Why Hyperscalers Only Sell Hardware – and MSPs Are the Future

Hyperscalers have shaped the digital world like few other models. With the promise of unlimited scaling, global availability, and seemingly endless innovation, they have dominated an entire generation of IT strategies. However, upon closer inspection, little remains of this narrative: The business model of hyperscalers is still almost exclusively based on the sale of hardware—compute, storage, network traffic. Nicely packaged, globally distributed, encapsulated in APIs, but at its core, it’s still the same logic: You rent machines.

The Volume Business of Hyperscalers

The efficiency of hyperscalers lies in standardization. Every service they offer is optimized to be delivered identically millions of times. Customizations are not intended because they disrupt the cost curve. Anyone needing something outside this norm pays a high price—be it for special integrations, support, or simply for configurations that do not follow the “happy path.”

For companies with specific requirements, the seemingly cheap entry quickly becomes a cost trap. Not because the technology is bad, but because the business model allows no individuality. Hyperscalers profit from volume, not from your problem.

MSPs: Technology Plus Expertise

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) take a fundamentally different approach. They do not just sell bare resources but combine infrastructure with expertise. Where the hyperscaler provides an API, the MSP brings a team of specialists. Where the hyperscaler offers standard services, the MSP builds solutions that integrate into existing processes and systems.

For developers, this means less frustration juggling the peculiarities of proprietary APIs and more support in building stable, secure systems. For decision-makers, it means: no black box, but a partner who not only provides infrastructure but also takes responsibility.

From Cost Center to Value Contribution

This is the crucial difference: While hyperscalers draw their customers into ever deeper dependencies, MSPs see themselves as part of the value chain. They do not just deliver computing power but also contribute to shaping it. They help comply with regulatory requirements, build complex security architectures, or operate applications so that they are truly resilient and scalable.

Especially in times when digital sovereignty and Compliance become strategic questions, the added value becomes apparent: MSPs give companies back control where hyperscalers take it away.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Hyperscalers seem modern, with their shiny platforms and global reach. But at their core, they are nothing more than hardware dealers in XXL format. Those who rely solely on them buy standard goods—and pay dearly as soon as it comes to individual requirements.

The future belongs to those who combine technology with expertise, who take responsibility, and who see customers not as volume but as partners. In other words: The future belongs to Managed Service Providers.

Cloud-native solutions and DevOps practices are the key to succeeding in this new landscape.