When implementing a few cloud solutions to your company, sometimes it requires an additional force to manage the resources. Embracing new digital technologies is normal for all companies who want to optimize workflow and improve efficiency.
Managed cloud service providers help organizations use cloud solutions better, discovering their capacities and recognizing the need to scale. While it’s possible to manage them internally, IT companies can surely provide extensive support and better cloud management, no matter the size of your business.
Reminder: What’s a Managed Cloud Service Provider?
The managed cloud service provider is often a third-party IT company that supports the IT infrastructure remotely. Cloud management is one of the many services they may provide, helping the companies to manage the team capacity better and focus on achieving the business goals sooner.
Why Cloud MSP?
Hiring an in-house team is often expensive, especially for small businesses. Outsourcing this service not only saves money but also helps companies manage related IT responsibilities. Usually, IT companies are available 24/7 to provide appropriate support for the companies in need, managing not only the cloud systems but also networks and servers.
Benefits of Hiring a Managed Cloud Service Provider
Managed cloud service providers, whether they are companies or individuals, bring many benefits to your organization, especially if you know how to get the most out of the collaboration. When it comes to benefits, here are most of them:
Cost-Efficient Solution For Companies
Managed cloud service providers save time and money, preventing unnecessary spending within your organization. This way, you can handle the ongoing expenses, avoiding large investments, salaries, and employment benefits for in-house teams. Outsourcing IT infrastructure support is one of the most optimal solutions because it’s a balance between expertise, expenses, and savings.
Security and Compliance
Managed cloud service providers implement advanced security measures, such as encryption, firewalls, and regular security audits, ensuring that data is protected and compliant with industry regulations. This way, you don’t have to worry about standards and regulations because everything is done the way it needs to be.
Disaster Recovery and Backup
Managed cloud service companies offer solutions for data backup and disaster recovery, ensuring business continuity in case of data loss, outages, or cyberattacks. Many companies lose significant amounts of data because they don’t act and protect on time. Data backup is essential for successful recovery, which is also a usual part of managed cloud services.
Customized and Tailored Solutions
While cloud management is all the activities for maintaining consistent workflow, each business that leverages it is different. Based on the industry, the needs may vary, but managed cloud providers are here to support in any capacity.
How to Ensure Consistent Managed Cloud Partnership?
Finding the perfect company to match your work ethic and scope is an ongoing challenge. You may work with a few companies until you find the right one. Still, to ensure success, you need to:
Define Your Cloud Support Needs
Understanding what exactly challenges you to manage the cloud structure successfully will help you find the best IT company around. Try to explain the needs the best you can, and also set goals like scalability, consistency, improvements, etc.
Research and Shortlist the Companies
Spend some time researching and comparing companies, ask for quotes, and check what services they cover exactly. Ensure the provider offers the specific cloud services you need (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, etc.) and can integrate with your existing systems. You can even look for reviews and certifications to ease your decision.
Evaluate the Support Level You Need
Talk to the managed cloud service provider about the available support, response time, and guaranteed services. Define the conditions to work around, ensuring they answer to all your needs timely, without disrupting your existing workflow. .
Test Your Compatibility
Just because a company looks good on its website and has many testimonials and case studies, it doesn’t mean they’re perfect for you. Instead, start with a small project or workload to test the provider’s ability to meet your expectations and deliver within your scope. That way, no one will waste anyone’s time.
Pros vs. Cons of Managed Cloud Service Providers
Outsourcing some tasks to an external company means being aware of the pros and cons and still being realistic about your expectations. Even though most of these companies handle the tasks professionally, sometimes unwanted outcomes may happen. So, let’s take a look at the pros and cons:
Pros of Managed Cloud Services by an External Company
While we’re all aware of the advantages, it’s always good to remind you of the most anticipated ones like:
- Expertise and specialized knowledge in technologies, security, and cloud management
- Flexible pricing that may match the budget you’re ready to spend
- 24/7 support and monitoring, which means dedicated proactivity when an issue occurs
- Security and compliance that match the active regulations and industry guidelines
- Scalability, because the support should extend to the cloud infrastructure’s new capacity
- Disaster recovery and backup because every responsible company should focus on security
Outsourcing cloud management allows your internal team to focus on core business activities rather than IT maintenance and troubleshooting.
Potential Cons of Managed Cloud Services Provider
While it all seems like birds and butterflies when talking about the pros and benefits, it’s fair to address some challenges both service providers and companies may face during the process:
- Lack of Control: External services mean the company doesn’t have the highest level of control over the predicted activities and outcomes
- Potential Security Risks: Managed cloud service providers follow security protocols, but accidents like data breaches and cyber-attacks may happen
- Limited Customization: Most of the time, these companies adapt to the client and create tailored solutions, except when they have limited capacities (which may easily happen)
- Inconsistent Communication: Depending on the provider’s support structure, this may lead to communication delays in addressing critical issues
- Dependency on a Third Party: It’s not always pleasant to depend on someone else, especially in sensitive industries that require immediate action
By weighing these pros and cons, businesses can make informed decisions when considering managed cloud services from an external provider, ensuring that the benefits outweigh any potential challenges.
Final Words on The Benefits of Managed Cloud Service Providers
Each company should define what model of collaboration and support works best for them to avoid unpleasant outcomes and conflicts. When outsourcing services, everyone should be aware that sometimes, communication may lag or some delays may happen.
It’s essential to find the perfect balance between the benefits and potential cons in order to make the perfect match with your IT partner. If you need help with it, you can contact Frontline and schedule a meeting. That way, we can both determine what services you need and in what capacity, ensuring consistent and transparent communication all the time.