A company’s IT systems are some of the most significant parts of how functional the business is, with more coherent systems indicating the potential for efficiency. However, creating a coherent technical platform as one small business can be a serious challenge.
That’s where Managed IT Services Providers come in. Learn more about what Managed IT Services are, some of the major trends in Managed IT Services and how to take advantage of all the opportunities they have to offer.
What are Managed IT Services?
Managed IT services refer to IT tasks that are handled by a third party that sits outside the company. This is an effective way of removing the workload that members of staff within the company have and guaranteeing that every task is completed by someone with expertise in the topic.
Different organisations look for different “modules” or specific parts of managed services depending on the industries they work in, evolving as the company’s needs grow and the technological opportunities develop.
What are Managed IT Service Providers?
Managed IT service providers, or simply MSPs, develop managed IT services, working closely with companies to create a bespoke set of services for their unique needs. As every business is individual and differs from its competition, having an attentive MSP can be the difference between profitable businesses and those with unstable behind-the-scenes support.
Key Trends in Managed IT Services
There are a few key trends that you need to look out for when choosing and tailoring managed IT services. These not only affect the quality of managed IT services that you receive, but help you to prepare your systems for the challenges ahead and ultimately work more productively. Some of the key trends to make the most of in IT services include:
Comprehensive Analytics
Data is an underlying foundation of modern business, with companies collecting data based on their customers’ demographics, purchasing history, product preferences and even the likelihood of engaging with the business’ content.
Managed IT services make using analytics a much quicker and easier process, as an experienced third party with expertise in using and assessing data is collecting the information and reporting back to the company on it. By jumping on this trend you have the opportunity to find spaces in the market and take advantage of them, getting a competitive edge over other companies in your industry.
Better Cloud Integration
The cloud is one of the most significant developments in the past few decades of computing, moving what previously would have been physical infrastructure into the online domain. Whilst this has been a trend for years now, it keeps growing and developing, providing management staff with more services to implement.
More specifically, the cloud has been a cornerstone of the transition towards working from home that has taken place in the past few years. People are able to use the cloud to connect to services previously only available in the workplace, increasing flexibility and helping companies to adapt to changing needs.
You can learn more about a move to the cloud in our informative article Moving Your Business to the Cloud.
Hyper-converged Infrastructure
Effective managed services don’t just mean that all your IT systems are loosely connected, but they are drawing data from one another, informing decisions throughout the company. This ranges from informing procurement staff of when they need to order a product to letting managers know the number of people working on any given day.
By following the trend of more converged infrastructure, companies can work more effectively, reduce lag in their decision making and simplify their processes. This is essential to companies that are seeking efficiency savings or simply want to trim any dead weight.
Thorough Cybersecurity
As important as data is becoming to businesses, cybersecurity and data protection is just as essential. Investing in cybersecurity is a growing trend as data protection laws and guidelines such as GDPR come into force, leading to major penalties for anyone found to be in breach of these policies.
Whilst it’s not the most intriguing trend and it has very clear goals with little flexibility, it is one that any responsible company should pay attention to. This includes boosting data security at a hardware and software level, in addition to using education throughout your company to limit the chance of data breaches.
Increased Automation
Automation and artificial intelligence are growing features of a lot of sectors of the software industry, with plenty of companies using artificial intelligence for better decision-making and implementing automation to remove a significant proportion of staff members’ workloads.
Product procurement is one major area of work that this happens in, with companies setting parameters for when they order items to ensure that they don’t run out of goods. Right now machine learning and AI look like a trend, but it’s a trend that will keep building in years to come and become a fixture of software services.
Constant Evolution
Moore’s Law states that transitions on a microchip double every two years, half in cost and half in size. This means that IT services are constantly evolving, increasing in processing power and providing companies with more opportunities, especially in tech-intensive sectors.
Managed service providers spend their time researching any emerging technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, before working with their clients on effective ways of implementing these systems in the workplace. If you’re worried about a business falling behind the curve, this step is a necessity.
Pay Attention to Managed IT Service Trends
There are plenty of benefits that companies can experience when they make full use of managed IT service trends, adding to the existing advantages that organisations see when they pull all of their IT systems into one place.
Not only can companies save more money than they would with dispersed systems, but there is plenty more room for innovation in the business and opportunities to evolve in the future alongside growing technology. Do your research and implement bold changes so you can grasp all the opportunities IT infrastructure has for you.
Why choose Eventura as your Managed IT Service Provider?
Eventura has been providing managed IT services to countless customers for 20 years. Our talented team of people can help you identify all your businesses IT needs and engineer bespoke IT solutions that have real-world benefits to your business.
We are also NetSuite Solution Providers and Sage 200 Business Partners, offering game-changing ERP solutions crafted to automate and streamline business processes.
If you would like to speak to one of our experts, you can request a free call back here.
