AI Boom or Bust? Rethinking Roles, Outcomes, and AI's Impact on MSPs: Session 1
A frank, boardroom-level conversation with leaders from some of the largest MSP platforms about what’s real (and what isn’t) with AI today: how org charts are changing, where to start if you’re small, build-vs-buy, pricing/ROI, and how to turn curiosity into outcomes.
What you’ll learn:
- How top MSPs are approaching build vs. buy (and what they refuse to wait on vendors for)
- Practical starting points for small MSPs without internal devs
- Where AI is actually moving the needle: help desk/Tier-1, workflow automation, reporting/insights
- Org-chart shifts: skills that matter now (customer service + consultative skills), and how to upskill your team
- Pricing & ROI framing that avoids premature productization
Speakers:
- Jonathan Crowe, Director of Community, NinjaOne and Alex Farling, co-founder of Empath
- Elliott Hyman, CEO of Lyra Technology Group https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliotthyman/
- Steven Freidkin, CEO of Ntvia, Inc https://www.linkedin.com/in/ntiva/
- Peter Melby, CEO of New Charter Technologies https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermelby/
- Neel Yerneni, Co-head of Technology, Shield Technology Partners https://www.linkedin.com/in/neelyerneni/
- Mayank Jain, Co-head of Technology, Shield Technology Partners https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjain30/
Chapters:
00:00:00 — Intro & housekeeping (Jonathan Crowe • Alex Farling)
00:02:45 — Why this AI conversation matters for MSPs
00:05:30 — Guest intros: Lyra, Shield, Ntiva (panel lineup)
00:10:30 — Hype vs. reality for MSPs
00:14:10 — Are clients asking for AI—or are MSPs leading?
00:18:45 — Live poll: Who’s driving AI conversations?
00:21:00 — Lyra: customer expectations & internal strategy
00:26:20 — Shield: embedding engineers & AI-first solutions
00:30:50 — Ntiva: AI team & rollout (“Natalie”)
00:33:40 — Shield on build vs. buy
00:36:15 — Peter Melby (New Charter) joins
00:40:40 — Orchestrating innovation vs. waiting on vendors
00:44:50 — Where small MSPs should start
00:49:20 — Org-chart shifts & roles
00:53:30 — “Natalie AI”: reducing Tier-1 work
00:56:45 — Upskilling vs. job-loss fears
01:00:00 — Hiring in the AI era (CX over deep tech at entry)
01:03:30 — Will AI create or eliminate MSP jobs?
01:06:00 — AI as an M&A differentiator
01:08:30 — Build vs. buy (revisited)
01:12:10 — Consulting, monetization & premature productization
01:16:45 — ROI & pricing: what works
01:19:00 — Final poll results & closing Q&A
01:22:00 — Q: AI for small MSPs without internal devs
01:26:30 — Wrap-up + preview of Sessions 2 & 3
CTAs
🔔 Subscribe for Sessions 2 & 3 (AI Blueprint + Practical Use Cases)
💬 Comment with your use-case or roadblock—we may feature it next session
🤝 Join the NinjaOne Discord community & keep the conversation going: https://discord.gg/ninjaone
Learn more about NinjaOne: https://www.ninjaone.com/
Check out Empath and learn how they can help you elevate your talent in your most impactful MSP roles: https://empathmsp.com/
Hashtags
#MSP #ManagedServices #AIinIT #GenerativeAI #ITOperations #MSPMarketing #HelpDesk #Automation #BuildVsBuy #CIO #ITLeadership