Why We're Here (And Why No Other MSP Podcast Covers This)
We searched 35 MSP podcasts. Not one talked about open source tools cutting vendor costs. We're fixing that – chatting with MSPs doing it. Join us at openmsp.ai and in the OpenMSP Slack community.
Upcoming Episodes
"Vendor Tax" – Tool Stack Costs Compressing Margins
The average MSP now runs 76 security products alone, and operating margins have compressed to 15–25%.
Vendor Lock-In: How MSP Contracts Actually Work
Multi-year contracts, auto-renewal traps, forced bundling, and opaque exit clauses keep MSPs locked into platforms they've outgrown. The language of captivity – "trapped," "locked in," "no exit" – dominates vendor discussions across MSP communities.
True Cost of Switching RMM Platforms
Migration stories on r/msp consistently highlight hidden costs: agent deployment time, script rewriting, policy recreation, client communication, and the productivity dip during transition. One MSP estimated 200+ hours for a 500-endpoint migration.
The Math Behind the Migration
The decision to switch platforms is ultimately a math problem – but most MSPs don't have the full equation. Hidden costs include agent redeployment labor, script rewriting, policy recreation, the productivity dip during transition, and client communication overhead. Real migration cost data is scarce.
Is the All-You-Can-Eat Model Dying?
Profitability depends on scope clarity. AYCE without clear exclusions is a recipe for burnout and margin erosion.