Leveraging Managed Service Providers for Digital Transformation
Businesses are evolving to leverage advances in technology to increase agility, customer satisfaction, growth and profits. Today, this evolution includes the digital transformation of the business model and, subsequently, the IT operations organization. But what does digital transformation mean, and how can a managed service provider (MSP) help you prioritize technological innovation?
The Importance of Managing Digital Transformation Services
Digital transformation is a process – a journey that progressively incorporates new technologies as they yield further innovations to drive business benefits and desirable outcomes.
In the past year, dependency on digital technologies has only increased. Look no further than the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Businesses and IT organizations have had to increasingly depend on online modes of operation to deliver their services and products.
Digital transformation is here to stay. It’s now woven into the IT fabric, no matter your business model. Your ability to manage this process has become critical to the foundation upon which your enterprise is built.
How MSPs Help Organizations Overcome Digital Transformation Challenges
Here are just a few of the digital transformation challenges that managed service providers can help with:
- The rapid pace of technological change
- The lack of in-house expertise
- An over-reliability on the delivered services
- Availability of the service delivery infrastructure
Focusing on just the technology aspect of digital transformation may seem enticing and a logical first step. But this is a recipe for disaster if it is not accompanied with a strategic alignment with your overall business goals.
You can’t learn everything you need to know overnight. What you need is a trusted, experienced partner with the capabilities to help you determine the most efficient, meaningful way to transform your enterprise. This frees you to focus your resources on your core business, allowing an organization of experts to take the lead on evolving your underlying infrastructure, digital transformation services, and solutions.
A managed service provider is precisely the kind of partner that you need.
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Why Use a Managed Service Provider for Digital Transformation?
So, what is a managed service provider exactly and what role do they play in digital transformation strategies?
The term managed service provider was traditionally associated with the delivery of infrastructure or device-centric services but now managed service provider responsibilities have expanded to include the continuous, regular management, maintenance and support of essential business processes.
Managed Service Provider Responsibilities
Today, a managed service provider’s responsibilities also include managing the road to digital transformation for its customers. This requires them to stay on top of advances in technology so that they can package and deliver benefits to customers in a measured and reliable fashion.
Expertise
The right managed service provider will take on the onus of maintaining the skill set and resources that may be otherwise not available to the typical enterprise. They make it possible to tackle the technical intricacies and manage the innate complexity associated with digital transformation.
The infrastructure associated with the delivery of business services is a complex collective of systems spanning multiple technology stacks and vendors. Managed service providers pull all these pieces together and make them cost-effective to consume for you as their customer. Top managed service providers typically have many customers, which drives economies of scale when it comes to provisioning your services.
Delivery
The right managed service provider will be able to provide the assurance that you have a service delivery infrastructure that is resilient and dependable. Think no further than the service-level agreements that managed service providers use to outline the levels of dependability that you can expect.
Top managed service providers specialize in the practical aspects of managing the delivery of a service. They maintain multiple delivery models, on-premise or remotely managed to suit your specific needs as a customer. They leverage advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence for IT operations (AIOps) to maintain previously unrealizable levels of service assurance. And they are able to monitor trends and proactively take on remediation efforts before problems cascade into service outages.
Going it Alone is Not an Option
Digital transformation is the key to unleashing the value of the products and services your business delivers. Failing to embrace this transformation can adversely impact your ability to stand out against your competition.
The complexity of digital transformation solutions is immense. It’s unlikely that, on your own, you can maintain the personnel and technical expertise to stay ahead of the rapid pace of change in technology.
Managed service providers are uniquely positioned to enable you to address the challenges posed by technical innovation. The outcomes for your business are clear and the stakes are high. Going it alone is no longer an option.
Digital transformation is a primary driver of business success – and managed service providers provide the perfect solution to ensure that you, your IT team, and your business succeed in this initiative.
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