With most of the tech headlines hogged by news on the latest shiny gadgets, less glamorous subjects like cloud computing can easily slip under the radar. Yet, cloud computing has been one of the most revolutionary technologies of the last decade, both at an individual and organizational level.
It was only a few years ago that businesses were forced to embrace computing and digitize their operations. Large organizations in particular risked lagging behind if they didn’t have and leverage a data center that centralized their processes. But as with all things modern tech, it’s only a matter of time until the “new” becomes obsolete or disrupted.
And that’s what cloud computing did: it rendered data centers and IT departments – along with their dedicated personnel – an unnecessary liability that businesses (large and small) could do without.
Managed Cloud Services
Cloud computing makes it possible to access IT services on demand without the need to invest in costly hardware and personnel. A business can choose which IT functions it prefers managing in-house and outsource the rest to a cloud service provider like Sangfor.
The good thing about a managed cloud service is that it covers everything from infrastructure to application-level support. In a post-COVID world where companies are aiming to become leaner and more efficient, with a good number embracing a remote work model, there has never been a better time to adopt cloud computing. But having a cloud infrastructure requires someone to manage and maintain it. As a business owner, you have two options. You could either hire someone to oversee your cloud infrastructure or outsource this service to a trusted partner.
Large organizations may justify having a dedicated employee on the payroll to oversee their cloud infrastructure, but it doesn’t make sense for many small and medium-sized outfits who might be best served by enlisting the services of a managed cloud service provider (MCSP). These third-party service providers are experts in their niche and can manage your company’s computing needs, data storage, network operations, cloud security, application stacks and more.
If you prefer, MCSPs can also take care of backup and recovery for you so you don’t have to, as well as do the monitoring and reporting, in addition to performance testing and a host of other functions.
5 Reasons to Opt for a Managed Cloud Service Provider
You’ve probably already gleaned a few reasons why hiring the services of a managed cloud service provider makes sense, but let’s take a closer look at why your business needs to outsource your IT needs to a MCSP.
#1 Save costs
It’s not lost on any business owner that in-house infrastructure and network maintenance does involve huge cost overheads, especially for SMEs with limited resources.
Not only that, but another downside of investing in these tools is the risk of them becoming outdated in a few years’ time, never mind the need to keep upgrading. That aside, there’s also the cost of hiring staff to manage your IT needs, costs which added together could have a noticeable effect on your bottom line.
A managed cloud service provider absolves you of these costs that are increasingly becoming unnecessary for any modern business while also saving you the headache that comes with it.
#2 Monthly costs are predicable
Still sticking to the subject of costs, the importance of having predictable overheads is not lost on any business owner or manager.
One of the best things about managed cloud service is that it’s possible to determine your IT outlay on any given month beforehand, something that makes it possible to plan a consistent monthly expenditure. The service offers flexible monthly plans that can be tailored to suit your budget and individual business needs.
#3 Enjoy a robust infrastructure
As you know, the infrastructure on which your network runs are a sum of many parts. For those parts to function continuously without any hiccups, you not only require a few processes in place, but also a continuous cash injection to uphold the quality.
Outsourcing your network management responsibility to a reputable third-party managed cloud service provider like Sangfor allows you to leverage our top-of-the-line cloud infrastructure which ensures your systems are available throughout.
Good infrastructure also guarantees data and network security. Companies embracing work from home (WFH) are especially susceptible to data breaches as there are few mechanisms in place to safeguard against bad actors. A reliable MCSP, however, can cater to your WFH network security requirements and stay on top of any security vulnerabilities that could prove costly.
#4 Ease of scalability
The IT landscape is forever evolving which means businesses need to perform periodic tweaks here and there to keep up with the emerging trends while staying on the upward growth curve. Not only that, but companies with on-site servers are often forced to contend with the fixed expenditure that is maintenance and security costs in order to keep the servers functional.
That’s not a headache you have to deal with when you opt for managed cloud service. A good provider can offer you a customizable solution that allows you to make changes to your existing offering on an as-you-need basis without disrupting your current business processes. No longer do you need to invest in costly upgrades to keep up with the changing needs of your business.
#5 Focus on the things that matter
One of the best things about managed cloud service is that it frees you from the responsibility of running your IT systems and places it on the service provider. You don’t have to worry about network failure or maintenance or updates or WFH security issues or any of those other responsibilities.
In so doing, you’re able to focus better on the things that matter while leaving the experts to sweat the mundane stuff.
