MSP stands for Managed Service Provider, a cloud-based IT service for businesses. In recent years this model has emerged as the favorite to take over from an in-house IT team, which is relatively ineffective in today’s world.
An in-house IT team is unable to meet the demands of today’s industry. Not only do the network systems and hardware need to be maintained and kept operational, but they must also be optimized for better performance.
Add to this new concerns around data protection, cybercrime, and remote workstations, and you have a modern business environment that only an MSP can handle. Read on for a short history of managed service providers.
Old Style IT Services
Before the advent of managed Service Providers, most company’s operated a “break and fix” model. This is similar to the repair of any other device in the home or office. If your boiler stops working, for instance, you call an electrician to come and repair it. In return, you pay them a one-off fee for their services.
Since the 1990s, this was the standard way businesses operated their IT infrastructure. For example, if a computer stopped working in the office, a service engineer – usually someone from the PC manufacturing company – would fix it. This model operated for years and gave rise to in-house IT teams.
The Beginning of MSPs
Naturally, problems in the IT network can impact business revenues and damage company reputations. In the late 90s and early 00s, as multinational companies began to run more complex networks, it made more sense to anticipate IT issues and solve them remotely. This helped to keep everything operational.
At this time, remote IT technology was also on the rise, so a managed service provider was a natural development. However, the technology was only available to large corporations until post-2005, when it became cheaper and more accessible to smaller businesses. Fast-forward to the present day, and MSP is the norm.
Present-Day MSPs
Today, MSPs are not only accessible; they have never been more affordable and feature-rich. An MSP does not only serve as an IT specialist ready to protect and fix your network when it goes down; they can also optimize your business for performance and efficiency as well as protect it from different forms of cybercrime.
Today’s MSP service gives your high-quality business connectivity, and network monitoring meaning your business is always in safe hands day and night. An MSP will also store vast quantities of sensitive customer data protecting your business from data protection laws and cybercrime.
What the Future Holds
Since the advent of computers and the rise of the internet, it’s clear that businesses need IT infrastructure. In most cases, businesses are completely dependent on this IT infrastructure. It follows that there must also be a system for safeguarding the business’s IT system against inevitable technological failures.
The MSP model is a clear winner in this regard. Not only does an MSP protect the IT infrastructure of a business, but it is also adaptable to the changing needs of a business and technological developments. These days it is rare for a business to still operate an in-house IT team given the clear advantages of MSPs.
