Managed Service Provider.

Managed Service Provider, also known as MSP. This is a service provided by IT companies to small and medium-sized business, and sometimes large organizations, governments and non-profits.

It is applicable in instances where by the businesses do not have full-time in-house IT staff members.

A MSP either charges on an annual basis or a monthly recurring fee. There is a service level agreement (SLA) that is tied to the contract. The contract is well detailed with a list of all items and tasks to be included.

Tasks list might include as;

• 24/7 network monitoring of servers,
• desktop,
• laptops
• endpoint devices.

Depending on the terms and conditions spelled out in the contract the service provider may also include repairing any issues that arise, patching of devices to keep them updated and monitoring the system. www.kemnet.co.ke

Types of MSP Providers

• Network Infrastructure
• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Communication Services
• IT Support
• Security as a Service

MSP provides a great value for money by being proactive in fixing issues before they occur. MSP assists in optimizing the IT environment to prevent and lessen the need for regular break/fix issues. Mostly MSP provides remote services. A Remote Monitoring and Management system (RMM) monitors and fix issues remotely.

MSP has access to the environment and regularly monitors it and is better prepared for any emergency issues that may arise. It also has skilled technicians in Level 1, 2 and 3 that assist with the IT tasks and fix arising IT issues.

The MSP provides different billable rate for each technician assigned to work on any given issue.

Once you start working with a managed service provider, the remote team will take over on day-to-day monitoring and maintenance for your network, sometimes including jobs like antivirus protection.

Monitoring Your Network

IT service providers use remote monitoring and managing (RMM) software for networks and servers. RMM software enables the MSP company to easily manage your network and closely monitor it without sitting next to a server. If something goes wrong, or if a server on the network isn’t operating as it should, the RMM software notifies a system administrator. This software can also make it much easier to apply important updates, like security patches. It can even automate routine processes like finding more disk space for a server.