Managed Service Providers

Every business, no matter how small or big, requires IT support. While large enterprises have the luxury of an in-house IT department, the same is not feasible for small or medium-sized businesses.

WHAT IS MANAGED IT SERVICES?

Fundamentally, managed IT services include a broad range of IT services “managed” by third-party vendors instead of in-house teams. The vendors can manage various aspects of an organization’s IT environment, including onsite support, remote helpdesk, network monitoring, cybersecurity, etc. Which aspects are managed is typically decided in the contract between the vendor and the organization. Service level agreements (SLAs) are also defined to manage expectations regarding response time, uptime, support, etc.

Managed IT services can be either fully managed or partially managed. As the name suggests, fully managed IT services cover all aspects of an organization’s IT needs - from simple helpdesk to managing stakeholders and influencing technology investments. Partially managed IT services, on the other hand, have a limited scope that is guided by the business need. Typically, they will manage helpdesk support, network monitoring, cybersecurity, etc., allowing the in-house IT team to focus on more important activities.

HOW CAN YOU USE MANAGED IT SERVICES?

You can utilize managed IT services in various ways depending on the specific needs and goals of your business. Here's an overview of three common approaches:

1. USING MANAGED IT SERVICES AS YOUR PRIMARY IT TEAM

When you use a Managed Services Provider (MSP) as your primary IT team, you outsource your entire IT management to them. They take the responsibility of managing and maintaining all of your company's IT systems, networks, security, and other technology-related functions.

This approach is common among small to medium-sized businesses that either have limited resources or prefer to maintain a lean structure.

Here are some advantages of this model:

• Outsourcing your IT management is much more cost-effective than hiring and maintaining an in-house team.
• MSPs offer a level of skills, experience, and expertise that is not possible to have in-house.
• Outsourcing their IT management allows businesses to focus on their core competencies without the distraction of managing IT operations.

Here are some important considerations when adopting this model of outsourcing:

• Ensure that the MSP has the expertise in the technologies and systems you utilize.
• Define clear SLAs that meet your business requirements and service expectations.
• Ensure that they are a good culture fit so that there is seamless collaboration and clear communication.
• Pay attention to the vendor’s technology recommendations; ensure that these are aligned with your business goals and objectives.

2. USING MANAGED IT SERVICES ALONGSIDE AN IN-HOUSE IT DEPARTMENT

This is a hybrid model in which organizations maintain an in-house IT team while leveraging the expertise of an MSP for specific functions or to augment the capabilities of the internal team. This approach is common among organizations both large and small and is often referred to as “co-managed IT services”. Reasons for outsourcing typically include reducing operating costs, focusing on core business, and adapting to talent scarcity.

Here are some advantages of this model:

• This model allows organizations to scale their IT resources up or down based on fluctuating needs.
• MSPs provide expertise in niche areas, complementing the skills of the in-house team.
• It allows organizations to focus on and develop expertise in business-critical IT functions without getting distracted by mundane IT issues.

Here are some important considerations when adopting this model of outsourcing:

• You need to clearly define roles and responsibilities to avoid duplication of efforts and misunderstandings.
• Cultural integration is again a challenge. You need to ensure that the in-house team and the MSP can work together without friction.

3. USING MANAGED IT SERVICES TO SCALE DURING GROWTH

Organizations sometimes experience periods of rapid growth when their IT needs rapidly multiply and systems become more complex. During this period, they need scalable solutions and expertise. In such situations, managed IT services serve as excellent partners by supporting and facilitating growth in the short to medium term, while the organization focuses on growth and long term IT solutions.

Here are some advantages of this model:

• MSPs support rapid growth by quickly adapting to accommodate the increased demands of a growing business.
• MSP can effectively manage day-to-day IT operations, allowing you to focus on strategic goals and expansion.
• MSPs allow you to scale rapidly without having to compromise on the quality of hires and security considerations.

Here are some important considerations when adopting this model of outsourcing:

• You need to plan for the future by choosing an MSP that can evolve its services to meet the changing requirements of your growing business.
• You should periodically reevaluate your organization's IT needs to ensure that the managed services are aligned with your growth trajectory.

WHAT CAN MANAGED IT SERVICES DO FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

Here’s a look at what a typical managed IT services provider can do for your organization:

1. HELPDESK SUPPORT

Helpdesk support is the most important aspect of managed IT services. Quick and reliable help for IT issues is necessary to ensure that your employees can work without technical hindrances and that your business operations run smoothly. Helpdesk support covers a broad range of IT issues, from password resets to network connectivity issues to application-specific errors.

2. MONITORING SERVICES

IT network security and performance monitoring services form the backbone of managed IT services. Excellence in these services is the hallmark of mature MSPs since it ensures proactive IT service as opposed to reactive IT support. Robust IT monitoring also catches IT issues before they become too big, leading to fewer helpdesk tickets and security incidents.

3. SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE

MSPs should also be able to offer security solutions that defend your IT infrastructure against prevalent cyber threats. Expertise in standard security measures such as endpoint protection Mobile Device management(MDM), Identity and Access Management (IAM) etc., and experience in regulatory compliances such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS etc.are pretty much a necessity for most organizations.

4. ASSET MANAGEMENT

For any sustainable business, the use of capital is always an important consideration. No matter the size of your organization, your investment in devices is always going to be a significant portion of your IT budget. So, you’ll want to keep track of your devices to ensure that you are making the most out of your investments.

Many MSPs can help you with this by actively managing your fleet of devices. A robust asset management system can help you achieve the following:

• ensure efficient use of IT assets
• reduce costs by optimizing the total number of assets in use
• extend the useful life of assets
• optimally time technology upgrades

5. DISASTER RECOVERY

Disasters, whether natural or manmade, can have devastating impacts on business operations. Anytime events such as floods, wildfires, or cyberattacks threaten to derail your business operations, causing downtime or impairing business functions, a disaster recovery program can help you get back to normal operations as quickly as possible.

Your MSP should be able to create a comprehensive disaster recovery program for your business, including policies, procedures, and tools designed for the recovery of critical IT infrastructure and systems in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. The goal of disaster recovery is to mitigate any damage caused by a disaster and get the business back on track as quickly as possible. So, the disaster recovery plans must meet specific timelines similar to business SLAs.

6. CLOUD SERVICES

Cloud services have become the mainstay for most businesses since they offer cost-effective storage, effortless scaling, rapid deployment, and access on the go. But to effectively harness the benefits of the cloud you need specific expertise for not only migrating your workload to the cloud but also running them optimally, and keeping your cloud environment safe.

So, whether you are using only Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), you need your MSP to have expertise in migration, management, optimization, and security of cloud infractures.