MSP Optimizes IT Department

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Seamless IT Department with Managed Services

By Kelly Cronin
Every business is busy - creating unavoidable opportunities for mistakes.  Many departments can get overlooked, including IT.  The problem is, even if you don't quite realize it, your IT department is the very foundation of  your entire business.  All your company data, communication tools, and service platforms are reliant on a sturdy IT department.
IT departments can be tricky, with a lot of difficulty in hiring the right people and avoiding turnover.  That's where a Managed Services Provider (MSP) comes in. Whether you completely outsource your IT department, or simply collaborate and combine your IT with an MSP, having managed services can completely transform your business, without a lot of work on your end.

Worry-free Reliability

A managed services provider will never leave you in times of need.  With an outside IT department, there will always be an IT professional available to help manage your business needs. No need to worry about who will take over while your only IT guy is on a week-long cruise in Hawaii.

Growing Expertise

An MSP has IT professionals with incredible experience.  Working with multiple clients and industries, you can be sure they have dealt with the latest technology and the best practices for each different business.  Having an experienced professional working with your business can allow you to make knowledgeable decisions about your software and hardware, as well as other business practices and techniques.

Reduce Risk

If an individual employee has complete access to your IT, but ends up not working out, are you sure they won't create problems with your IT when they leave?  An MSP allows you to have more than just one or a few individuals manning your company data, meaning you can protect your company no matter who stays or goes. Reduce the risk of company damage by using an outside IT department to protect your company.

Managed Solution is a full-service technology firm that empowers business by delivering, maintaining and forecasting the technologies they’ll need to stay competitive in their market place. Founded in 2002, the company quickly grew into a market leader and is recognized as one of the fastest growing IT Companies in Southern California.

 

We specialize in providing full managed services to businesses of every size, industry, and need.

 

Learn more about managed services provided by Managed Solution


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Contact Us at 800-790-1524 to Learn More!

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Cloud services now account for a third of IT outsourcing market

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Cloud services now account for a third of IT outsourcing market

By Stephanie Overby as written on cio.com
In the latest reflection of cloud computing’s impact on the IT services market, outsourcing consultancy Information Services Group (ISG) for the first time expanded its quarterly market index to look specifically at the as-a-service segment of IT and business process services industry.
The as-a-service market, which includes Infrastructure- and Software-as-a-Service (IaaS and SaaS) activity, now represents more than one third of the combined global market for sourcing services — nearly double its share from early 2014, according to ISG. And the firm predicts accelerated growth in the cloud computing segment longer term—both in absolute terms and relative to traditional sourcing activity—as more and more work is automated and moved to the cloud.
CIO.com talked John Keppel, President EMEA and Asia for ISG, about the rapid rise of cloud offerings, the especially sharp increase in IaaS deals, cloud’s new role in digital transformation, and the future prospects for traditional IT outsourcing market
CIO.com: It was already clear that the uptake of as-a-service offerings was rising rapidly. Were you surprised at how big a chunk of the business services market they had consumed?
John Keppel, President EMEA and Asia, ISG:I don’t think ‘surprised’ is exactly the right word.  We’ve known for some time now that the as-a-service sector has been eating into the market share of traditional service providers. How else to explain that contract counts are soaring, but contract values are remaining relatively stagnant in the traditional market? We knew anecdotally that a lot of client work was moving to the public cloud infrastructure and cloud software markets, and we also knew it was time to begin an empirical measurement of that growing shift. That’s why we decided to move beyond our initial examinations of this phenomenon and officially expand the coverage of our [index].
The drivers for cloud have changed noticeably over the past three years. Initially, cloud interest and adoption was concentrated primarily on cost reduction, in line with what we traditionally have seen as a driver for outsourcing. It was an evolutionary process up until about 18 months ago, when we began to see the real cloud revolution: using public cloud infrastructure and software to dramatically boost agility and grow the business.  More clients are taking the savings from deals created a few years ago and re-investing them into their digital transformation initiatives; indeed, the public cloud usually serves as the foundation for many of these emerging services.
CIO.com: Your report looks at all business services. What was traditional and as-a-service IT activity like in the second quarter?
Keppel: Taking a look at the combined market—that is, traditional sourcing and as-a-service activity—we saw overall market value decline 2 percent to $7.9 billion in the second quarter. Compared to the first quarter of 2016, the market was down 9 percent, but still within the healthy range of around $8 billion it has averaged over the last five quarters.

