Companies remain on the lookout for options to offer improvements in every aspect, from the services they offer to their customers, to the security of the platforms they use to perform their jobs.
But it’s at this last point where tasks can get complicated. Keeping systems running accurately is something that requires a team that acts constantly and immediately on the potential risks to which the system is exposed.
In order to do this, many companies resort to teams external to them to take care of the security of the systems they use on a daily basis: the well-known Managed Service Providers, abbreviated as MSP.
Managed Service Providers (MSPs): a security alternative
Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are several teams that work remotely and independently to provide their services under subscription, so that companies can have a secure infrastructure for their systems.
The way service providers work varies depending on what they are going to do, whether it is installing new programs, updating systems or integrating new processes.
Although they work remotely, when there are problems or inconveniences in the company’s interfaces or programs, their way of paying for their services is not the traditional way of paying for the operation performed. Instead, managed service providers sign contracts with companies to charge a monthly fee; that is, they provide their services on a monthly subscription basis.
This remote system administration (RMM) allows providers to focus on more than one project at a time. In their locations they have virtual tools that are useful to them to carry out their work in a faster and more efficient way.
This new alternative for the support of business systems has permeated the market for all its benefits. However, the traditional way of supporting the systems presents great competition for them, as the inclusion of the new way of working requires companies to change the parameters to which they are accustomed and adapt to new computer or technological models that go hand in hand or are familiar to the MSPs.
It is worth pointing out that, although their focus is on providing remote assistance, managed service providers often have members on their teams who work under the break/fix method, which means that they do manual work on the teams of the companies where they tumble and rebuild the systems, programs or interfaces.
What is the MSP target?
Managed service providers do not limit their assistance to specific groups, but it is true that the most recurrent customers can be classified into three types of companies.
Small businesses
These are the ones that resort to the services of the MSPs most frequently, because they have small work teams and limited personnel for each task, the option of having a support for their systems that does not occupy their spaces and operates remotely is very viable.
Medium Businesses
For reasons similar to those of small businesses, midsize companies turn to managed service providers to avoid relying on IT capabilities, and also because having service providers extends their experience of working with partners in a limited way, without the need for personal relationships.
Large Enterprises
Although large companies have the resources and space to have IT departments, the MSP alternative is becoming more and more frequent to complement the face-to-face work team.
In addition, by having an on-site team and a remote team, while one is responsible for providing solutions, the other can prevent failures or problems in the systems.
Managed service providers are a new monitoring option to provide stability and security to the systems that companies so that these are not interrupted in their day to day.
As in every market, there are always new challenges and new terrains for MSPs to develop, and the current one you are facing is online storage or cloud storage.
In data clouds there is a high risk of vulnerability, because their security parameters, although usually strong, are easily knocked down by the lack of continuous monitoring, so managed service providers have a new field large enough to continue growing.
