ConnectWise has announced the formation of a new business unit dedicated to amplifying the voice of its partner community.

This new Partner Communities structure integrates existing ConnectWise programs, IT Nation, Service Leadership Inc. and Partner Advisory Councils (PACs) under a unified vision. Peter Kujawa will lead this initiative as executive vice president of Service Leadership and IT Nation, reporting directly to ConnectWise CEO Manny Rivelo. This consolidation creates a stronger, more cohesive ecosystem where partners can connect, collaborate and contribute to the evolution of the ConnectWise platform and strategy.

"Community has long been a key differentiator for ConnectWise," said Manny Rivelo, CEO, ConnectWise. "By combining Service Leadership, IT Nation and our partner councils into a single business unit, we are formalizing our commitment to the success of the IT solution provider community through industry leading events, content and peer groups. Additionally, MSP feedback is at the heart of our product road map and overall vision. Now that this org reports to me, I can also stay closer to the partner feedback loop and ensure our solutions truly meet the evolving needs of the IT industry. Peter's deep understanding of the MSP landscape, both from his three years at ConnectWise leading Service Leadership and prior to that, running an MSP for 11 years, makes him the ideal leader for this effort."

Driven by the mission "Wise Together, Rise Together," the IT Nation is a global community of MSP peers, thought leaders and solution partners dedicated to elevating the IT ecosystem to new heights through collaboration and education. This includes premier events such as IT Nation Connect and IT Nation Secure, as well as the Evolve peer groups dedicated to helping leaders transform their personal and business success. Service Leadership provides IT solution providers with comprehensive profit solutions, including the leading vendor-neutral financial and operational benchmark, the Service Leadership Index. In addition, ConnectWise has seven advisory councils to provide partner feedback on various aspects of strategy and products. The strategic decision to combine these resources under one business unit underscores ConnectWise's commitment to empowering the MSP community.

"The IT Nation events, IT Nation Evolve peer group community and Service Leadership are already incredibly impactful for the industry, Manny wants to see us grow them so that we can help even more partners be successful," Kujawa said. "I'm excited to embark on this new chapter and collaborate with the community to take these to the next level. We remain dedicated to creating a 'community of communities' that empowers MSPs and solution providers to thrive by providing valuable resources, fostering collaboration, and ensuring their voices are also heard within ConnectWise."

ConnectWise has also launched a refreshed website dedicated to its partner communities, creating a central hub for information, resources and connection. The newly redesigned website offers a refreshed look and feel, and includes a direct opportunity for partners to explore IT Nation events, including IT Nation Grow, Automation Nation and IT Nation Connect — industry-leading conferences — as well as to learn more about IT Nation Evolve peer groups and Service Leadership.

ConnectWise invites all partners to IT Nation Connect Europe March 10-12 in London. This premier event will feature a keynote address including Kujawa and Rivelo, as well as opportunities to network with peers, learn about the latest industry trends and engage with ConnectWise leadership. Join the IT Nation community and help shape the future of IT.

In other news, Service Leadership Inc., a ConnectWise company, has released the findings of the highly anticipated 2025 Annual IT Solution Provider Compensation (Remuneration) Report. This report serves as the industry's leading resource for compensation data and best practices.

The Service Leadership report stands out for its unique ability to correlate compensation data with managed service provider (MSP) profitability performance. This enables a comprehensive analysis of the differences in compensation practices between top-performing companies and lower-performing ones. Additionally, the report's exclusive focus on MSPs sets it apart from other compensation reports that include positions only tangentially related to the MSP business model.

As MSPs face the challenge of meeting increased demand for IT solutions with limited resources, this report plays a vital role in their success by providing valuable insights into MSP-specific compensation data as well as appropriate compensation structures and mutually beneficial incentive strategies.  

The report features 400-plus pages of data and analysis broken down by position and experience level. The data gathered in this report was collected from a record number of MSPs worldwide who participated in a compensation survey conducted in October and November 2024.

In addition to its comprehensive coverage of W2 (T4 in Canada, P60 in the United Kingdom, Income Statement in Australia and Gross Earnings in New Zealand) compensation for more than 50 billable, sales and management positions commonly found in MSPs, the 2025 report provides detailed insights into variable incentive compensation, average bill rates, and annual earnings percentage increases. The data is broken down by region, city tier and, where possible, by metro area.

New in this year's report is full-time equivalent (FTE) churn, which provides valuable insights into workforce dynamics, costs, employee satisfaction and organizational performance. It helps organizations make informed decisions and implement strategies to optimize their workforce management practices.

Key highlights from the 2025 compensation report include:

• Wage inflation peaked in 2022 for MSPs worldwide and has shown significant improvement since, with roughly one-fourth as many employees projected to receive top-level increases in 2025 as 2022.
• In 2024, top-performing MSPs provided lower compensation increases compared to the bottom quartile MSPs, indicating a difference in compensation strategies.
• Remote work remains relatively low in the MSP industry, with only 9.6% of employees working 100% remotely, a slight increase from 8.7% the previous year. Additionally, 42.6% exclusively work in the office while 73% spend at least three days or more working on-site.
• Employees with one to three years of experience have a three-times higher FTE churn rate compared to employees with eight or more years of experience.

"This report is an invaluable resource that provides MSPs with the actual costs required to recruit and retain employees, which is crucial for achieving success," Kujawa said.

Additionally, Kujawa highlighted the positive trend in wage inflation, noting that after reaching its peak in 2022, there has been a consistent downward trend extending into 2024. He further explained that the projected total annual earnings (TAE) increases for 2025 are expected to be significantly lower than those of 2024. This development is seen as promising news for MSPs, as it is likely to have a positive impact on their bottom-line profitability.

To receive a complimentary executive summary and learn how to purchase a full copy of the Service Leadership Index 2025 Annual IT Solution Provider Compensation Report, please click here.