As cloud computing services continue to grow, the term “Managed Service” is becoming increasingly common. Managed services refer to IT services that focus on outsourcing day-to-day operational responsibilities as well as strategic functions, with the goal of improving operational performance and reducing costs.
As an organization or company, managing IT infrastructure requires reliable tools, hardware, software, and advanced technology. Numerous studies and research have shown that customers experience reduced hardware and software costs when using managed services. This is driven by optimization and the effective use of the right tools.
Various Types of Cloud Computing Services
There are three types of cloud computing services: public, private, and hybrid. When customers use public cloud services, they share infrastructure with other customers (physically shared, logically separated). With private cloud, the infrastructure is dedicated exclusively to a single customer, while hybrid cloud combines both public and private cloud models. This cloud computing service model focuses primarily on infrastructure-level services.
In short, cloud computing services mainly focus on providing IT resources (infrastructure, application servers, and related components). Managed cloud services, on the other hand, are services offered by cloud providers to support customers’ internal IT teams in managing their data centers (virtual data centers), such as ensuring systems remain available and operate as intended.
This includes managing the VM lifecycle (create, modify, delete), ensuring the latest updates and patches for operating systems used by customer applications, providing professional advice when operational issues arise, and much more. Managed cloud service providers help resolve IT challenges so cloud customers can focus on maintaining and optimizing their core business.
The Proliferation of Software-Based Tools
Cloud computing providers rely on various software tools to deliver managed services. These tools must be compatible with cloud computing environments, particularly multitenant models. They should support proactive monitoring so potential issues can be identified and resolved before they occur. Examples include tools for OS patch management, resource monitoring and optimization, capacity planning, SLA management, and others.
In addition, managed services can help customers optimize and reduce software licensing costs, especially for Microsoft software. This option is known as managed software services. It is possible because license management is handled by the service provider (in this case, the cloud computing service provider). This model applies to both public and private cloud environments.
With managed software services, customers gain flexibility in using software without incurring upfront CAPEX (initial investment). When needed, customers can simply rent licenses from the managed cloud service provider. Naturally, this program is only available from cloud computing providers that partner with Microsoft under the SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement).
Managed Service Models
Managed service offerings extend beyond virtual data center management to include data backup, disaster recovery, monitoring and management systems, email services, OS patch management, and security audits. Managed services are particularly beneficial for customers without large IT teams, or for those who want to free up their IT staff to focus on ensuring continuous business operations.
Managed services generally offer fixed monthly fees, which may vary depending on the type of service selected. Cloud computing without managed services is like “eating vegetables without salt.” Why burden your IT team with repetitive and tedious tasks that prevent them from focusing on your core business? Subscribe to managed services today for your public, private, or hybrid cloud!
By: Garibaldi
Cloud Consultant
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