Managed cloud services allow a public environment or hybridized IT network to interact with a partial to total relationship with cloud computing. Every Managed Cloud Service Provider (MCSP) is going to have different values and a different set of aspects that it excels in. MCSPs can handle actions like configuration, migration, optimization, and data security. Provided below is a breakdown of several features pertinent to this sector and whether they are pros or cons.
Assurance of Services (Pro)
One important factor when working with cloud managed services is being able to use them without a trace of anxiety. The people who work for MCSPs have you as a client and they want to keep you as one. This means that you can focus on all of the other facets of running a business, like administrative tasks.
Whatever MCSP you decide upon should be able to give an ongoing and current assessment of your cloud network. That way, you can quickly learn about potential problems before they grow large enough to snarl business operations. It should also provide constant live support to secure your cloud infrastructure and avoid interruptions.
Cybersecurity Support (Pro)
Placing your valuable data online ups the risks that it could be manipulated or other problems affect it. Illegal access to your business notions can affect your ability to compete in the market and potentially result in convictions or fines if the data of your customers becomes affected. It is for this very reason that cybersecurity is crucial to an MCSP.
The ability to outsource cloud management can greatly safeguard your business data from being influenced by bad actors. A quality MCSP should have all of the right training, equipment, and responses to stop cyber attackers from messing around with your business. You must understand how an MCSP deals with cyberattacks and adjacent threats before you decide to sign up with one.
Compliance Reporting (Pro)
This is one of the other major reasons that you should strongly pursue hiring an MCSP. There are miles of red tape when it comes to storing and distributing data and compliance with all of those rules and regulations can be an advantage regardless of whether you work in the public or private sector. When you consider that the legal requirements and obligations of data are always changing, it makes sense why all-in-one operations can struggle to keep up.
By leaving all of that compliance to an MCSP, you are leaving your data in the hands of people whose business is to stay up to do and enforce those policies on compliance. A quality MCSP will have tools and skills to keep your business on the good side of the law, sparing you the distraction and monetary punishments of any convictions or fines, while also improving your ability to service customers.
Less Synergy Between Your Business and IT Department (Con)
Chances are good that if you find an MCSP that checks off all your boxes, then that MCSP will likely have multiple clients. This “division of focus” means that the MCSP could have trouble figuring out a deeper understanding of your unique cloud infrastructure or the needs of your business. This means that you have a tradeoff between an economy of scale and an MCSP with reduced effectiveness. If you want to minimize this drawback, make sure that you do an exhaustive amount of research into MCSPs to find one that hits your Goldilocks zone.
Longevity (Con)
Unlike a business that keeps its cloud services in-house, outsourcing that work to a third party carries the risk that the operation could go belly up, leaving you scrambling to oversee your cloud storage issues. That scrambling can also negatively impact productivity and profitability as you find a replacement; a process that can take some time. This con can be somewhat mitigated by ensuring that you have established a plan for when your current MCSP becomes insolvent.
Conclusion
MCSPs have good sides and bad sides. While you can rely upon them to focus on all of your businesses’ cloud computing needs, including letting you know when something is up or guiding you toward staying above board, they are also separate from your business and that separation can become a liability to your business if it permanently closes shop.
