Managed services let you offload specific IT operations to a service provider, known in tech parlance as a Managed Services Provider. The managed service provider assumes ongoing responsibility for monitoring, managing, and resolving problems for selected IT systems and functions on your behalf.

Managed services providers can offer alerts, security, patch management, and data backup and recovery for client devices, such as desktops, notebooks, servers, storage systems, networks, and applications. Offloading routine infrastructure management to an experienced managed services professional lets you concentrate on running your business with fewer interruptions due to IT issues.

Managed service providers usually price their services on a subscription basis. Depending on their services, pricing is generally based on the number of devices, with different packages priced at various levels. Some provide customer support onsite when required.

Essential services often start with a monitoring service, which notifies you of problems you resolve independently. At the upper end of the spectrum, service providers offer fully managed services that cover everything from alerts to problem resolution. They assess your current IT environment and management requirements to help you decide what services and service levels you need.

Why Should You Care?

Like larger companies, small businesses need technology to operate efficiently and compete effectively. However, as reliance on IT grows, the resources to support an increasingly complex IT environment may not. In many small businesses, IT resources are scarce. They can be quickly overwhelmed with the day-to-day responsibilities of keeping the IT infrastructure that the company depends on up and running.

If you fall behind in keeping up with things such as backups, patches and security, the odds are that you’ll face an IT outage or another problem that will negatively impact your business. For instance, if your e-mail server, customer relationship management system, financial application or network goes down unexpectedly, you face substantial productivity and revenue losses.

MSPs act as your IT department, your Virtual CIO or an extension of your IT department, taking care of routine IT infrastructure monitoring and management around the clock—freeing up yourself or your IT staff to focus on higher-value projects. By proactively monitoring and maintaining your systems, an MSP can help you avoid many technology problems in the first place. Should an issue occur, an experienced MSP can troubleshoot and resolve it more efficiently.

Unlike traditional outsourcing situations, where you surrender complete control of your IT assets, you decide what you want the service provider to take care of and what you want to handle. You retain complete visibility into the process and management of your systems. In addition, the MSP subscription model gives you more expense predictability than a consultant-type time and billing model.

What to Consider

Managed Services Providers offer a wide range of different services. Many focus on managing specific areas and functions, such as storage and related management services or desktop and help desk services. Some provide management services for server hardware, operating systems, and middleware, but there is limited support for applications such as e-mail. Many provide onsite services as required but may have limited regional or local coverage areas.

If you are looking for more comprehensive services, including alerts, monitoring, and management services for a wide range of clients, networks, servers, and applications, FIBCO offers Managed Services for SMBs. The service provides small businesses a choice of service levels, priced on a per-device, per-month basis. Most services are provided remotely, but FIBCO offers onsite service when required at no additional cost.

The MSP label can be confusing because there are many different types of MSPs and offerings. So, when considering managed services, think first about your requirements. How satisfied are you with the level and quality of support you have today? Where are the gaps, pain points, and inefficiencies in IT infrastructure management? How do downtime, outages, and other problems impact your business?

With these requirements top of mind, evaluate MSPs that map to your IT, business and budget requirements and provide a flexible, proactive approach that can adapt with you as your needs evolve.

Value Pricing

FIBCO offers scalable flat-fee pricing for Managed Network Services. Our subscription fees vary based on service level agreements and can grow with your business. Managed Service enables accurate budget forecasting and provides access to automated tools, facilities, and trained personnel that add value to your business.