Picture a busy kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner. But there’s something amiss. Ten timers scream. Four ovens disagree on temperature. Three recipe apps push conflicting steps. The chef spins between beeps and alerts. Knives pause and sauce boils over while screens demand taps. Guests hear alarms, not progress. In this blizzard of pings, alerts, and notifications, the turkey burns as ice cream left on he counter melts. A new Heimdal study “The State of MSP Agent Fatigue in 2025,” of 80 North American MSPs reports persistent fatigue. Fifty-six percent face alert fatigue daily or weekly. Teams handling 1,000+ clients report fatigue every single day. Over three-quarters experience fatigue at least monthly. Cybersecurity is jeopardized. As the report notes, “MSPs are drowning in complexity.”
More Tools, Worse Outcomes
MSPs commonly run four to six tools, and one in five juggles seven to ten. Twelve percent manage more than ten. The data links higher tool counts to higher fatigue. Teams with daily fatigue average 7.4 tools, versus 4.5 for low-fatigue teams. Using seven or more tools nearly doubles the risk of fatigue.
Integration Gaps Deepen Risk
Only 11% enjoy seamless integration across their stack: the remaining 89% switch dashboards and stitch data by hand. Better integration correlates with fewer fatigue incidents. Poor integration drives swivel-chair operations and missed context.
“MSPs are drowning in complexity.”
Heimdal study “The State of MSP Agent Fatigue in 2025.”
False Positives Drain Time And Mask Threats
One in four alerts is noise. Nearly one-third of MSPs report false-positive rates above 30%. High false-positive rates triple the likelihood of fatigue. Fatigued teams are three times more likely to miss real threats.
Complex stacks complicate billing and client onboarding. MSPs cite manual processes, scattered portals, and mismatched pricing models. Compliance tasks add workload without reducing fatigue. Teams want unified, automated evidence collection and reporting.
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Most Know The Fix. Few Act.
Only 20% have consolidated tools. Another 56% are still considering a shift. Consolidators report fewer alerts, faster response, and higher morale. Many cite sunk costs and migration fear as barriers.
Automation Is Underused
Only 31% have tried AI or SOAR automation. Those adopters report significant benefits and cleaner queues. The report urges more automation to triage, correlate, and auto-respond.
Evidence Of Gains From Consolidation
MSPs running four or fewer integrated tools report markedly less fatigue. They also report simpler billing and clearer visibility. The guidance calls for audits, phased migrations, and clear success metrics.
Martin Hinton is the Executive Editor and Publisher of Cyber Insurance News and Information. With over three decades of journalism experience across six continents, his work encompasses investigative reporting, documentaries, and coverage of cultural, political, and business news. To learn more about his career, click on his name to visit his LinkedIn page.
