6 Key Capabilities for Cloud Managed Service Providers

What are the key capabilities for cloud managed service providers? As cloud solutions become more complex and cloud vendors add more services to their portfolios, enterprises may find it challenging to manage their cloud infrastructure. That’s where a cloud managed service provider comes in.

Cloud managed services providers help customers to manage their cloud solutions and operations to ensure maximum business efficiency. Specific services include cloud transformation and migration advisory, cloud cost consulting, and managed services for specific cloud offerings. There are other key capabilities that enterprises should look for when evaluating cloud managed service providers — we’ve listed six of those capabilities below!

Looking for more information on cloud managed service providers? You should check out our free MSP Buyer’s Guide! The guide contains profiles on the top cloud managed service providers for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask vendors and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

Cloud transformation services

A managed service provider must be able to help a company that is at any stage of a cloud transformation strategy, from initial cloud strategy to maintaining cloud apps and workflows. Adopting the cloud is not a one-step process; it can take months or years for a business to fully move their infrastructure onto the cloud. Managed service providers deliver consulting and advisory services to help enterprises make the transition to the cloud as smooth as can be.

Service and solution integration

Public cloud vendors offer a myriad of specific cloud-based services which can either operate independently of each other or integrate with other services. Managed service providers should help customers determine the right services and solutions for their business based on their cloud business case and current/expected workflows. They should also provide assistance to clients during the onboarding process, ensuring that they integrate the service properly.

Cloud cost management

Many managed service providers provide cost management services for users to reduce their unnecessary cloud spend. Public cloud vendors typically operating on a pay-as-you-use model, so users only pay for the resources they use rather than pay a flat fee. However, enterprises can still waste money on unnecessary resources, and managed service providers can identify these resources and decouple them from your cloud infrastructure.

Multicloud support

While there are plenty of managed service providers who specialize in a single cloud vendor, an increasing number of providers support for multiple cloud environments. As cloud solutions continue to evolve and vendors switch to a multicloud deployment, managed service providers need to implement support for top public cloud vendors like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

24x7x365 customer support

When you’re operating a cloud solution, you could encounter a problem at any time, and you need reliable support to help solve the issue. Managed service providers employ a number of engineers and architects who are familiar with cloud vendors and their services. They should be able to help your enterprise with any problems that occur, regardless of when it happens and when you request support.

Cloud provider certifications

In order to prove their expertise in a cloud environment, managed service providers will train their team to earn certifications for the cloud vendors that they support. This demonstrates the managed service provider’s knowledge of specific cloud environments, either in a general sense or regarding specific solutions.

Looking for more info on managed service providers for your cloud solutions? Our MSP Buyer’s Guide contains profiles on the top cloud managed service providers for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask vendors and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

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