What Are Managed IT Services?
However, they’re typically information technology tasks handled by third parties. A subscription-based approach allows small and medium businesses to leverage these services at a fraction of the cost of industry giants.
SMBs rely on a variety of tech systems to keep their data safe, from computers and phones to networks and passwords. Small and medium-sized businesses often lack the resources, time, or talent to handle these systems themselves. Managed IT services can help in such a situation.
What Is A Managed Service Provider?
The managed service provider (MSP) manages an organization’s information technology (IT) infrastructure remotely. Businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies hire managed service providers (MSPs) to perform a number of day-to-day management tasks.
Management of network infrastructure, security, and monitoring are examples of these services. A managed service provider is a third party that provides these services.
Managed IT Services: Different Types
It’s important to understand the different types of MSP providers and services when diving into the MSP world. However, not all providers offer the same services. While one MSP may provide all of the following services, another may specialize in just one or just a few. No matter what, it’s good to know which infrastructure is available if your business plans to use an MSP.
Managed Networks and Infrastructure
In this case, the MSP generally takes care of all network-related tasks. Various connections such as LANs, WAPs, and a variety of connections are required. In addition, they handle backups and storage.
Managed Security
It is a service that covers all aspects of remote security infrastructure. Everything from BDR solutions to anti-malware options is covered, keeping them up-to-date in real time.
Managed Support Services
Managed service providers often provide this option. It usually covers all IT support services – from troubleshooting to advanced troubleshooting.
- Managed Print Services
It is a type of managed service where an IT service provider remotely assists with data and file infrastructure. In most cases, it is best suited to organizations with complex file management needs.
- Managed Cloud Infrastructure
Cloud infrastructure management is a more comprehensive classification of services, which includes cloud computing, storage, networks, and IT. Also, some providers offer virtualization services for applications, software, and operating systems.
- Managed Software as a Service (SaaS)
In this case, providers offer businesses a software platform, typically a subscription-based service. Software such as Microsoft Office 365, universal communication software, and anti-virus programs are examples.
Managed Wireless and Mobile Computing
MSPs that offer managed wireless and mobile computing will implement wireless connections. A service like this is useful for businesses without the capital to set up their own. Moreover, organizations can utilize this service internally.
Managed Communication Services
This is a type of service that offers a variety of communication infrastructures such as messaging software, VoIP (voice over internet protocol), data, and video. The MSP may also act as a third-party call center in some cases.
Data Analytics
Data analytics are important for businesses looking to monitor their data use and management. Business intelligence is integrated into this service to identify trends and create roadmaps for improving business performance.
What Are The Benefits of Choosing A Managed IT Services Partner?
There are many benefits to using managed IT services, whether you are a large organization or a small business. The following are some of the benefits of using managed services:
Making up for the skills gap
It can be beneficial for teams that do not have the time, skills, or experience to manage certain business functions themselves, or who want to focus on other projects instead. The use of an expert allows your teams to focus on innovation instead of routine tasks.
Cost savings.
Variable cloud expenses are common in managed services. Saving money on staff and training can be achieved through these services. Most managed services come with a fixed monthly fee. In addition to being cheaper, using a managed service company is more predictable, which makes budgeting easier.
Reliability.
Managed service providers ensure service availability at all times, so you need not worry about outages. Service level agreements are in place so that users know when and what to expect from IT support and services. IT teams in-house are often juggling multiple tasks, but MSPs can focus on perfecting their specific services. In order to do this, the service needs to be monitored, and patches and upgrades should be applied when necessary.
Security & Compliance Support
The MSP cannot take care of your corporate compliance needs on your behalf, but he or she can work with your legal team to find out which regulations they need to know about in order to ensure that your systems are compliant with them.
What types of managed IT services are available?
You can choose from a variety of managed IT services, depending on your needs. A variety of services are available for monitoring and maintaining equipment, managing IT systems, monitoring and managing servers remotely, monitoring networks, and providing other support.
Traditional managed service models involve monitoring systems until problems arise and resolving them. Predictive maintenance and patch management are common practices among modern managed services providers.
How to Choose the Right IT Partner for Your Needs
It is now imperative that your business uses a managed IT services provider (MSP) to maintain IT systems, keep data secure, and keep your employees productive. Therefore, your MSP should drive revenue and cost savings for your organization. To accomplish this, you must ensure that your MSP covers each of your business’ IT requirements. Examine each managed service offering carefully before signing off:
1. A fast and reliable IT helpdesk
It is understandable to encounter technical problems – such as internet outages, application errors, lost phones, etc. – but what matters is how quickly your MSP can resolve them. IT problems can be troubleshot and resolved by your MSP based on several factors, such as the quality of its service agents, processes, and ITSM platform (IT service management). Staff quality can be measured, for instance, by their training programs. A key metric is if their agents have HDI Certification, an ITIL-approved standard for customer service. In the same way, you can check to see if the MSP’s processes are aligned with ITIL. Additionally, you need to make sure that the ITSM tools used by the MSP are agnostic and/or compatible with your IT system.
