ConnectWise CEO outlines ‘MSP-Obsessed’ vision and AI Future at IT Nation Connect Global 2025

ConnectWise CEO Manny Rivelo took the stage at the IT Nation Connect Global 2025 conference to unveil a vision for the company centered on "MSP Obsession," urging its Managed Service Provider (MSP) partners to rapidly embrace the "automation-first" era defined by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The keynote mixed optimism about the MSP industry's profitability streak with a cautionary message: the MSP of today must transform into a "Strategic AI Partner" to survive and thrive.

The three commitments: Innovation, support, and simplification

Rivelo outlined a broader cultural and operational reset at ConnectWise, built on three core commitments designed to directly address partner pain points and accelerate their growth:

• Innovation at speed: Accelerating platform enhancements across key toolsets (RMM, PSA, RPA) to deliver features faster.

• Improved support and communication: Ensuring partners have better access to their accounts and success managers.

• Simplifying business engagement: Reducing friction in back-office processes like billing, onboarding, and renewals.

This shift is part of ConnectWise 3.0, a new phase of accountability and a renewed focus on measurable progress over empty promises.

The automation-first future and the Asio platform

The dominant theme of the conference was the immediate need for MSPs to pivot towards AI and hyperautomation. Rivelo predicted an inflection point where every technician will become a manager of AI agents to achieve massive gains in productivity and efficiency.

Rivelo emphasized that the Small and Midsize Business (SMB) market needs MSPs to navigate the complex challenges of scaling and deploying AI safely.

The company then previewed deeper intelligence and integration within the ConnectWise Asio cloud data platform. Rivelo confirmed a $100 million investment to complete this unified platform, which is positioned as the "oxygen for AI."

• Unification goal: The Asio platform is designed to eliminate tool sprawl, unify data, and consolidate security, automation, and AI capabilities into a single trusted layer. By mid-2026, ConnectWise expects all its major products to achieve full feature parity within the Asio architecture.

• Autonomous Service Delivery: The ultimate goal is autonomous service delivery, where the platform's AI-driven agents can automatically analyze alerts, filter false positives, and even generate documentation and remediation steps, drastically reducing MSP operating costs.

While nearly 90% of MSPs view AI as vital to growth, many still struggle with data quality (93% citing it as a challenge) and legacy system integration. ConnectWise’s strategy is built around breaking down these barriers to move partners from simply automating tasks to orchestrating outcomes.