By protecting yourself with the right managed services, you can make your business safer, more efficient, and better focused
In today’s competitive and sometimes dangerous business environment, having the right managed services provider (MSP) becomes increasingly important. They can help simplify, streamline, improve, and protect your operations.
An MSP can perform both essential and routine I.T. tasks so you can focus on what’s really important—running your business. It can also help to:
- Reduce your I.T. overhead
- Solve problems before they become major issues
- Provide the scalability your business needs
But the question becomes, what services does your particular business need? As more American businesses trust their technology welfare to an MSP, it’s essential to understand the range of services they offer. While MSPs usually provide several different managed services, they are not often the same.
That means it’s crucial for you to research and understand which managed I.T. services will most benefit your business. We want to help you choose the right MSP partner by looking at the five types of managed I.T. services most organizations require for efficiency, safety, and peace of mind.
1. Managed cybersecurity services
Cyberattacks are on the rise, and the MSP community is responding. According to an OpenText cybersecurity survey: “Eighty-two percent of MSPs and MSSPs [managed security service providers] report the need for comprehensive, on-demand security as the top reason customers use their service.”
Geoff Bibby, senior vice president of marketing and strategy at OpenText Cybersecurity, says, “With limited time and security resources, simple and effective security must be a priority. MSPs equipped with a comprehensive cyber resilient portfolio of cloud-based data security and data management solutions are uniquely positioned to help clients gain efficiencies without compromising security.”
In the United States alone, data breaches have increased more than 20% in 2023. As a result, MSPs are relied on for services such as:
- Network security, monitoring, and management
- Intrusion detection
- Managed firewalls
- Anti-spam and anti-phishing services
- Timely data backups and installations of security patches
- Employee security training
- Enforcing strong password creation, regular password resets, and MFA (multi-factor) authentication
- Maintaining servers, databases, APIs, endpoints, devices, and applications to keep them on the latest version
These types of services are excellent for any company that handles sensitive data. They are also a good way to ensure regulatory compliance. Managed security professionals are well-trained to stay ahead of emerging threats and maintain compliance requirements. Some providers may also offer mobile device and BYOD security solutions.
2. Managed cloud services
Managed cloud computing services can help simplify a complex cloud environment. In general, cloud-based data is more secure and accessible than on-premise data. However, there are challenges associated with cloud management, such as:
- Problems moving and screening legacy applications
- Determining the best methods and individuals to carry out cloud management
- Resolving cloud infrastructure and application dependencies
Managed cloud services help mitigate these risks by offering expert help with your cloud, providing benefits such as:
- Strategy planning
- Migration
- Security
- Management
- Scalability
- Enhanced collaboration
- Easier disaster recovery
These services are for anyone who doesn’t have the time or in-house resources to manage their cloud infrastructure. This could include small businesses without personnel or large enterprises with complex multi-cloud or hybrid environments.
3. Managed I.T. services
On average, support ticket volume has increased by 16% since the pandemic. This is probably due to more remote workers using BYOD devices. Still, your support team is at a higher risk of quickly being overwhelmed by massive ticket volumes.
Other statistics show that the type of service customers receive through a help desk is a major factor in their choice of and loyalty to a brand, and most won’t hesitate to end a relationship with a company if there are delays and problems.
So, managed I.T. support services are more critical than ever. They can reduce your ticket backlog, addressing more inquiries in less time. Many MSPs also offer a 24/7 helpdesk, meaning you can serve more customers and staff no matter their time zone. Other benefits of these managed services should include:
- Service packages tailored to clients’ needs
- Predictable costs, even for emergencies such as server and network failures
- Round-the-clock monitoring of your computers and network
Managed support can also help your business if you need to free up your I.T. experts from the help desk. The MSP can take on day-to-day support duties while your internal experts focus on other initiatives.
4. Managed backup and disaster recovery services
Managed data backup and recovery often go hand-in-hand with managed cybersecurity. However, the two are slightly different. You need effective cybersecurity to prevent data loss, but you can’t let yourself be caught off guard if disaster strikes.
Research shows that it is increasingly vital for businesses to plan for downtime, whether caused by a natural disaster, such as a fire or earthquake, or a malicious manmade one, such as a ransomware attack. The financial consequences of being caught unprepared can be severe.
For over 90% of mid-sized and large enterprises, $300,000-plus an hour is the average cost of downtime. Up to 20% of organizations have experienced a serious outage during a three-year period.
Managed backup and recovery services facilitate safe storage and regular data backup. They can also help you establish a solid disaster recovery plan so you can recover from the worst-case scenario in little time.
Hackers are only one way you could experience data loss. MSPs can also help you be prepared for:
- Accidents
- Server meltdowns
- Natural disasters
- Employee errors
This service is especially important for companies with critical information — such as financial institutions, government agencies, or healthcare providers. For these industries, missing data could be catastrophic, so data integrity preservation is essential.
Working with a trusted partner requires a complete data backup and recovery plan. You can ensure redundancy and data protection by storing data securely away from your primary location.
5. Managed communications services
Managed telecommunication is a bit more niche and not offered by many MSPs. Yet, some companies can greatly benefit from them — leading many to seek multiple vendors. Finding a partner that offers both I.T. and telecommunications services could help save time and money.
Managed communications services can include:
- Setting up your telecommunication infrastructure
- Maintaining and managing your system
- Handling billing management and contract negotiations with phone services
- Upgrading your system and migrating all necessary telecom data
- Doing inventory management
- Handling project management
- Proactive monitoring of the system’s operation
- Conducting system audits
These services help unify communication across your team, even if they work in multiple locations. Doing so helps prevent productivity-killing misunderstandings and reduces siloing. It’s also a good way to get a more cost-effective telecommunication service compared to traditional phone lines.
One trusted partner. Multiple types of I.T. managed services
Vendor management can be a time-consuming hassle. It’s hard to avoid if you partner with multiple MSPs to get all your needed services. However, trusting one vendor with all the required services could save time, energy, and hassle.
Attentus Technologies can be your one-stop solution for a wide range of managed services. Our seasoned experts are fully equipped to:
- Develop strong cybersecurity protection
- Simplify complex cloud environments
- Streamline your support
- Protect your data
- Unify communication across your team
Our mission is to do more than simply sit in the background. We want to truly become a member of your I.T. team and help you understand the “why” behind everything we do. Our goal is for you to enjoy headache-free I.T. without hiding what we’re doing or how.
Request a free consultation to find out how Attentus can take your business to the next level.