Technology Is More Than The IT Department

Technology spending no longer flows through only the IT department, Malizia said.        

"These other areas have money to spend, and the freedom to find a solution on their own," he said.

The cloud has made it easy for departments without technical expertise to find an off-site application or service that fits their business needs and procure it using a monthly subscription model.

While this development has opened up more – and faster-moving – business opportunities, MSPs may find it difficult to work with marketing people who are often more concerned with usability than security issues.

Most existing relationships for MSPs are also through the IT folks, Malizia said, meaning they're unlikely to receive calls from other departments.