Mike Vizard

All posts by Mike Vizard

Mike Vizard has covered IT for more than 25 years, and has edited or contributed to a number of tech publications including InfoWorld, eWeek, CRN, Baseline, ComputerWorld, TMCNet, and Digital Review. He currently blogs for IT Business Edge and contributes to CIOinsight, The Channel Insider, Programmableweb and Slashdot. Mike blogs about emerging cloud technology for Smarter MSP.

Worldwide IT services spending to increase in 2026

Worldwide IT services spending to increase in 2026

The market research firm Gartner is forecasting that global IT services revenue will increase 9 percent in 2026, reaching $1.87 trillion, up from $1.71 trillion in 2025. Overall, Gartner predicts worldwide IT spending will climb to $6.31 trillion in 2026—an...

/ April 30, 2026
New billings for managed enterprise services increase despite challenges

New billings for managed enterprise services increase despite challenges

Demand for managed services appears to be on the upswing once again, though signs are emerging that certain segments are coming under sustained pressure. A quarterly Information Services Group (ISG) Index tracking new bookings exceeding $5 million in value shows...

/ April 23, 2026
Survey: The AI shift is redefining the role of MSPs

Survey: The AI shift is redefining the role of MSPs

A survey of 1,224 business leaders suggests organizations will soon be relying on managed service providers (MSPs) more than ever to drive technological innovation in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Conducted by International Data Corp (IDC) on behalf of...

/ April 16, 2026
Increased open source software reliance creates MSP opportunities

Increased open source software reliance creates MSP opportunities

A survey of 712 IT professionals suggests that as organizations rely more on open source software, they are struggling with security updates and patches (39 percent), installations, upgrades, and configurations (30 percent), and technical support (29 percent). Nearly half (47...

/ April 9, 2026
What soaring cloud demand and supply constraints mean for MSPs

What soaring cloud demand and supply constraints mean for MSPs

A report from market research firm Omdia finds that global spending on cloud infrastructure continues to accelerate, with spending in the fourth quarter of 2025 reaching $110.9 billion—a 29 percent increase year over year. Cloud providers see strong growth momentum...

/ April 2, 2026
Beyond recovery: The new resilience mindset

Beyond recovery: The new resilience mindset

A global survey of 1,000 business and IT decision‑makers and senior developers shows that while organizations feel more resilient than they were a year ago, many still struggle with the cost of recovery and remediation when a real IT incident...

/ March 26, 2026
The talent strategy behind the most profitable IT service providers

The talent strategy behind the most profitable IT service providers

A global survey of IT services providers finds that the most profitable organizations tend to spend less on payroll by relying more heavily on junior staff to fulfill clearly defined roles. Conducted by Service Leadership, the survey also reveals that the...

/ March 19, 2026
Survey shows channel partners are seeking more vendor support

Survey shows channel partners are seeking more vendor support

A survey of 400 technology channel partners suggests that the level of support they expect from IT vendors is shifting in an era marked by rapid innovation and economic uncertainty. Rising expectations for vendor support Conducted by the Futurum Group,...

/ March 12, 2026
Why sovereign clouds are becoming a massive growth engine for MSPs

Why sovereign clouds are becoming a massive growth engine for MSPs

Early indicators suggest that MSPs guiding customers toward sovereign cloud solutions could be heading into a period of strong growth. Worldwide spending on sovereign cloud infrastructure‑as‑a‑service is expected to reach roughly $80 billion in 2026. This represents over 35 percent...

/ February 26, 2026
Survey: IT teams relying on third-party expertise for agentic AI

Survey: IT teams relying on third-party expertise for agentic AI

A survey of 625 IT professionals with cloud computing expertise finds that well over two thirds (69 percent) plan to source agentic artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities through IT or consulting service providers—second only to agentic AI platform vendors, which came...

/ February 19, 2026