Some conversations don’t start when the recording light turns on.
This one started a few minutes earlier, when I wanted to make sure Rick and I were aligned on why we were having this discussion in the first place.
This wasn’t about selling anything.
It wasn’t about polished talking points.
It was about continuous value creation.
The goal was simple: take real collaboration, real partner insight, and translate it into something educational and useful for the MSP channel. Once that intention was clear, we hit record, and the conversation naturally went where it needed to go.
We Started with the Landscape
I began by asking Rick a straightforward question: What are you seeing right now?
From his vantage point: talking to enterprises, MSPs, and SMBs every day, the answer came back in two clear themes.
First: digitization.
Second: multi-cloud and data movement.
Enterprises are investing heavily in backend systems: APIs, platforms, workflows to become more efficient and easier to do business with. And when businesses get more efficient, demand increases.
That demand creates opportunity.
Opportunity for MSPs on the IT and application side.
Opportunity for partners like AT&T on the connectivity side.
And that’s where the conversation naturally shifted.
Then We Talked About Data: And Everything Changed
As we moved deeper, it became clear this wasn’t just an IT discussion anymore.
AI has fundamentally changed how data moves.
Data is now:
- Flowing across clouds
- Terminating at the edge
- Touching more devices
- Moving faster than ever
Rick explained how edge routers are becoming more powerful, how computing is happening closer to users, and how this creates new demands on networks – whether the business is small or global.
And that’s when the insight landed:
AI didn’t just create a software challenge.
It created a connectivity challenge.
That’s When EBITDA Entered the Conversation
At that point, I wanted to ground this in what MSPs care about: enterprise value.
Revenue matters.
Margins matter more.
EBITDA changes everything.
So, I asked Rick to double-click on how connectivity fits into that equation.
What he shared was important.
The most successful MSPs aren’t growing by doing more of the same. They’re growing through service diversification: cybersecurity, compliance, and increasingly, connectivity.
But not connectivity as a pass-through.
Connectivity as a managed, supported, margin-generating service.
That’s the difference.
When MSPs own the Tier 1 relationship, integrate connectivity into their managed services, and support it like any other offering, it stops being a commodity and starts becoming sticky.
And sticky services protect EBITDA.
Then We Got Practical About the Customer
From there, the conversation naturally turned to the MSP’s end customer.
I’ve lived that world. I know the “last mile” reality. So I wanted to understand where AT&T Partner Exchange really fits: from a five-seat business to a 5,000-employee organization.
Rick walked through how flexible the model actually is.
There’s room for:
- Smaller MSPs just getting started
- Mid-market MSPs scaling fast
- Larger MSPs serving enterprise environments
The key isn’t size.
It’s intent and execution.
If MSPs are willing to expand the conversation with their customers beyond tickets and tools: there’s real opportunity.
Then We Zoomed Out: Data Explosion Feels Familiar
At one point, the conversation triggered a personal memory for me.
I thought back to dial-up.
To 56K modems.
To the early days of the internet.
Back then, speed felt revolutionary.
Now we’re talking about 100-gig and 400-gig services.
Different era. Same pattern.
Every major technology shift forces infrastructure to evolve. AI is simply accelerating that cycle at a pace we’ve never seen before.
And MSPs are once again right in the middle of it.
So, I Asked the Most Important Question
As we wrapped up, I wanted to turn insight into action.
If an MSP is listening to this, what’s the one thing they should do next?
Rick’s answer was refreshingly grounded:
Expand the conversation.
Talk to customers about business problems, not just IT ones. Learn enough about connectivity to have confident conversations. Don’t avoid it because it feels unfamiliar.
Once MSPs understand connectivity, it becomes far less intimidating, and far more valuable.
Why This Moment Matters
Before closing, I added one final layer.
Right now, MSPs are navigating fear around AI: how to use it internally, how to monetize it, how to take it to market responsibly. That’s why we’re doing AI maturity assessments, roadmaps, and frameworks.
And one thing keeps showing up in those assessments:
Connectivity readiness.
If MSPs aren’t proactively assessing their customers’ connectivity needs – today, next year, three years out – someone else will.
And when that happens, thought leadership shifts.
Retention gets risky.
Trust erodes.
The future belongs to MSPs who think for their customers – ho act as thought partners, not just service providers.
Final Thought
This conversation reinforced something I deeply believe.
The MSPs who win next won’t be the ones chasing tools.
They’ll be the ones connecting the dots.
From AI to data.
From connectivity to security.
From technology to business outcomes.
That’s the opportunity in front of us.
And conversations like this are where it starts.
