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Although it seems that the new buzzword all of us in the IT industry have heard about recently is "Managed Services," doesn't it also seem that the definition of Managed Services changes depending upon whom you ask? In fact, this term is so new that you'll have a hard time finding a definition for it.
Even if you have some familiarity with Managed Services, clear your mind, discard any existing preconceptions, and for the remainder of this discussion, accept the following definition when referring to Managed Services' deliverables: "Any defined set of proactive services that are remotely delivered and prepaid for on a recurring basis. "
The word "any" is a powerful one because it signifies that the deliverables are not limited simply to network monitoring or IT services. This is the reason that hardware vendors, co-location facilities, Telcos and service providers use this term to describe their product and services offerings, no matter what they may be.
Now look at the remaining elements of our definition: "remotely delivered," "prepaid for" and especially "recurring basis." By fully understanding these concepts, you can begin to appreciate how they can help you realize increased use of your skilled resources and revenue opportunities.
Managed Services Provider Benefits
As you deliver more services through remote means, the less you'll need to schedule onsite visits and the more you'll be able to increase the use of your workforce, as well as your earning potential. As you add new clients and transition existing clients to this annuity-based service model each month, you'll be able to avoid the dreaded "feast or famine" cycles, and, instead, recognize significant revenue growth.
Sounds good so far, right? Let's take it a step further. Now that you are delivering services through remote means, eliminating much of the travel time required for onsite support and not trading time for money, you can do much more with less. Think about ittravel is a tremendous utilization killer. In many local markets, technicians can lose up to an hour or more each way when traveling to provide onsite support. Add to that the reality that once a technician is onsite, he or she can typically focus on resolving issues for only that one particular client.
Using this example, the...