The Changing Role of Your Managed Services Provider
Businesses that want to innovate need to shift their attention from routine management to complicated IT infrastructure and emphasize strategic initiatives that add value. A fantastic method to reduce the overall cost of IT infrastructure is to use an OpEx cost model based on the cloud. The same goes for utilizing the services of a Managed Services Partner with a subscription-based model, who may enable your IT staff to make crucial changes to improve IT efficiency, increase capabilities with new technology, & adhere to laws more quickly.
But to provide end-to-end IT management services today, managed service providers cannot use conventional methods. MSPs need to step up their game to deliver value that goes beyond what those have traditionally offered & expand to include the entire information management function. The value proposition in today’s digitally transformed era is centered on moving from technology value to business value.
The function of the MSP has evolved into that of an elite business counselor capable of taking part in both strategic planning and day-to-day operations. The functions and responsibilities of MSPs today include the following in addition to managing systems and infrastructure:
Changing Role of Managed Services Provider
1. Management of Data
Effective data management can result in enormous economic advantages and new profitability as most firms increasingly acknowledge data as their most precious asset. Today’s MSPs have a greater responsibility for data management due to the proliferation of big data in most businesses. From gathering this data to securely storing it, MSPs must rely on new algorithms & approaches to make sure the data is constantly accessible, current, and secure.
2. Security management
Security management will become a key job of contemporary MSPs as the value and volume of data raise the desirability of stealing it. It will be crucial for MSPs to encrypt & safeguard the data both during transit and while it is at rest in storage. They will also need to make smart risk management choices to lessen the threat environment, increase security posture, and provide targeted security solutions to close existing cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
3. Management of Applications
Today’s MSPs must be prepared to manage them since apps need to manage this enormous amount of data. These enormous numbers of devices are becoming more complicated and requiring more resources. MSPs will need to evaluate gaps in the current landscape, choose new systems that work well in the sandbox together, and suggest technology solutions that not only fulfill specific business demands but also endure the test of time to ensure the application landscape is always updated & secure.
4. Diversity of Workforce
MSPs are responsible for overseeing the underlying IT infrastructure that drives corporate success. Still, they must also concentrate on end-user solutions to integrate technology into daily life seamlessly. This is particularly true in an era where most people continue to work remotely from their homes. MSPs must develop plans to support and guarantee the workforce’s productivity. As part of this, teams are trained to adopt new technologies, contemporary collaboration platforms are integrated into personal spaces, and end-point solutions are optimized to increase productivity.
5. Advancement of Clouds
MSPs must step up their cloud strategy as the path to the cloud becomes more congested. They must develop business-specific cloud migration strategies rather than depending on a one-size-fits-all approach to the cloud. They must independently manage the entire cloud advancement process, from planning to migration and support. In addition to assisting firms in selecting the cloud or hybrid solution that will work best for their operations, they will need to establish short- and long-term governance structures.
6. Policies
MSPs are increasingly being held accountable for the deployment, administration, and support of people, policies, & processes in addition to technology. MSPs will need to continuously push efforts in updating policies and procedures to ensure the basic IT infrastructure is available, stable, & secure – round-the-clock. Today’s organizations cannot afford even a single minute of downtime.
7. Concentrate on Your Main Goals
Your requirement for IT will increase as your business expands. Your IT team might be able to handle part of this increased workload. Still, they’ll likely become overburdened and unable to scale to meet your company’s needs, requiring you to delegate extra tasks to staff members who aren’t on the IT team and detracting from your primary business goals.
8. Obtain the knowledge you require
New technologies often bring new difficulties, some of which your IT team may need to be equipped to handle. The question of management is another. Whether your systems are on-premises or in the cloud, you will require a sizable amount of resources to operate your business solutions.
9. Maintain low costs
One of the obvious advantages of managed services from a financial standpoint is that it reduces labor costs and removes the need to recruit & train new IT professionals. It is extremely tempting to have scalable skill availability, and most MSPs offer a hybrid version of onshore & offshore resources.
10. Adjust the scale as necessary
You’ll need to adjust your system up or down as your technological requirements change over time to make room for them. Thankfully, systems like Dynamics 365 are very scalable, but you might still need further help. It would help if you were not concerned about system downtime because MSPs can react to variations in demand in real time.
11. Get Assistance
Most MSPs provide 24/7 flexibility, on-call choices, and weekend help, so you never have to worry about availability. However, it’s crucial to realize that these services are frequently provided as paid options. When looking for the ideal MSP, look for a multinational organization that can accommodate several time zones and provides round-the-clock support so you can feel secure in the knowledge that assistance is accessible whenever you need it.
12. Prevent Costly Downtime
Another advantage of managed services is that MSPs perform maintenance in a preventative manner rather than waiting for something to go wrong. MSPs employ remote monitoring & management to locate, assess, and resolve possible issues before they have an opportunity to arise.
13. Establish a Trustworthy Point of Contact
Instead of working with a changing cast of characters when you work with an MSP, you’ll have a dedicated staff overseen by a customer success manager who is intimately familiar with your business and your business solutions (CSM). Your CSM will serve as a trustworthy point of contact who can mediate disputes between you & your vendors and handle issue resolution on your behalf. There is a documented escalation procedure and a second contact ready to take over should your CSM become unavailable, so you always have someone on your side.
Conclusion
The major problems for the MSP of the future will also be scalability and interoperability: as data from devices is kept in numerous locations, MSPs will need to transport, process, & report on it more than ever before.
