Unlocking the Benefits of an MSP
It wasn’t until computer networks became reliable enough to allow remote IT support that IT Managed Services emerged as a viable solution for businesses. Now, IT Managed Services providers (MSPs) are essential for any business looking to get the most out of its IT infrastructure. During and after COVID, MSPs have played a crucial role in helping us all work from home.
As of April 2021, more than one-third of the global workforce has been working from home since the start of the pandemic. According to a recent survey, IT Managed Services have been at the center of this transition with over 75% of businesses leveraging IT Managed Services to manage their IT needs.
Benefits of Using an Managed Services Provider
The decision to outsource IT services to an MSP can be beneficial for businesses in numerous ways. IT Managed Services (MSPs) can help businesses stay up and running. MSPs also provide IT budget predictability and cost savings, as well as access to a team of IT professionals with a diverse set of skills and knowledge. With an IT Managed Services provider managing your IT infrastructure, you can free up valuable time and resources to focus on growing your business and achieving your goals.
Typical MSP Services Include:
- Proactive monitoring and maintenance
- Network management
- Cybersecurity & Compliance
- Data backup and recovery
- Helpdesk support
Growing Labor Shortages and Burnout
The current IT labor market has been hit hard by the pandemic, leading to a significant shortage of IT professionals. IT departments are feeling the strain of IT labor shortages as they struggle to fill IT positions. With IT Managed Services, businesses can access a team of IT professionals with the skills and knowledge to carry out IT functions effectively. Enabling remote work can ease labor pressures and fight burnout.
- Gallup 1 estimates 70+ million U.S. workers can do their job working remotely
- Only two in 10 remote-capable employees are working fully on-site
- When an employee’s location preference doesn’t match their current work
location, burnout rises while engagement drops
Keep up With the State of the Art
Working with an IT Managed Services Provider (MSP) allows businesses to stay current with the latest technology trends, methods, and tools. An MSP is committed to providing their clients with the highest quality service and works hard to ensure that their IT infrastructure is up-to-date and cutting-edge. They invest in the most advanced technologies, ensuring that their customers are always using the best solutions for their IT requirements. This allows businesses to stay ahead of their competitors by utilizing
the latest IT strategies.
What Else do MSPs Do?
Managed Services Providers (MSPs) provide IT services that help businesses of all sizes improve their IT infrastructure, management, and operations. Here are a few things MSPs do:
- Project Management: An MSP can effectively manage IT projects by coordinating the resources and personnel needed to ensure successful completion. This includes guiding project timelines, tasks, objectives, and budgets.
- Auditing: IT audits can help identify potential weaknesses in IT systems. An MSP can review a company’s IT systems and processes to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards also providing a benchmark for performance against other companies in the industry.
- Integration with other critical systems: An MSP can help identify the best way to integrate existing IT systems into new services or upgrades without having to make costly changes or purchase additional software (e.g. SAP Business Technology Platform; or BTP).
- Strategic guidance: MSPs provide strategic guidance on how IT investments should be made to align with business goals and objectives. They can also advise on cost-effective approaches that will maximize ROI.
- Ensures compliance: Compliance with industry regulations is essential for any business. An MSP can help companies stay compliant by ensuring all IT operations adhere to the relevant laws and standards associated with the industry they are working in.
- Process improvement: An MSP helps identify areas where process improvements can be made to make IT more efficient, reliable, secure, and cost-effective for the
organization as a whole. - Enable other successful business initiatives: By providing comprehensive IT support services, an MSP allows its clients to focus on their core business activities instead of worrying about IT operations or troubleshooting problems.
Types of Managed Services
Managed IT services (MSPs) are becoming increasingly popular for businesses looking to outsource IT operations. With the right MSP, companies can benefit from improved efficiency, cost savings and enhanced security. But with so many different types of managed IT service providers available, it can be difficult to know which one is best for your business. From network and security management to cloud/data center solutions and IT service desk support, there’s a wide range of IT Managed Services that can help your company stay ahead in today’s digital world.
Here are some examples:
IT Infrastructure Managed Services: involve the outsourcing of IT infrastructure components, such as servers, storage, networks and security systems. The managed service provider (MSP) handles day-to-day maintenance, updates and problem resolution, enabling businesses to focus on their core operations instead of IT management.
Network and Security Managed Services: provide proactive monitoring and management of network environments and security systems. This includes the installation and configuration of firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, patching of networks/systems, malware protection and more.
Cloud/Data Center Solutions Managed Services: offer a wide range of services to help organizations manage their environment in the cloud or in a physical data center. This can include provisioning and configuration of servers, applications or databases; development/deployment of cloud solutions; system administration tasks; performance tuning; backups; disaster recovery planning; and more.
IT Service Desk Support Managed Services: provides 24/7 technical support for organizations across multiple device types. IT service desk staff can assist with troubleshooting IT issues over the phone or through remote access tools – from resolving software defects to configuring PCs or laptops with corporate software applications.
Application Development & Maintenance Managed Services: involves end-to-end application lifecycle management – from consulting services to design, development, testing, deployment, and ongoing maintenance. ADM services help companies keep applications up to date with changing business needs while ensuring that all changes are properly tested before going into production.
Business Process Management (BPM) Solutions Managed Services: provide an automated way to streamline business processes across an organization by integrating different IT applications into one platform. Through process automation tools like workflow engines, BPM solutions enable organizations to optimize their operations while gaining visibility into performance metrics and compliance regulations.
Consulting on IT Infrastructure: IT Infrastructure Consulting helps companies plan their IT infrastructure architecture to meet current business objectives while preparing for future scalability requirements.
Backups & Disaster Recovery (DR) Planning & Deployment: strategies require careful planning around data storage repositories such as tape libraries or cloud storage solutions for data redundancy in case of system failure or natural disaster events. Consulting services can help ensure your organization’s data is secure and accessible when needed by providing expertise in planning for contingencies as well as managing implementation projects related to backup & DR initiatives.
The use of managed IT services is growing across all industries, and for good reason. MSPs provide businesses with the expertise and resources needed to keep IT systems up and running smoothly. An experienced MSP can monitor IT systems 24/7 to ensure performance and handle any technical issues that may arise quickly and efficiently. Additionally, they can help implement the latest technology solutions customized to fit your specific needs so you can maximize productivity, efficiency, security, and ROI.
Conclusion
At 1st Basis Consulting, we strive to be more than your typical IT Managed Services provider—we want to become a trusted ally for organizations navigating complex technology challenges. Our commitment to customer satisfaction and long-term partnerships has set us apart from the competition, empowering our clients with access to next-level strategies that drive optimal results. Discover what makes partnering with us so special —connect with our team today!
References:
Remote Work Statistics & Trends: The Latest in Remote Work | FlexJobs
Returning to the Office: The Current, Preferred and Future State of Remote Work
(gallup.com)
CompTIA | Trends in Managed Services
Global Managed Services Market
IT Services • 1st Basis
Trends in Managed Services 2022 | CompTIA
What is a Managed Services Provider (MSP) | CompTIA
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