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As the tech landscape changes, businesses must accelerate their digital transformation strategies to deliver measurable benefits for their target audience. The problem is that most companies lack the IT capabilities, resources, or time to balance their business requirements with technology needs. Traditional IT infrastructures are costly to maintain as they drain resources much faster, hinder innovation, and make companies vulnerable to security risks.
The question is, “How can organizations tackle such issues in the modern business environment?” The answer is cloud-managed services, a more intelligent and innovative way to streamline IT processes and handle key business applications. If businesses want to succeed in the digital age, cloud-managed services must be considered a strategic need.
What are Cloud-Managed Services?
Cloud-managed services, or managed cloud, is an ecosystem, service, or application managed by third-party organizations in the cloud. It includes various IT tasks such as help desk support, operations management, engineering on-demand, cost optimization, performance management, financial management, and security and compliance governance. These services involve partial or complete control and management of an enterprise cloud platform including cloud management, deployment, maintenance, optimization, and migration.
Why do Organizations need Cloud-Managed Services?
Modern enterprises need cloud-managed services to support technological innovation (AI, ML, Agentic AI), development, and effectiveness. These services act as an intermediate between businesses and the cloud, covering various processes like resource optimization, supply, security, and cost management. According to research, the global market for cloud-managed services will increase at a CAGR of 13.6% from 2023 to 2030.
By redirecting cloud management security to professionals like MSPs (managed service providers), businesses can better utilize their internal resources for core operations. It will also offer a strong security control and compliance layer, which will help them protect their sensitive data from cyber threats. Managed cloud services can also streamline operations and make it easier to implement agile solutions to meet the requirements of modern businesses. According to statistics, 87% of businesses have already employed MSPs or plan to do so.
What are the Top 5 Business Benefits of Cloud-Managed Services?
Cloud managed services offer various business benefits that are given below:
Cost-Saving
Businesses can access tools and resources when they actually need them, which is the best way to enable cost savings. By investing in cloud-managed services, companies no longer have to spend time, money, or other resources hiring an in-house expert IT resource and then training them to reduce churn. Also, they can negate upfront investments and streamline monthly operational bills by opting for a pay-per-use model.
Assured Cloud Security
Partnering with cloud-managed service providers provides companies with next-gen cybersecurity support to protect sensitive information and operations from attacks. The service provider will use their knowledge to strengthen the IT infrastructure to minimize the risks of leaking sensitive data to cybercriminals. They will implement necessary security controls (encryption, multi-factor authentication, antivirus software, etc.) to upscale business security and enhance attack detection and mitigation processes.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR)
A few years ago, the pandemic opened everyone’s eyes to the fact that an unexpected event can bring any business to a standstill. With cloud-managed services, businesses can stay operational despite any disaster (natural and man-made), server crash, or hacking attempts. Businesses can regularly back up their data onto the cloud and safeguard it while ensuring business continuity.
Automatic Upgrades
It is a given fact that any infrastructure can become outdated if frequent updates aren’t performed. Cloud infrastructure receives frequent upgrades, which makes it difficult to maintain and upgrade IT systems in-house. Managed cloud infrastructure, on the other hand, assures businesses with up-to-date infrastructure and recent security patches when needed. The automatic upgrades promote innovation, improve server security, and mitigate downtime.
Easy to Scale
Cloud-managed services are highly scalable and allow businesses to meet the rising demand for digital services and products regardless of the time of day or season of the year. The cloud-managed service provider will manage the scalability of the storage and compute resources, while businesses can ignore issues like slow rollouts, costly infrastructure management, limited spaces, etc.
What are the Best Practices to Implement Cloud-Managed Services?
Cloud-managed services implementation demands a systematic approach for smooth integration and maximum performance. The following are some of the best practices that businesses should follow:
- A Cloud Center of Excellence must consist of individuals who are experts in cloud computing, security, operations, and architecture.
- Cloud implementation involves tech advancements and changing the way business operates. They must analyze how it will affect current processes, workflows, compliances, security, data management, and overall organizational structure.
- Encourage staff to adopt cloud technology and provide them with training and resources to hone their skills.
- Plan the cloud migration of apps, data, and work processes in multiple phases. Start with non-critical data or simple apps, then move towards mission-critical systems.
- Implement cost management practices by analyzing resource utilization and areas of cost savings, leveraging auto-scaling, and deploying cost-tracking tools and a pay-as-you-go model to maximize ROI on cloud spending.
- Utilize an effective cloud data management strategy to store, organize, and protect cloud data. It will cover data backup, encryption, recovery, and privacy laws to ensure the integrity and availability of cloud data.
- Combine both cloud and on-premises resources to run an integrated and seamless IT ecosystem and leverage maximum scalability, cost-effectiveness, and performance.
What are the Key Considerations When Choosing a Managed Cloud Service Provider?
Selecting the right managed cloud service provider from a pool of experts can be tricky for an organization’s success. Let’s look at some of the parameters that can help you make informed decisions when partnering with a cloud service provider:
- A service provider should have a proper track record and experience of reliability and stability. Go through client testimonials and case studies to measure their success rate.
- The provider should have clear SLAs aligned with details like uptime guarantees, response time support, and performance metrics. They must also clearly understand the penalties they may face for not meeting the SLAs.
- A provider offering round-the-clock cloud support would be beneficial if an issue arises during unpredictable hours. Make sure to clearly understand the expertise of the support staff in resolving issues.
- Verify the security measures implemented by the service provider (encryption, disaster recovery plans, and access controls). The provider must comply with relevant regulations, such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR, and more.
How can Tx Assist with Cloud Managed Services Implementation?
As one of the leading digital assurance and quality engineering companies, Tx can assist with cloud migration, management, and security testing to help you identify, manage, and reduce risks in your cloud environments. Our customizable solutions can fit your specific business requirements and ensure robust security and compliance with industry standards. Our expertise allows our clients to capitalize on the benefits of microservices architecture, supporting rapid DevOps deployment, development, and updates. We use next-gen tools to validate your business apps’ security, functionality, and performance, along with:
- Enhanced security and compliance assurance.
- Business continuity, data protection, and disaster recovery.
- Optimal resource utilization and scalability.
- Continuous integration and improved accuracy.
Summary
Cloud-managed services are being used by businesses more and more to improve cost effectiveness, expedite digital transformation, and streamline IT operations. Third-party providers of cloud-managed services provide a calculated way to increase security, streamline procedures, and expand operations. Best practices like creating a Cloud Center of Excellence, implementing cloud migrations gradually, and effectively managing costs are necessary for putting these services into action. Businesses can guarantee safe, scalable cloud environments while preserving compliance and optimizing performance by choosing Texas. Get in touch with our professionals right now to find out how Tx can assist.