 

Looking for a partner in your business' managed services needs? Call us at 800-790-1524 to learn about all that we offer!

Complexity Will Drive Demand For Managed Services Providers

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Complexity Will Drive Demand For Managed Services Providers

By Mike Kavis as written on www.forbes.com
Technology has changed a lot over the years. Back in the mainframe days we had very standard architectures that were driven by a few vendors and managed by a few people. Developers had few choices when it came to infrastructure and programming languages. When we moved to the client server era, infrastructure configurations became much more dynamic and many enterprises adopted a three tier architecture. Developers could now choose from a variety of programming languages and specialists emerged within each layer of the architecture (web, application, database, middleware, etc.). This increase in complexity came with trade-offs. We now had greater flexibility in the types of applications we could build and the ability to deliver software with more velocity and at a lower cost. However, managing these n-tier architectures created more operational overhead and required a diverse set of skills to support the various layers.
As we enter the cloud era, complexity is at an all-time high and our trade-offs are more extreme than ever before. We can build incredible solutions at amazing scale. Both the software and infrastructure components of our architectures can be highly automated. We live in the world where everything can be delivered as a service and is available online, all the time.  In order to support the “always on” and auto scaling requirements that users have come to expect, the underlying architectures have become extremely complex.

IT_Complexity

Balancing agility and complexity

At the same time our architectures are increasing in complexity, the business is demanding speed to market like never before. Large ecosystems around cloud computing, mobile computing, big data solutions and the Internet of Things allow us to connect highly abstracted building blocks together and build highly available and extremely robust solutions in a fraction of the time. The architectures of cloud, mobile, and big data are highly distributed and the underlying infrastructure is both virtual and immutable. That is a radical change from when previously large, inflexible, physical architectures supported the software we built.
Today’s distributed architectures are made up of many moving parts. These architectures are elastic, meaning that they scale up and down horizontally by adding and subtracting virtual resources automatically. Building architectures of this nature is much more involved than in the vertical scaling world of mainframes and client server architectures where scaling meant adding bigger physical machines and components. Many engineers within today’s enterprises have years of experience dealing with vertical architectures, but very little experience in building horizontal architectures. Enterprises are traditionally very good at managing back office applications and building n-tier software. But when it comes to architectures that require high scalability and massively parallel processing, very few enterprises have the experience required to build those types of applications.
This creates the following dilemma.  The business sees an opportunity, whether it is a new revenue stream, a competitive advantage, or possibly a competitive threat, and requests that IT implements a new cloud, mobile, or big data solution. IT has very little expertise in this space yet still decides to build it themselves. They go through a long period of prototyping and learning. Many of these enterprises will fail to deliver or will deliver something subpar or very late. While IT is trying to wrap their arms around these new technologies, the business opportunity sits there idle and the opportunity costs start accumulating rapidly over time. To make matters worse, IT is spinning their wheels and consuming valuable time and money just to stand up clouds, mobile platforms, or big data databases before they can even begin to focus on building the applications and services that will provide the greatest value to the business. Much of the work that IT is trying to figure out is already a commodity that a whole host of vendors already provide out of the box as a service, or even as a completely managed service.

Giving up control to acquire value

IT traditionally wants to be in control of everything. Developers frequently want to build many things that are not a core competency. The problem I see in IT is they prioritize things like control and manageability far more than things like speed to market, customer satisfaction, agility, etc. We live in an era where time to market is one of the most critical value propositions in business. Get something to market quick, acquire customers, learn from those customers, and advance the product or service based on customer feedback. Going dark for 12-18 months as IT ramps up its skillset for the new technologies is not a winning formula. IT needs to understand that they should focus on delivering business value instead of trying to control every technology under the sun.

