Seems like we can get just about anything we want as-a-service these days. Truth is that procuring things we need as-a-service has been around a lot longer than the IT stuff we hear about so much: SaaS, IaaS, PaaS, DRaaS, NSaaS, and VSaaS (Those are “Software”, “Infrastructure”, “Platform”, “Disaster Recovery”, “Network Security”, and “Video Surveillance”). And who knows what’s next.
Take PZaaS – Pizza-as-a-Service. The dynamic isn’t much different than ordering up IT services. We’re at home, we’re hungry, we want to watch Monday Night Football, and we’ve got a hankering for pizza. But we don’t have the ingredients to make the dough, the skill to roll it out, the stone to bake it on, or the wood fired pizza oven to bake it in. So we pick up the phone or maybe text our order using the new Round Table app.
Given the success of the PZaaS model, it’s no wonder IT services have taken hold.
A Burgeoning Market
According to a 2013 CRN article quoting a MarketsandMarkets report, the managed services market will grow from $143 billion in 2013 to more $256 billion in 2018. That rate of growth, if sustained, will bring the managed services market to $323 billion by 2020.
According to the report, the implementation of managed services reduces a company’s IT costs by 30 percent to 40 percent by engaging with an MSP.
Managed Services Providers may position their services in different ways. Some may limit their definition to remote monitoring, maintenance, and repair, while others will include all of the “as-a-service” offerings under a managed services umbrella. In general, companies positioning themselves as a provider of managed services will offer some combination of the following:
- Off-premise cloud services
- On-site management
- Proactive remote monitoring
- Desktop management
- System health checks
Your Choice of Toppings
The best MSPs, like the best pizza joints, will allow businesses to mix, match, and scale services so the solution delivers optimal ROI and maximum value. And while choosing the right MSP for your business is a topic for another day, some preliminary situation analysis can be an excellent way to prepare.
A one-stop shop like Corporate Technologies can provide an assessment and determine which managed services options make the greatest financial sense for your business. The important thing is to find a solution that fits your business model and lets you determine your level of IT involvement. Then you can decide whether to order pizza delivery or make your own.
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