By necessity, every company runs on data. And the best way to keep enterprise data safe from hackers and technical failures are with cloud management. In addition, companies that offer managed cloud services can provide you with extensive know-how, experience, and high-quality technical support.
The term “managed cloud services” describes the outsourcing of cloud-based services and their management, to be run by an outsourcing partner who takes care of technical support and makes sure there is no data loss and no downtime.
The main reason for hiring an IT outsourcing partner for managed cloud services is that the IT department of most small to medium enterprises (SMEs) doesn’t have the skillset and experience to manage an effective cloud environment.
IT outsourcing providers can take care of many different aspects of cloud management, including data security, network stability, data backup, data restoration, etc. The exact combination of services that is provided depends on the specific IT requirements of your company.
Here we list the main advantages of using cloud managed services:
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Failsafe environment:
Managed cloud architecture is constructed with multiple redundancies, including several hosts, backup storage capacity, and automatic resource balancing. So if one host should fail, the system automatically switches to another host.
Because of this, your data is much safer in a managed cloud environment, with virtually no downtimes or data loss.
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Lower cost:
Hiring full-time IT staff is expensive and time-consuming. In addition, full-time IT specialists are often not necessary to cover the IT management needs of SMEs. In that case, it’s a lot cheaper to outsource cloud management and only pay for the services that you actually need.
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High network security:
Managed cloud service providers put in place multiple levels of security on their servers, including firewalls and secure virtual LANs. This keeps your data safe from hacking and data theft, much safer than they would be if you handled them in-house.
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Up-to-date technology:
It’s very challenging for 1 or 2 in-house IT specialists to stay on top of all new technological developments, and continuously keep your IT environment up-to-date.
For a managed service provider, however, this is part of their core business. Their staff members constantly stay on top of the latest developments. So, when you hire a managed service provider, your company instantly benefits from their up-to-date expertise.
Instead of having to wait for months while your in-house IT staff research a new solution, and then train the rest of your staff how to implement it, you can get instant access to new technology through a managed service provider.
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Adjustable costs:
As already mentioned, when you hire a cloud managed services provider, you only pay for the services that you actually use, since you don’t need to hire on-site staff.
In addition, you can adjust these costs over time, if your needs should change. This is especially useful if there are seasonal variations in your business, or if your company experiences rapid growth.
It’s much harder, and more time consuming, to hire new IT specialists, than it is to scale up the services provided by an IT outsourcing partner.
The same is true if there should be an unexpected downturn for your business: you can easily adjust the managed cloud services to fit your needs.
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Customized solutions:
A cloud managed services provider can advise you on the services most important for your business, and put together a customized service package based on your specific needs.
Managed services are thus not only cheaper but also cover your needs more effectively than hiring in-house staff. This means you can focus on your core business, while your cloud services are fully taken care of.
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High-quality technical support:
If there are any technical issues, IT outsourcing provides instant access to highly experienced staff to deal with the problem and advise your in-house staff on how to proceed.
Usually, support staff is on-call 24/7, ensuring that any technical problems are dealt with as fast as possible, without prolonged downtimes.
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Rapid disaster recovery:
If your business should experience on-site technical failure or even fall prey to cybercrime, a managed services provider can help you to get back on your feet very fast.
Since the ability to provide continuous services is essential for most companies, this gives you a key competitive advantage, by allowing you to continue operations with minimal interruptions, even if disaster should strike.
Conclusion
All businesses must make sure their data are secure and continuously available. This is true not only of corporate data but also of sensitive client data, such as credit card information.
Managed cloud services provide a very high level of cyber security and a failsafe technical environment, thus keeping your data safe while making it available for your business.