How Cloud Can Help Managed Service Providers Serve More Customers in Less Time

By Dominik Birgelen, CEO of oneclick.

  • Saturday, 30th September 2023 Posted 1 year ago in by Phil Alsop

In recent years, the availability of managed services has grown exponentially with customers being more informed than ever on new IT possibilities. According to the UK Government over 65% of medium-sized businesses and 75% of large businesses across the UK utilise at least one managed service provider (MSP). With new innovations emerging every day, MSPs offer companies a great opportunity to stay up-to-date on technology and have access to the appropriate skills and solutions required. However, rising costs and security problems have hindered the progress of MSPs within this sector. According to Statista, over 40% of MSP owners and technicians have reported difficulties with acquiring more customers due to business and operational challenges. MSPs have also found it difficult to scale customer outreach due to a lack of know-how and resources for the subsequent operation of the cloud environment.

As technology continues to evolve, organisations need to accelerate their digital trajectories to provide measurable benefits for their customers. But, to constantly innovate and drive their strategy, most MSPs do not have the IT capabilities, bandwidth, or resources to strike the perfect balance between their business and technology needs.

Companies that provide managed services of the latest cloud-based solutions to simplify the provisioning of infrastructure, applications and services can not only support MSPs to administer more customers in less time but can also enable them to implement infrastructure projects seamlessly.

Cloud Solutions in an MSP’s Infrastructure

Leveraging cloud-based solutions is crucial for MSPs to develop a scalable and secure infrastructure. With advanced solutions, MSPs can reduce provisioning costs by up to 50% for both themselves and their customers. Utilising cloud advancements brings about scalability, cost-effectiveness, remote access, automation and quick deployment capabilities. These factors enable MSPs to effectively support clients by optimising resource allocation, automating tasks and strengthening security measures.

Additionally, MSPs find it difficult to scale performance and customer-service capabilities due to technical, business, and operational issues which often stem from cybersecurity and data storage compromises. Data continuity, a critical aspect of cloud migration, is also a key pain point with many corporations facing data loss or downtime challenges which could lead to financial and reputational damages. Companies can address this through advanced cloud solutions which provide increased business and cyber resilience, helping MSPs overcome underlying issues.

Why Cloud Innovation is Fundamental to Boost Efficiency

In addition to gaining infrastructure support, MSPs need to leverage cloud solutions to improve their disaster recovery, rapid response times and network security. Through cloud services, businesses can access increased control over service levels, performance, and maintenance.

Furthermore, enterprise-wide monitoring and automation allow regular monitoring and maintenance of IT functions. Cloud MSPs are also able to support business operations through a regular backup of data onto the cloud, which helps corporates protect sensitive information and makes disaster recovery possible while ensuring employees and customers continue to enjoy uninterrupted service.

Advanced cloud offerings also enable MSPs to provide robust cybersecurity support seamlessly through zero-trust architecture (ZTA), antivirus software, encryption, and multi-factor authentication. This allows

businesses to safeguard themselves from the growing number of cyberattacks while bolstering their IT foundations.

Cloud for Different Operating Concepts

Today, companies leverage cloud technology as per their unique needs. Some utilise managed public cloud whereas others take advantage of managed hybrid and multi-cloud. All of them have individual challenges related to costs, implementation, complexity and more. MSPs need advanced solutions that can help them address these challenges.

For example, MSPs can leverage automation and orchestration tools to automate day-to-day repetitive tasks. This saves time, maximises efficiency and reduces human error. As a result, businesses need fewer resources to manage their tasks and can save significant costs. What’s more, based on the unique requirements of companies, MSPs can use cloud tools to seamlessly integrate multiple technologies into one platform. This can help them simplify implementation, streamline their operations and manage more customers in less time.

Organisations providing managed services need to manage multiple tasks for several different customers. Leveraging the cloud to increase efficiency and reduce time spent on time-consuming tasks is an effective way to maximise profitability. Finally, MSPs can partner with a cloud provider and take advantage of the cloud as a service. This will allow them to pay based on their cloud usability, and leverage the latest updates and maintenance, allowing them to save unnecessary additional expenses.