The Secret Sauce of MSP Scaling with Claranet’s Alex Mclaughlin

Scaling is about building trust with your customers and then staying relevant as their needs evolve. It’s very easy to become known for delivering the services customers want today, but competitors are already talking to them about tomorrow. If you’re not on that journey with them—whether it’s around AI, cybersecurity or data—then someone else will be. Long-term relationships depend on your ability to keep solving the problems that matter most to your clients.

There are really two distinct paths. The first is organic growth: investing in your portfolio, strengthening your skills, and winning new customers the hard way. That’s about proving your value, over and over.

The second is acquisitive growth, where you acquire either capability or scale. Capability acquisitions mean bringing in skills or services you don’t currently have—something your customers need. Scale acquisitions mean acquiring a customer base or a larger footprint to take your business to the next level.

The strongest players in the market find the right balance between organic and acquisitive growth. Both are necessary.

I’d call out three recurring themes. Firstly, cash flow. Without a strong mix of recurring revenue and predictable income, your growth plans fall apart quickly. Losing even one or two key customers can have a massive impact if you don’t have a broad base.

Next is service innovation. Your own portfolio can become the obstacle. Customers’ needs change fast, and if you don’t evolve your services to stay relevant, you’ll lose ground.

The third one is speed. AI is a good example. It’s creating brand new industries and forcing others to reinvent themselves. That creates opportunities for MSPs, but only if you can react quickly and scale new services effectively. If you can’t, those opportunities become risks.

Be intentional. If growth is your goal, be crystal clear on who your customer is, what industry they’re in, what problems you solve for them, and what services you’re going to deliver. Don’t get distracted by side opportunities that pull you off track.

And if your goal is to eventually exit your business, seek advice early. Talk to people who’ve already sold MSPs. Learn from their successes and scars before you enter the M&A market, otherwise you’ll find yourself in expensive conversations fast.

Despite concerns about AI and automation reducing demand, what we’re actually seeing is the opposite. As technology becomes more complex, customers need MSPs to manage fewer—but far more critical—services. That increases the demand for trusted partners with the right skills.

Cybersecurity is at the top of every boardroom agenda worldwide. Combine that with Cloud, data, and AI, and the opportunity for MSPs is huge—as long as they can prove they’re the right partner to help customers innovate securely.

Your technology stack can either accelerate growth or hold you back. It’s about making the right bets on vendors who are innovating and investing for the future. But technology alone isn’t the differentiator—customers pay MSPs to turn tech, people, and processes into outcomes they can’t deliver themselves.

The best MSPs don’t just resell technology; they deliver solutions and results. That’s what drives partnerships and repeat business.

Absolutely. Every shift in the market opens a new door, and there are shifts happening every day. Success depends on how fast you can react. For MSP leaders, it comes down to focus, resilience, and building partnerships with vendors and customers that will enable that growth.