Outsourcing has long been a common part of managing costs and labor resources at the enterprise level, but managed services has taken on a new role with cloud technology. No longer simply a shifting of certain tasks, it is a strategic move that may have more to do with innovation and growth than simple cost savings.
Here are some of the myths that could come up in your discussion of managed services:
Outsourcing is outsourcing is outsourcing. Today’s managed services look much different than outsourcing a decade or two ago. It’s no longer the offshoring of mundane tasks in order to free up your team to do more complex work. Instead, much of managed services is outsourcing complex technology management to a service provider that has expert knowledge of a solution you’d like to use.
You can expect to pay transaction-based pricing. Current managed services are now more likely to offer a subscription model that allows you to scale up and down according to how many users you need on a particular solution. For many managed services situations, the company may be providing you with security monitoring or a network solution that can’t be billed by the number of transactions.
Outsourcing means outsourcing responsibility. When you evaluate service providers, it’s important to have a clear understanding of each party’s ownership of security measures and updates. While you may want to hold your managed services provider to certain measures, it’s important to remember that it’s often in your best interests to retain responsibility for areas like data security. After all, it’s your data, and a security breach could be a disaster for you. Even performance measures are better when the client stays involved with the managed services process.
If you outsource, you’ll lose valuable employees. Some enterprises fear that if the IT gets wind of a possible managed services provider coming in, the best talent will begin looking around for a new position. It’s best to be as transparent as possible about your plans and explain the specific role that each team member will play in your department following a managed services transition.
Outsourcing is getting easier. Choosing a managed services provider isn’t the same as finding a company to do cumbersome data entry for you. Many of the services that are being handled by providers are business-critical and require you to go through a careful evaluation process before you choose a provider.
Before choosing a managed services provider, contact us at Copper State Communications, where we make sure your IT runs the way it should so you can focus on your core business goals.
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