What are Cloud Services and Managed IT Services?
Cloud Services
Cloud Services refers to a range of situations whereby your business data and applications are stored and accessed via the internet, rather than being managed locally on your computer’s hard drive.
There are three “Cloud” technologies; public, private and hybrid. The Public Cloud, businesses can get their own Cloud within an infrastructure they share with other businesses. This is an affordable, off-site service where the Cloud service provider is accountable for the security and maintenance of your systems. The Private Cloud is managed by your in-house IT services team. It’s a great solution for businesses that want exclusive access and control over their data, but it costs more than the Public Cloud. As the name suggests, a hybrid Cloud service offers the best of both Clouds. Some of your data is managed by your business’ IT service team, and the rest is off-site in the cloud.
The cloud offers a range of services, dependant on user needs. The most common Cloud service is referred to as Software as a Service (SaaS). Using SaaS, a Cloud service provider (CSP) delivers software over the Internet to achieve whatever requirement a business may have. Also referred to as software on demand, SaaS is often provided through a subscription. SaaS also includes regular system maintenance such as updates, data backup and security enhancements.
Managed IT Services
A managed IT services provider (MSP) takes care of the issues an in-house IT service team would typically handle, such as keeping hardware up to date and running smoothly, ensuring your software is current, and applying patches. Servers and other essential components are assigned to you, and the MSP takes up responsibility for monitoring your network. The MSP will manage your IT challenges and solve your IT problems so you can concentrate on running your business, and do so with improved efficiency and continuity.
Managed IT Services offers a variety of choices for example; data backup and disaster recovery, proactive monitoring and management, email servers, patch management and of course providing important security audits and updates. Employing a managed IT Service provider allows small businesses to concentrate on their business.
