Here’s How One MSP Founder Is Eyeing African Expansion, Cybersecurity And AI Innovation

“The biggest question I hear from customers is, ‘What do I do about AI?’” says Alieu Kamara, founder and CTO of AmaraTech IT Solutions. “I tell them, ‘Don’t fear it, embrace it.’ AI won’t eliminate jobs, it reduces false positives, automates repetitive tasks and improves efficiency. In security, it’s a game-changer.”

AmaraTech IT Solutions is rapidly growing beyond its local roots. Launched just before the COVID-19 pandemic to support small businesses with IT needs, the company now serves clients internationally, such as Liberia, across sectors like healthcare, government and nonprofits.

Operating with a team of consultants, Glen Burnie, Maryland-based AmaraTech offers tailored IT services from compliance readiness to AI integration.

According to AmaraTech founder and CTO Alieu Kamara, cybersecurity and AI are top spending priorities for customers in 2025.

“The biggest question I hear from customers is, ‘What do I do about AI?’” he told CRN. “I tell them, ‘Don’t fear it, embrace it.’ AI won’t eliminate jobs, it reduces false positives, automates repetitive tasks and improves efficiency. In security, it’s a game-changer.”

The company is already implementing Microsoft Copilot and developing proprietary AI-powered SaaS tools, including a nearly complete vulnerability analysis platform that uses large language models to provide customized security recommendations.

Looking ahead, AmaraTech is investing in both talent and tech infrastructure to scale.

“Scalability has two tracks: human resources and infrastructure,” Kamara said. “We’re building out our ops, marketing and dev teams and using automation to handle increased demand.

“Our mission is to be a partner in growth, both in the U.S. and emerging markets abroad,” he added. “We’re small, but agile and deeply committed to both client success and tech innovation.”

CRN spoke to Kamara about geographic expansion, where he is implementing AI for his customers and the next phase of growth for AmaraTech.

Where are your customers focusing their IT spending this year?

Cybersecurity and AI are leading the way. Especially here in the DMV area, compliance is a huge concern particularly CMMC (cybersecurity maturity model certification). We recently helped a client get to Level 2 CMMC compliance and we’re seeing more demand in that space.

What’s your biggest business challenge right now?

Breaking into contracts as a subcontractor. Without past performance records, it’s hard to secure large deals. We’re actively networking, attending events and optimizing our online presence to build relationships with primes and increase our visibility.

So what do you want more of from your vendors?

I want better collaboration and innovation. We primarily work with OpenText for cybersecurity solutions but I’m also exploring partnerships with emerging players.

What are your thoughts on the ongoing M&A activity in the cybersecurity space?

Consolidation is necessary. There are too many vendors offering overlapping services which makes things messy. When vendors merge, like OpenText acquiring Zix, it simplifies our stack and improves service delivery.

How are you preparing to scale your business?

Scalability has two tracks: human resources and infrastructure. On the HR side, we’re building out our ops, marketing and dev teams. On the infrastructure side, we’re investing in scalable platforms and automation to handle increased demand. For our customers, we take a tailored approach. Many MSPs try to sell a fixed suite of tools, but we prefer to start with an assessment and deliver exactly what the client needs whether it’s filling a gap in compliance, endpoint protection or cloud monitoring.

So what’s the biggest question you’re hearing from customers right now?

“What do I do about AI?” AI is top of mind. I tell clients don’t fear it, embrace it. Be early adopters. AI won’t eliminate jobs. It reduces false positives, automates repetitive tasks and improves efficiency. In security, it’s a game-changer.

Is federal budget tightening affecting you and your clients?

Yes, definitely. I had a federal consulting contract canceled due to budget cuts. It’s also hitting our clients. While I understand the need to control spending, cybersecurity shouldn’t be on the chopping block.

What AI tools are you implementing?

Microsoft Copilot is a big one for us. We’re also building proprietary AI tools and working with developers to create internal solutions that support inventory tracking, document classification and contract research. We’re developing AI-powered SaaS platforms for our clients, especially to assess vulnerabilities. We’re also creating a vulnerability analysis platform that gives clients actionable security insights based on simple questionnaires. It’s 90 percent complete and integrates LLMs (large language models) to deliver tailored recommendations.