---
title: "What is a Managed Service Provider (MSP)?"
slug: "what-is-a-managed-service-provider"
description: "Learn what a managed service provider is and how MSPs use Graphiant to deliver and manage network services for customers."
updated: 2026-05-06T22:16:37Z
published: 2026-05-06T22:16:37Z
canonical: "docs.graphiant.com/what-is-a-managed-service-provider"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.graphiant.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is a Managed Service Provider (MSP)?

A **Managed Service Provider (MSP)** customer of Graphiant is a service provider that delivers and operates managed networking services for its customers using Graphiant technology.

Graphiant provides the centralized control, orchestration, portal access, APIs, and cloud-based management services that enable the MSP to operate and manage the environment.

In the Graphiant Private Core model, the MSP is the custodian of the networking infrastructure within its MSP domain, including:

- Edge Nodes and customer-facing gateways
- Core Nodes that provide the stateless multi-tenant WAN
- Core transport and intra-core connectivity

Within the MSP domain, their individual customer environments are represented as **tenants**. Each tenant is responsible for provisioning its Edge Nodes, managing last-mile connectivity into the Graphiant core, and provisioning Graphiant Gateway devices for cloud access.

A tenant’s LAN segment provides a secure, isolated network environment that connects customer sites, cloud environments, and services across the Graphiant network.

![Diagram illustrating MSP infrastructure with tenants, LAN segments, and cloud connectivity.](https://cdn.document360.io/d86ecd1c-49f6-4fac-83cc-5e344f28f84f/Images/Documentation/MSP Terminology from Paula's PPT.png)