2. Third-Party Vendor Partnerships
Microsoft, Dell, Sophos, and others offer software, hardware, and services (e.g., cloud computing) that comprise your IT environment. The majority of managed service providers maintain partnerships with these vendors, which may result in discounts on purchases, certified configurations, and support for your business. In the future, you can create cost savings and other efficiencies by partnering with your MSP’s vendors.
3. Local On-Site Technical Support
The MSP should have a solution in place to bring on-site technical support to you in case you need it. An MSP may have a local office in your area or a network of IT professionals in your region that it can dispatch in a short time.
4. Cyber Security Support
In order to prevent cybercrime and ensure compliance, your MSP should prioritize cyber security. Keeping your IT assets secure should be the top priority of the MSP. Your business should have security measures in place to protect online traffic (e.g., firewalls), prevent unauthorized devices from accessing your system, and the like. In addition, the MSP itself needs to be secure. You must work with an MSP who has strong password management and access control practices; otherwise, you are putting your data at a high risk of being compromised. Aside from losing your data, you may also be penalized for noncompliance.
5. Compliance Support
Businesses are increasingly required to implement specific cyber security measures to comply with regulatory frameworks (e.g., GDPR, NIST, etc.). If you don’t comply with these regulations, you may have to pay costly fines. A managed service provider (MSP) can help you make your IT systems compliant with local and industry regulations. By reducing the complexity of your IT compliance processes, you will be able to focus on your business’s work instead of trying to figure out how to comply. The same goes for cyber security. Your MSP must protect your network in accordance with your policies and regulations, or you could be held liable for any vulnerabilities and incidents that occur on third-party networks.
6. Network / Data / Application Monitoring
Your hosted data (e.g. applications, websites, data, etc.) is a crucial component of your business, whether it’s on-premises or in the cloud. From a cyber security perspective, it’s difficult to manage the infrastructure and platforms. As a result, your MSP should provide 24/7 monitoring and incident response.
Additionally, cloud services are difficult to deploy, configure, and maintain. If you manage your own infrastructure, you might overuse your internal IT resources by dealing with downtime instead of revenue-generating tasks. A good MSP should provide Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) to manage your cloud infrastructure on a daily basis (e.g., monitoring, security, etc.).
7. Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Support
You can also protect your data by backing it up in the cloud and restoring it if a critical error occurs or a cyber attack occurs. To make this work, you’ll need redundant and secure data hosting infrastructure.
In order to ensure the security of your data, your MSP should host it in a secure data center. Additionally, to follow best practices for security, your MSP may need to follow additional compliance frameworks.
As far as business continuity is concerned, your managed service provider should help restart your operations quickly following a disaster. Support can be provided in the form of planning and implementation.
8. Contract Flexibility
The MSP you choose shouldn’t lock you into long-term contracts nor force you to sign up for unnecessary services. It is important that your MSP is flexible enough to accommodate your specific requirements.
This approach avoids the need to sign up for all MSP services to improve your IT. The a la carte option allows you to purchase specific services if you need only specific improvements or support.
9. Skills & Certifications
MSPs should have a solid team of certified IT experts, including service desk agents, developers, and IT professionals.IT companies with strong rosters of MSPs can quickly implement their IT programs by removing or avoiding bottlenecks.
10. System / Infrastructure Compatibility
To properly manage your day-to-day operations, your MSP should have knowledge of your business’s applications, IT infrastructure, and other IT assets. It is often necessary to rely on the MSP as an expert for configuration and troubleshooting.
It is also imperative to consider whether your MSP is capable of operating in your IT environment. Is the MSP able to run automated services through your systems or will it have to operate independently
11. Uptime / Issue Response Guarantee
In your service level agreement (SLA), your MSP should provide uptime and response time guarantees. You will be able to measure the quality of your MSP’s work and hold them accountable by using the SLA. Additionally, some MSPs will provide you with reports that show how well they have complied with the SLA. These reports will include the number of tickets they have closed, the time they took to resolve cases, etc.
Conclusion
In today’s world, IT is a necessity. In modern enterprise, technology is the driving force. Almost every network needs some type of IT support – it’s an essential part of running a business. The problem is, IT support isn’t always easy to find.
There are plenty of managed providers available, offering all the necessary infrastructure to not only keep business data secure but also grow it. It’s worth considering an MSP if your company is plagued with IT problems, from small troubleshooting errors to massive performance drops. It is not necessary to be the next tech giant to afford superior services since options are expansive and flexible. You have so many options at your fingertips that the possibilities are truly endless.
Recent Comments