Managed Service Providers Basics

Managed service providers offer IT advantages
By Gail L. Perry, Freelance Writer / MSW Life Coach The use of a managed service provider (MSP) became widespread in the 1990s, and business boomed through the early 2000s. As quickly as the business grew, it also withered. In order to survive, MSPs changed their business models and services to meet customer needs. Today some MSP providers continue to grow and flourish, while the industry enjoys another upswing in business.
 

Managed service providers (MSPs) manage IT (information technology) services for businesses. Depending on the needs of the company, they manage anywhere from one isolated function to an entire IT department. The best part is that they perform the majority of their services online with remote access, so there is no need to supply office space or hardware. When seeking to understand managed service providers basics, consider the following information:

1. Managed IT service providers offer freedom of options.

2. IT managed services often outsource services.

3. Contracting managed IT services frees your employees' time.

Cover many IT areas with managed services

Nowadays a managed hosting service is capable of handling just about any IT issue or need within your business. You choose what services you want them to manage, such as: email service, server upgrades, maintenance, network monitoring, security and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). They then find the best network service to meet your company's needs.
Try: For information about network service options, see internet.com. TechTarget clarifies "managed service provider" definitions.

Save time by outsourcing to a managed service provider

If you decide to outsource the high-cost, high-time areas of your IT department, MSPs act as outsourcing agents for you. MSPs find the fastest, most up-to-date products at a reasonable price by outsourcing areas of technology that require expensive,frequent updates and special security protocols. Given the cost of technology today, outsourcing makes economic sense because it may cost money for the specialty service, but it saves you time so you aren't constantly searching for the latest tech to meet your needs.
Try: WiseGEEK provides an overview of outsourcing technology and explores the benefits of it. For an article that presents outsourcing details and examples, see xchange.

Take the load off your employees with managed IT services

Technology changes at a rapid rate, and the cost of keeping up is expensive. IT managed service companies reduce these costs by providing the most up-to-date technology available for a predictable fee. By implementing IT managed service to handle day-to-day operations and management of your network, you provide more time for your IT employees to focus on core business issues.
Try: Kubernan presents a good case describing the advantages of managed services while explaining some changes in the industry. For another in-depth report on changes and advantages of managed service, see neoIT.

• What managed service providers offer may not meed your needs. Challenge managed service providers to find ways to help your business, even if it sets a new precedent. That's one of the benefits of changing technology.