What Are Managed IT Services?

Managed IT services are IT duties that companies outsource to experienced third-party suppliers. Companies under this arrangement pay a subscription fee to get IT services tailored to their specific needs, such as security, monitoring, or on-demand help.

Managed IT service solutions enable businesses to offload the burden of managing IT tasks, improving overall service quality and allowing teams to focus on other responsibilities. 

What Are Managed Service Providers?

Managed service providers (MSPs) are third-party enterprises that provide IT services to businesses. MSPs can offer various business technology services, like networking, security, infrastructure, and applications. Depending on the organization's demands, MSPs can handle some or all of its IT needs. These services are available on a subscription basis, allowing enterprises to have more predictable IT spending.

As an MSP, Data Networks stays updated on trends and technologies and offers industry expertise that in-house teams don’t usually have. Companies typically hire MSPs to handle new technologies or complicated tasks that take a great deal of time, like cloud computing and cybersecurity. As business needs change, these third-party providers improve agility by freeing up internal resources and providing up-to-date solutions.

What Are the Types of Managed IT Services?

Your unique business needs, goals, and pain points will indicate why you need managed IT services and which of the following outsourced services are right for you:

• Security: Entrusting security management to MSPs enables businesses to access state-of-the-art technologies for the ongoing protection of networks, applications, data, and IT infrastructures. This service may include around-the-clock monitoring, threat detection, and virus protection.

• Support: Businesses lacking the human resources to staff an in-house IT support team can outsource services from MSPs. Outsourced technical support services can include help desk and on-site user support, network support, and basic system monitoring.

• Disaster Recovery: Should a business disruption occur, MSPs can help restore systems and recover sensitive data to minimize downtime. This service utilizes modern cloud technologies to store, protect, and restore data to ensure business continuity.

• Cloud and SaaS Management: Organizations can outsource managed cloud services to support cloud-based systems, including storage, file sharing, and remote network access. MSPs also offer software as a service (SaaS) solutions, such as Office 365 and Google Workspace.

• Technology Alignment & Compliance: MSPs can help businesses assess their technical risks and exposures and provide expert insights and recommendations to improve performance and security. They can also help companies comply with global regulations and cyber liability insurance requirements.

Who Needs Managed IT Services?

We’ve learned what managed IT services are, but who needs them? Both large and small enterprises can benefit from outsourced IT services, especially companies that experience the following concerns:

• Organizations with Limited Internal Resources: Small- to medium-sized organizations lacking the financial resources to invest in IT infrastructure or support an in-house team can benefit from managed IT services.

• Organizations with Overburdened IT Teams: Organizations can delegate time-consuming tasks like end-user support to third-party providers so their internal IT teams can focus on core competencies, strategic initiatives, and long-term business goals.

• Organizations Requiring Expertise on More Complex Projects: Established businesses may have fully functional IT teams but need technical expertise for new endeavors. MSPs can help companies incorporate new technologies, improve current IT strategies, and implement upgrades and security solutions.