There was a time at which providing managed services meant companies would pay software vendors to configure and administer the on-premises software in their on-premises IT infrastructures those companies had purchased or licensed from those vendors. That was then. This is now. Now software and the IT network infrastructure on which it runs are in the cloud. And that makes all the difference to the way businesses run and to the way managed services and their providers are defined.
With the advent of cloud computing, managed service provider (MSP) has come to be defined as an entity, typically a third-party company, that hosts, monitors, maintains, and manages clients’ IT infrastructures and its end-user systems. Since the IT infrastructure and the end-user systems reside in the cloud, the MSP manages them from an off-site location against clearly defined service level agreements (SLAs).
In response to the proliferation of cyber threats, increasing numbers of MSPs also offer cybersecurity services to protect IT infrastructures, end-user systems, and private or proprietary data from breaches, viruses, and ransomware. By offering managed-IT and cybersecurity services, MSPs also allow their clients to manage and mitigate risk and cost.
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You can only have a reliably functioning IT infrastructure if you also have cybersecurity to protect it. You can only use cybersecurity if you have a reliably functioning IT infrastructure to protect.
And here’s a sobering thought: Cybercrime doesn’t need to be all that complicated or “smart” to be effective. Social engineering allows threat actors to access privileged data by manipulating human psychology, like our natural tendency to be helpful and trusting of others. One phone call or email could be all it takes to gain access to a business’s entire infrastructure. That means, in addition to cybersecurity, your MSP should provide plans and protection systems to thwart phishing attacks and malware, as well as redundancy at independent back-up locations to protect data and to ensure business-continuity.
When working with an MSP that also offers cybersecurity, the most important attributes to look for are experience and vigilance. If the MSP is experienced, they’re likely to have seen almost every related thing there is to see. If they’re vigilant, they’re likely to spot things they haven’t seen before and to take the appropriate precautionary and remedial actions. Please click here to read more about our experience and vigilance in our Cybersecurity Vendor Guide.
If you need help finding such an MSP, we’re right here and ready to help resolve IT issues.
