With the help of IT Managed Service Providers (MSPs), businesses can keep their critical networks, endpoints, and data operating smoothly and securely, without the high upfront costs, infrastructure, or talent required to handle these systems in-house.
Managed IT services are information technology tasks that are outsourced to a third-party vendor.
Common managed IT services include:
Managed IT Services Categories
There’s a broad spectrum of services MSPs can provide for their customer base. Ultimately, the menu of services should depend on the objectives, the target audience, and the business structure. Here are examples of the different managed IT services categories MSPs can operate in.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity management solutions are an essential part of a MSP’s service offerings, especially as the threat landscape continues to evolve. Key aspects of these services include:
Cloud services
Cloud services help clients to take their existing infrastructure and make it virtual, and there’s been a mass exodus from legacy on-prem IT assets to cloud-based architecture in recent years. And while it’s a necessity to stay competitive these days, transitioning to the cloud can be a massive undertaking.
MSPs can guide their clients through every step of the transition to a cloud environment by offering a number of services, from implementing cloud-based remote monitoring and management (RMM) software to cloud app security.
Remote monitoring and management (RMM)
RMM software allows MSPs to proactively and remotely monitor and optimize client networks and endpoints. This can help with performing routine tasks, assessing network health, and other tasks without disrupting regular operations.
Supporting a client’s network encompasses any routers, switches, firewalls, and connectivity resources that keep their operation running smoothly. An MSP’s job is to take a proactive approach to network support via monitoring to ensure they maximize a client’s uptime and take the daily minutia of network management off their plate.
Specific services an MSP might offer as a part of RMM solution could include:
Business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR)
BCDR software solutions help clients prepare for drastic events such as natural disasters, data breaches, and cyberattacks by reducing downtime and expediting recovery of data. There are a variety of services MSPs can provide to help with this facet of their business including performing routine system tests, managing data backups, and implementing disaster recovery procedures.
Benefits of managed IT services
The biggest corporations in the world make IT a priority. They can build out first-class internal IT teams because they pull in the revenue needed to cover the costs. As a result, SMBs face the challenge of finding a solution to fill that gap and level the playing field. When put in this position, smart business owners leverage managed IT services.
Here is a quick rundown of what managed IT services can deliver for clients.
Reduce IT spending
With the help of MSPs, SMBs can reap the benefits of IT support at a much lower cost than creating a comparable internal team. SMB owners can pay for the services they need, allowing them to scale as needed.
Contracting managed IT services to an MSP also makes internal budgeting and expense tracking easier. Organizations can forecast their monthly, quarterly, and yearly expenditures on IT since the costs of MSP subscription packages are generally fixed and consistent. This frees SMBs to focus on more mission-critical tasks like business development or marketing.
Leverage expert knowledge
Another benefit of managed IT services is the breadth of expertise MSPs can bring to a client organization. These professionals possess in-depth expertise on things like effective cybersecurity policies, industry compliance, and knowledge from real-world experience.
An MSP’s intricate cybersecurity and regulatory compliance knowledge are invaluable tools for mitigating a client’s risk. As the go-to experts in charge of a company’s managed IT support, MSPs are always up to date on the latest information, technologies, and processes that will keep infrastructures working efficiently and successfully well into the future.
Regulatory compliance is mandatory for some business sectors, like finance, healthcare, and education. Strict regulations that govern data management, storage, and overall cybersecurity in these industries require the expertise and experience that a managed IT company can provide.
MSPs regularly work with standards such as Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance and can advise an organization on the parameters and regulations for their industry. Additionally, MSPs often have more cybersecurity management experience than in-house teams because they manage security for multiple clients.
Bridge the talent gap
Additionally, high-level IT roles are becoming more challenging for companies to fill internally. The worldwide tech marketplace is experiencing a talent gap at never-before-seen levels. Companies are struggling to find quality talent to fill tech roles within their company. In many cases, these openings sit vacant for months on end.
Bringing a third-party MSP on board may be an attractive, low-cost solution to bridge the gap during these difficult times. In time, the client may find them as a permanent solution for their IT needs.
Dependable service
Not only do clients experience the skills of an MSP, but they also benefit from their resources. Finding the skilled talent to build an internal IT team can be bad enough. Most business owners tend to forget that IT operations are resource-intensive as well.
Partnering with a third-party MSP can make services more dependable and reduce interruptions. Furthermore, vendor-client SLAs clarify what’s to be expected and when to expect it, making both IT services and utility services (electricity, internet, etc.) reliable.
Better operational efficiency
Bringing a third-party vendor on board to handle managed IT services could also boost client productivity. Their internal staff no longer needs to bog themselves down with tasks that aren’t the highest priority or best use of their time. With things like software patch updates, equipment monitoring and maintenance, and cybersecurity in the hands of true professionals, their teams can rest at ease and focus on what they do best.