MSP-Focused AI Training Aims to Close the Knowledge Gap

Helping busy MSPs gain the skills needed to advise their business customers on how they can use AI inside their operations is the focus of a new generative AI certification program recently launched by MSP educational training vendor Breach Secure Now.

The three-course program, which provides self-paced video training, is designed for individual MSP employees so they can each learn how to guide their own customers in dealing with this expanding marketplace, Dan Dufault, the vice president of marketing for Breach Secure Now, told ChannelE2E.

The certification program is just a starting point for MSPs to give them a generalized view of the market and what they need to know to help guide customers through their own AI and generative AI pathways, said Dufault.

“We are not certifying them as AI experts in a specific technology or product,” he said. “This is to remove the confusion and lack of certainty around, as an MSP, their role with their clients in the area of AI.”
The Breach Secure Now generative AI certification will provide credentials showing that participating MSP employees successfully completed the training materials and are qualified to help customers learn about how generative AI can help their businesses, said Dufault.

The certification is built around three video courses, including identifying AI-related risks, such as employees using tools like ChatGPT or Copilot without strategy or safeguards, providing AI awareness training on how to use AI tools responsibly and productively, and an opportunity training segment, which is designed to use Breach Secure Now’s proprietary Artificial Intelligence Readiness Innovation Assessment (AIRIA) to review a customer’s readiness for using and adopting AI.

The video training courses are taken by individual MSP employees through Breach Secure Now’s online training platform and can be completed in under two hours, according to the company.

Generative AI Certification for MSPs is a Good Idea: Analysts

Anurag Agrawal, founder and chief global analyst with Techaisle, told ChannelE2E that while Breach Secure Now’s generative AI certification program claims to be the first aimed specifically at MSPs for generative AI, the broader trend of vendor-led AI skills training is widespread.

Agrawal, however, still called the company’s AI certification course for MSPs a smart and necessary move.

“MSPs are often the frontline advisors for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs),” said Agrawal. “While SMBs are increasingly looking to leverage AI, they often lack the in-house expertise to understand its implications, risks, and opportunities. MSPs are perfectly positioned to fill this gap. However, many MSPs themselves are grappling with how to confidently discuss and implement AI solutions, especially given the rapid evolution of generative AI and its associated security risks. Breach Secure Now’s program directly addresses this by equipping MSPs with the conversation skills and knowledge to guide their clients.”

Shelly Kramer, founder and principal analyst with Kramer&Co., agrees.

“While Breach Secure Now might not necessarily be breaking new ground here, it is clear there is a hunger for AI-readiness training, both at the MSP level and at the customer level, and partner-focused training and certification programs are important,” said Kramer. “For business customers, using generative AI offers myriad business benefits, but also brings serious security concerns. Educating MSP staffers who, in turn, can help educate customers, is part of how we collectively leverage this powerful technology while also endeavoring to mitigate risk. Adding this training and certification capability is something Breach Secure Now can leverage as a point of differentiation in a crowded market, which makes it even more of a smart move.”

Another analyst, Rob Enderle, principal analyst with Enderle Group, told ChannelE2E that such training is becoming mandatory to help MSPs expand their services and revenue as generative AI gains use by companies of all sizes.

“Most of the tech OEMs are doing this with partners as well,” said Enderle. “To sell AI, you need to know how to use the technology, and when correctly used and deployed, AI can significantly improve performance and reduce costs. I think it is critical to the sales and support process for any AI technology to be able to have knowledge on how to properly use it that comes from having used it, rather than regurgitating collateral.”

Breach Secure Now’s generative AI training certification program “sounds relatively comprehensive and, assuming the materials are high quality, should result in better sales and higher margins,” said Enderle.