What is a Managed Service Provider (MSP)?
A Managed Service Provider (MSP) is a person who is specially trained in remotely managing a company’s IT infrastructure. They provide specific network and security solutions that assist with data loss, security breaches, and remote firewall administration. The key takeaway from their role is that they play an invaluable part in strategic IT planning and preventing destructive computer networking decisions that could have a negative impact on a business.
In this article, we will focus more on the role of this service provider, which bears an important responsibility. Indeed, at the present time, the productivity of a company depends very much on its IT infrastructure, which makes the MSP a central player in the success and development of the company.
Managed services or IT service outsourcing?
While some companies can afford to have a dedicated IT department, not all organizations can. And that’s not always the most relevant solution, either. The Managed Service Provider takes on the role of the enterprise IT department. Thus, he or she must carry out the management and maintenance of the IT department.
The mission of the MSP (Managed Service Provider) includes administrative oversight, intended to detect problems before they arise. Indeed, to ensure the sustainability of the infrastructure, it must constantly maintain the level of service necessary for the needs of the business. This, therefore, involves application updates, regular hardware checks, and software changes when relevant.
A remote service provider that saves significant time
The MSP, therefore, works externally and mainly remotely, through cloud computing. The managed service provider has a team made up of experienced people, but also very sophisticated tools. It is therefore able to operate remotely and benefits from regular automated reports which allow it to detect potential problems. He or she can thus solve them before they generate damage. It is therefore rare for MSP technicians to travel to the site, although this can happen in the event of a hardware failure.
Using sophisticated tools, the managed service provider performs software updates automatically before the expiration date. As a result, it avoids wasted time related to bugs and failures caused by software that is not up to date. It also allows you to benefit from the latest versions and thus limits security vulnerabilities in the system.
An offer adapted to the needs of the company
As the managed service provider is not an employee of the company, he or she is able to make an offer modeled on the real needs of the structure. Often, its offer depends on the number of workstations or users of the infrastructure to be managed. The contract can therefore be scalable according to the needs of the business. This operation, therefore, offers flexibility that is much more advantageous for the company than having its own IT department. Especially since it limits the administrative procedures and internal staff management.
Conclusion
This is a win/win formula, as the MSP usually does not have to intervene for outages, but if they do, it is included in their package. As a result, the more quality watch it performs, the better its profitability will be, because interventions will be less common. For the company, this approach provides the assurance of quality monitoring to ensure the proper functioning of the system.
The definition of managed services and the role of the MSP are no longer a mystery to you. In relation to outsourcing, managed services offer a more in-depth approach, and free you from all worries related to IT infrastructure. This allows you to focus on your core business without risking failures that could impact the development of your business. Contact us to learn more!
