Delivering Mission-Critical Services Cost-Effectively

Some businesses elect to outsource the maintenance and repair of existing infrastructure to organizations that provide managed services. This model is often utilized within industries where downtime and business disruptions are costly and impactful, for example, within banking, retail, technology, and other sectors.

Companies that choose managed services often lack the expertise and scope to adequately address these critical parts of the business. Instead, they select a managed services provider (MSP) to perform on-demand services. The relationship is negotiated and bound contractually—typically as a subscription—with committed scopes of work and response times clearly defined within service level agreements (SLAs).

As an MSP, you face unique challenges in supporting this mission-critical business model. Bound by stringent SLAs, you must precisely manage time and resources while coordinating a highly technical workforce. While regular maintenance occurs at a predictable cadence, you must respond quickly—often within a few hours—when things go wrong.

This paper examines the time-sensitive and technical nature of managed services, including technology's vital role in helping you deliver on your commitments while supporting a profitable business model.