Cloud computing has been instrumental in helping businesses adapt to the new working conditions set by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It’s easy to see why, considering that the cloud offers businesses on-demand technology resources, boundless scalability, and the ability to work from any location with an internet connection. Experts even predict that global spending for public cloud services and infrastructure will reach approximately $500 billion by 2023.
However, as small- and medium-sized businesses in Chicago, Tampa, and the wider United States deploy a growing variety of cloud applications and platforms, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage cloud environments effectively. This is where cloud managed services come in.
What are cloud managed services?
Many organizations that want to utilize the cloud often fail to see a significant return on their investment because they don’t effectively manage their cloud environments. Designing, building, maintaining, and safeguarding cloud environments require special skill sets and resources that many in-house IT departments just don’t have.
Cloud managed services fill these skill gaps by taking care of all the technical aspects related to cloud computing. These include system administration, cybersecurity, network monitoring, application management, data backup, IT support, and cloud vendor negotiations.
Benefits of cloud managed services
Ultimately, partnering with a cloud managed services provider (MSP) lets you get more out of your cloud investments and improve your operations. Here are some of the things your business can achieve with cloud managed services:
1. Optimize infrastructure management
Cloud MSPs give your company access to robust network infrastructures without having to design, deploy, and maintain one yourself. While service level agreements will vary depending on the provider, most MSPs monitor your networks around the clock for issues and address them right away to ensure your cloud environment is running optimally at all times.
Other infrastructure management services they typically provide include patch management, internet bandwidth optimization, resource provisioning, data migration, and cloud software configurations. First-rate MSPs even analyze your existing business practices and solutions so they can customize your cloud environment in a way that aligns with your company goals. For example, if your company data is sprawled out across multiple cloud services and applications, cloud MSPs can consolidate everything into a centralized database. From there, employees can access everything they need in one place while you get a unified view of user activity, application usage, and more.
By entrusting day-to-day infrastructure management responsibilities to a cloud MSP, you can free up in-house IT staff to concentrate on long-term strategies that drive business growth.
2. Mitigate cybersecurity and compliance risks
Similar to traditional IT infrastructures, cloud environments also come with their fair share of cybersecurity risks. Cybercriminals can infiltrate cloud systems by exploiting vulnerable networks and outdated applications, spreading malware, committing identity theft, and hijacking accounts, just to name a few. If you don’t address these risks and a security breach does occur, your company is liable to lose thousands of dollars due to data loss, downtime, reputational damage, and noncompliance with industry regulations.
Cloud MSPs protect you from security incidents with real-time networking security monitoring, identity and access management software, multifactor authentication, endpoint protection software, and data loss prevention policies. Other providers will also go the extra mile and offer security training to prevent data breaches caused by human error.
3. Get a responsive support team
Top cloud MSPs are available 24/7 to respond to support calls and efficiently address any incident that occurs. Depending on the cloud MSPs’ capabilities, the types of incidents they can fix can be anything from deployment misconfigurations and faulty cloud features to performance issues and cybersecurity breaches.
What’s more, cloud MSPs are equipped with powerful tools that enable them to remotely access networks and repair issues on the spot. If employees suddenly experience problems with cloud accounting software and databases, for instance, all you need to do is call the provider so they can fix the problem right away. Of course, if the problem stems from a local server issue, capable cloud MSPs are able to dispatch support technicians within the day.
4. Facilitate data backup and recovery
With cloud managed services, the provider stores your data across a network of highly resilient cloud servers. This way, if a cloud server fails, another server hosting your backups takes its place so you still have access to your data in case of a natural disaster or data breach. Cloud MSPs also routinely back up your documents and test recovery procedures so you never have to redo your work and ensure your operations can continue with minimal downtime.
5. Control cloud costs
Instead of spending over $100,000 to hire and train an in-house engineer to manage cloud environments, you merely spend a fraction of that amount when you partner with a cloud MSP. In fact, cloud managed services are billed on a flat-rate subscription model, which means you just have to pay a single fee per month for the support and expertise you need.
The fees vary depending on the cloud service and number of users, making it easy to control your cloud management costs every month. If you experience a spike in customers using your cloud platform in one month, you can ramp up spending to get additional support and scale it back down when you need to. Cloud managed services can flexibly adjust to your budget, plus you can always opt out of the service at any time.
The best part about subscribing to cloud managed services is that it gives you access to a team of engineers at your fingertips. Dynamics Solutions Group, in particular, has technicians who specialize in several areas of cloud management, including migrations, cybersecurity, and system maintenance. In other words, you get more bang for your buck with a cloud MSP compared to an in-house hire.
6. Interface with cloud vendors
Cloud MSPs act as intermediaries between you and various cloud vendors like Microsoft to ensure you receive the service you deserve. When there’s something wrong with your cloud service, cloud MSPs analyze the root cause of the issue and attempt to troubleshoot problems before escalating it to the cloud vendor. Since many cloud MSPs work closely with vendors, they can easily communicate the technical details of their analysis and ask the right questions on how to resolve the issue.
Some providers even leverage their partnerships with vendors to give you the best deals on new cloud services. Much like a professional IT consultant, cloud MSPs take the time to understand your unique business needs and recommend cloud solutions that improve your operations like workflow automation or a new collaboration app.
Dynamics Solutions Group is a leading cloud MSP that offers unparalleled support, infrastructure management, and data security for businesses in Chicago and Tampa. If you need someone to simplify the management of your cloud environment, give us a call.