Where does IT add value?

The real value of IT is its deep understanding of the business and enabling business partners by providing them with cost effective technology solutions that can be delivered quickly and adjusted frequently. Building and managing commodity technologies adds time and costs to each project and ties up precious IT resources on tasks that add little to no value to the business. No wonder IT is often considered a cost center! My advice is to take a step back and build a business architecture diagram that lays out the core business services that your company offers. Then draw up a reference architecture that depicts all of the different IT services that are required to support those business services. Then, identify which of those IT services are core to your business and build those. Everything else should be outsourced to managed service providers or to various external services and products.

Summary

IT needs to stop being a control freak and figure out how to add value by quickly delivering on the company’s core services. IT should be focusing on being the best provider of the services that their customers demand. If that service happens to be providing data center services, then by all means focus on that. If not, don’t spend time building datacenters. The same goes for big data, mobile, and IoT. If the company’s core service is to be a provider of database services, mobile platforms, or sensor technology, then build those technologies. If not, find the vendors who deliver those services as a core competency and spend your time building your business services on top of it

 

Looking for a partner in your business' managed services needs? Call us at 800-790-1524 to learn about all that we offer!

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How to maximize ROI by outsourcing IT

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How to maximize ROI by outsourcing or blending with a managed services provider

Managing IT is no easy task. Challenges with IT professionals include a lot of turnover of IT employees, difficulty supporting the necessary training, and the expense of continued education to keep employees at the top of the industry.  Whether you completely outsource IT or create a Blended IT workforce, a managed service provider can save you time, money, and a whole lot of frustration.  To get the best out of your MSP, check out these tips:

Communicate your needs

Make sure to follow up with your managed services provider.  They are there to give you exactly what you need, and also what you want.  Communicate your goals and ideas so they can execute and implement them into your business. MSPs can be so much more than an outside IT department, and can often serve as your virtual CIO.  Take advantage of this by combining all of your skills with theirs to take your business to the next level.

Re-evaluate often

Meet up with your MSP on a regular basis. Consistently reviewing the overall state of your IT operations is important in resolving - and preventing - any issues.  Also checking up on your last period's operations efficiency, such as how many tickets went through, the average time of resolution, etc, can help you see exactly how your MSP is performing.  Your MSP should work with you to improve the functionality of your network by keeping up with reports.

Let them help you

MSPs are capable of providing valuable strategic advice, including planning future IT projects and upgrades, evaluating your network, systems, and workstations, and coming up with solutions to current or potential future IT problems. Come up with a clear, step-by-step backup and disaster recovery plan.  Work with your MSP to make sure they know what you will need, and you will know exactly what they can do for you, as well as what you will need to do in case of a disaster.  Test the backup process with your MSP to make sure the plan will work for both of you.

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Our Managed Services Portfolio includes offerings that cover a wide range of technology’s – choose from one of our packaged offerings or pick and choose the specific services and applications that fit your business needs. The first step will be a Network Assessment with one of our infrastructure experts that will provide you a network inventory analysis, identify any and all network issues and correlate data collected to provide you extensive insight into your network and its performance.

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5 Reasons Managed Services is Crucial to Your IT Strategy

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5 Reasons Managed Services is Crucial to your IT Strategy 

Development and implementation of a global IT strategy is crucial to further advancement of your organization’s ever-growing performance goals. However, this task is hindered by a stagnant or diminishing budget. It can be overwhelming for IT managers to maintain a feasible budget for their business in conjunction with ensuring the performance, security, and operational goals are met. Budgeting experts advocate a predictable cost model such as Managed Services.

Below are five reasons you can consider Managed Services as an integral component of your IT strategy.

1. Predictable Cost Structure 

Costs for an IT department include—but are not limited to—equipment, personnel, and training to keep up with industry standards. Managed Services incorporates these costs into one predictable monthly charge. With the expansion and evolution of your business this single monthly cost can be scaled to meet business demands and address out-of-scope work.

