Beyond 2025 just wrapped and it was — dare we say — the biggest and best one EVER! We couldn’t have done it without the support of our partners and vendor sponsors. Thanks to you all, we were able to over-deliver on our promise of community, education and innovation. You can find some highlights below and be sure to check out our Beyond 2025 livestreams here!
Pax8 Innovation Keynote
Mainstage opened with Pax8 Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Walsh energizing the crowd — this time with robot dog backup dancers. In the Day Two Innovation Keynote, Chief Product Officer Libby McIlhany and Chief Experience Officer Craig Donovan delivered a clear message: transformation is no longer optional. Pax8 unveiled new tools to help MSPs evolve into Managed Intelligence Providers, including Public Storefronts, the Integrations Hub with MCP, the Managed Intelligence Toolkit, and AI Guided Growth. Their message was bold and simple: the era of Managed Intelligence is here — and Pax8 is building it with you.
CrowdStrike Keynote: One Step Ahead of All Adversaries
Daniel Bernard, Chief Business Officer at CrowdStrike, started his illuminating keynote by outlining the evolving global cybersecurity threat landscape and emphasizing the increasing speed and sophistication of adversaries. As an answer, he then introduced Falcon Complete, CrowdStrike’s fully managed solution that unifies MDR, endpoint protection and threat hunting. He also shared the stage with Peter Melby, CEO at New Charter, to discuss why they’re partnering with CrowdStrike as the EDR/MDR solution in their next-level security strategy. Finally, he announced the release of Vulnerability Management, a streamlined solution focused on reducing complexity and improving remediation through fewer clicks, tabs and bills.
Check Point Keynote: Gen AI and the Next Great Shift for MSPs
For the final mainstage keynote, Dave Meister, Global Head of MSP/MSSP at Check Point, issued a compelling call to action for MSPs navigating the AI revolution. With deep channel roots, Meister emphasized that the unprecedented speed of AI’s impact brings new threats: deepfakes, data poisoning, AI-crafted phishing attacks and hyper-personalized exploits. But it also brings opportunity — MSPs can now lead with precision, personalization and speed. To meet this moment, Meister introduced Check Point’s Infinity Platform: a unified, AI-powered security ecosystem purpose-built for MSPs. Integrating technologies like Avanan, Perimeter 81, Cyberint and Veriti, and powered by ThreatCloud AI, it protects over 86 billion transactions a day.
Breakout Sessions Partners Are Talking About
Hot Takes and Hot Cakes: Wrong Answers Only
Day Two of Beyond started with an entertaining breakfast panel where it never felt so right to be so wrong. Moderated by Wes Spencer, Founder of Empath, the expert panel addressed hot topics most important to MSPs…by only providing answers that were clearly incorrect. They discussed: Should you do penetration testing yourself? (Of course!) Trust your security to free AI tools? (Why not!) Go with vibe coding over AI-assisted coding? (For sure.) See any differences between security and compliance? (There aren’t any.) Will AI agents overtake us all? (Absolutely.) Does using a framework make security too rigid and harder to adapt? (No way.)
Meet the New Buyer: Be Ready or Beware
In this stat-laden session, Pax8 Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Walsh unpacked the seismic shifts redefining today’s SMB buyer — and what it means for MSPs ready to lead. The new buyer is tech-native, research-driven, GenAI-enabled and deeply outcome-obsessed. They crave personalization, trust, speed and prefer to self-educate and self-serve through modern marketplaces.
Walsh warned that legacy mindsets — assuming buyers will adjust, that change is slow or that AI is hype — are dangerous delusions. He emphasized that this new buyer isn’t waiting. They’re already here, already using AI to inform decisions, and already demanding faster, smarter, integrated solutions. For MSPs, the call to action is clear: evolve into a Managed Intelligence Provider (MIP) that leads with insight, orchestrates intelligence and leverages platforms like the Pax8 Marketplace to deliver transformation at scale.
Pax8 + Microsoft: Unleash the Power of AI through Copilot Agents
Emmy Jager, Copilot Studio Go to Market Strategist, started her practical session by stating their simple goal: empower every user with a Copilot and every business process with an agent. She then clearly defined what agents actually are: smart assistants custom built to do specialized jobs — from the simple like data retrieval to the more advanced like completing tasks or running completely autonomously. Next, she performed a live demo, using Copilot Studio to build a fully functioning agent in just a couple of minutes.
