Managed Services vs. Cloud Computing: What’s The Difference and Which One Aligns With Your Needs?
As businesses continue to adapt to a rapidly growing digital economy, understanding the differences between managed services and cloud computing is essential. While both models work to optimize performance, reduce costs, and strengthen security, they serve different purposes.
Managed services provide thorough oversight of your IT infrastructure, covering cloud migration and management, supporting internal teams with advanced technology tools, and providing ongoing monitoring, threat detection, and more. Cloud computing provides flexible, scalable access to computing power and storage over the internet.
Keep reading to determine which model suits your organization best and identify the key factors to consider in making that choice.
Partner with an MSP
Access a wide range of services, including cloud migration, monitoring, and ongoing maintenance to ensure advanced security and enhanced efficiency.
Managed Services Overview
A managed services partner (MSP) can offer a cloud platform as part of various services to enhance security without needing to hire and maintain an internal IT team. This is a great option for organizations that require regular audits, updates, or maintenance but lack the staff to handle those tasks. Additionally, MSPs can assist with compliance requirements, IT growth planning, incident response, and endpoint security.
Businesses in any industry can benefit from partnering with a managed service provider. With a fixed monthly fee, you gain predictable costs and improved budget management, enabling you to scale up or down as needed
A managed service model manages IT risks for your company, including the following range of services:
- Data security
- IT strategies
- Backups and recovery plans
- Virus and malicious software solutions
- Network connectivity
- Cloud migration and management
Instead of concentrating on just one part of your IT environment, your MSP partner can act as your IT team, managing everything from data storage security to helpdesk support. When considering cloud migration and management, start by asking yourself these questions to determine if you need help with the initial migration or if an MSP can assist you in planning, migrating, and optimizing.
Questions to consider before migrating cloud solutions:
What are your cloud migration goals?
Can the cloud help you expand your infrastructure, reduce downtime, and accelerate business growth?What is the overall cost of migrating to a cloud solution?
Be sure to include the cost of preparing on-premises workloads and applications, cloud hosting plans, cloud service providers, or hiring and training cloud specialists.Does your cloud strategy prioritize data security?
Include regulatory compliance, cloud policies, and protection of data on the cloud in your migration plan.Does your chosen cloud solution offer scalability?
Look into maximum data storage, cloud user limitations, and workloads.Which type of cloud deployment model will work best for your business needs?
Consider the differences among public, private, and hybrid cloud environments and decide which model best suits your business goals.
Along with these questions, you need to ensure your current IT team is trained on the cloud solution you select, from migration through monitoring to ongoing upkeep. For smaller IT teams, this can be hard; a managed service provider (MSP) can handle these tasks, allowing your internal teams to focus on other IT projects, security, and daily operations to prevent downtime or data breaches during the migration.
Types of Cloud Service Models
Cloud computing is a network of servers hosted on the internet that manages and processes data. Cloud solutions typically provide storage, data backup and recovery, and data transfers. Using cloud computing allows you to access data from multiple locations using various devices. It enables software-as-a-service (SaaS) or on-demand software to keep your business up to date with the latest versions.
If your business does not need the extra services offered by managed IT services, you can select the cloud solution that best suits your business and manage the migration, monitoring, and ongoing maintenance in-house.
A few of the most popular cloud platforms include:
- Salesforce
- Microsoft Azure
- AWS
- Google Cloud
- Citrix
| Cloud Platform | Best used for | Hybrid capabilities | Average Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Azure | Hybrid cloud integrations | Yes | $10 per physical core/month |
| Citrix | Virtual desktops | No | Custom |
| AWS | Scalability and flexibility | Yes | Custom |
| Salesforce | Cloud-based CRM | Yes | Custom |
| Google Cloud | Data analytics | No | Custom |
TIP: When choosing a cloud solution, consider whether your business needs a public, private, or hybrid model. Although they have similar features, they provide different levels of control and flexibility.
Public Cloud Computing Solutions
A public cloud is owned and operated by a third-party provider that offers computing resources over the internet. Since these resources are shared in a multi-tenant environment, different businesses can use the same infrastructure while keeping their data and workloads logically separated to ensure privacy and security.
Businesses tend to choose public clouds for the following needs:
- Hosting websites that do not have predictable traffic
- Developing and testing environments
- Accessing real-time insights through data analytics and big data workloads
- Collaborating via remote work tools through shared applications
- Storing redundant data across regions to prepare for disaster recovery and backup.
Private Cloud Environment
Private Cloud Environment
Unlike a public cloud, private cloud environments are dedicated to a single organization. It can be hosted either on-premises within a data center owned by the business or off-site by a third-party provider. Private clouds use a single-tenant model to isolate all servers, storage, and networking. This provides more control, customization, and security.
Businesses that operate within a private cloud can:
- Run sensitive workloads with strict compliance regulations
- Host-regulated data, critical in the healthcare and financial industries
- Maintain control over data residency
Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure
Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure
A hybrid cloud infrastructure combines elements of both public and private models, enabling data and applications to move smoothly between them. This not only provides increased flexibility but also supports sensitive workloads in private clouds while leveraging public clouds for scalability, testing, or backup needs. A hybrid cloud model is ideal for businesses seeking a balance between performance, compliance, and innovation across various workloads.
Access Cloud Managed Services
From data migration to ongoing cloud management, our team can help ensure your business has a pragmatic plan, strong security, and opportunities for growth.
Why Use An IT Management Provider to Handle Your Cloud Solutions
Deciding between managed services and cloud computing services doesn’t have to be a one-or-the-other choice. Partnering with an IT provider like Applied Tech lets you access both areas and scale as needed. Working with a team that can start with one solution and switch easily to the other when your needs evolve ensures you always have the tools and solutions required.
Our team offers both managed services and cloud computing solutions to enable a seamless transition, expansion, or integration of the two as your cybersecurity strategy develops. With a thorough understanding of both models, our IT experts can help you optimize performance, enhance security measures, and ensure that every part of your IT infrastructure works together to support your business goals.
Contact us today to learn more about our managed services and cloud computing solutions and discover how we can help you find the best fit for your business needs.
About Applied Tech
Applied Tech is a leading IT and cybersecurity services provider dedicated to helping businesses protect their digital assets. Our proactive and strategic services include cloud management, security, productivity, and IT growth strategy. With a team of experienced professionals, we provide unique solutions tailored to your IT needs.
Protect your business with Applied Tech’s fully managed IT services, co-managed support, and security assistance. With IT services focused on your business goals, keep your team productive and your data secure.
This post was originally published in November 2022 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
