Operating picture · measured 2026-08-11
80% of MSPs list no certification at all; only 6% list three or more.
The security-washing finding, widened to the whole market.
of all in-scope MSPs list zero certifications
All 21,555 in-scope active US MSP-family firms. as of 2026-08-11.
base 21,555
What we found
Widening the lens from security sellers to the whole market makes the picture starker: 80% of the 21,555 in-scope firms list no certification of any kind — vendor, framework or individual.
Only 6% list three or more. Certification density, not certification presence, is what separates the top of this market.
Why it matters
Certification is the cheapest legible signal in professional services. When four in five firms produce none, the remaining fifth wins comparisons before capability is discussed.
The threshold effects are steep. Going from zero to one certification moves a firm past 80% of the market; going from one to three moves it into the top 6%.
What this number can't tell you
- ·We measure what a company lists publicly, not what it holds.
- ·Vendor certifications held by individual engineers but never published on the company site are not counted.
What to do about it
- ▸Audit what your team already holds before buying anything new — most firms are under-publishing rather than under-certified.
- ▸List certifications as text, not as badge images alone, so they are readable by search engines and by buyers on mobile.
Where does your firm sit on this?
Claim your MSP with a magic link from your company email to see your own certifications, reviews, web footprint and local rank measured against every provider we track.
Claim your MSP ▸More findings
- 69%69% of MSPs that sell cybersecurity hold no security certification at all.
- 72%72% of MSPs marketing to healthcare don't list HIPAA.
- 8,6678,667 US places have no MSP within 25 miles — 27% of the country's populated places.
- 0.05★MSPs in one-provider towns average 4.63★ across 31 reviews. In competitive markets they average 4.68★ across 45.