Traditionally, managed services focused on reactive support, cost savings, and basic infrastructure management. In contrast, next-generation managed services leverage a proactive approach using advanced technologies to shift the way organisations manage their core operations.
To deliver superior value, managed services now encompass a much broader range of services ranging from cloud management and cybersecurity to advanced analytics and automation, amongst others.
When considering how to go about the implementation of platform delivered managed services, best practice would be to seek solutions that are a majority fit to standard, meaning that implementation is swift, seamless and can be scaled; and services can also be managed quite easily by internal teams.
For those organisations seeking a slightly more tailored approach, there is room for customisation of services, and degrees of management can be outsourced. Essentially, however clients choose to implement, these technologies are allowing businesses to make the crucial shift to a focus on innovation instead of infrastructure.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, businesses that want to stay on the winning track must leverage the power of technology when it comes to their managed services.
With the global managed services market expected to grow to almost $4 billion by 2028, those who are not ready to transform their operations will be left lagging. Now is the time to establish strategic partnerships and include managed services as part of a business’s long-term strategy to ensure that operations are running optimally and that innovation can thrive.
Along with improved efficiency and cutting down companies’ operating expenses, the new era of managed services is seeing a proliferation of emerging technologies, such as Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), big data, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) coming to the fore.
As more businesses migrate to the cloud, sophisticated cloud management solutions are providing seamless integration, migration, and optimisation of cloud environments. With the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber threats, next-generation managed services are able to deploy advanced cybersecurity measures, including threat intelligence, automated incident response, and continuous monitoring.
Automation tools and orchestration platforms are enabling the streamlining of routine tasks, reducing human error, and improving service delivery.
The use of advanced analytics and AI-driven insights provides deeper visibility into IT performance and business operations. The list is endless.
However, it is crucial to remember that implementing a robust managed services strategy requires a specialised approach.
Managed service providers (MSPs) have to realise that thinking out of the box to provide new, innovative, and most importantly, relevant solutions requires them to listen to their clients.
It is essential to bridge the gap between where clients are and where they see themselves in the future with their network. This is where the concept of right-sizing comes into play – tailoring the approach and solution to each client and circumstance. MSPs need to embrace a reimagined role, one where they are innovation and technology experts well-versed in emerging technologies, and not just implementation experts.
Scalability is also a crucial factor for growing businesses. Managed services provide the flexibility to scale IT resources up or down based on business needs without substantial capital investment. Cloud-based managed services, in particular, offer unparalleled scalability, allowing organizations to quickly adapt to changing market demands and business growth.
The question that is top of mind for most organisation’s looking to transform their managed services is often where to start? The springboard for success is defining a clear structure for the mapping of responsibilities and ensuring best practice guidelines to act as guard rails to ensure a seamless transition.
The best way to do this? Choose an MSP to partner with who can offer guidance and support along all the iterative steps along the journey. Significant hands-on experience and transparent collaboration will ensure the best outcomes.
To enable the agility and flexibility required to thrive, co-creating a managed services strategy that aligns with the organization and its unique needs is not a nice-to-have – it’s a must-have. It’s time for businesses to see that MSPs are more than providers of services and managed services are much more than simple IT outsourcing.
They need a strategic partner who understands their business problems. It is clear that we are in a more dynamic business landscape than ever before. It is my belief that managed services can be a game changer for organizations of all sizes, allowing them to focus on what they do best and achieve more of their strategic goals.
Kelly Bwambok, Services Solutions Architect, Managed Services at NTT DATA
