Pax8 CEO On Agentic AI: ‘Get Moving. Build Your Strategy. Don’t Wait.’

The era of agentic AI isn’t about a ‘far-off future,’ Pax8 CEO Scott Chasin tells CRN in an exclusive interview. ‘It’s already showing up in your timelines, your infrastructure and your market.’

The age of agentic AI isn’t on the horizon, it’s already reshaping the managed services landscape. That’s the message Pax8 CEO Scott Chasin conveyed to MSPs while urging them to transform into managed intelligence providers or risk falling behind.

“I frame everything through the lens of managed intelligence; that’s the foundation,” Chasin told CRN in an exclusive interview . “This isn’t just about tech upgrades. It’s an ecosystem shift. MSPs are becoming gateways to automation and AI-driven transformation.”

According to Chasin, this shift is both technological and philosophical. “It’s a mindset change. Agents are the new labor force. Businesses must build capabilities now to meet a demand that will pull, not be pushed.”

The future of AI agents is evolving fast, the CEO believes. And while most businesses currently use level-one agents like chatbots, he sees rapid adoption of level-two agents such as task-completing assistants by early 2026.

To support this, Denver-based Pax8 launched a managed intelligence toolkit, reinforcing its commitment to its partner ecosystem.

“Enablement is our superpower,” he said. “Our MCP [Model Context Protocol]-enabled marketplace helps vendors become accessible to AI agents. This transformation isn’t just for MSPs, it’s for everyone.”

From managed intelligence to agentic AI, CRN spoke to Chasin in an exclusive interview to discuss what MSPs and vendors must do to harness this next era of transformation and how Pax8 is alongside its partners every step of way.

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You spoke about managed intelligence and referred to a shift from MSPs to managed intelligence providers. What are the key shifts required to make that leap?

It’s an organizational shift, a mindset change. We’re talking about a service model that embraces AI agents as part of the labor force. That transformation starts with understanding the ecosystem, building new capabilities and preparing for a demand that’s going to pull rather than be pushed.

You outlined four levels of AI agents, from chatbots to digital workforces. Where do most SMBs stand today, and how fast will they progress?

Right now most businesses, SMBs included, are at level one: chatbots. But what’s coming, and quickly, is level two: task-completing assistants. These agents can execute workflows and do it with minimal human input. I expect that by the end of this year and moving into next, we’ll see a significant uptick in adoption of these assistants. Take software engineering—we’re already seeing level-two agents make an impact there, writing code, handling DevOps tasks. It started there because it's structured and it’s going to spread. Think health care, service operations, you’ll see real-world implementations like voice agents managing post-op scheduling. These aren’t just cost-savers, but they improve quality and scale. Once businesses see that value, they won’t wait; they’ll demand it. That’s the kind of adoption wave we’re heading into.

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You mentioned agentic systems will need new pricing models. How will those drive more revenue than traditional ones?

Traditional models, price per seat, won’t cut it anymore. We’re now thinking in terms of price per agent, per action, per workflow or even per outcome. On top of that, there are two additional revenue layers: management and cloud consumption. Managing digital labor like governance, security and alignment is going to be a recurring fee. That’s a whole new revenue stream for [managed intelligence providers]. And every agent deployed increases inference consumption on the cloud. ... This isn’t just a tech upgrade; it’s a fundamental shift in the business model.

How quickly do you think MSPs will evolve into managed intelligence providers?

The industry has a lot to learn, and fast. The tech is accelerating at an exponential rate, models are more capable, chips are faster and hyperscalers are investing heavily in global infrastructure. The transformation has to start now. Discovery is the first step in identifying what can be agentically automated within your customer base. That will begin manually but will soon be powered by automated assessments and marketplace tools. This isn’t a five-year horizon. It’s happening now and if you stand still, you fall behind. In the fall of next year, rinse-and-repeat digital labor deployments will be a reality, and MSPs must act urgently to position themselves.

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Pax8 launched a managed intelligence toolkit. What’s the broader strategy to prepare your ecosystem for what’s coming?

We’re focused on enablement. That’s Pax8’s superpower. Alongside that is the MCP-enabled marketplace, which helps drive AI adoption by giving agents the tools to act. Our goal is to bring this community together, to teach them what’s possible and then help them build the how. Vendors are part of this too. They need to transform to become accessible to agents or express their value agentically. We’re not just supporting MSPs; we’re evolving every layer of the ecosystem.

What’s the biggest aspect MSPs must remember when harnessing the agentic AI era?

Embrace the motion and prepare. This is not about a far-off future. It’s already showing up in your timelines, your infrastructure and your market. My message is simple: Get moving. Build your strategy. Don’t wait.

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What role will Pax8 play five years from now in this rapidly evolving landscape?

We see ourselves in two core roles: a marketplace and a platform. We’re the fourth marketplace—think AWS, Azure, Google Cloud … and Pax8. But unlike them, we’re focused on MSPs and SMBs. And we’re becoming a platform, an engine of commerce for digital labor. That means helping vendors and partners translate and monetize this agentic opportunity. We’re committed to the underserved. And we believe we’re the engine that will drive the next generation of business automation globally.

You brought up vendors. What should they be doing right now to adapt to this future?

One word: MCP. The Model Context Protocol allows LLMs to use tools giving agents the power to act. It’s already spreading fast. Vendors can begin today by placing MCP servers in front of their APIs. That allows their software to be used by agents directly. This is how software becomes accessible to the agentic customer. The opportunity is here; you just need to make your product agent-ready.

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You’ve been CEO for 14 months now. What have you learned, and how do you apply it back to the ecosystem?

It’s a lesson I’ve seen before, but it’s clearer now than ever: Go-to-market strategy is not an afterthought. Most companies build products first and figure out how to sell themlater. But when you productize go-to-market, when it’s built into your core value, it creates magic. Pax8 already had the right DNA: scale, commerce capability and go-to-market focus. Layer AI on top of that, and we’re building something different. That’s the lesson: Make go-to-market part of the innovation, not an accessory to it.

When we spoke when you came on as CEO, you said 2024 would be the year of profitability. Did you hit that goal?

Yes, we did, and I’m incredibly proud of that. It was a major milestone that shows we’re not just growing, but we’re doing it with discipline.

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Any update on a potential IPO?

Honestly, it’s not top of mind. The macro market is uncertain and right now we’re focused on executing. We see what’s coming and we’re pouring our energy into helping our partners prepare. There’s a lot to do, and that’s where our attention is—on delivering.

What is your message to MSPs as they prepare to become MIPs with Pax8?

Let us be your guide. We’re building the marketplace of the future. It’s our job to bring that future forward. Our partners’ success is our success. We’ve been making bold claims for a few years now and many of them are already reality. This next chapter, agentic intelligence, is coming fast, so let’s build it together.

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