When we talk about IT services, we often hear the terms outsourcing and managed services used interchangeably.
And yet, although both terms refer to the outsourcing of IT servicesthe two approaches are completely different, and do not deliver the same results to their customers.
Let’s take a look at the differences between outsourcing and managed services.
Different approaches
Outsourcing is a reactive approachto IT service provision.
That is, the outsourcing provider is not designed to anticipate problems, but to react as quickly as possible when they arise.Managed service provision, on the other hand, takes a proactive approach. .
À ce titre, le rôle du MSP (Managed Service Provider), consiste à détecter les anomalies avant que celles-ci ne provoquent des problèmes. Going a step further, the MSP is even intended to align the customer’s IT infrastructure with the company’s challenges. This means that the MSP is responsible for maintaining the system and keeping it up to date, so as to offer the customer the appropriate level of service at all times.
Cloud-based managed services are often better suited to today’s corporate infrastructures.
The tools we use
As outsourcing providers are not designed to monitor their customers’ hardware, they don’t use sophisticated monitoring and management tools.
Their main task is to analyze problems to determine where they originate and repair the system accordingly, which requires a good understanding of the system rather than sophisticated tools.
MSPs, on the other hand, use automation tools to implement proactive management and remote monitoring.
They use tools capable of preventing breakdowns, but also of automatically updating
automatic updating of user workstations, so as to maintain an optimum level of safety.
Specific offers for everyone
To understand outsourcing, it’s important to bear in mind that theIT outsourcing service provider generally offers a contract paid for by the year for the management of a given fleet, with a commitment over several years.
Outsourcing services generally include equipment supervision and maintenance in operational conditions. On-site interventions may be included or invoiced separately. Offers from managed services provider are generally offered on a monthly subscription basis, calculated per piece of equipment and/or per user managed.
This approach assumes that the MSP does not intervene as long as the system is running correctly, and that if it needs to intervene, it does so without additional billing.
So it’s a win-win approach, because as long as he doesn’t have to intervene, he keeps a better margin.
On the other hand, this approach givesthe customer theassurance that the service provider will do his utmost to ensure that the system runs smoothly.
Things to remember
Although both are IT outsourcing solutions, outsourcing and managed services are two very different propositions.
The objectives and advantages of each approach for the customer are quite different, since each formula implies a specific vision. Outsourcing is more akin to support , while managed services are more akin to monitoring.
