The term “Managed Services” is another of those phrases that seems to come up over and over again when considering technology solutions. Is there really a difference between “Managed Services” and “Cloud Computing” or “Software as a Service”? Yes and no. All of those terms refer to the idea that a third party will deliver something; it’s just a question of what will be delivered and how it will occur.
In the real world, a great deal of time and energy seems to be spent dissecting the micro-level differences between service providers. Small differences in the published amount of overall data center storage or bandwidth available tend to dominate and confuse the decision making process. What really matters is whether a provider can deliver services that will get the job done, and do so for the right price.
Getting the job done implies that the service is secure, reliable, accessible, etc. This is where the fixation on the details comes in. There really are few metrics out there to judge whether a service is worth using, other than some general marketing fluff and a pile of ultra-specific technical specifications from the providers.
Managed Services offer great promise because they can potentially save money and free you from the very involved process of constantly upgrading your own systems. This comes with the risk of trusting a third party to deliver what they’ve promised and to do so in a cost-effective and reliable manner.
As time goes on, more and more companies will make decisions about how managed services fit into their overall technology solutions. This will inevitably lead to a consensus about which offerings are worth using. Until the typical path is more defined, the most important considerations for the integration of Managed Services should be heavily risk/reward based. Tread carefully, backup all critical data, and make sure you leave yourself with options while evaluating offerings.
Author Tim O’Connell
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