Future-Proof Your MSP: Integrations Hub
This standing-room only session dove into a practical, strategic framework for AI integration. Tyler Kron, Director of Software Engineering at Pax8, and Mufaddal Khambaty, Sr. Product Manager, API Platforms at Pax8, walked through the “twin engines” of automation and intelligence. Through a series of demos, they showed the ease of creating an automated workflow, the value of interconnected intelligence and automated insights. AI allows us to shift to a more conversational interaction with our data, and with 15 pre-built integration solutions in the Pax8 Marketplace (or you could utilize your own solution), the barrier to entry is lower than most MSPs think. Tyler encouraged everyone to start with small, focused experiments on the most time-consuming manual tasks — let the machines do the busy work, so your team can be free to make those human connections with your clients.
From MSP to Managed Intelligence: Navigating the Agentic Inflection Point
Acting as a deeper dive from their morning keynote, Pax8 Chief Product Officer Libby McIlhany and Chief Experience Officer, Craig Donovan used this session to explore the transition from Managed Service Providers (MSP) to Managed Intelligence Providers (MIP). They defined what an MIP is, laid out the four levels of agents and presented the five parts of the MIP Playbook: transform, buy, build, sell and manage. They wrapped by discussing the agentic supply chain, new monetization levers, the rise of AI-built SMBs and presented highlights from the Managed Intelligence Toolkit — the platform to deliver real AI outcomes at scale.
Why You Suck at Selling
Keith Marchiano, Pax8’s Sales Enablement Program Manager, broke down why so many MSPs struggle with sales — and how to fix it. Drawing on his own experience running an MSP, Marchiano emphasized that selling services requires a completely different playbook than selling products. Many founders come from technical backgrounds and often feel uncomfortable with the sales persona altogether. For those attendees, Marchiano urged them to ditch the outdated KPIs, and start focusing on building trust, developing emotional intelligence and truly listening to prospects. His advice? Talk less, listen more, practice empathy and above all: keep training until selling becomes muscle memory.
Seize the AI Agentic Revolution: A Defining Moment for MSPs
Andy Readman, Data and AI Director for Pax8 Academy EMEA, challenged MSPs to lean into discomfort and embrace their evolution into Managed Intelligence Providers. Readman argued that MIPs must pivot from managing IT services to driving customer success. With AI, value becomes personal: one customer’s productivity enhancer is another’s chaos tamer. The key? Obsess over client outcomes, not just SLAs, and build services around that. Offering a practical roadmap, Readman laid out three chapters: start by identifying high-value customer problems, explore innovative AI-powered solutions then define your own agentic approach using tools like MCP, CUAs and the Integrations Hub. With semi-autonomous systems and responsible AI frameworks like Copilot at their disposal, MIPs can guide clients through every phase — from audit to architecture to enablement — and finally deliver AI not just as a feature, but as a transformation engine.
Show the World What You Sell: Public Storefronts
An earlier keynote revealed the what of Public Storefronts. But with this session, Urvashi Chopra, Product Marketing Manager at Pax8 and Sophie Finch, VP of Product Management at Pax8, addressed the why. The answer was threefold: 1. add functionality that has a low barrier to entry and reduces friction 2. meet customers where they are in their buyer journey and 3. address the need for marketing without deep investment. They then walked attendees through a live demo that showcased the ability to segment an audience, capture leads and customize a storefront. They closed by saying, “Public Storefronts is about helping you show your value without overextending your team — no fancy dev shop or marketing agency necessary. All you need is five minutes and a Storefront worth sharing.”
Fireside Chat with Neil DeGrasse Tyson
John Street, Founder and Chairman of Pax8, sat down with legendary astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson for a fireside chat. And…where to start — he was everything we hoped he would be. Genuinely humorous. Deeply intellectual. Completely personable. And eminently quotable.
