The Cloud Marketplace of the Future

How Pax8 Is Helping MSPs Prepare For The Agentic Era Of AI

July 21, 2025

Author: Sydney Neely

Artificial intelligence is dominating headlines, but for managed service providers (MSPs), the real question is: What does it mean for their business today? At Pax8’s Beyond conference, CEO Scott Chasin introduced the “Agentic Inflection Point,” a concept that signals a shift in how partners think about their role and the value they deliver as AI becomes more integrated into business operations.

To help MSPs navigate this shift, Pax8 is investing in enablement, innovation and real-world application. In an interview with CRNtv host Sydney Neely, Nick Heddy, President and Chief Commerce Officer at Pax8, explains how the company is helping partners prepare for what’s next—and why this is a moment they can’t afford to ignore.

Sydney: What is the Agentic Inflection Point, and why should MSPs and SMBs be paying attention to it right now?

Nick: For Pax8, the agentic inflection point represents a moment in time. There is no shortage of conferences or buzz or hype out there. And I think everybody remembers seeing some of the first conferences and how many times AI was mentioned on stage. But specific to MSPs and SMBs, there's very little content on, “OK, what does this mean for me?”

You're seeing lots of the big companies and hyperscalers really focus on solving this for enterprise. AI is being adopted by the enterprise, and that often means a reduction in knowledge workers and some savings to the bottom line. But, for an SMB, not only is change management easier as a smaller organization, but you can compete at the same level with big companies that have far more resources. This is a moment in time where the playing field is being leveled. And we just want to make sure that Pax8 partners are paying attention and thinking about what this means to them.

Sydney: There’s no shortage of buzz around AI. But how can MSPs tell the difference between hype and actual opportunity?

Nick: I think real stories of AI commerce are how you tell the difference. Again, looking at the buzz and the examples that are out there, it's, “Hey, here's an SMB company with 1,500 employees and $3 billion in revenue.” That's not an SMB company. Our partners—Pax8 partners—are finding the 30-employee companies, the 100-employee companies, industry-specific verticals that they're going after. So, I would say look for specific calls to action and real stories of AI commerce. Those customers should look a lot like your customers. That’s how you tell the difference.

Sydney: What should partners be doing now to prepare for the agentic world? Is there room to wait, or is time running out?

Nick: That is a question MSPs are going to have to answer for themselves. Do you want that first-mover advantage, knowing that AI is transforming week over week, month over month? Are you waiting for somebody else to solve this and give you the guide and the toolkit? I find when I talk to our partners, they don't want somebody else talking to their customers about how AI can be transformational. They want to be the first to bring that value and have that conversation.

Sydney: How will Pax8 support its partners as they move into this new era?

Nick: We mentioned the toolkit, we mentioned guided growth—those programs are out there now. If you didn’t get your fill of Beyond and you want more, we’re going to be in Amsterdam the first week of October. We’ll be making more exciting announcements about new innovation that’s allowing our partners to innovate and monetize—both in a fixed and a variable style—on a single tenant. All the modes of monetization that come from AI in this agentic future. So, to answer that question, you need to come to Beyond in Amsterdam.

For more on how Pax8 is helping partners embrace the Agentic Era, visit Pax8.com/inflection-point.