MSP appointment setting in Buffalo: who to call first

7 things to know before prospecting MSP in Buffalo

1. 01243 IT services firms work the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro (-2 in a year), 55% less concentrated than the U.S. as a whole.
2. 026.6 target businesses per IT firm ranks Buffalo #9 of 100 markets and #1 of 6 in New York.
3. 03The biggest buyer group is manufacturers: 415 sites with 20 to 499 employees.
4. 04Buffalo-Cheektowaga over-indexes on nonprofits and member organizations at 1.98x the national mix, so build references inside that group.
5. 05Real estate brokerages and property management offices added 25 establishments in a year: new sites without a managed service provider relationship.
6. 06Tier 1 is 386 sites with 50 to 499 employees among manufacturers and medical, dental and outpatient practices; those deserve two or three contacts each.
7. 07Erie County holds 88% of the target businesses across 2 counties.

These are the 12 industries Abstrakt's SDRs call for MSP work, with how many of each are in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro and who to ask for. Compared with the U.S. as a whole, Buffalo-Cheektowaga leans toward nonprofits and member organizations (1.98x) and manufacturers (1.33x). Build the list around those categories. Architecture and engineering firms and wealth management and investment firms are thinner than the national mix, so treat them as selective targets.

1. 01
   Manufacturers415

   Ask for: Owner or president 218 with 50 to 499 employees 1.33x U.S. mix -6 in a year
2. 02
   Medical, dental and outpatient practices333

   Ask for: Practice administrator 108 with 50 to 499 employees 0.97x U.S. mix -19 in a year
3. 03
   Construction contractors227

   Ask for: Owner or president 60 with 50 to 499 employees 1.11x U.S. mix -93 in a year
4. 04
   Wholesale distributors209

   Ask for: Owner or president 77 with 50 to 499 employees 0.85x U.S. mix -55 in a year
5. 05
   Private schools and education providers98

   Ask for: Head of school or director 50 with 50 to 499 employees 1.04x U.S. mix -5 in a year
6. 06
   Nonprofits and member organizations95

   Ask for: Executive director 26 with 50 to 499 employees 1.98x U.S. mix -8 in a year
7. 07
   Law firms51

   Ask for: Managing partner 18 with 50 to 499 employees 1.06x U.S. mix -9 in a year
8. 08
   Real estate brokerages and property management offices44

   Ask for: Broker-owner 15 with 50 to 499 employees 0.85x U.S. mix +25 in a year
9. 09
   Architecture and engineering firms40

   Ask for: Principal or owner 12 with 50 to 499 employees 0.81x U.S. mix +2 in a year
10. 10
    Insurance agencies and brokerages38

    Ask for: Agency principal or owner 14 with 50 to 499 employees 1.01x U.S. mix -18 in a year
11. 11
    Accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms34

    Ask for: Managing partner 16 with 50 to 499 employees 0.86x U.S. mix -13 in a year
12. 12
    Wealth management and investment firms16

    Ask for: Firm principal 3 with 50 to 499 employees 0.83x U.S. mix

Businesses are establishments with 20 to 499 employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023), the small and mid-sized range MSPs sell to; the SBA Office of Advocacy counts firms under 500 employees as small businesses. Change and concentration: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2.

Accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms run larger in Buffalo than across our 100 metros, which puts more of them in Tier 1. Construction contractors and architecture and engineering firms run smaller, so those groups need a seat-count question before a meeting is booked.

• Manufacturers are the largest group in Buffalo with 415 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Rochester has (410): more concentrated than nationally (1.33x), down 6 establishments in a year, and typical in size (36% with 50 or more employees).

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices are the second-largest group in Buffalo with 333 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Rochester has (184): close to the national mix, down 19 establishments in a year, and typical in size (17% with 50 or more employees).

• Construction contractors are the third-largest group in Buffalo with 227 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Rochester has (209): close to the national mix, down 93 establishments in a year, and smaller than across our 100 metros (13% have 50 or more employees, against 18%), so confirm the seat count early on the call.

