In the modern day business landscape, there are a wide variety of technical services available to help you manage and grow your company.
But the terms used to describe those services are often vague or ambiguous – and it’s important to do your research so you know what to look for. In this article, we will try to clarify the managed services vs. professional services comparison so that you can better understand the benefits each can offer to your business!
What is the Difference Between Managed Services vs. Professional Services?
Managed services and professional services are both common IT services that can help you run a successful business.
Managed services refer to a type of service in which an external IT services company provides:
- Remote monitoring and management of day to day IT operations
- Rapid resolutions of user issues based on a Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Streamlined system administration
- Monitoring of systems and networks
- Security monitoring against cyber threats
- Proactive maintenance to minimize downtime and increase productivity
- Increased security and stability for your network
Professional services, meanwhile, are generally project-based and involve providing specialized guidance or expertise for specific projects or initiatives that are outside of the scope of typical Managed Services. These services can include:
- IT planning and budgeting (in alignment with business plans)
- Planning and execution of long-term and/or strategic IT projects
- Migrations of critical business applications or data
- Risk assessment and mitigation
- Business requirements analysis
- C-level IT systems and security consulting
The Purposes of Managed IT Services
Managed IT services can help your organization save time by streamlining and automating aspects of your IT operations, allowing you to focus on running your business.
Globally, managed services are projected to exceed $311.2 billion by 2027, an indicator that the trend towards managed services will continue to increase rapidly in the years ahead.
Examples of common managed services include:
- IT Service Desk support
- Remote monitoring and management
- Ticketing and incident tracking
- Preventative maintenance
- Data backup and recovery
- Cyber security monitoring and management
- Cloud management
- Service response times governed by SLA
Benefits of Managed Services
Increased Operational Efficiency
By outsourcing managed services, your business benefits from having a team of experienced professionals managing your IT infrastructure.
Simplified Cost Structure
With managed services, your IT support cost structure is clearly defined and more easily managed.
Greater Flexibility
Managed services are governed by a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that is customized for your business – allowing for greater flexibility when it comes to defining what IT system requirements must be met in order to run your business successfully.
Timely Problem Solving
As part of the SLA, you decide what reaction times will be required of your vendor, based on the severity level of the incident or task.
Reliable Support
With properly designed managed services, you can get the support you need based on the specific business requirements of your organization – provided by a strategic partner that has all the IT skills you need, and can scale with your business.
Managed Services vs. Professional Services: Which is Right for You?
Make the best choice for your business by partnering with ITSco.
The Purposes of Professional Services
Professional services offer an unparalleled level of expertise, efficiency, and attention to detail to help you complete any digital transformation that is on your IT roadmap.
Examples of professional services may include almost any project or initiatives that is outside of the scope of typical Managed Services Agreement:
- IT consulting
- IT strategic planning, budgeting and roadmap development
- Planning and execution of strategic IT projects
- System and cloud migrations
- Design implementation
- Fractional CIO, CTO and CISO support
- Etc, etc….
Benefits of Professional Services
Expert Advice
When you enlist the help of a professional IT provider for a project for your business, you should be confident that you are getting unbiased, professional advice, informed by years of experience and tailored specifically to your requirements.
Ideally, you should benefit from your consultant’s exposure to the latest (and most effective) strategies and trends in the industry. This kind of outside assistance can give your business the expert edge it needs to stay ahead of the competition.
Better Tools
Working with professionals can save time and money, as you will have access to specialized tools and methodologies that can help complete projects quickly and efficiently.
Increased Efficiency
Professional managed services typically include project management strategies and processes that can help deliver projects on-time and on-budget.
Access to Diverse Perspectives
Professional services offer more comprehensive and diverse perspectives than most in-house IT resources are able to provide. By hiring professionals, you can get the benefits of diverse experience and better insight into situations you may not have dealt with before.
No Training Required
There’s no need for staff training when you outsource your IT projects through professional services. Focus your time and resources on running your business, knowing that highly experienced professionals are handling the technical details with specialized expertise.
Breakdown of Managed Services vs. Professional Services |
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Managed IT Services |
Professional Services |
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| For those without an in-house IT department or who have a need for specific IT skills or more bandwidth, managed IT services can help you achieve your IT goals. | For those looking to build comprehensive IT roadmaps and plan and deploy strategic projects, professional managed services are the answer. |
Interested in learning more about managed and professional services? Check out these blogs:
- Strategic Planning for IT
- 5 Benefits of Infrastructure and Outsourcing
- 5 Tips For Improving Cybersecurity for Remote Work
Get Real Value Out of Your Managed Professional Services With ITSco
ITSco is your one-stop provider for both managed services and professional managed services. Offering world-class services at local rates, we create solutions that are tailored to your business and your budget, no matter the time frame, or scope of work.
By working with ITSco, your business will benefit from:
- Unsurpassed technical expertise
- Superior customer service
- Over 25 years of experience providing professional IT services
- Honest, transparent pricing
- Our ability to offer the best in managed IT services AND IT professional services
For more information about our full range of managed and professional IT services, contact us today.
featured image credit: Pexels
