IT managers are under constant pressure to reduce costs while meeting operational expectations, security requirements, and performance improvement requirements. To solve this problem, they have a managed service provider, also known as an MSP, which they call a managed service delivery model.
MSPs take a holistic approach to IT services and offer a much higher standard than most organizations can achieve in-house. In addition, best-in-class providers provide customers with ongoing maintenance and management of their existing infrastructure and service with end-user support.
Why do you need it?
Today's IT managers are under tremendous pressure to keep costs low while meeting their business' performance, operational expectations and security requirements. Most financial experts recommend moving to predictable cost models such as managed services in these circumstances. Companies that provide these services are called Managed Service Providers (MSPs). The best time to meet with your MSP is when you set strategic goals for the future or deploy new services in your IT environment. In many cases, company employees may not have experience with new technologies or be unable to maintain new services or applications. Hiring contractors to provide services is more expensive when budgets are stagnant or tight and can provide less value in supporting a company's ever-growing performance goals. This generally applies equally to small businesses and large businesses.
The managed service model has evolved significantly over time and experienced providers have perfected their offerings. It is very effective for businesses such as:
Rely on your IT infrastructure to adequately support your daily business operations.
We do not have enough trained personnel or time to formally carry out proper maintenance, upgrades and repairs.
To provide a high level of service to your business, you want to pay a flat monthly fee for the service.
For most business services, IT supports the business engine. From software to hardware and the technology needed to keep services running, companies can invest significant capital to build and maintain in-house support staff. However, given the maturity of the managed services model and the transition to virtualization and the cloud, the need for onsite IT staff may be limited to exceptions where operational sensitivity is justified. To better predict IT costs amid uncertain requirements, companies may consider leveraging managed services specialists.
MSPs often price their services on a subscription-based model. Depending on the service you choose, pricing is usually based on the number of units priced for the different package categories. Some provide on-site customer support as needed. Basic services often start out as monitoring services that identify potential problems that you can fix yourself. At the other end of the spectrum, service providers offer comprehensive managed services that cover everything from alerts to troubleshooting.