10 Types of Managed Services: Choose the Ones That Will Help Your Business Thrive

Managed Service Providers
10 Types of Managed Services: Choose the Ones That Will Help Your Business Thrive
Article by Sumana Ganguly
Last Updated: February 16, 2023

All companies can benefit from IT services regardless of size and niche.

IT services ensure that businesses make the most of technology — they improve business processes and thereby contribute to increased revenue, enable the timely availability of information, provide maximum business efficiency and enhance sensitive information security.

Some businesses cannot afford in-house teams of experts. Others do not need constant IT support but only occasionally help. These businesses can use different types of managed services to remain competitive and meet their organization's technical requirements.

This guide will answer some of your questions if you’re hesitating between staff augmentation and managed services. It will introduce you to 10 different types of managed services and the flexibility, adaptability, risk reduction and cost-effectiveness they provide.

What Are Managed Services and Why Are They Important?

Managed services, also known as outsourced services, provide specialized third-party support — for example, business administration and management tasks — to business organizations. Sometimes they are referred to as MSPs or managed service providers.

MSPs offer a wide range of managed services that are categorized based on the task they complete or the hardware they use — networking and infrastructure, backup recovery, cloud infrastructure, data analytics, cybersecurity and more.

In 2021, the global managed services market was worth $161.37 billion. By 2027, it is estimated to reach more than $300 billion.

60% of businesses are dependable on managed services. This number mostly makes small and medium-sized businesses since MSP enables them to compete with large companies.

However, this is just one of the MSP advantages. They focus on your business goals providing the expert support you need and with moderate costs. You can scale them to avoid downtime, which can cause financial and reputational losses.

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What Are the Types of Managed Services?

Knowing what services are available and which ones you need can be challenging with such a large offer. That is why we present you with the 10 most important managed services to facilitate and improve your business operations.

1. Networking and Infrastructure Services

Managed networking and infrastructure services can help you complete network tasks, including establishing LAN, WAPs and other connections your business requires.

They can also take care of your data storage and backup. If the business has its own server, an MSP can maintain it. However, owning servers is expensive and requires regular services and occasional replacements, which is, for small businesses, often unaffordable. Instead, they can rent space on an MSP server or use the server they host and maintain.

2. Security Services

61% of all small businesses were targets of cyber-attacks in 2021, which is growing. Managed security services provide protection from all types of malware and help you keep sensitive data private. MSPs act preventively and proactively — they ensure equipment and software compatibility to prevent breaches and alert users in case of security threats.

Managed security services often include the implementation of firewalls, anti-virus and intrusion-detecting software and virtual private networks (VPNs).

3. Support Services

Managed support services cover all IT issues, from technical support with forgotten passwords and denied access to more advanced problems, like security breaches and backup troubleshooting. The best tech support companies excel in offering rapid and reliable solutions for these advanced issues, making them invaluable partners in maintaining business continuity.

4. Cloud Infrastructure Services

Many business operations have moved to the cloud, especially with the rise of remote work. Cloud solutions include simple services, such as file sharing, data storage or server usage, but also software as a service (Saas), platform as a service, data analysis and governance, cybersecurity and others.

Managed cloud infrastructure services can help you migrate to the cloud, evaluate your existing infrastructure and provide maintenance.

5. Software as a Service (SaaS)

If your business uses many different types of software, managed software as a service (SaaS), also known as software on demand, can be the right solution for your needs.

MSPs consult with software developers on your behalf and take care of all troubleshooting. Regardless of the software you have issues with, you’ll contact the provider's software platform instead of communicating with every software representative individually.

6. Backup as a Service

Data backup is part of many other managed services such as networking, cloud or security, but it can also function as a separate service. The MSP can analyze your backup needs and suggest the appropriate solution — cloud or server data backup, recovering and restoring data and disaster recovery plan in case of a security breach or other threat.

7. Data Analytics Services

Managed data analytics services include collecting, sorting, processing, protecting and archiving your business’s or your client's data.

This service can consist of all sorts of data — website traffic, online user behavior, engagement and repeating pattern identification — in order to improve all the gaps in your marketing strategy. MSP turns raw data into reports that clients can understand and take desired actions accordingly.

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8. Wireless and Mobile Computing Services

Managed wireless and mobile computing services are similar to managed networking but more specific since they integrate mobile software that allows your employees to connect to the network from any location.

This service is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses that cannot afford to establish their own wireless network. Also, managed mobile computing is suitable for teams that work remotely because it provides synchronicity and timely access and sharing of information.

9. Print Services

If your company uses a large amount of printed data and you have daily printing needs, managed print services can monitor your equipment, maintain it and ensure everything works optimally. It can also analyze your printing process’s hidden costs and make it financially and time-efficient, enabling effective utilization of your resources.

10. Communication Services

Managed or unified communication services create one network that combines voice, video and data communication channels — for example, phone calls, conference video calls, emails, file sharing, messaging and virtual platforms. Sometimes, managed communication services can serve as an outsourced call center.

Users can access any communication form by logging into a managed network instead of using separate access data for each channel individually. This practice is efficient and time-saving. Besides unifying, MSP can also monitor and manage communications.

How To Choose the Right Types of Managed Services for Your Business?

MSP recruitment can be challenging, especially if you’re unsure what services your business could use the most. Follow these steps to discover what type of managed services you need:

Collect information about your IT infrastructure — all the software you’re using, their purposes and the personnel responsible for their management and maintenance.

Analyze your existing IT infrastructure's efficiency — does it have room for improvement? Would your business processes be more time or cost-effective with some innovations? Do you face any recurring issues during work tasks?

Consult with managed service providers (MSPs) and entrust them with your IT infrastructure demands. Their experts will analyze your current situation and recommend the best solutions tailored to your unique business needs.

Types of Managed Services: Final Thoughts

There are 10 primary categories of managed services and numerous managed service providers whose assistance you can use while choosing the appropriate strategy for your company's requirements.

With managed services, you can resolve problems before they get out of control and access premium tools and expert knowledge at a reasonable price; therefore, choose them wisely.

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