He started by sharing his fun fact: if there was another universe, he’d be writing lyrics for Broadway musicals. Loving the juxtaposition of words that convey meaning and emotion at the same time, led him to get a word added to the OED: Manhattanhenge. (You’ll have to look it up on your own.)
He then went on to answer some of life’s most pressing questions. What do humans do better than AI? The answer: dream. AI will force us all to be more creative than ever before, ushering in a golden age of creativity. Then, he tackled which came first, the chicken or the egg? The egg. And finally, he closed with two things: a promise to protect Science in the world and the exhortation to “keep looking up.”
Barking Up the Right Tree at the Exhibit Hall
Over 140 top vendors took over the Exhibit Hall, providing detailed demos and incredible swag to attendees. But the undoubted stars of the show were REAL PUPPIES at the Cynet booth — if there was an award for “best in show,” it would have gone to the dogs! The hall was buzzing with connections, networking and solution stacks expanding.
Vendor and Partner Awards Announced
We celebrate the partners and vendors that have excelled through their Pax8 partnership. See the full list of winners below.
Partners
| Partner of the Year | Sourcepass |
| Peak Performance, EMEA | Nostra |
| Peak Performance, APAC | ADITS |
| Peak Performance, Canada | Solulan |
| Peak Performance, USA | Nexustek |
| Agent of Change | Advanced Business Methods |
| Billion Dollar MSP | Evergreen and Lyra |
| MVP Productivity | AltTab |
| MVP Operations | Connected Platforms |
| MVP Security | KMT |
| MVP Continuity | Otto IT |
| MVP Network and Comms | ServerToday |
| MVP Infrastructure | Umbrellar |
| MVP Network and Comms | AixpedIT |
| MVP Operations | Extech |
| MVP Infrastructure | Nebula IT |
| MVP Productivity | Nedvice |
| MVP Continuity | Start Technology |
| MVP Security | TCC |
| MVP Security | Black Talon |
| MVP Continuity | Dataprise |
| MVP Network and Comms | Desmo Technology Solutions |
| MVP Infrastructure | It Solutions Inc |
| MVP Productivity | Caf2Code |
| MVP Operations | Prescriptive Data Solutions |
| Pax8 Champion, USA | Lyra — Jeff Gaines |
| Pax8 Hall of Fame, USA | Agilitec |
| Pax8 Champion, Canada | Always Beyond |
| Pax8 Hall of Fame, Canada | Alt Tech |
| Non Profit Partnership | Betterworld Technology |
| Microsoft CoPilot MVP | Nexustek |
| Pax8 Social Impact | On Line Support |
Vendors
| Vendor of the Year | Microsoft |
| Most Valuable Vendor, EMEA | Usecure |
| Most Valuable Vendor, APAC | Avanan – A Check Point Company |
| Most Valuable Vendor, NAMER | Acronis |
| Partner’s Most Valuable Vendor | SentinelOne |
| Most Valuable Vendor, Continuity | Axcient |
| Most Valuable Vendor, Network | Comcast |
| Most Valuable Vendor, Security | Crowdstrike |
| Breakthrough Vendor Award | Cynomi |
| Innovation Award | DefensX |
| Social Impact Award | Dropsuite |
| Most Valuable Vendor, Productivity | Microsoft |
| Most Valuable Vendor, Infrastructure | Nerdio |
| Most Valuable Vendor, Operations | Rewst |
| Collaboration Award | SuperOps |
| Most Valuable Vendor, Communications | Zoom |
Raising the Woof at the Closing Event
Beyond 2025 rocked our world for two days straight, so it was only fitting that we closed it out in the biggest way possible. Back by popular demand, The Spazmatics made a return to the mainstage, playing impeccable covers of the best of the 80s. And then, they had to make way for a special musical guest that was definitely a high point for Beyond 2025: Snoop Dogg!
Three Cheers to Beyond!
As we say farewell to Beyond 2025, we know it’s never too early to start looking forward. Beyond EMEA is just a few months away in Amsterdam from October 5-7. And you can still secure Beyond EMEA tickets for just €299.
Craig Donovan said earlier today: Our partners’ success is Pax8’s success. Next year we’re leveling up in Salt Lake City with even more connections, learning and future-forward innovation for you! Don’t wait. Get your 2026 ticket now.
