Have you ever heard of the word MSP? It is one of the ‘most heard of’ words in today’s business world. From small start-ups to large business organizations, all kinds of businesses are looking into this new type of service. So what exactly does MSP mean?
Simply put, MSP stands for Managed Service Providers. The simplest description of what this entails is the outsourcing of all technology and IT-related affairs to outside parties. Basically, it is akin to having another company specialize and attend to all of your company’s IT-related needs – the equivalent of an in-house IT staff. The MSP service model has risen as an alternative to what you traditionally used to find in the world of technology service providers: the on-demand outsourcing and break/fix models where providers looked into the necessities of their clients and only provided the services the clients needed. MSP differs from this model in the fact that in this scenario, is the provider that decides what exactly 
should be provided – the client usually does have much of a choice in what services he or she gets to select and pay for (i.e. they come as a package) – hence, the services are ‘managed’ by the provider, so to say.
With the definition of MSP thus explained, it is worthwhile to also understand what exactly the managed services entail. As you would know, providers differ in the range of services they wish to provide, but generally, there are a number of common services provided:
- Network support – there is a reason why most businesses have a dedicated IT team even if their businesses are not directly related to the technology fields. The reason is simply because nowadays, there is almost no business that does not utilize computers and the internet for its basic services and functions. Accordingly, it makes sense to always have a team of specialists who can look into the troubleshooting, daily check-ups and overall health of the system. An MSP can provide you with such support services as well.
- Security – security-related services are perhaps one of the most valuable and most sought-after services that MSPs provide. Everything from virus definition updates, to regular security checks and monitoring for spam and other similar threats is covered by most MSPs. MSPs do not only deal with preventative measures, but they also actively involve themselves in recovery tasks when viruses and other malware threaten the systems of the business.
- Back-up – finally, most MSPs also provide backup services. Whether this is in the form of secondary storage solutions or online cloud services, these providers ensure that your digital data is subjected to such security measures such as encryption and that it is regularly backed-up into the relevant servers or storage platforms.