2. Advanced Risk Management 

The insurance industry calculates risk and promotes that insurance provides you with peace of mind. Managed Services reflects that very same assurance. Coverage can include:

3. A Shift in Focus to Your Core Business: 

Building and progressing a business has enough challenges as it is. Building and maintaining fundamental IT infrastructure can be just as daunting. Large IT companies choose to outsource their IT to a third-party to then concentrate on revenue-generating initiatives.

4. Future-Proof Strategy:

The future holds an abundance of technical challenges for the security and operation of your business. Delegating the task of maintaining infrastructure parallel to current industry developments gives you the opportunity to focus on other aspects of your organization.

Managed Services is staffed with specialists that handle both basic routers and firewalls so that the transition from one to the other can be a seamless and stress-free process for your network security. Let experts focus on your company’s adaptation to market demands, while you dedicate your time to growth and achievement.

5. Better Value: 

Value of your business operations is crucial to success and customer satisfaction. Value is the outcome that weighs your investments.

Managed Services models have evolved over time through the hard work and commitment of many integrators and providers. Dedication to the perfection of its delivery resulted in benefits and features that greatly contribute to the equilibrium and profit of your company. Lower monthly costs, constructive operations, expert skill sets, more stringent service level agreements (SLAs), and attractive service level objectives (SLOs), are just a few notable examples from an abundant list.

IT is at the core of most businesses; it is the underlying business engine. Your company could be investing substantial capital on building in-house operations for hardware, software, and the skills required to maintain them.

However, the onsite IT staff may be limited to certain operations that are less modern, and a lot rarer, than the wide-array of operations needed for Managed Services.

If you’re interested in easing the burden of cost management predictions in the midst of unpredictable requirements, consider Managed Services as your solution.

Interested in how Managed Services could work for you? Learn more here.

 

Service Provider CEO: VARs Will Become Tech ‘Brokers’: Sean Ferrel, described the evolution of managed service providers to managed cloud brokers at XChange Solution Provider 2016 in Los Angeles.

sean ferrel xchange speaker managed solutionSean Ferrel, presenting on the evolution of managed service providers to managed cloud brokers at XChange Solution Provider 2016 in Los Angeles.

Service Provider CEO: VARs Will Become Tech ‘Brokers’

By Joseph Tsidulko as written on itbestofbreed.com
VARs are becoming cloud brokers, pushing resources and services to their customers like Wall Street traders do with stocks, Sean Ferrel, CEO of San Diego-based Managed Solution, told attendees of XChange Solution Provider 2016 last week in Los Angeles.
As the public cloud becomes more commoditized, and the process of provisioning servers more automated, frequent workload migrations to optimize cost and performance will become the norm, Ferrrel said. He believes the channel should seize the opportunity to act as an intermediary between customers and the multi-cloud environments they provision.
"I think we're all going to be stockbrokers in the future, brokering software and hardware," Ferrel told XChange attendees at a breakout session of the conference, hosted by CRN parent The Channel Company.
"But it's really just another form of the same thing," he said.
Instead of selling a box, the channel will increasingly sell services through marketplaces, Ferrel said. And as managed cloud brokers, partners will remain essential to the distribution of technologies—by no stretch getting pushed out of the market, like some feared with the advent of cloud.
"The VAR channel (is) actually just being reinvented with cloud," Ferrel said.
He identified three components of a cloud brokerage model: intermediation, aggregation and arbitrage.
The channel can execute those three functions by facilitating deals between their enterprise customers and the cloud providers that offer the most suitable environments for specific workloads.
Many solution providers are already acting as intermediaries, aggregating clouds from multiple vendors, and calculating costs to direct customers to operators that will deliver savings.
When it comes to the performance of virtual machines, there's a good deal of parity among providers, Ferrel said. That's why "people were really most interested in best cost overall for the product."
And while much is made about vendor lock-in, that concern is lessening.
"Funny thing about vendor lock-in," Ferrel told attendees. There are "so many automated tools that can take an application in the cloud and push a button and move it to another one. Eventually it's going to be so easy to move between clouds."
And there will be plenty of profit to be made doing that, he said.
The evolving role of the channel comes as the consumption gap widens — with product feature and complexity going up faster than the customer's ability to consume those features, Ferrel said.
To close that gap, companies want to get software fast, migrate between environments fast, and constantly optimize their costs, he said.
"In clouds, they want cheaper, better, faster," Ferrel told attendees.
That's the market demand pushing the channel to a "more centralized resale model," with users being empowered with platforms they can use to initiate buys, under rules of corporate governance.
"You've always been a broker as a VAR," Ferrel told his peers. "Now you're just doing it in a little different way with some automation tools."

