Cloud Managed Services: Expertise on Demand
Is your company considering moving to a cloud-based service but concerned that you don’t have the resources to manage them 24/7?
A lack of staff or expertise doesn’t mean you need to scuttle your goals for a more flexible cloud-based infrastructure. Cloud Managed services, like those offered by Ziffity, can take on that work on your behalf.
A managed services team acts as an extended arm of your in-house IT team, focusing on maintaining your cloud-based services and applications so your IT team can focus on other work.
Typical tasks include
- Administration and support
- Configuration management
- 360-degree monitoring
- Incident & Service Request management
- System enhancements and security patches
Scale Up or Down as Needed
Chances are, your company is interested in cloud-based services because it’s a flexible approach to infrastructure. Scale up as needed, then scale back down to save money. With managed services, the same concept applies to your staffing model.
There’s no need to spend money recruiting, hiring, and training resources that your company will regularly need at times and intermittently at others. The managed services approach allows you to hire a team of experts who provide the right level of service, even as your needs fluctuate, at a monthly flat rate.
Avoid Expensive Downtime
If your systems go down, employees can’t work, and customers can’t access your services. The consequences can be devastating to your bottom line. They can also scare away customers if your company provides products and services that are critical to their mission.
Managed services help you mitigate this risk by proactively monitoring and maintaining your cloud platform and applications. A managed services team has a series of monitoring workflows, processes, checks-and-balances, and escalation paths in place to ensure issues are anticipated and downtime is minimized.
Predictable, recurring monthly costs
Every CFO wants to know how much services will cost so that she or he can budget for it, as well as report on them in the balance sheet, P&L statement and cash flow reports. But labor costs are notoriously difficult to project, especially when businesses are affected by seasonality.
Managed services allow you to add much-needed expertise to your IT team without the uncertainty of identifying and hiring consultants, which might spike your employee costs. You can negotiate a monthly fee with your managed service provider that meets both your needs and your budget.
Automatic Upgrades
On-premise infrastructure isn’t just costly to purchase; it’s expensive to maintain on an ongoing basis. You need staff to implement security patches, enhance applications, as well as add the new bells and whistles that emerge from the marketplace.
A managed services partner provides a lot of value in the area of upgrades. Team members can test the upgrades rolled out by your cloud provider to ensure they work seamlessly with your existing apps and systems. They can also take on the job of designing, testing, implementing, and iterating on enhancements as necessary. Neither your IT department nor your company-wide employees will experience any disruptions in the applications they rely on day-to-day.
Focus on Core Business
I alluded to this early, but it can’t be said enough: Managed services free up your employees to put more of their time, attention, and energy into the core functions that will move your business needle. It could be innovating product delivery, expanding into a new market, or anything else.
Are you interested in having a detailed discussion on how managed services can enhance your cloud-based services? Give us a call.
