In the past, the reputation of managed services suffered because of myths about the role of managed service providers (MSPs). No, MSPs are not out to take over your IT department, nor or they limited to a break-fix model.
XaaS Journal pointed out that managed services have gained popularity among professional, legal, and engineering firms during the pandemic. These organizations recognize that managed services can be the key to modernization, communication, and security in a remote working environment.
Today’s managed services are an economical option for transforming your business while outsourcing highly specialized or time-consuming and routine tasks that monopolize your in-house IT staff.
More Than Just Break-Fix
Back in the day, MSPs were on call to fix problems. When an issue arose, you would contact them to get a ticket. After hearing back from an expert and explaining the problem, you might get a solution or you might not.
Break-fix is no more. Managed services are available 24/7 for remote assistance. Instead of taking a reactive approach, MSPs are proactive, monitoring and managing your network and other systems. If the MSP is local, a staff member might even come on-site.
By remotely monitoring your systems, the MSP can prevent a problem before it affects your operations, increasing your availability and promoting business continuity. The MSP is on hand to ensure that backup and recovery are triggered immediately to prevent data loss and to detect and defend against cyberattacks.
Harnessing Specialized Expertise
Managed services are not meant to put your IT team out of work. Instead, the MSP augments your in-house IT staff by providing specialized knowledge. This way, each member of your team doesn’t need to be a jack of all trades.
The staff at an MSP should have key certifications and be familiar with the compliance standards of a range of industries. Staff members should also have experience dealing with any type of issue that might affect your company because they have served so many clients.
MSPs give you access to a deep bench of experts in a wide variety of areas, from network security and data protection to the cloud and unified communications. These experts can take over tasks that would prevent your team members from focusing on what they are good at, such as attending to core business processes, developing new solutions, and taking on strategic initiatives.
Saving Money
MarketsandMarkets identified reduced IT budgets and the desire to save money as key drivers for the current managed services market. Managed services typically follow an economical consumption model.
Services may be available in affordable packages or a la carte. Expenses are predictable and are typically billed monthly, quarterly, or annually. Maintenance and repairs may be included in the service level agreement (SLA), saving your business the out-of-pocket cost of an unanticipated major repair. Some MSPs have outcomes-based pricing that align fees with value instead of cost.
By hiring an MSP to handle short-term, specialized projects, your company also saves the money needed to pay the salary of a new full-time staff member. Potentially, managed services eliminate the cost of building and staffing an entire network operations center (NOC) or security operations center (SOC).
Finding the Right MSP
The way an MSP does business matters. Not only do you want an MSP that offers services that align with your business needs, but you need one that will help you grow and develop a business strategy.
Pegasus Technology Solutions offers Managed Services that put enterprise-level capabilities within the reach of all types of businesses. We have developed a process that helps us deliver a strategic roadmap for transformation. Our Consulting Team works with your virtual CIO (vCIO) and Technology Alignment Manager (TAM) to determine which managed IT services align with your goals. Our wide range of Managed IT Services include Managed Security, 24/7 Service Desk Support, Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, Cloud Solutions, and much more.