What are the pros and cons of managed cloud services, and how can they help your company’s security?
Are you planning to move some or all of your business operations to a managed cloud? To help you make the right decision, here are five key points to consider when looking at managed cloud service providers.
- Cost: Cloud services can be expensive, but with a managed cloud service provider, you may be able to negotiate a lower rate.
- Reliability: Managed clouds are typically more reliable than unmanaged clouds, thanks to their 24/7 support.
- Security: With a managed cloud service, you know your data is safe and secure.
- Scalability: A managed cloud service can easily scale up or down as your needs change.
- Expertise: A well-managed cloud provider will have extensive expertise in running and managing clouds for businesses of all sizes.
As businesses progressively move to the cloud, they are faced with a choice: managed or unmanaged cloud services. Managed cloud services can provide several benefits, but there are also some potential drawbacks to consider. Keep reading!
Pros:
- Increased flexibility and scalability: With managed cloud services, businesses can quickly scale up or down as desired without financing additional infrastructure.
- Reduced IT costs: Managed cloud services can help businesses save money on IT costs by reducing the need for in-house staff and expensive hardware and software.
- Increased security: One of the main benefits of managed cloud services is increased security. With a managed service provider, businesses can use their expertise and resources to keep data safe.
- Improved disaster recovery: Managed cloud services can also help improve a business’s disaster recovery plan by providing off-site backup and recovery services.
- Enhanced customer support: Managed cloud service providers often offer enhanced customer support, which can be a valuable asset for businesses.
Cons:
- Lock-in: One of the potential drawbacks of managed cloud services is lock-in. Businesses using a managed service provider may have a limited choice of the providers they can use in the future.
- Limited control: Another potential downside of managed cloud services is that businesses may have less control over their data and applications. With an unmanaged service, companies have more flexibility to customize their environment.
- Dependence on the provider: Managed cloud services also require a certain level of dependence on the service provider. Businesses may be left in the dark if the provider goes out of business or experiences an issue.
- Increased cost: While managed cloud services can save businesses money in the long run, they may have a higher up-front cost than unmanaged services.
- Complexity: Managed cloud services can be complex, and businesses may need to invest time and resources into training employees on how to use them.
In our opinion, there are a lot of benefits to using a Managed Cloud Service Provider (MCSP), but there are also some potential drawbacks. Ultimately, it depends on your specific needs and what you’re looking for in a cloud service provider.
If you want more regulation over your infrastructure and don’t mind managing updates and security yourself, self-managed clouds might be a better option. But if you’d rather someone else take care of all that for you and focus on your business, then an MCSP is probably the better choice.
Henson Group is an award-winning Microsoft Certified Azure Expert Managed Service Provider. For more information about our managed cloud services, visit hensongroup.com today.