals and ultra-smooth performance for home entertainment, live streaming, video editing, AI workloads, 3D rendering, and AAA gaming.
- [Functional Interfaces] Mini computer is equipped with 4 x USB 3.2, 4 x USB2.0, 1 x HDMI2.1 port, 3 x DP ports, 2xRJ-45 Gigabit Network Ethernet, 1 x Fiber Optic PORT, 1 x Audio in/out. Built-in Bluetooth 5.4 and IEEE 802.11be wifi 7, Higher transfer rates and lower latency. Mini PC supports multiple device connection and can be used with servers, monitoring equipment, office equipment, projectors, televisions, etc, Mini desktop computer support automatic power on and Wake On Lan.
- [Warranty & Liquid Cooling] Warrant: 2 year/24 months. The compact computer size: 11.6*9.3*3.9in, 9.25lb, Chassis built-in 2 large copper fans, built-in liquid cooling device, to further enhance the computer heat dissipation, and at the same time can reduce noise, give full play to the overall performance of the computer.
What the report does—and does not—show
Kaseya’s report is a worldwide survey of more than 1,000 MSPs, released April 14, 2026. Its reported percentages describe respondents; they do not establish that every region, provider size or customer segment faces the same conditions. The results also do not show that AI services will be profitable for every MSP. They indicate a market opportunity alongside a monetization gap, making proof of value and disciplined delivery essential.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
