Managed it services is a service provided to an organization by third-party providers, which enable them to automate certain business processes that traditionally require a team of full-time personnel. Typically, companies that provide managed services also offer their own internal IT staff. The primary advantages offered by managed services are its cost-effectiveness and the absence of a need to completely outsource a company’s IT requirements.
Managed service provider solutions also have the flexibility to coordinate with the fast-changing corporate landscape and provide crypto-lock recovery. While some of the common characteristics shared by managed service providers are those of an IT team in terms of accountability, empowerment, and synchronization, they differ from in extent on extent of automation, control, and communication.
Managed service providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and IBM’s SoftLayer provide several unique advantages. First, AWS’s SaaS model – based on a subscription model – allows its customers to easily scale up and acquire new cloud regions without requiring additional capital. It also enables the company to instantly respond to customer demand for service, improving operational efficiency.
SoftLayer’s firewall and network protection capabilities make it ideal for data-protection requirements. Lastly, both companies have direct access to the AWS APIs, allowing them to quickly and efficiently troubleshoot issues that may arise during cloud operations. Through a combination of these unique advantages, organizations can eliminate the need to fully outsource their business processes.
However, the similarities end there. Both AWS and SoftLayer have the ability to rapidly and efficiently handle large volumes of traffic, at rates much faster than the traditional in-house IT teams could manage. They both allow organizations to make use of the tools, such as load balancing, that are available to AWS customers.
In addition, while both SoftLayer and AWS offer a variety of tools and APIs, the level of integration is notably less than what a dedicated Batch Management System (BMS) could provide. Ultimately, both AWS and SoftLayer deliver managed functionality via stateful clouds rather than the more traditional in-house clouds.
The real difference, however, comes in how each provider handles tasks that are outside of their core competencies. While both AWS and SoftLayer have direct access to AWS APIs, the depth of functionality offered by each service provider varies greatly. For example, both SoftLayer and AWS offer specialized support for database and integration tasks, but the breadth of tasks offered by AWS tends to be much greater.
