With the global managed services market expected to reach nearly $400 billion in 2025,1 it’s clear that businesses are increasingly turning to managed services to handle everything from network issues to cloud complexities and more. However, managed services come in many forms, and understanding the different types and how to choose the right one for your company is critical for optimizing your IT strategy.
In this blog, we’ll break down the most common types of managed services and share tips to help you determine which is best for your organization’s technology needs.
What Are Managed Services?
Managed services involve partnering with a third-party provider, referred to as a managed service provider (MSP), to handle specific IT functions. MSPs deliver these services proactively – often on a subscription basis – to ensure continuous management, monitoring, and maintenance of your IT infrastructure.
The goal is to improve operational efficiency, minimize downtime, and boost security while allowing in-house IT teams to prioritize strategic initiatives rather than day-to-day IT management.
Types of Managed Services
Take a look at some common types of managed services and how they can benefit your business:
1. Managed Network Services
Managed network services take care of your company's network infrastructure, including LANs, WANs, and other network-related tasks. These services are designed to keep your network running smoothly and efficiently at all times.
Managed network services cover a range of network functions, including:
- Network Monitoring: Continuous monitoring to detect and address network issues before they impact business operations.
- Security Management: Implementation of firewalls and other security measures to protect the network from threats.
- Bandwidth Management: Optimizing bandwidth usage to prevent bottlenecks and ensure high-performance connectivity.
- Infrastructure Management: Overseeing network hardware and software, including routers, switches, and access points.
Leveraging managed network services can help you improve network performance and reduce downtime – a must, considering 46% of multi-location businesses experience network problems one to three times a month.2
2. Managed Cloud Services
As more businesses migrate to the cloud, managed cloud services are becoming increasingly important. Managed services for the cloud include:
- Cloud Migration: Assisting with the seamless migration of data, applications, and workloads to the cloud.
- Cloud Optimization: Continuously optimizing cloud resources to ensure cost-effectiveness and performance.
- Cloud Security: Implementing security measures to protect cloud-based data and applications from breaches and other threats.
- Multi-Cloud Management: Overseeing and integrating multiple cloud platforms for optimal performance and flexibility.
Managed cloud services make it easier to harness the full potential of cloud technology without the complexity of managing it in-house.
3. Managed IT Support Services
Managed IT support services provide comprehensive support for all your IT needs. These services aim to ensure your systems run smoothly and any issues are resolved quickly.
Managed IT support services often include:
- Help Desk Support: Providing 24/7 support to resolve technical issues that employees may encounter.
- IT Infrastructure Management: Managing and maintaining servers, workstations, and other IT infrastructure components.
- Software Updates and Patch Management: Ensuring all systems and software are up to date with the latest patches to prevent vulnerabilities.
With managed IT support services, you can reduce IT-related disruptions, improve employee productivity, and ensure your technology aligns with your business needs.
4. Managed Security Services
Data breaches increased by 72% in 2023,3 making security a top priority for businesses this year. Managed security services protect your organization from a wide range of cyber threats through comprehensive solutions, such as:
- Threat Detection and Response: Identifying and responding to cyber threats in real-time to minimize damage.
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): Collecting and analyzing data from various sources to identify potential security issues.
- Compliance Management: Ensuring that your IT infrastructure complies with industry-specific regulations and standards.
Managed security services act as a digital shield for your business, providing around-the-clock protection and peace of mind.
5. Managed Communication Services
Communication is critical to any business, and managed communication services ensure that your communication systems are always operational and secure. Managed communication services may include:
- VoIP Management: Managing and maintaining VoIP systems to ensure clear, reliable voice communication.
- Unified Communications: Integrating multiple communication tools, such as voice, instant messaging, and video conferencing, into a single platform.
- Collaboration Tools Management: Ensuring that collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack are optimized for productivity and security.
Managed communication services optimize your communication infrastructure to enhance team collaboration, improve customer service, and support remote work initiatives.
Tips for Choosing the Right Managed Services
Selecting the right managed services for your business requires careful consideration. Here are some tips to help guide your decision:
Assess Your IT Needs
Take a close look at your IT infrastructure and identify areas where you need additional support or expertise. Consider whether your IT team has the capacity to manage certain functions or if outsourcing would be more beneficial.
Define Your Business Goals
Align your choice of managed services with your broader business objectives. If strengthening security is a top priority, focus on managed security services. If you're planning to scale your business, consider incorporating managed cloud services into your strategy.
Prioritize Scalability
Choose managed services that can grow with your business. Your MSP should be able to handle increasing demands without compromising on quality or performance as your organization expands.
Evaluate Provider Expertise
Look for an MSP with a proven track record in delivering the types of managed services you need. Check their experience, client testimonials, and industry certifications to ensure they have the expertise needed to support your business effectively.
Focus on Customization
Every business is unique, so it's important to choose an MSP that offers tailored solutions. Avoid one-size-fits-all approaches and opt for services that can be customized to your industry, size, and specific requirements.
Simplify Your Network Management With TailWind
Managed services enable businesses to access cutting-edge technology and expertise without the burden of managing complex IT systems in-house. Whether you run a small startup or a multi-location enterprise, the right managed services can provide the scalability, flexibility, and support needed to grow in today's ever-evolving tech landscape.
TailWind offers multi-location enterprises comprehensive network management services designed to ensure seamless operations across your entire network infrastructure. Our NOCaaS (network operations center as a service) solution goes beyond traditional managed services, providing a local, scalable, accountable, and complete approach to solving your network problems quickly – or helping you avoid them altogether.
Ready to simplify your enterprise IT with NOCaaS? Connect with the TailWind team today.
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