8 Ways to Save Time and Money - Part 7: Managed Services

Managed services is a really another buzz words these days that can mean a lot of different things to different people and organizations. And this item on my list of ways to save time and money often times goes hand-in-hand with cloud services; but, they don't have to.

In addition to making decisions about whether to lay out significant capital to purchase equipment and facilities versus utilizing the Cloud, businesses are looking at overall IT operations. These IT operations entail much more than “keeping the lights on” and you must consider risk, security, policy, support, strategy and other factors. There are three main factors to consider when considering managed services.

Staffing Difficulties

•A key driver in the adoption of IT managed services is staffing difficulties

•The headcount needed to staff for all IT required IT competencies has become too great

•The shortage of talent in specific, high-end technical competencies has made it more expensive and difficult to find

•The headcount required to provide 24x7x365 support has become too great

Security and Controls

•As a greater number of industries are regulated there is increasing need for outside competency

•The costs associated with staffing or contracting for the technical competencies needed for optimal security and controls are high

•The costs associated with the acquisition of all of the requisite technologies for optimal security are high

•Some business applications possess sensitive information that is ideally shielded from the IT department

Overall Cost

In total, the overall costs of managed services are significantly lower:

•Reduced salary costs due to need for fewer staff and high-end technical and procedural competencies

•Reduced administrative costs due to reduced need for recruiting, benefits, office space, training, human resources, and so on

•Reduced technology costs with outsourced licensing and technology tools for optimal security and performance

Examples of Managed Services

One of my co-workers has written an article about how managed services can help you overcome your business challenges. You can read the article here.

If you are interested in learning more about managed services or looking for a service provider, my company currently offers all of these services. You can read more here.