6 Types of Managed IT Services and Their Uses
Posted 27 Dec at 5:41 am in Productivity
[9 min read]
Contemporary startups, small and medium businesses, and even large corporations see the value and potential of managed IT services. However, it can be challenging to identify what services you and your business may need, which systems you can use creatively within your company, and which operations you are better off keeping in-house.
Based on your managed service provider (MSP) and their services, you may want to explore different options and subscription packages. Find out which MSPs offer the services you need and how much those managed IT services cost. Usually, an MSPs managed IT service model allows you to choose which services to outsource based on your current technology and systems.
Check out our articles to help identify which managed IT solutions your business may benefit from and how to choose a fitting managed service provider. The articles can also help you recognize why you should use a managed service provider, which IT services you should manage versus keeping in-house.
To help you and your business begin managing your IT services, we’ve compiled six primary managed IT service categories and how companies use them.
While you can break down the types of managed IT services in various ways, we’ve categorized them by hardware and software.
Analyze your current and future business needs to help better identify how you can use managed IT services
Managed Networking
Typically, businesses with high-performance, secure, and traffic-heavy hosting and storage services will manage these services to avoid the costs of supporting data centers. Organizations with extensive cloud computing demands, dozens of web servers, or a need for massive databases will see particularly effective results managing networking tasks.
Additionally, startups and medium businesses using Wide Area Networks (WANs), Local-Area Networks (LANs), or Metropolitan Area Network (MANs) will contract with MSPs under a Service Level Agreement (SLA). This way, MSPs will manage the gateways, automated network support, and maintenance of operating these large networks.
On top of reducing work, managed wireless networks also reduce the ownership costs of supporting area networks. Ask yourself, “what managed network services do I need?” and see how your MSP can fulfill your requirements.
Managed Hardware
When businesses utilize offices for team members or plan on scaling into large work complexes, MSPs take a lot of the strain off such a transition. Desktops, servers, storage, user profiles, virtual administrative systems, and all the maintenance needed to run everything can cost SMBs time resources that they don’t have. On top of setting everything up, maintaining and monitoring the health of users’ systems is a whole operation of itself.
If organizations don’t have the talent to sustain strenuous IT hardware tasks, outsourcing the work to licensed professionals saves everyone headache. The last thing businesses need is their entire system to crash as they are stress-testing their servers for investors.
If your business operates in an office building or shared space, using an MSP to help monitor and control local systems can save valuable resources
Managed Security
Passing on IT security to MSPs is one of the most common workloads we see in the world of managed IT services. When it comes to consumer data, businesses should implement every cybersecurity layer possible.
Network security involves arduous yet critical analyses of your business network, machines, and users to detect anything from suspicious activity to unintentional virus access points that could compromise your data and business. If organizations can’t commit the proper resources to ensure their network is secure, then contracting MSP security solutions is the safest and most ethical option.
MSPs can schedule data backups, monitor and control backup hardware, test backup restores, and create proactive ransomware and malware solutions. Hackers often prey on smaller businesses attempting to save money on their cybersecurity budget. Malicious internet pirates can nest themselves into a server for years without anyone noticing.
Managed firewalls are also an excellent way for businesses to outsource their cybersecurity while monitoring status reports and updating their hardware and software when needed. MSPs commonly include bundles of anti-hacker and security infrastructure management services into one package, allowing businesses to evaluate their security needs quickly.
Managed customer support services
Customer support services, also known as end-user services, include various IT assistance forms, like troubleshooting or remediating technical issues, providing IT helpdesks, and even labor addressing in-person issues.
End-user services can cover dozens of services. However, businesses typically opt for in-house IT support and assistance channels.
IT service desks, on-demand trained agents, and live monitoring and control solutions are more than enough for most businesses. This combination of services encompasses issues like mobile device support, operating system installation, software installation and updates, connectivity errors, and more.
While more established corporations may keep many customer support services in-house, it can be challenging for SMBs to provide support for the variety of It issues they may encounter. Using MSPs allows your IT teams to focus on more critical projects.
Helping customers directly can impact your business’ perception amongst consumers. It’s important to provide help when needed
Information systems consulting
In some situations, designated experts can work internal to your organization, providing regular IT leadership, consultations, and advising. These professionals can help you plan out technological implementation strategies to ensure maximum ROI and effective execution.
MSPs providing consultations is rare, and most of the time, service providers sell them separately. However, for businesses without experienced talent or those in need of guidance, IT consultations can be how your team finds the right path to accomplishing your goals.
Managed cloud infrastructure
Today, we see more organizations utilizing cloud solutions than ever. Virtual apps, services, software, operating systems, and servers have unprecedented potential. After implementing cloud technology, a company’s limiting factor becomes a team’s creativity rather than technology.
Cloud and data management services are also becoming necessary for businesses creating increasingly ambitious products in a highly competitive IT market. Cloud-based resources allow organizations to accommodate scaling services and easily modify products for consumers.
In addition to providing innovative solutions to customers, employees can also enjoy the benefits of cloud technology. On-demand, web-based managed application services grant employees remote access to a company’s network and resources anywhere they go. Companies that use cloud-based web services often see increases in productivity as their employees have increased flexibility.
Managed cloud service providers will often supply and overwatch servers. These cloud servers also serve as backup and recovery data centers. Not only do these tools improve your IT security, but they also reduce your IT budget and create actual, predictable costs for extensive and developed cloud infrastructure.
Managed infrastructure can be one of the most powerful tools your business ever employs. We highly recommend analyzing your business needs and determining how you can incorporate cloud tools into your business model.
Some view outsourcing and managing IT services as an escape from developing as a business. However, managed service providers can be the ticket your business needs to succeed.
Small and medium businesses commonly benefit from the managed services provider business model. As your business scales, you can dynamically adjust which services you outsource and keep in-house.
Managed technology services complement business growth and provide your team with much-needed breathing room or your budget with the overhead it needs to stabilize. We highly encourage researching various remote managed services and even cloud security services to take your business to the next level.
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