What is a Managed Service Provider (MSP)?
A managed service provider (MSP) is a third-party outsourcer or organisation that manages or delivers IT services, such as the devices, network, infrastructure and security management for businesses, nonprofits and government agencies.
MSPs perform day-to-day management services through ongoing and regular support in their MSP data centre (hosting), customers’ premises or a third-party data centre, accountable for deciding which services and technologies are required to fulfil clients’ needs.
Managed service providers are essentially an extension of the IT team, ensuring your business’ IT systems are operational and secure, assisting any business function effectively. MSPs originally only applied to the infrastructure of device service types, but the term now includes continuous IT management and support.
Managed service provider services can:
- Incorporate security and monitoring
- Incorporate network application and infrastructure management, including working with software, hardware and Cloud technology.
Business models for MSPs can vary, depending on the outsourcer, from service delivery to support.
Service delivery involves:
- MSPs managing IT systems and functions on behalf of their clients remotely
- MSPs managing onsite and cloud applications.
Support can vary based on the client’s budget, needs and availability.
Every managed service provider can work differently and may operate under a subscription model, helping organisations choose the coverage that suits the budget and level of assistance needed. The goal for MSPs is to offer services that are cheaper than it would cost for a company to perform the work themselves at a higher level of quality with a flexible and scalable approach.
All managed service providers will provide a service level agreement (SLA) with their clients, outlining the level of service expected, the metrics on how the services are measured, and any penalties if the MSP doesn’t achieve the service levels.
MSPs will handle the day-to-day management services for your organisation, helping businesses worry less about issues arising in technological systems.
- MSPs managing IT systems and functions on behalf of their clients remotely
- MSPs managing onsite and cloud applications.