The Role of Managed Network Services in the Era of Digital Transformation
The digital transformation of business has been in progress for several years now. The relentless evolution of technologies has forced organizations to find new ways to leverage these advances to enhance the value to the business.
No two enterprises are identical. Those that have been around for a while find themselves maintaining legacy infrastructure. They may be moving some business services towards cloud hosted environments, leading to a hybrid infrastructure model. Newer companies, especially the smaller ones without legacy investments, find themselves almost entirely dependent on third-party cloud hosted providers to deliver the services they need.
The one thing that has not changed is the need to manage the infrastructure that delivers these services. And here lies the role of today’s managed network service (MNS) provider.
Network Operations Models
The way you manage your network infrastructure is driven by your business needs and your staffing and skills capabilities. Some enterprises have the ability to manage their own infrastructure, and they go the DIY route.
But most enterprise organizations lack the resources to successfully do it all by themselves. Of course, they want to take advantage of new technology, but need to offload the management burden to others. This is where MNS providers play a key role with regards to your digital transformation. The MNS provider takes on the onus of managing your network infrastructure.
From a high-level, there are two kinds of MNS engagements:
- In the first case, the MNS provider delivers standardized and scalable network operations center (NOC) capabilities. They manage all activities related to the functional aspects of network management. There are well established pricing models, which leads to a level of predictability of the cost associated with the delivery of the services.
- The second case is when the MNS provider shares functional responsibilities with the enterprise organization by providing a custom NOC. There are different levels of co-management based on the business needs. This model involves additional complexity and costs. Often, the provider will have to deliver customizations to accommodate the enterprise’s unique needs in terms of scope, process and technology.
The network operations model you pick is a strategic decision that can last years and impact operational efficiency, service levels, and cost. To achieve your digital transformation goals, it is necessary to pick one of these operating models and to stick with it for the long term.
Your MNS Provider as a Trusted Partner
MNS providers work with a variety of enterprise environments, so they are exposed to the latest trends in technology and their applications. For your perspective, it pays to take advantage of this experience and knowledge to guide you through your organization’s digital transformation.
Engaging your MNS provider with a partnership mindset enables them to understand your business model and empowers you to achieve all this and more. In addition to managing your day-to-day services, your MNS provider can help you:
- Make sound architectural and other strategic decisions on how to move ahead.
- Vet ideas to better understand the implication and costs associated with a particular course of action.
- Manage the expectations of your internal stakeholders, who may or may not be technologically savvy.
Working with an MNS provider has huge benefits when it comes to their knowledge and capabilities to efficiently drive your organizations’ evolution at your own pace. As an enterprise, you can unlock further potential by leveraging them as a trusted management partner in your digital transformation journey.