{"id":6025,"date":"2026-01-26T17:28:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pax8.com\/blog\/?p=6025"},"modified":"2026-01-26T17:28:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:28:24","slug":"getting-infrastructure-ready-as-msp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pax8.com\/blog\/getting-infrastructure-ready-as-msp\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps MSPs Should Take to Build an Infrastructure\u2011Ready Foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cloud transformation can help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) achieve the productivity, security, resilience and scale of their enterprise counterparts. As a managed service provider (MSP) or managed intelligence provider<\/a> (MIP), you have the power to get them there. But first, you need the right infrastructure strategy. Read on to learn how you can reduce technical debt, unlock efficiency and create new recurring revenue opportunities as an MSP delivering infrastructure services.<\/p>\n

1. Get Trained, Get Support, Start Assessing<\/h3>\n

First things first: Your staff needs to be up to date on their knowledge of how to build and deploy cloud infrastructure. Not doing so could lead to problems<\/a> like cost overruns, security vulnerabilities and client dissatisfaction. To help partners on this journey, Pax8 provides infrastructure consulting so you can build resilient cloud infrastructure for your clients.<\/p>\n

Something else you may consider is deploying cloud services for your own business, if you don\u2019t have them already. Not only can you gain the benefits of the cloud, such as greater compute power and cheaper maintenance, but you\u2019ll learn about the nuances of cloud infrastructure by hosting certain workloads in the cloud. This gives you experience without jeopardizing client environments.<\/p>\n

Next, you\u2019ll want to conduct cloud readiness assessments<\/a> to see where your clients currently stand on their cloud journeys. This involves assessing your clients\u2019 current IT infrastructure and the applications and data they use to identify their cloud requirements, including computing, storage and networking resources. You should also set KPIs<\/a> with your clients to ensure there\u2019s agreement on what a successful migration looks like, such as cost savings, performance, reliability, security, compliance, operational efficiency and user adoption.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have the bandwidth for training and conducting cloud assessments at the moment, we get it! Pax8 also helps partners simplify the complexity of cloud infrastructure via Pax8 Professional Services<\/a>. We help partners assess where clients are on their cloud journey and provide server and data migration services as well, acting as an extension of your existing team.<\/p>\n

So, you\u2019ve got a few options to get started right off the bat \u2014 or even combine these approaches for whatever makes the most sense for your MSP or MIP:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Hone your skills and knowledge at Pax8 events<\/a> or learn at your own pace with on\u2011demand sessions through Pax8 Academy<\/a> to build or refine your cloud delivery model.<\/li>\n
  2. Begin conducting cloud assessments on your clients and review IaaS vendors through the Pax8 Marketplace to find the best fit for your business and your clients.<\/li>\n
  3. Use Pax8 Professional Services<\/a> to conduct cloud assessments and design reliable environments for clients migrating off aging on\u2011prem systems.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    2. Implement a Strong Security Baseline for All Infrastructure<\/h3>\n

    Security is foundational to any infrastructure strategy, so aligning with security best practices will help you protect client environments with secure\u2011by\u2011design principles. Failure<\/a> to do so could mean your clients face data breaches, ransomware attacks and compliance issues.<\/p>\n

    Implementing solutions centered around the industry standard of the CIS Critical Security Controls is a great place to start. And Pax8 helps you do that by aligning Pax8 Marketplace<\/a> offerings to the 18 different CIS Controls. You can even see where your clients have gaps in their coverage and sell accordingly by using Marketplace\u2019s Opportunity Explorer<\/a> feature.<\/p>\n

    Pax8 also offers detailed guidance on baseline protections<\/a> for Microsoft 365 Business Premium, including MFA, conditional access, Defender for Office 365 and secure workstation configurations \u2014 all mapped to CIS Controls to help partners implement technical safeguards that strengthen infrastructure posture.<\/p>\n

    3. Build a Resilient, Scalable Infrastructure Layer<\/h3>\n

    Once you have your training and personnel in place, you\u2019ve assessed your clients\u2019 current position on their cloud journey and your and your clients\u2019 security measures are aligned to industry best practices, it\u2019s time to select and deploy a solid infrastructure layer. Pax8 offers deep enablement to help partners choose, deploy and manage the right platform.<\/p>\n