In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the convergence of technology and intelligence is reshaping how companies operate, scale and deliver value. At the heart of this transformation is the rise of agentic AI—autonomous software systems capable of executing complex tasks, coordinating across tools and collaborating with humans to achieve business outcomes. This shift is not just a technological advancement—it’s a paradigm shift that is redefining work and competitive advantages across industries.
The Managed Intelligence Provider (MIP) Framework
As traditional managed services models reach their limits, managed intelligence providers (MIPs) emerge as the next evolution. MIPs are architects of intelligence infrastructure, builders of agentic systems and orchestrators of business outcomes for AI-native and AI-curious SMBs alike. Businesses face mounting complexity and capacity constraints—too many tools, too much information and not enough skilled labor. Agentic systems offer a leap forward, collapsing time between decision and execution and enabling small teams to deliver large-scale results.
The Rise of the AI-Built SMB
Contrary to outdated assumptions, SMBs are often able to adopt AI more quickly thanks to fewer legacy systems and faster decision-making cycles. Digitally fluent, vertically specialized and automation-first, these businesses expect intelligence from day one. They’re using agents to generate content, manage operations and scale without headcount, redefining what it means to be “small.” Acceleration of AI models, chips and data centers is making this future not just possible, but inevitable.
Why AI Readiness and Adoption Matter for SMBs
The technology landscape for SMBs is rapidly changing. AI is now seen as a scalable, affordable resource—not limited by headcount or expertise. Over the past year, Copilot has helped provide immediate value for these organizations when it comes to improving business processes, productivity and much more. According to Microsoft, SMBs using Microsoft 365 Copilot are already seeing transformative results, with a projected ROI of 353% over a three-year period.
A Copilot for Every User and an Agent for Every Business Process
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is the UI for AI, integrating seamlessly into the chat experience and paid for on a consumption basis. It offers free, secure AI chat powered by GPT-4 and is web-grounded, with enterprise data protection and agent management. Copilot helps securely scale AI transformation across customers, unlocking productivity and unleashing creativity.
Preparing for AI Adoption
Before purchasing an AI tool, it’s important to take certain steps to ensure that your business and your clients are ready for AI. This includes developing an AI strategy, preparing for AI capabilities and ensuring that your security measures are in place. Security is a crucial aspect of being ready for AI, as it helps to safeguard your employees, business and data.
Partnering with Pax8 for AI Services and Education
Choose Pax8 Professional Services to scale your Copilot potential through targeted services for the AI era. Continue your growth in Pax8 Academy, accessing growth tracks, enablement sessions and hands-on labs for every stage of your AI journey.
Read the Agentic Inflection Point report
Take a deeper dive into AI and what the agentic AI future looks like with our Agentic Inflection Point report to see how MSPs will thrive in the age of AI, uncovering an $80 trillion opportunity.
