MSP appointment setting in Columbus: who to call first

8 things to know before prospecting MSP in Columbus

1. 011,304 IT services firms work the Columbus metro (+14 in a year), 19% more concentrated than the U.S. as a whole.
2. 022.3 target businesses per IT firm ranks Columbus #67 of 100 markets and #5 of 5 in Ohio.
3. 03The biggest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices: 770 sites with 20 to 499 employees.
4. 04Columbus over-indexes on real estate brokerages and property management offices at 1.33x the national mix, so build references inside that group.
5. 05Medical, dental and outpatient practices added 205 establishments in a year: new sites without a managed service provider relationship.
6. 06Tier 1 is 696 sites with 50 to 499 employees among medical, dental and outpatient practices and manufacturers; those deserve two or three contacts each.
7. 07Franklin County holds 78% of the target businesses across 10 counties.
8. 08Dayton (62 miles) has more target businesses per IT firm, if your engineers can cover it.

These are the 12 industries Abstrakt's SDRs call for MSP work, with how many of each are in the Columbus metro and who to ask for. Compared with the U.S. as a whole, Columbus leans toward real estate brokerages and property management offices (1.33x), medical, dental and outpatient practices (1.27x) and wealth management and investment firms (1.19x). Build the list around those categories.

1. 01
   Medical, dental and outpatient practices770

   Ask for: Practice administrator 266 with 50 to 499 employees 1.27x U.S. mix +205 in a year
2. 02
   Manufacturers492

   Ask for: Owner or president 264 with 50 to 499 employees 0.90x U.S. mix +21 in a year
3. 03
   Construction contractors465

   Ask for: Owner or president 166 with 50 to 499 employees 0.92x U.S. mix +18 in a year
4. 04
   Wholesale distributors399

   Ask for: Owner or president 172 with 50 to 499 employees 1.07x U.S. mix -77 in a year
5. 05
   Nonprofits and member organizations208

   Ask for: Executive director 67 with 50 to 499 employees 1.01x U.S. mix -18 in a year
6. 06
   Private schools and education providers163

   Ask for: Head of school or director 62 with 50 to 499 employees 0.98x U.S. mix +11 in a year
7. 07
   Architecture and engineering firms126

   Ask for: Principal or owner 45 with 50 to 499 employees 1.01x U.S. mix +9 in a year
8. 08
   Real estate brokerages and property management offices116

   Ask for: Broker-owner 46 with 50 to 499 employees 1.33x U.S. mix +133 in a year
9. 09
   Accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms60

   Ask for: Managing partner 27 with 50 to 499 employees 1.03x U.S. mix -2 in a year
10. 10
    Law firms59

    Ask for: Managing partner 24 with 50 to 499 employees 1.01x U.S. mix -16 in a year
11. 11
    Insurance agencies and brokerages52

    Ask for: Agency principal or owner 18 with 50 to 499 employees 1.13x U.S. mix +10 in a year
12. 12
    Wealth management and investment firms39

    Ask for: Firm principal 20 with 50 to 499 employees 1.19x U.S. mix +23 in a year

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.

Manufacturers and real estate brokerages and property management offices run larger in Columbus than across our 100 metros, which puts more of them in Tier 1.

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices are the largest group in Columbus with 770 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Dayton has (262): more concentrated than nationally (1.27x), up 205 establishments in a year, and typical in size (18% with 50 or more employees).

• Manufacturers are the second-largest group in Columbus with 492 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Dayton has (343): close to the national mix, up 21 establishments in a year, and larger than across our 100 metros (38% of those with 10 or more employees have 50 or more, against 32%), so plan on two or three contacts per account.

• Construction contractors are the third-largest group in Columbus with 465 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Dayton has (152): close to the national mix, up 18 establishments in a year, and typical in size (20% with 50 or more employees).

• Wholesale distributors are the fourth-largest group in Columbus with 399 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Dayton has (139): close to the national mix, down 77 establishments in a year, and typical in size (24% with 50 or more employees).

• Nonprofits and member organizations are the fifth-largest group in Columbus with 208 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Dayton has (62): close to the national mix, down 18 establishments in a year, and typical in size (16% with 50 or more employees).

• Private schools and education providers are the sixth-largest group in Columbus with 163 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Dayton has (63): close to the national mix, up 11 establishments in a year, and typical in size (22% with 50 or more employees).

After those six come architecture and engineering firms (126), real estate brokerages and property management offices (116), accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (60), law firms (59), insurance agencies and brokerages (52) and wealth management and investment firms (39), smaller groups to work by fit rather than volume.

Where a rule or a client review puts a date on security work in Columbus: medical, dental and outpatient practices (770, HIPAA), manufacturers (492, CMMC where they supply defense work), accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (60, the FTC Safeguards Rule), law firms (59, client security questionnaires), insurance agencies and brokerages (52, carrier and state insurance data security requirements) and wealth management and investment firms (39, SEC and FINRA exams); together, 1,472 businesses where the first message can lead with the requirement instead of the service.

What leads in each core county

• Franklin County: medical, dental and outpatient practices (627), construction contractors (325) and wholesale distributors (320) lead its 2,216 target businesses.
• Delaware County: medical, dental and outpatient practices (65), manufacturers (50) and construction contractors (31) lead its 234 target businesses.
• Licking County: manufacturers (63), construction contractors (31) and medical, dental and outpatient practices (25) lead its 159 target businesses.
• Fairfield County: construction contractors (31), manufacturers (29) and medical, dental and outpatient practices (26) lead its 109 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.

1,304 IT services firms are based in the Columbus metro. 14 more opened over the past year, so buyers are fielding new names. The IT services industry is 19% more concentrated than the U.S. as a whole. Business owners and office managers here already hear from managed service providers, and a specific reason to talk beats a generic pitch. 2.3 target businesses per IT firm puts Columbus 67 of 100 markets, and 5 of 5 in Ohio. That is toward the crowded end, so growth here comes mostly from displacing incumbents at renewal. If you can serve Dayton and Akron, they have more target businesses per IT firm than Columbus.

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

Franklin County holds 78% of the target businesses across the 10-county metro. The other 9 counties split the remaining 22%, 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.

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices: 205 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a new location, a HIPAA risk assessment, an EHR or practice management change, a security incident.

• Real estate brokerages and property management offices: 133 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.

• Wealth management and investment firms: 23 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a regulatory exam, a custodian or broker-dealer requirement, a firm breakaway or merger, a security incident.

• Wholesale distributors: 77 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.

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

If your engineers travel, Dayton, Akron, Cincinnati and Detroit are the closest metros we track. Here are the same counts used above for Columbus.

• Dayton, OH

  62 miles away, with 1,128 target businesses and 418 IT services firms, or 2.7 businesses per IT firm (#53 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers.

• Akron, OH

  113 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.

• Cincinnati, OH

  131 miles away, with 3,238 target businesses and 1,289 IT services firms, or 2.5 businesses per IT firm (#59 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers.

• Detroit, MI

  139 miles away, with 6,008 target businesses and 1,135 IT services firms, or 5.3 businesses per IT firm (#15 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers.