The Rise of the Managed Intelligence Provider

Every few years our industry reinvents itself, and the gap between each reinvention keeps getting shorter. Box pusher became break-fix, break-fix became the MSP, the MSP became security-led, and Milan Rajkovic reckons the next shift is already here.

In this episode, recorded live at the Catalyst conference in Sydney, the founder of Otto IT traces his path from hacking his high school network at 14 to building a security-led managed service provider, then lays out where he thinks the industry goes from here. He makes the case for the Managed Intelligence Provider, explains why security stays the one constant no matter what the label becomes, and gets into the business acumen and judgement that AI still cannot replicate. A candid, fast-moving conversation for any MSP owner trying to work out what comes next.

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Key Takeaways

1

The MSP Is Evolving Into the Managed Intelligence Provider

The industry has moved from box pusher to break-fix to MSP to security-led, and the gap between each shift keeps shrinking. Milan's bet on what comes next is the Managed Intelligence Provider, or MIP.

2

Why Security Stays the MSP's One Constant

No matter what the industry rebrands itself as, protecting a client's data, intellectual property and governance does not go away. Milan argues that everything an MSP does still wraps back to security.

3

AI Cannot Replace MSP Business Acumen

AI can help almost anyone stand up a near enterprise-grade business quickly, but the years of judgement and practical experience behind it are far harder to copy. His food manufacturing example shows exactly where that line sits.

4

Keep Client Data Out of Public AI Models

Early ChatGPT handing back personal details was Milan's wake-up call. As client adoption grows, custom use-case solutions and tight IT governance matter more, not less.

5

Recurring Revenue Is the Foundation, and It Can Start Small

A $500 credit card at 17 and reselling web hosting taught Milan the value of recurring revenue long before "MSP" was even a term. The lesson still holds: predictable revenue is what makes the model work.

Featured Panelists
Ben Town
Hosted Network
Milan Rajkovic
Milan Rajkovic
Otto IT