As cloud architectures grow more complex, managed service providers need to deliver the best combination of services to fulfill customer needs, both now and in the future, in a completely hybrid cloud model.
As businesses make plans for their future IT needs, one trend is clear: the cloud will be front and center. According to Gartner, the global demand for public cloud services is expected to grow by 21 percent to a total of $186.4 billion in 2018, up from $153.5 billion in 2017, with the largest share of revenue going to the public cloud.
It is less clear to these same businesses is how they can choose to handle their new cloud-focused world.
Some will manage it themselves. Others will bring on a managed service provider (MSP) with specialized talents to help them navigate the complexities imposed by the quantum shift to a particular type of cloud environment. The third party will work with the Managed Service Provider on a wider mission: handling hybrid environments that involve resources in data centers, private clouds and/or one or more public clouds.
How much is depending on the judgment of an enterprise? At the very least, aligning the right cloud management approach with the right company will reduce the uncertainty associated with what is usually a challenging IT transition. For most, finding the right fit goes a long way toward achieving an organization’s ongoing success.
WORKING WITH AN ENTERPRISE MANAGED SERVICE PROVIDER
Experts roundly agree that the future will be dominated by hybrid IT environments, with hybrid cloud investment projected to nearly triple from 2016 to 2021. Data center environments do not vanish completely, housing workloads makes no sense to transfer, as the majority of the workloads migrate to public and private clouds. This suggests that future environments will become more complicated, needing assistance from MSPs who have a wide range of expertise, resources and management models.
MSPs will have to branch out in a variety of ways to direct businesses in the future. They would need to handle both on - and off-prem environments, various public clouds and enterprise-grade deployments. Flexible processes and methodologies will be required. And they will need to pay careful attention to enforcement, cost controls and global IT specifications.
Below are five elements that businesses can look for in the MSP cloud:
1. A Hybrid Model, Applied Consistently
If the MSP proposes different models for multiple private clouds, it will be very difficult to unify these operating models. Managing workloads in various clouds – and data centers – in the same way decreases the chance of exposing security holes.
2. A Focus on Enterprise-Level Issues, in All Cases
An approach such as CTP's Minimum Viable Cloud (MVC) methodology gives MSP the opportunity to create environments that are completely enterprise-enabled out of the gateway. If the MSP provides low-ball pricing to support a straightforward environment for migrating different workloads, this framework would not be built for enter-business-class workloads. The security, auditability and enforcement functions may not be operational at the level of business needs.
3. A Commitment to Flexibility
Enterprises can have common needs, but each implementation is different. You want your MSP to be stable, but it shouldn't be so locked that it can't adjust to evolving requirements. An organization can make choices about resources that need to be integrated into the environment. If it is possible for the MSP to satisfy the order, it will. When the customer chooses to use their own tools, the MSP will have the ability to put such tools into the automation process, so that they are not hand-deployed every time they are used. You don't want infinite flexibility, but a rigid, cookie-cutter solution is never a success.
4. An Enterprise-Class Focus on Bedrock Issues
At the enterprise level, you can not afford to lose out on safety and compliance. They must also be in a environment where they are routinely and effectively controlled. Problems will emerge easily in the public cloud; the systems get up and killed all the time. The MSP can't just turn up and do an audit; it needs to be handled managing all the time.
5. Cost Management Expertise in a Hybrid Environment
Optimizing costs in a single cloud is a straight forward problem. Doing so in various contexts is much more difficult and requires an enter-business level of operation. Enterprises take care of various settings. If the cost of each system is handled individually, the results will not be optimal.
Conclusion
Basically, the kind of support you get from the MSP is the same type of support you get from companies with in-house IT departments. The good thing about this is that you are spared the additional expenses that come with the first-hand jobs of an specialist. There have been several discussions about which model is better — outsourcing or building your own team. And while they both clearly have their own pros and cons, there's no denying that MSPs can help you save, particularly if you're a newbie entrepreneur.
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