The traditional managed services model is ever-evolving, and the growth of cloud services is resulting in the rise of the next-generation managed services model. Moving on-site data centers to the cloud has provided new opportunities for managed service providers (MSPs) to develop high-value solutions to support their clients through full lifecycle support offerings. Next-generation (next-gen) MSPs concentrate on consulting, professional services, managed operations, continuous optimization, and traditional services.
Cloud-Managed Services
In the past, managed services companies addressed break-fix issues, but the proliferation of the cloud has allowed more proactive and forward-thinking services. Static environments are a thing of the past, and dynamic, highly scalable environments utilize artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and predictive analytics to monitor, identify and resolve issues before they cause disastrous downtime and revenue loss.
MSPs have recently focused on creating and managing IT infrastructures, whose SLAs covered hardware and infrastructure performance, data accessibility, and incident and capacity management. The next-gen MSP can now offer SLAs based on the application performance and business outcomes, which are most aligned with the comprehensive needs of their clients.
The issues of security, continuity, and cyber threats are growing daily, meaning that data security must be an ongoing, significant effort – not a singular or reactive process. Continual compliance must be addressed by considering external and internal threats to business operations and addressing cloud security as integral to their digital transformation strategy. MSPs are increasingly taking the lead in helping organizations fight against cyberattacks.
Additionally, in the past, change management via MSPs has focused on manual processes that consumed excessive resources. Still, MSPs can continually evaluate, implement, automate, manage, and monitor changes with much more speed.
Next-Gen MSPs
Conventional MSPs offer various services to their clients, including operational management, solution monitoring, technical support and maintenance, configuration services, measurement and reporting support, and compliance management. As clients increasingly and rapidly adopt cloud platforms, they need comprehensive cloud offerings from a managed service provider they trust to be a strategic advisory partner.
In addition to the services a company might expect, customers also look to MSPs to guide them through a more comprehensive and holistic approach to their transformation efforts. Consultants at an MSP may provide the needed business case for cloud migration, design a complex hybrid cloud strategy, create optimized plans for cost and performance, manage data, develop and integrate custom applications, update and streamline legacy applications, and help clients to build custom solutions for specific clients and industries.
As clients plan the growth and evolution of their business utilizing the cloud, they need to seek out MSPs who can assist with adapting to the rapidly changing cloud landscape. MSPs in today’s fast-moving environments can optimize IT processes to increase productivity, automate systems to lower expenses, and improve systems that will add value over time.
Next-generation MSPs are creating sustainable managed services solutions to help their clients over the long term and across the full engagement lifecycle.
Alliance IT Provides Next-Gen Support
With Cloud computing solutions from Alliance IT, upgrading, utilizing, and maintaining your IT has never been easier. Your technology, software, and applications are managed by our professional team – meaning you can eliminate the expense of new network infrastructure investment, new software licensing, and onboarding and training new hires.
We own and maintain a next-gen cloud environment that can function as your custom-built hosting environment – or we can simply set you up with Office 365. Call our Sarasota offices today to schedule a FREE business technology assessment to get you started.
