Managed Services help ease the recession
Managed services are a hot item in the IT world. Companies faced with downsizing their IT staffs amid the recession are finding these competitively-priced, outsourced offerings very tempting.
Basic managed services programs typically offer alerts/advisories about needed actions and some level of manual remediation; advanced options include more in-depth monitoring/maintenance, and automatic problem remediation through the software.
A managed services provider delivers and manages technology services, applications and products. Backup, data storage, network management, user management and systems management all can be part of a managed services contract.
Most, if not all, of these services can be performed from beyond a company’s internal network—minimizing or even eliminating duties previously handled by internal IT staff.
On paper, this sounds great. There’s great economy and efficiency. And, managed services by nature are proactive, identifying and fixing pending problems in areas ranging from server capacity to security before they become operating meltdowns. Plus, routine administrative functions can be automated. That, in turn, drives higher productivity and morale, and ultimately benefits the bottom line.
And, managed services contracts often are based on a flat monthly fee, making costs predictable in the recession. To select and stay on top of a managed services program, get clear with yourself, and get very specific with a prospective provider about what you want and expect. Decide on a budget range first, because this will drive remaining recommendations.
Among potential services are:
- Overall IT infrastructure evaluation. This provides a bird’s eye view of how your overall system is doing, highlights potential problem areas, assesses how your capacity is looking, and identifies areas for upgrade planning;
- Hardware/software review. This examines how best to allocate current and new system resources;
- “Early warning” system development. Proactive monitoring can forecast such failures as a critical server running out of hard drive space—so that you can bolster the system without any productivity loss;
- Security/unauthorized use audits and fixes. This addresses such problems as attempted access by unauthorized users, high-bandwidth interactive games, and illegal peer-to-peer file sharing;
- Conducting “triage.” This involves the right people stepping in right away when a network problem arises, helping ensure that glitches don’t become Goliaths;
- Documentation. A detailed site-level inventory provides up-to-date hardware and software information that can be used for insurance claims in the event of a flood, fire or theft.
By utilizing managed services, a company can help ensure managing its operation for optimum productivity through uncertain and rough times.
(This article is adapted from Gene Smith’s April Denver Business Journal column. As the recession forces companies to re-evaluate IT expenditures, find out how to do more with less at our Wednesday, Oct. 28 Business Leaders FREE webinar from noon-1 pm. Among topics to be addressed are: the top 5 unnecessary IT spends, getting the most from what you already have, forming IT plans around business plans, and IT purchases that pay. To register for this webinar offered by Denver-based Mission Critical Systems, click here.)
Tags: Article, IT Management, IT Services, Managed Services
