Demand for managed services is high, and the model is beneficial for the enterprise, be it small or large.  The relationships are evolving, however, as the form and location of business information systems shift further into the cloud.

Early on in the Internet age, hosting service providers leased server space and Internet bandwidth to serve corporate websites to the public.  This was the foray into “The Cloud”.  Email hosting moved to the cloud, and our reliance on the Internet solidified more and more.

Skipping a few steps and Software-as-a-Service made an appearance.  The different IT elements of enterprise management became available as needed on a subscription bases.  This in turn made the services available and affordable to smaller organizations.

Now the *-as-a-Service and cloud models are wide-ranging and even more complex.  Business information systems in many cases and for many reasons have been shifted off-premise to a full cloud hosting environment or more commonly a hybrid mix or on-premise along with private and public cloud environments. 

The role of the IT Managed Service Provider has been evolving to encompass the management of each customers’ IT universe in all places in which it resides.  MSP’s have long been monitoring and maintaining on-premise networks and hardware.  As the footprint of the network has expanded into the cloud, the MSP remains in a crucial position to effectively manage the whole environment.

Every mid-sized and large enterprise needs a combination of application software for functioning. For example, most utilize HR, CRM, ERP, learning and development, and content management software. The organization may need to then subscribe to multiple SaaS providers and hosting companies which might make the solution extremely complex and difficult to manage. When you consider the issue of securing all these disparate systems, managing the entire combined platform becomes rather involved.

The MSP’s role is to coordinate all facets of the blended environment and to ensure the multitude of solutions work in concert toward the organization’s goals.  It will provide guidance on the optimum distribution among the hybrid environment and determine which elements should be hosted off-premise and those that need to remain in-house.  On top of this, they will maintain a focus on security and availability of the business data.

It is thus highly important that your managed service provider is oriented and prepared to operate hybrid networks.   Qualified MSPs will often have plenty of experience with cloud solutions which they can leverage in advising their clients.  If your company has questions on the benefits of cloud solutions, and/or a MSP relationship, please contact Gravity Systems.