Like any industry, IT is continually evolving, and technological advancements have a direct influence on the newest managed services trends. This is because managed services providers are sought out for their specialized expertise in IT, especially as innovations are introduced to a market without the bandwidth to learn about them. To remain competitive, MSPs adapt and improvise to provide the expertise and technological infrastructure their clients need.
- 59% of IT service organizations have abandoned break-fix in favor of a managed service contract model.
- 45% of companies are partnered to some degree with a managed security service provider.
- Annual IT outsourcing revenue exceeds $66.5 billion.
Organizations across all industries are beginning to realize that their corporate resources are inadequate to handle evolving processes and business functions. Whether outsourcing, cloud services, or IoT – the managed services sector is becoming more integrated with more businesses.
Outsourcing
Most companies understand that their in-house IT team cannot handle everything that needs to be done. The ever-increasing amount of disruptive innovations in the IT industry is expensive and time-consuming to keep pace with. Conversely, most SMBs can’t afford to cultivate the in-house support more established companies can maintain.
Even though data security issues are prevalent, nearly 80% of global businesses feel positive about outsourcing partners. The United States alone outsources over 300,000 jobs annually.
Cloud Services
The cloud market has expanded its reach into every aspect of the IT industry. It’s gaining popularity daily, as even small businesses have large aspirations – and the cloud facilitates the ability to provide needed services from anywhere.
Cloud technology is already being utilized to enhance digital transformation for organizations. However, most companies often can’t shift their processes to cloud platforms due to a lack of needed skills and internal infrastructure.
Automation
Automation is growing alongside cloud computing and outsourcing, revolutionizing the IT industry and assisting organizations to minimize or eliminate repetitive tasks such as data migration. Rule-based automated tasks allow IT teams to become more efficient, reducing human error and reserving human resources for more critical projects. MSPs with automation expertise can significantly benefit diverse business functions (HR, finance, travel, and marketing).
IoT and blockchain
IoT and blockchain have been among the most disruptive technologies in the IT industry.
IoT enables interaction between network devices without human intervention. Blockchain provides a decentralized and highly scalable environment for IoT applications and devices.
Hyper-converged infrastructure
Hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) puts computing, storage and networking into a single intelligent system. This process makes flexible building blocks to replace diverse legacy infrastructure with a single infrastructure, making business more efficient and reducing complexity in the data center – not to mention enhancing scalability.
Organizations need less complicated management, better performance, and less time-to-market to remain competitive. HCI technology is now a necessity for businesses looking to achieve those goals.
Enhanced security
Eighty-five percent of companies upload sensitive data to the cloud, making it vital for businesses to safeguard their IT infrastructure appropriately.
Businesses must identify all vulnerable touch points and develop solutions to secure them. They should also maintain an updated contingency plan in case of an attack. A limited IT budget, lack of knowledge, and too few resources make it impossible for companies to do all this without assistance.
Experienced MSPs secure their client’s IT infrastructure, provide round-the-clock monitoring, optimize security procedures, and keep up with compliance. With an ever-growing risk of cyber crimes, more and more businesses will look to MSPs to leverage their abilities.
Managed Services Keep You Competitive
As IT evolves, small businesses may find it increasingly difficult to keep up with hardware, software, and communication trends. Managed service providers offer these capabilities while helping companies to control costs and leverage their own teams more effectively.
Alliance IT is a managed services firm based in Sarasota.
