Many products can't be delivered as a service if their architecture wasn't designed for scalable, multi-tenant management. Cloud-native platforms offer baked-in efficiency, whereas retrofitted on-prem products create significant overhead for vendors and MSPs, hindering their ability to scale effectively.
The traditional reseller model is a transactional, price-driven game with low loyalty. MSPs shift the dynamic by selling an ongoing outcome, like "managed privilege access." This requires continuous delivery and accountability, embedding the MSP in the customer's operations and fostering a value-based relationship.
The primary attack surface has shifted from networks to identities. Attackers now target credentials to bypass traditional security. This is compounded by an explosion in identity types (APIs, AI agents, service accounts) that organizations lack visibility over, making a continuous managed service essential for real-time risk mitigation.
Applying a traditional reseller model to MSPs fails because their economics differ. MSPs need predictable, aggregated volume-based pricing to operate with agility, rather than fluctuating per-deal costs. A fit-for-purpose program must also redesign support, billing, and legal frameworks around the MSP's business model.
Vendors often fail MSPs by offering a single, generic certification path for all partners. MSPs require practical, operational guidance beyond basic product knowledge. This includes runbooks for common scenarios and specific training on managing a platform at scale across multiple customer tenants, not just deploying it once.
Within 3-5 years, the baseline for identity security will shift to a "Zero Standing Privilege" model, where access is granted just-in-time. This will become a standard expectation from auditors and customers. MSPs who build their practices around this principle now will lead the market, while others will be forced to retrofit their services later.