FEATURE MSP
Matt Helling, product director at Sophos
A s cyber risks grow more complex and security skills remain stretched, managed service providers are moving beyond their traditional role as technology operators. Increasingly, customers are looking to MSPs and MSSPs not only to manage infrastructure and security tools, but also to provide strategic guidance on cyber risk, compliance and resilience.
The shift is already significant. Sophos’ 2026 MSP Perspectives Report found that MSPs estimate nearly half, 46 %, of their customers rely on them to effectively act as their Chief Information Security Officer. And the direction of travel is clear, with 84 % expecting demand for CISO services to increase over the next 12 months.
“ Organisations require more than technology management to stay secure. They need trusted cybersecurity leaders who can help them understand their risk, navigate compliance requirements and translate security investments into meaningful business outcomes,” said Matt Helling, product director at Sophos.“ MSPs are already stepping into this role for nearly half of their customers, creating a significant opportunity to deepen relationships and develop new, higher-value services. The challenge now is delivering that leadership consistently and efficiently across a growing customer base.”
Complexity fuels managed services growth The expansion of managed services reflects a fundamental change in enterprise IT.
Organisations are operating across cloud services, SaaS applications, endpoints and distributed infrastructure while simultaneously confronting more sophisticated cyber threats and regulatory requirements.
For many businesses, particularly SMBs, maintaining all the necessary expertise internally is becoming increasingly difficult.
Ziad Nasr, General Manager – Acronis Middle East
Ziad Nasr, General Manager – Acronis Middle East, said:“ Demand continues to grow as customer environments become more complex. Businesses now depend on a mixture of cloud services, SaaS applications, endpoints and distributed infrastructure, while facing more sophisticated cyberthreats and increasing regulatory pressure. Many organisations, particularly SMBs, cannot build all the necessary expertise internally, so they are turning to providers that can manage technology, security and resilience as an integrated service.
“ We can see this momentum in our UAE business. In Q2 2026, Acronis recorded yearon-year growth of 29 % in cloud ARR, 11 % in
As cyberthreats, regulatory pressures and skills shortages intensify, MSPs and MSSPs are evolving beyond technology management to become strategic security partners, taking on greater responsibility for cyber risk, compliance and AI-driven security operations.
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