A non-profit trade association is aiming to put MSPs in the driving seat when it comes to the threat of incoming regulation, as it warned “the era of unregulated IT services is ending”.
The Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA) today provided an update on The Consortium for Responsible IT Services (CRITS), which is working to establish a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) for IT service providers with a focus on cyber resilience. GTIA is expected to run the SRO on behalf of the channel once that work is complete.
It was among a raft of member benefits and initiatives the GTIA highlighted at its ChannelCon EMEA event in London today.
“Do we lead it, or get led by it?”
Vendor-neutral, non-profit membership community GTIA represents hundreds of thousands of professionals from nearly 4,000 ITSPs, vendors, distributors and other companies serving the IT channel.
In today’s keynotes, GTIA Chief Community Officer MJ Shoer said the CRITS will “elevate the professionalism and credibility of our industry and help our profession earn the same level of trust and respect as other established fields”.
The Consortium, which held its kickoff in October, was formed with the Global Cyber Research Institute at Texas A&M University, which Shoer stressed works with hundreds of universities globally including in the UK.
“One thing is clear: the era of unregulated IT services is ending,” Shoer said.
“Whether it’s here in the UK, in the European Union, or across the globe, there’s more and more talk about regulating this space.
“The only real question is whether we lead that, or get led by it. Personally, I don’t think being led by it is the right answer.”
It may take up to three years to develop the SRO, Shoer said.
“If you want a hand in writing these standards, we have a limited number of seats still available to get engaged,” he told the audience.
Managed Intelligence Alliance
GTIA also launched the Managed Intelligence Alliance, an independent, member-led programme that helps ITSPs deliver AI to SMBs securely, responsibly and at scale.
Pax8 is the Alliance’s Charter Member, with 10 Founding Party Members. Rob Rae of Pax8 chairs it, and Carlo Tortora Brayda leads it day to day. Its standards and accreditation frameworks will be published openly and at no cost, with members able to comment on drafts and get early access at least 30 days before public release.
New AI training for members
GTIA’s second ChannelCon EMEA event comes nearly two years after its sale of the CompTIA brand and certification/training business resulted in the creation of a “substantial” endowment that will cover its operating costs indefinitely.
Everyone at a GTIA member company now has access to CompTIA’s AI Essentials Training Library at no additional cost, GTIA Chief Channel Officer Nancy Hammervik announced on stage.
“It’s probably the most popular training and education in our online learning portal right now,” she told IT Channel Oxygen.
“It’s a very valuable benefit to the members, not only for the one person in the company who signed off the membership, but the entire company – anyone can take advantage of these licenses for the competency certificate.”
“We’ve got you”
GTIA Chief Operating Officer Kelly Ricker also took to the stage to outline a raft of new member benefits, including GTIA’s new Channel Trends in Cybersecurity research.
Nearly 60% of ITSPs in North America and the UK and Ireland plan to add AI-related cybersecurity solutions over the next year, the research found.
“People are worried about AI, and that is an opportunity for everyone in this room. Customers want help making practical security decisions,” Ricker said.
Members often feel the GTIA’s annual State of the Channel report, which Carolyn April will present at ChannelCon EMEA tomorrow, “is worth the price of the dues alone”, Ricker added.
“Here’s the point I want to underscore for you: you don’t have to buy or build the knowhow to help your customers on this journey. We’ve got you,” Ricker said.
During his keynote, GTIA CEO Dan Wensley revealed that the GTIA’s membership base has grown by 50% in 2026, with international growth standing at “more than five-fold”.
Only 20% of MSPs have real governance in place around AI, while only 25% have turned it into a formal revenue-driving strategy, Wensley said.
“That’s exactly where the GTIA comes in – helping each of us move from talking about AI to using it responsibly, driving revenue, and navigating the standards and expectations that come with it,” Wensley said.
“The need for community and peer-to-peer interaction as an industry has never been more important than right now.”
This year’s ChannelCon EMEA drew a record of nearly 800 registrants. Next year the event becomes ChannelCon Europe, a single event for the whole continent, taking place in Birmingham on 26–28 October 2027.
This article was produced in association with the GITA and is classified as partner content. What is partner content? See more here.
