It’s important to understand what’s included in a managed service. Typically, managed service providers (MSPs) will offer a package of managed services to clients. These services are chosen by the client and include things such as monitoring, patching, and security. While some managed services are provided on an annual basis, others are billed monthly.
Security
First, find a managed service provider (MSP) who offers comprehensive security solutions as an entire bundle of services. This ensures that your organization is getting the most out of their technology investment. Look for a managed service provider that offers services such as managed monitoring, managed endpoint protection, managed identity management, among others. Finally, make sure the provider offers 24/7/365 monitoring of your protected assets in the cloud, on-premise, or a combination of the two.
Data backups
When you sign up for a managed service, you will be provided with a list of your managed services and a service level agreement (SLA). A service level agreement outlines the level of service your provider will provide you. It includes metrics your provider will use to measure your storage capacity and how often backups will be performed, as well as how quickly they will be restored in the event of an incident.
Most managed services include remote monitoring and management, proactive problem solving, support, and security.
Web hosting
A managed service includes the hardware and software that is required to run a website, as well as the monitoring and management of that server. In addition, the managed service provider can support additional features like backups and security, email, and search engine optimization.
Software licenses
There are several levels of managed service software licenses available. The most basic level includes installation and support, along with the software itself. In most cases, the software is provided by the vendor, although some managed service providers offer their own software. The next level includes installation, support, and the software, but also includes additional add-ons. These include things like advanced analytics or increased security.
Maintenance
Before you choose a managed service, you should know what’s included. Every provider includes a different set of services, and some providers will charge extra for things that are not included with the standard plan.
Support
You can expect to have access to managed services that include proactive monitoring and maintenance of your IT systems, and you’ll get remote support to help you resolve issues when they arise. You’ll also get security monitoring, backup, and recovery, disaster recovery, and 24/7 monitoring of your business critical systems.
Conclusion
The definition of managed services varies, so it’s important to know where your provider is coming from. Some providers describe managed services as a subscription service that offers remote monitoring, management, and support for your IT infrastructure, along with any other IT services that you need. Others describe it as outsourcing your IT support, but with a twist.