What is managed IT? Managed IT services refers to various information technology (IT) related tasks within an organization, that are outsourced to a third-party contractor. The tasks either to deliver to the customer directly, or to internal departments. The provider of such outsourced services are called managed service providers (MSPs).
Typically, in a managed service agreement, an MSP takes responsibility for the functionality and upkeep of IT services and equipment. In return, the customer usually pays a monthly fee for receiving the service. Managed services are of various types. But the basic idea behind all managed IT services is for growing companies to transfer the burden of maintaining and upgrading IT infrastructure and services from the core company to a service provider. Effective managed IT services can benefit an organization. How? Through predictable pricing and double-downed focus on core business concerns over IT management.
What are the most common kinds of Managed IT arrangements?
Managed services can be of multiple kinds. The most commonly used types of managed IT services include:
- Remote monitoring of servers
- Remote monitoring and management of computer systems
- Remote monitoring, management, implementation and customization of enterprise application suites
- Remote monitoring and management of mobile devices and applications
- Managed security services
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Remote monitoring and management are fundamental to most managed services. This is also one of the most common kind of need a growing company has. Investing in internal teams to monitor and manage fundamental aspects of your IT environments can be expensive. An MSP offers the chance to gain access to the same at a fraction of the cost. The cost is further divided into even smaller monthly payments. Other niche concerns addressed by managed service providers is IT security assistance.
In managed security services, MSPs help build and implement cybersecurity best practices. The growth of cloud computing has seen managed IT services evolve into infrastructure as a service (IaaS) too. Managed cloud services in partnership with cloud providers like MS Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS) help secure your services on the cloud. MSPs can also partner up with leading software as a service (SaaS) providers like IFS or platform as a service (PaaS) providers like ServiceNow to streamline and customize such applications for you. These arrangements usually allow you to make the most out of your software license using best practices and lean methodologies.
What kind of managed IT service contract should I Choose?
An MSP service agreement binds the terms and conditions of the work agreement between the MSP and the client. A managed IT service-level agreement (SLA) is an important document that lists what services the provider will provide. SLAs also list out how to measure the successful delivery of each of these services.
The most common types of pricing for managed IT services including charging per-device, per-user, or all-inclusive. They can be dependent on the kind of services you need. Different MSPs also provide different packages for different requirements.
Your best bet to finding the best MSP rates is to have a one-on-one conversation with your chosen MSP about your company’s requirements. This helps them tailor a deal best suited for your needs.
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