Pax8 has launched Managed Intelligence solutions for its partner network, combining a new programme with a services layer aimed at small and medium-sized business customers.
The launch centres on two elements: the Managed Intelligence Provider Program, designed to help managed service providers build an AI-focused practice, and Managed Intelligence Services, through which Pax8's professional services team can deliver work directly or behind the scenes for partners.
The package is intended to give partners a way to generate recurring revenue from AI work while tying that work to specific business outcomes for customers. Pax8 is positioning the model as a shift away from simply reselling software licences and towards managing AI tools, workflows and data controls on behalf of clients.
Research cited by Pax8 suggests demand is building among smaller businesses. According to the company, 62% of SMBs believe AI will be required to remain competitive, while 74% think it helps them compete with larger companies. At the same time, almost nine in 10 small businesses are already using or testing AI, but many lack a clear plan for turning that activity into measurable returns.
That gap between adoption and outcomes is central to the pitch to partners. Pax8 said 78% of SMBs using AI describe it as a game-changer, yet 95% of organisations report zero return on investment. The company argues this creates an opening for service providers that can package strategy, implementation and ongoing management.
"The partner who makes AI work for their clients wins," said Craig Donovan, Chief Operating Officer, Pax8.
"Right now, most of the market is stuck talking about AI or just reselling it. With the Managed Intelligence Provider Program and Managed Intelligence Services, we're giving partners a way to run and scale their business around it," Donovan said.
What is included
The Agent Store sits at the front of the new offering, giving partners access to AI products aimed at SMB use cases, including Microsoft 365 Copilot Business, ConnectWise Sidekick and Rewst RoboRewsty. Those products are available through the Pax8 marketplace, with pricing and billing handled through the same system used for other software sold on the platform.
The Managed Intelligence Provider Program starts with an AI maturity assessment. From there, partner teams move through role-based training intended to help them identify customer opportunities and deploy what Pax8 describes as agentic solutions. Pax8 said partners that complete the programme will have a repeatable framework for delivering managed intelligence services.
Managed Intelligence Services is the execution layer for partners that want to act on customer demand without building all of the technical expertise in-house from the outset. The work can be delivered alongside a partner or as a white-label extension of the partner's team, while the partner retains the customer relationship and the associated revenue.
Four services are available at launch: a Copilot Readiness Assessment for Microsoft 365 tenants; a Transformation Discovery Assessment Agent to support early customer conversations; workflow automation and AI agent builds tailored to each client; and Microsoft 365 data protection work using Microsoft Purview Information Protection and Data Loss Prevention.
Channel focus
The strategy reflects a broader push by technology suppliers to sell AI through indirect channels rather than directly to end customers. Pax8's customer base includes more than 47,000 IT partners serving 800,000 SMBs, giving it a route into a fragmented market where smaller businesses often rely on external providers for technology selection, deployment and support.
For managed service providers, the move also points to a possible change in commercial models. Rather than relying mainly on resale margins and project fees, partners are being encouraged to bundle assessments, implementation, governance and recurring oversight into ongoing services that can be billed more predictably.
One partner comment highlights the sales case for that approach. "The level of insight [Managed Intelligence Services] delivers is what we'd normally only achieve after several hours of in-person workshops," said Chris Pottrell, Managing Director, Nebula IT.
"By automating that discovery and capturing more honest, individual input, it gives us a clearer, more objective starting point. That not only shortens the sales cycle, but also helps us move faster into real transformation conversations, supporting our customers on their journey to becoming a Frontier firm," Pottrell said.
Roadmap
Pax8 also outlined additional products in development around governance and deployment. One is an Agent Gateway, intended to let managed service providers oversee the AI agents their clients use through a single control point, including identity, model and tool calls, and token usage.
Another is an orchestration and commercialisation platform designed to let partners build an agent once and deploy it across multiple customers while isolating each client in a separate tenant. Pax8 said the system will meter usage by customer so partners can bill for both the agent itself and the consumption attached to it.
The Agent Store, Managed Intelligence Provider Program and Managed Intelligence Services are now available. The Agent Gateway is already in preview.