Benefits of Managed Cloud Services

Managed cloud services are becoming increasingly common among businesses of all sizes. Not just because they provide radical cost-savings compared to an in-house solution, but because of the unmatched industry expertise that comes with it.

In this article, we will explore the many benefits of cloud managed services to help you decide if it’s right for your organization.

What are Cloud Management Services?

Before we begin, let’s discuss what cloud-based services entail in a broad sense. Cloud management services provide organizations with the full or partial administration of their cloud environment, from infrastructure to resources, across both private to public clouds. This includes services like migration, configuration, maintenance, optimization and security.

Many managed cloud service providers offer a hybrid cloud model, as well. This model combines the best elements of an on-premises data center with both private and public cloud capabilities.

On the one hand, you get the high security and flexibility of the private cloud. On the other, you get the scalability, accessibility, and increased storage of the public cloud – an especially useful feature for a distributed workforce.

The 7 Major Benefits of Cloud Managed Services Providers

1. Cost-Effectiveness

Outsourcing your cloud solutions is one of the best ways to reduce IT overhead. For starters, you’ll save on capital-intensive infrastructure and hardware, as well as the cost of housing it.

Combined with a custom, predictable and granular pricing model, you can expect to pay substantially lower fees when compared to an in-house team. This is especially true if you require 24/7 monitoring.

2. Improved Security Posture

Cloud security figures as a prominent benefit of outsourced services. With insidious malware, spyware and ransomware lurking around every digital corner, staying on top of the latest security updates and patches can be time-consuming, even for your IT staff.

Partnering with a managed provider ensures the safety of your IT assets, from network infrastructure to confidential data. Continuous monitoring combined with a breadth of industry knowledge is the best defense against cyber threats.

3. Rapid Response

Round-the-clock network monitoring and support guarantees rapid response times. No matter the hour, competent specialists are always available to resolve cloud-related issues encountered by your staff.

4. Scalable and Flexible

Unlike an in-house team, cloud services easily scale alongside your business. Instead of expanding office space, improving IT infrastructure, hiring new employees, and increasing overhead, you can simply upgrade your service package.

This ease of scalability is part of what makes managed services so flexible. The other aspect is pricing: Predictable and transparent rates enable you to stay on budget, even as you grow and require more robust cloud solutions.

5. Increased Availability and Reliability

When considering an outsourced solution for your cloud computing needs, reliability and availability are two key elements to consider. Reliability refers to the frequency of failures, whereas availability pertains to the total downtime of cloud service.

Luckily, most service providers ensure an uptime of 99% or higher. For context, the uptime gold standard is known as five-nines. That is, 99.999% annual network availability, which translates to a mere 5.26 minutes of downtime per year.

When you consider that downtime costs an average of $5,600 per minute, it’s clear to see why availability and reliability are so important. In fact, the service-level agreement (SLA) you sign with a provider should contain a provision of service availability. That way, you know exactly what kind of performance to expect.

6. Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

When disaster strikes, the survival of your organization depends on a sound disaster recovery plan (DRP).

A DRP enables your business to respond to a wide range of unexpected threats, from the natural to the man-made, in a way that safeguards critical data, protects essential IT infrastructure, and minimizes downtime.

Partnering with a cloud services provider will equip you with comprehensive disaster recovery solutions.It does this by backing up your entire cloud infrastructure, from apps and files to operating systems and configurations. Should a worst case scenario arise, you’ll retain access to a complete duplicate environment with minimal interruption.

7. Regulatory Compliance

Maintaining regulatory compliance can be a complex task. Failing to adhere to industry standards, even by mere oversight, can result in millions of dollars in fines. It can also lead to irreversible reputational damage.

It’s hard enough to run an organization without having to stop and check whether you’ve broken any laws. That’s why a cloud services provider will always keep you up-to-date on the latest regulations so you can focus on your real business.

Manage Your Cloud With Technology Advisory Group

Now that you understand the benefits of cloud managed services, it’s time for your business to turn them into actionable results. At TAG, we’re ready to help with all your cloud computing needs.

Our comprehensive expertise covers private cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud and Microsoft 365. If you’re still working strictly on premises, we can assist you with cloud hosting, cloud migration, and cloud deployment.

Master the power of the cloud by contacting us today to learn more.