Managed services is undergoing a massive transformation with the sector predicted to almost double in size between 2014 and 2019 to £123.7bn according to analyst MarketsandMarkets. No longer the fledging child, the Managed Services Provider has evolved from simply being solely an expert who can monitor your IT infrastructure from a distance.  So what does the new MSP 2.0 offer and what makes one more successful than another?

MSPs have been around since the 1990’s when they principally focused on remote monitoring and management of servers and networks.  These basic remote management and monitoring (RMM) services are now ten a penny. For the savvy MSP it has evolved into a whole different kettle of fish with providers not just being technically led but helping the clients achieving their business goals.

Central to MSP 2.0 is differentiation, with innovation at its core.  Customers expect strategic advice on using technology better within their business.  In the previous MSP model, providers would have run everything for their clients in house but now it’s far more prudent to take best-of-breed systems and then wrapping it up within the MSP to provide a single point of contact.  So if anything goes wrong, the MSP deals with it, and in terms of costs, it’s contained within a customised service level agreement.

There is also the challenge of cloud computing with MSPs now having to find ways to manage hybrid cloud environments.  Some even provide their own cloud services or resell other cloud provider capabilities.  The latter sees MSPs position themselves as aggregators that can knit together on-premise, hosted and public cloud services into one package for the customer.

So what does the future hold?   A crystal ball might be the answer.  Instead of a reactive or proactive approach to monitoring MSPs will adopt predictive monitoring. In other words, the MSPs will be able to predict what might go wrong or cause an issue before it actually happens.

Companies like Inspired have a team of skilled technology professionals with years of experience both in managing and implementing IT into organisations of all sizes and sectors. With a 24/7 service, Inspired can act as a translator of sorts, a conduit between a business and IT, sifting through technical jargon and ensuring IT underpins a business’s goals and objectives. Inspired strives to anticipate and keep ahead of change, making sure IT is delivering value to a business.

While the average MSP should never take on anything they can’t manage, they should, if they want to succeed in a competitive marketplace, consider going beyond infrastructure to even facilities management.  Ultimately it’s a game of survival with MSPs having to take on a whole new level of monitoring.