IT Managed Services Overview

More and more organizations are relying on external partners to take over managing their IT services. Industry experts believe that the IT managed services market will hit $193 billion by the end of this year. What does that mean for tech professionals who are interested in offering IT managed services? What are the types of managed services that you can offer to these organizations?

As a managed services provider (MSP), your role is to proactively manage an organization’s IT system for optimal efficiency and productivity, as well as to prevent any downtime or cyberthreats. There a variety of types of services that an IT managed services provider can choose to offer to help them do this. This guide breaks down what types of IT managed services you might consider including in your role, and why more and more businesses are working with MSPs to save time, resources, and money.

What does IT managed services include?

If you choose to become an MSP you will serve as a crucial resource for businesses, supporting them in running their IT operations—either in part or in full, depending on the resources and expertise they have in house. As a third-party contractor, you will assume all or some of the role of an IT department, such as monitoring networks, optimizing infrastructure, or protecting the overall system from security threats. If the business does have in-house IT staff, your services may be used to supplement their capacity and allow them to focus on particular functions, or to provide specialist knowledge in areas where they are lacking—such as managed backup or cloud services.

IT professionals who choose to become MSPs typically work on a fixed-fee or retainer basis. The organization pays a set rate each month for the MSP to provide dedicated support. The terms of this are typically set out in a managed services contract and service-level agreement (SLA). These agreements dictate the specific services the provider can offer, the cost, and how the delivery of the services will be measured.