With more than 77% of all enterprises using cloud services in some form, it’s likely that you’re already somewhat familiar with how they work, or at least what they do. The cloud continues to radically change the way we do business, and it has found a perfect companion in managed IT services.

What Is IT Service Management?

IT service management (ITSM) encompasses the practice of implementing and delivering IT services in a way that meets the needs of the client organization. From hardware concerns to networking and cybersecurity, managed IT services can unlock higher levels of productivity for your in-house teams, allowing them to focus more on their most important work.‌

It’s difficult to fully discuss ITSM without mentioning the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, or ITIL. The two are often mistaken for one another, and the reason is that ITIL is a popular approach to ITSM that helps managed service providers better meet the needs of their clients. ‌

Another common misconception is the idea that the ITIL is a set of rules that need to be followed to the letter. The truth is that it’s more of a set of guidelines, and it’s meant to be adapted to your organization. ‌

How IT Management and Cloud Services Work Together

There are several advantages to using outsourced IT services, not the least of which is usually a decrease in overall IT costs. Employing full-time IT staff can be a big investment, especially for smaller businesses. Managed IT services can help your company get more out of your IT infrastructure without raising costs. ‌

‌Likewise, enterprise cloud solutions come with their own set of benefits, including scalability and disaster recovery along with cost-efficiency. One of the biggest advantages of cloud storage, for example, is that you typically only pay for what you need, which is a dramatic improvement over the on-premises data center model. ‌

‌Bringing the two together produces a synergistic effect that allows for a greater boost in efficiency than you might expect. ‌

Cloud Migration‌

When you purchase or use a cloud solution, you do so with the intention of simplifying your workflows and reducing IT costs for both hardware and personnel. What you may find, though, is that you still have to employ people to configure and work with the solutions that you’re leveraging, especially in the early stages. Many administrators find that these challenges are more than the organization can take on at a given moment and elect to delay cloud adoption until they’re better situated to handle the task.‌

With ITSM layered on top of your cloud services, you can move closer to a model where your service “just works” without needing someone on your staff who knows the ins and outs of what’s going on behind the scenes.

What’s more, if you can get your managed services and your cloud solutions from the same provider, you’ll be taking advantage of yet another layer of expertise. You can rest assured that your managed IT team is intimately familiar with the technology that you depend on, allowing you to solve problems and implement ideas that much faster. ‌

Change Management

Change management, also known by the most recent ITIL framework as “change enablement,” entails continually ensuring that your software and systems are compatible and up to date.

Cloud technology is evolving all the time, so it’s reasonable to expect that certain changes could result in bugs and unexpected behavior in your tools and services. With the help of an ITSM provider, you’ll be able to stay ahead of these changes and adapt by working with someone who knows what’s coming and can help you prepare. ‌

A good ITSM should be able to stay informed on whatever cloud solutions are vital to your organization, but this is another place where having managed IT from the same provider would be of great benefit.

 How Can Global IP Networks Help? 

As a managed service provider, Global IP helps you improve efficiency with a proven approach based on cost modeling, expertise, and longevity. We offer managed cloud services in addition to managed IT, offering you the best of all digital worlds. This enables you to have truly integrated custom IT and cloud solutions managed by a team of experts and built to the specifications of your unique organization. 

Get in touch with a representative today to talk cloud or ITSM solutions and discover how you can leverage these technologies to support the expansion of your business.

For further reading, see these related articles:

Choosing Your Enterprise Cloud Storage Provider

Hybrid Cloud Services for Data Management

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