• Wholesale distributors are the fourth-largest group in Buffalo with 209 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Rochester has (205): less concentrated than nationally (0.85x), down 55 establishments in a year, and typical in size (20% with 50 or more employees).

• Private schools and education providers are the fifth-largest group in Buffalo with 98 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Rochester has (80): close to the national mix, down 5 establishments in a year, and typical in size (29% with 50 or more employees).

• Nonprofits and member organizations are the sixth-largest group in Buffalo with 95 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Rochester has (47): more concentrated than nationally (1.98x), down 8 establishments in a year, and typical in size (12% with 50 or more employees).

After those six come law firms (51), real estate brokerages and property management offices (44), architecture and engineering firms (40), insurance agencies and brokerages (38), accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (34) and wealth management and investment firms (16), smaller groups to work by fit rather than volume.

Where a rule or a client review puts a date on security work in Buffalo: manufacturers (415, CMMC where they supply defense work), medical, dental and outpatient practices (333, HIPAA), law firms (51, client security questionnaires), insurance agencies and brokerages (38, carrier and state insurance data security requirements), accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (34, the FTC Safeguards Rule) and wealth management and investment firms (16, SEC and FINRA exams); together, 887 businesses where the first message can lead with the requirement instead of the service.

What leads in each core county

• Erie County: manufacturers (322), medical, dental and outpatient practices (298) and construction contractors (192) lead its 1,390 target businesses.
• Niagara County: manufacturers (91), construction contractors (34) and medical, dental and outpatient practices (33) lead its 194 target businesses.

Employee bands: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, establishments with 10 to 499 employees; suppressed size classes count as zero. Concentration and one-year change: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2. The 100-metro average is the same share summed across every market we publish.

243 IT services firms are based in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro. That is 2 fewer than a year ago. When an IT firm closes or sells, its customers go looking for a new one. The IT services industry is 55% less concentrated than the U.S. as a whole, so a consistent outbound program reaches business owners and office managers that are not tired of contractor calls. 6.6 target businesses per IT firm puts Buffalo 9 of 100 markets, and 1 of 6 in New York. That is more room per IT firm than most metros, so systematic prospecting tends to find accounts nobody is working. Buffalo has more target businesses per IT firm than the nearest markets.

Tier 1 covers manufacturers, medical, dental and outpatient practices and construction contractors with 50 to 499 employees.

Erie County holds 88% of the target businesses across the 2-county metro. The other 1 county splits the remaining 12%, which is where Tier 1 accounts justify the drive and smaller sites do not.

A new office or location needs network, devices and security set up before people move in, and the provider who does that work is in the best position to support it after.

• Real estate brokerages and property management offices: 25 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a wire fraud attempt, a new office, agent growth, a change in property management software.

• Architecture and engineering firms: 2 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are slow file access, a workstation refresh, a new office, a client or government security requirement.

• Construction contractors: 93 fewer establishments than a year ago

  An acquisition puts a business under new owners, who usually review who runs IT and fold it into their own systems.

• 2 fewer managed service providers than a year ago

  Clients of an IT firm that closed, retired or sold have to decide who supports them next.

More questions for every prospect type, and how to follow up after the meeting, are in the MSP prospecting playbook.

If your engineers travel, Rochester, Cleveland, Syracuse and Akron are the closest metros we track. Here are the same counts used above for Buffalo.

• Rochester, NY

  51 miles away, with 1,335 target businesses and 260 IT services firms, or 5.1 businesses per IT firm (#17 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers, and it over-indexes on nonprofits and member organizations at 1.83x the national mix.

• Cleveland, OH

  116 miles away, with 3,385 target businesses and 894 IT services firms, or 3.8 businesses per IT firm (#29 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers.

• Syracuse, NY

  158 miles away, with 811 target businesses and 141 IT services firms, or 5.8 businesses per IT firm (#11 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices, and it over-indexes on nonprofits and member organizations at 2.02x the national mix.

• Akron, OH

  166 miles away, with 1,098 target businesses and 264 IT services firms, or 4.2 businesses per IT firm (#27 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers.