Showing posts with label it services. Show all posts
Showing posts with label it services. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

IT Managed Service Providers May Be Great Cost Effective Solutions

IT managed service providers can be extremely beneficial to the client receiving the services as well as attractive to businesses providing the services. The most well known example of managed IT services is that of the managed dedicated server where all technical changes as well as the physical server are taken care of by the service provider. IT management as a service has begun to receive notice and acceptance well beyond the simple managed server from both providers and from clients.

In the digital age physical presence is not necessary for effective IT management. IT costs can fluctuate from month to month expenses with a managed solution can be fixed, while service levels can improve. This allows any company to budget IT department expenses from month to month and also avoid the expense of maintaining a large in house staff.

Almost every business uses their IT department in a different way and a managed solution allows the company access to experts in their area without the expense of attempting to locate and retain these experts. Providers are finding the idea of managed services attractive as well since they gain the added benefits of a stable and predictable income as well as familiarity with each client which usually results in better service.

Some sectors of IT are more difficult to market than others and more groundwork and careful marketing must be done. Other sectors are very fertile ground for IT managed services as the prospective client base has been introduced to the concept by way of similar services. There are also specific governmental regulations that should be considered in the planning stage for any provider such as regulations for data storage and backup.

Security of data has always been a high priority for businesses and the potential market for managed services of this type is very large, particularly in small and medium sized businesses. Website hosting and data storage are also areas which tend to meet less sales resistance from the clients. Obviously these are not the only managed services which can be beneficial to both the customer and the provider but these areas have already gained wide acceptance.

The concept of managed website servers is well established and customers view these cost effective solutions as almost a necessity because they no longer need worry about maintaining server security or learning an entirely new field. The customer instead concerns themselves with sales and service. Outsourcing is becoming a very common practice for many types of services and the more widespread it becomes the less resistance the provider will usually encounter when offering these services.

Desktop as a service, software as a service and even infrastructure as a service have introduced customers to an entire new world of managed services which are cost effective and time savers as well. Both small companies and larger corporations find benefit in these service solutions. While not every potential customer is yet won over, the numbers increase daily.

With the right amount of marketing of the correct type it has been possible for service providers who formerly worked on an as needed basis to shift their focus to providing managed IT services. The benefits for both the service provider and the client are multiple. Once a client has been secured, those first months of service can cement customer loyalty.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Understanding The IT Managed Services Team

If one looks closely at IT managed services, one can understand that it is an area where information technology management is key. Although, some individuals do not understand the many different process which exist as part of such a system. Therefore, if one is interested in becoming involved in IT, often one has to go through a great deal of education and training in order to do so.

 

In order to succeed however, one must understand the various applications and processes that the managed services team uses and the service such a team provides. Of course, one function is to upload any security patches or software upgrades so that clients can download such data to their site remotely. In addition, often these individuals are key in staying connected with client personnel through a virtual network. In doing so, both companies can see a great deal of savings on time and travel as a benefit to such application. However, with as quickly as technology progresses today, especially with all the new applications and processes associated with net books and smart phones, it can often be hard to stay ahead of technology when it comes to knowledge regarding same. Still, the more one can stay on top of new trends, the better chance one has of landing a job in IT both now and in the future. For, as technology advances, so too other areas of science and technology. Therefore, there is no doubt that individuals with knowledge are going to be some of the most powerful individuals in the world of IT.

 

 

Of course, if one wants to sell customers on products, security patches or software upgrades, one is going to need to know the benefits which the various applications can provide as well as the applications. In addition, one need understand the different processes related to automatic downloads and how to turn such automatic processing both on and off through the computer control panel so that one can still download data more quickly and allow automatic updates when and where possible to avoid missing any important security patches or software upgrades. However, one may still want to check the manufacturer website on a regular basis to assure that such a patch or upgrade has not come through while automatic updates were turned off.

 

Although, the phrase IT managed services has been around, basically since the inception of the Internet, it is not a proprietary phrase and at this point and time does not belong to anyone as a copyright. So, for now, many companies have labeled their IT personnel as part of an IT managed services department or team. To this end, individuals in this line of work often provide a great many functions related to Internet technologies over a large platform.

 

Another function within the field of IT management is a process focused system which is focused on process improvement. In addition, there are also business process management, frameworks and other methodologies used within this area of IT. However, this area has no concern with the use of vendor products or even with some of the details relating to technical issues. Rather, it focuses on establishing and providing a framework in which other activities related to IT and IT personnel along with customers are framed. Still, of main concern to process improvement are concerns related to the operational aspects of IT. As such, this area of IT is not related technological development but rather automated service features such as automatic update processing and general processing of data. However, even with supplying automatic procedures, one can also choose to turn off such functions when such an additional application is provided.

 

Last but not least, while computer software written for sale or designing microprocessors would not be under this area of IT, systems used by those in business and marketing companies may very well be. Of course, whether one is working for a company receiving IT Managed Services or one is an employee of a managed services team, there is no doubt that the individual has found success within the realm of Internet Technology. To this end, anyone with knowledge of a variety of applications, is good with customers and can provide outstanding service would make an excellent member of an IT managed services team.