Managed IT services have become the latest way for a company to make technical advances without the expense and resource drain of hiring a slew of in-house IT pros and hope they will fit together.
In short, working with a managed service provider affords companies the opportunity to delegate their IT services and network structure to an independent, outside, third-party team who specialize in taking care of all the primary business’s technical needs.
While managed IT services offer your organization a variety of benefits, one of the most crucial advantages is that they make high-level technology accessible to your team without the hassle. If your business is looking for ways to drive growth and secure assets with the latest technology, a managed service provider (MSP) can help you achieve your broader goals.
In this post, we’ll take a look at a few of the next-level technology platforms your team can take advantage of by working with a managed IT partner.
Server Virtualization
Server virtualization offers one of the quickest ways to immediately improve server performance and network speed without requiring substantial infrastructure upgrades. However, the finer details underlying the process require expert oversight. As a result, server virtualization often falls beyond the skillset of in-house IT teams.
Virtualization essentially works by partitioning a single physical into multiple virtual server environments. This strategy allows you to run specific applications and operating systems on a dedicated server, thereby maximizing resource utilization. That means your organization doesn’t have to invest in a new server or a new network installation to immediately increase performance or network capacity.
With an MSP, however, the process becomes much more straightforward. MSP teams already have the requisite experience helping other organizations take advantage of server virtualization.
At the same time, when you work with an MSP to virtualize your server, you can minimize downtime for your operations by mitigating the impact of foreseeable problems.
Cloud Migration
In today’s business world, moving operations to a cloud solution has become a fundamental first step to prepare for the future. However, your team may not have the time or knowledge to make cloud migration as seamless as possible. At the same time, leveraging public, private, and hybrid cloud solutions often requires expert oversight to maximize your potential on the cloud.
When you partner with an MSP to manage your migration to cloud services, your team can stay focused on more pressing day-to-day tasks. Migrating operations to the cloud has become one of the most common projects MSPs help businesses with, so they have the skills to painlessly transition your team to a cloud-based productivity platform. Plus, they can help with training and support to ensure your organization has the resources for long-term success.
Penetration Testing
Your organization likely already has rudimentary systems in place to scan your network for viruses and known vulnerabilities. That’s a critical step to defending your network. However, the operative word here is “known”. How, then, can you protect your network from the unknown? That’s where ongoing penetration testing bridges the gap in your network defenses.
While computer network scans are generally an automated process, penetration testing offers a more hands-on approach to identifying and remediating network threats. A team of ethical hackers tries to infiltrate your network defenses as a real-world cybercriminal might. If they’re able to gain access to your network, you discover a set of vulnerabilities you need to address. If, however, they’re unable to breach your system, you know you’re in pretty secure standing for the time being.
When you partner with an MSP to perform ongoing penetration tests, you accomplish two key goals. First, you gain an objective perspective on your network defenses. Your internal team may have become so familiar and comfortable with your current systems that they can overlook potential vulnerabilities. An outside team, on the other hand, is able to step back and provide you a more realistic critique of network security.
Second, partnering with an MSP for penetration testing gives you access to a team of cybersecurity experts who can help you resolve any vulnerabilities. Pinpointing vulnerabilities is only half of the process. If you don’t have a plan for addressing those vulnerabilities, you’re not any better off than when you started. At the same time, you need to ensure that resolving vulnerabilities doesn’t open up a new set of network weaknesses. That’s where the skills and expertise of an MSP become key to maximizing network security.
IT Support Los Angeles
As a leading Los Angeles IT support organization, the team at Be Structured are experts in organizing and growing your organization’s technology needs. Whether you’re looking for a way to bolster network defense or you’re ready to migrate to the cloud, your company will almost always be better off working with outsourced IT experts to develop a roadmap geared toward your ongoing success.
