Managed Network Services are an outsourced service that handles an organisations’ IT infrastructures so that the business can focus on core business functions and run smoothly.
Aside from adding scalability, resilience and security, there is a saving on headcount costs across an organisation, an innumerable amount of issues and tasks related to networking can be handled by a third party through a contractual agreement.
Initially these services were used by large companies with widespread channels in order to handle the operations effectively and coherently but in this era of technology, these services are being used by every type of business regardless of their size, location and growth.
The financial business case can be made whether the organisation is large or small and the amount of benefits gained through this approach remains compelling. The services that are required may become more complex with scale but the fundamental principle remains, a specialist with multiple disciplines and many engineers can do it cheaper, better and more consistently.
Escalating Need for Managed Network Provider Services
Today, there’s a need to update the technological tool set constantly, refreshing equipment and reacting to security patches/briefs & incidents, whilst also focusing on their maintenance and support, or the company gets behind and the systems become slower and more vulnerable, threatening its survival. The market today is extremely competitive and that’s why the need for Managed Network Provider Services has escalated rapidly.
The expected issues have to be forecasted and trended, and proactive measures have to be taken to avert incident or outage. This tells a lot about the dire need for MNP’s because majority of the work is technology bound with even a minor inconvenience costing the business a potentially consequential loss.
How to Choose an MSP
Emphasis on Values
- A successful contract between the provider and the organisation will only result from a shared set of values which should be agreed before things are finalised.
- If the provider isn’t in tune with the organisations’ requirements and ambitions then it’s already a lost cause and it will only deter the performance of the systems further. ISUMO prides itself on always being aligned with our customers, forming a partnership of trust.
Find a Competitive and a Consistent Provider
- It’s vital that the chosen providers are proactive and focused to exhibit continuous improvements in the solution or service.
- The third party must be able to prove relevant competence and should have the ability to deal with emergency situations on short notice – being dynamic and responsive.
Scrutinise Terms of Contract
- The contract itself is extremely important because there are certain clauses that must be decided before the agreement.
- Take time to properly go through the whole document, looking for any clauses that do not suit your business processes or operational objectives. Service Level Agreement and Operational Performance Metrics are 2 important areas outside the terms and conditions clauses.
Choose Up to Date Providers
- In order to deal with the constantly changing economic environment, one must select a provider who is consistent with the changes, because if the methods used are obsolete, then you could be headed backwards not forwards with your mission.
- Nonetheless, the success of the organisation is dependent on the scalability and the latest strategies, philosophies, tools and technologies used by the provider.
Types of Managed Network Provider Services
Network Provider Services encompasses of a variety of aspects ranging from a specified task or several major ones. The organisation therefor chooses one or many types of service providers based on its present and future requirements.
However large companies maintain such services throughout but small scale companies can easily attain these services as well.
Managed Security
- A very common MSP which focuses on protecting IT infrastructures of the organisation and managing other things like keeping technology updated, handling breaches etc.
- Nowadays organisations have a lot of their data saved on cloud services that can be accessed through the internet, hence there’s a growing need for security measures to alleviate such security concerns.
- Over all this service not only manages technological breaches but also keeps an eye on hackers and other malware.
Managed Software as a Service (Saas)
- A cost-effective and a reliable service that can be used by the organisation to work with a software without the need to purchase it.
- Not only does it alleviates the cost, it also allows the usage without burdening the organisation with handling the software or its maintenance cost. This MSP can be used whenever there’s a need to engage with a particular software for a limited time period.
Managed Cloud Infrastructure
- This service accommodates the organisations’ requirement of needing extra space to store their data and it can be attained through lease. It comes with an additional backup along with the needed software.
- This MSP is mostly used when the company is running short on space and has limited resources to purchase an extended storage.
Managed network provider services not only improve the functionality of organisational networks but also provide quality services leading to quality output.
The goal is to find an efficient service provider that handles the requirements of the organisations’ system while working towards eliminating the problems instead of just fixing them.
We’re ISUMO
We design, build and support complex network infrastructures that deliver the security, scalability and availability that your organisation and users demand. Working as part of your team, supplementing their skills or leading them to achieve exceptional results.
Contact us or give us a call on 0207 871 1476.