Source: http://www.itbestofbreed.com/article/service-provider-ceo-vars-will-become-tech-brokers

Managed Solution Honored as Top Provider in Billowing Cloud Business

Annual Report names Managed Solution in top 100 Cloud Computing Companies
September 9, 2015, SAN DIEGO - Talkin’ Cloud’s 5th Annual Report names Managed Solution in top 100 of the World’s Top Cloud Computing Companies in the IT Channel.
The Talkin’ Cloud 100 list is based on data from Talkin’ Cloud’s online survey, conducted January through May 2015 and recognizes top cloud service providers based on such metrics as annual cloud services revenue growth (both in actual dollars and in percentage growth rates), and input from Penton Technology’s Channel editors.
Managed Solution, a highly honored and tenured managed services company and pioneer in managed, utility-based cloud computing, along with 99 other CSPs generated more than $30 billion in cloud services revenues in 2014, up nearly 29 percent over what they reported the previous year.
As a technology company that empowers business, we are extremely honored to be recognized by Talkin’ Cloud for our efforts in creating viable business outcomes for our customers with the latest available cloud-architected solutions, said Sean Ferrel, CEO Managed Solution. “We will continue to invest in our customers by putting our time and resources into being the premiere source for business-based cloud solutions that support our clients productivity and bottom line.”
“On behalf of Penton and Talkin’ Cloud, I would like to congratulate Managed Solution for its recognition as a Talkin’ Cloud 100 honoree,” said Nicole Henderson, Editor in Chief, Talkin’ Cloud. “The industry is changing at a rapid pace and the Talkin’ Cloud 100 companies consistently demonstrate an agility and flexibility that sets them apart. They do so with innovation, via strategic partnerships, and through their commitment to providing superior customer experiences.”
Talkin’ Cloud, produced by Penton, is the go-to resource for CSPs, VARs and MSPs profiting from cloud computing. Talkin’ Cloud features news, research, Channel Expert Hour Webcasts, FastChat videos and more. It is the first online media destination for channel partners working in the cloud.
In addition to honoring Managed Solution, this year’s Talkin’ Cloud 100 report profiles:
The full report is available now by visiting http://www.talkincloud.com/tc100.

About Managed Solution

Managed Solution is the premier provider of outsourced IT support and managed services for small to large size businesses. Founded in 2002, the company quickly grew into a market leader and is recognized as one of the fastest growing IT Companies in Southern California. Managed Solution continues to deliver award-winning services paired with leading business technologies to assist clients in running their business efficiently.

About Penton’s channel brands

Penton’s channel brands (www.penton.com), define emerging IT markets and disrupt established IT markets. The brands’ channel-centric online communities include MSPmentor (www.MSPmentor.net), The VAR Guy (www.TheVARguy.com), Talkin’ Cloud (www.TalkinCloud.com) and the WHIR (http://www.thewhir.com).

About Penton

Penton drives performance for more than eighteen million professionals each and every day. They rely on us to deliver: Insights, information, data & workflow tools to inform critical business decisions; networking & community to engage them with industry peers & partners; and marketing services to advance their business performance & deliver ROI.
Penton is a growth company with a track-record of strong performance and success and is backed by its co-owners: MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP.
For additional information on the company and its businesses, visit www.penton.com.
Managed Solution Press Contacts:
Jackie Luper, Vice President of Marketing jluper@managedsolution.com
Danielle Hamra, Creative Marketing Strategist dhamra@managedsolution.com
Penton Press Contacts:
Nicole Henderson, Editor in Chief, Talkin’ Cloud
nicole.henderson@penton.com