The term “managed services” refers to critical IT operations which are supported by a third party managed services provider (MSP).

Managed services can include website and email hosting, cloud management and network monitoring, as well as backup and disaster recovery functions.

So, why do businesses invest in managed services instead of keeping these operations in-house?

First and foremost, it’s cost-effective to obtain essential network technologies. MSPs offer pay-as-you-go access to expensive data center hardware and software such as hosted email servers. In doing so, they greatly reduce technology-related CAPEX and OPEX for businesses. If something goes wrong in a hosted environment, the MSP must fix the issue – not the client.

Managed services can also reduce costs because they are supported by comprehensive, real-time network troubleshooting technologies. These technologies can identify small performance issues before they escalate into larger problems that can lead to costly instances of system downtime.

This leads to the next point, which is that managed services are highly-reliable. Besides being supported by network troubleshooting technologies, managed services run on fully-redundant hardware. So if something happens to a business, like a fire or flood, managed services will continue as normal.  Plus, data will remain uncorrupted.

Another important point to consider is that managed services can make life easier for in-house IT workers. An MSP can provide managed help desk assistance, which can free IT workers from menial and time-consuming maintenance responsibilities. As a result, IT workers can take on higher-level tasks in the organization.