As the IT industry continues to evolve and grow, so do the businesses utilizing IT tools. Companies worldwide are scaling up their technical infrastructure to keep up with booming technology trends. To help facilitate this growth, many organizations are seeking the help of a managed services provider. In fact, 59% of IT services have migrated from the traditional break-fix model to a managed service contract model. MSPs are hired for their expertise in technology, providing companies with high-quality tech skills while alleviating internal IT departments. As technology advances, so do the capabilities of MSP. Understanding the current trends in managed services will prepare your organization to find the right MSP and stay current.
Outsourcing
When a company acquires the services of an MSP, they are outsourcing their IT services. This is becoming increasingly popular as businesses realize that an internal IT team is not always sufficient. As technology is constantly changing and growing more complex, it is difficult for an internal IT department to manage its network on top of other responsibilities. Additionally, in-house support services are expensive, and most small businesses cannot afford to maintain their own infrastructure efficiently. For this reason, MSPs are instrumental to businesses, allowing organizations to delegate IT tasks to a qualified third party.
While some companies are hesitant to utilize the services of an MSP due to security concerns, MSPs are proving to provide heightened levels of security. Because an MSPs sole responsibility is to manage and protect your company’s network and infrastructure, they have the time and resources to devote high-quality service and security that cannot be provided internally.
Enhanced Security
Speaking of security, as more companies are processing increasing levels of sensitive information, data security is more important than ever. Especially with a significant portion of the workforce working remotely, more data than ever is being shared externally, which increases the risk for businesses. For these reasons and more, it is critical that companies secure their IT infrastructure.
In order to do this, companies must identify all at-risk touchpoints and determine solutions to secure them. This can be a strenuous task for a company's IT department, especially if preoccupied with other demanding responsibilities. For this reason, obtaining the help of an MSP is an excellent solution. Your MSP will enhance your IT infrastructure security at no additional labor to your internal team, allowing them to focus on other pressing tasks. MSPs will continuously monitor your IT network, ensuring that no breaches or errors occur, in addition to keeping a contingency plan in the case of an attack.
As an organization with a limited IT budget and lack of expertise in this area, it is near impossible to obtain the same level of security as an MSP. With 24/7 monitoring and support, an MSP will ensure that your data is safe and running smoothly at all times.
Cloud Computing
A significant trend that has been welcomed by nearly every corner of the IT industry is cloud computing. The cloud enables businesses to expand globally and provide services from any location or device. In recent years, cloud technology has already been used to build new platforms to improve the digital transformation of businesses. However, the cost and time of migrating from on-premise data storage to the cloud are fairly significant, and companies find it challenging to do on their own.
Fortunately, MSPs have the skills and infrastructure to make migrating to the cloud a breeze. An MSP will help you to easily transition to and utilize cloud technology at an affordable price. This enables businesses that otherwise would not be able to implement cloud technology to modernize their IT infrastructure for faster and better data processing.
Automation
Automation is being adopted at the same incredible speed as cloud computing and outsourcing, making it a must-have for any IT-focused organization. Automation enables businesses to reduce the labor needed for tedious and repetitive tasks, such as data migration and processing. Instead, these processes are done for you, allowing your team members to focus on more critical tasks. Additionally, automation reduces the risk of human error and resolution time, providing businesses with high-quality information and services.
MSPs with expertise in automation can aid businesses in implementing automated tools, saving them time while maximizing profitability. With an MSP, the migration to automation will be quick and effortless, leading your organization to advanced digitization.
IoT and Blockchain
Alternative to the other IT trends we have discussed, IoT and blockchain are not as widely recognized but equally beneficial. IoT-enabled technology connects devices over a network, allowing devices to interact with one another without human intervention. In contrast, blockchain offers a decentralized and highly scalable environment to IoT devices, platforms, and applications. Blockchain technology can be used to specify the nature of communication between devices while monitoring them. A combination of the two technologies brings increased transparency to IT environments.
Applications such as smart contracts, which are built on blockchain technology, can improve IoT compliance and the cost-efficiency of technology. MSPs with experience in these technologies can help businesses adopt these technologies and stay relevant in the industry.
Interoperable Infrastructure
As companies implement increasingly complex technology into their IT environments, it is critical that these systems are interoperable. Companies may consider implementing hyper-converged infrastructure to ensure that data is accurate and shared as efficiently as possible. This infrastructure style combines storage, computing, and networking into a single system, ensuring that data moves throughout a company with ease. With this, business processes are more efficient, scalability is increased, and data complexity is reduced.
As technology grows increasingly complex, companies must simplify their infrastructure to ensure that it is efficient and user-friendly. Fortunately, MSPs are trained in optimizing IT infrastructure to ensure that it is compatible and cohesive with multiple networks.
MSPs are growing in popularity for companies worldwide as they see the benefit in outsourcing their IT needs. With the help of an MSP, companies are experiencing advanced levels of efficiency and security in their IT environments while alleviating stress from their internal IT department. Obtaining the services of an experienced MSP with knowledge of current IT trends will equip your organization for digital optimization.
