Pax8 introduces managed intelligence toolkit to turn MSPs into AI providers

Cloud marketplace Pax8 has unveiled plans for a Managed Intelligence Toolkit that it says will enable managed service providers (MSPs) to deliver AI-powered business solutions to small and medium-sized businesses.

The company announced the MIT at its annual Beyond conference, positioning the initiative as a transformation of MSPs into "Managed Intelligence Providers" rather than traditional infrastructure managers.

Scheduled for release in Q2 2026, Pax8's toolkit is said to create a unified environment for MSPs to orchestrate, scale and manage agentic automation across their SMB customer base.

Central to the strategy is integration of Microsoft's Model Context Protocol (MCP) into Pax8's Marketplace commerce application programming interfaces (APIs) and catalogue infrastructure.

This would enable Microsoft Copilots and agents to interact directly with the marketplace.

The platform will incorporate Microsoft Copilot Studio, Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, Model Context Protocol, and Microsoft Entra Agent ID alongside Pax8's existing marketplace and orchestration infrastructure.

This integration will enable AI agents to search, procure, and orchestrate services autonomously in real time, allowing MSPs to focus on strategic advisory roles rather than operational tasks.

"MSPs are no longer just managing infrastructure—they're managing intelligence," Scott Chasin, chief executive at Pax8, said.

"Our platform development utilising the latest Microsoft AI solutions will unlock a future where SMBs can scale through digital labour, and MSPs become the architects of that transformation."

The managed intelligence initiative will feature verticalised agent templates and curated solution bundles designed for deployment through Microsoft Copilot Studio, enabling partners to compose and customise domain-specific agents.

Microsoft Entra Agent ID will assign unique, scoped identities to agents across customer tenants, enabling fine-grained control and policy enforcement at scale.

Pax8 plans to launch more than 30 Guided Growth Journeys as structured enablement paths to help MSPs and their customers adopt Microsoft-based agents across sales, finance, support, operations, and compliance functions.

The company will also introduce the Pax8 Agent Marketplace in 2026, creating a full-stack marketplace experience for horizontal and vertical AI agents built on Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry.

A new Transformation Academy will provide technical and business training programmes to help partners build, price, and manage agentic services effectively.

"Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the global economy, and their ability to adopt AI solutions will define the next wave of innovation," Allison West Hughes, corporate vice president global SMB at Microsoft, said.

The first wave of Copilot Studio, Model Context Protocol, and Entra Agent ID integrations with Pax8 will begin rolling out in summer 2025, with full commercial availability expected by autumn 2025.

The Managed Intelligence Toolkit will be released in phased previews starting in Q2 2026, marking a significant evolution in how MSPs deliver value to their clients.