The world of technology is rapidly advancing and large enterprises are finding it increasingly difficult to manage all their complex IT infrastructure and applications alone. This has led to the rise of managed application services which help organizations stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and ensure smooth functioning of their critical applications.
What are Managed Application Services?
Managed Application Services refer to the outsourcing of certain application management functions to an external provider known as a managed service provider or MSP. Under this model, the MSP takes full responsibility of monitoring, managing and maintaining specific business applications on behalf of the client organization. Some key features of managed application services include:
- Remote monitoring and management - The MSP monitors applications 24/7 using automated tools and notifies clients of any issues. They can often address common issues remotely without disrupting users.
- Application support - MSP support teams provide Level 1, 2 and 3 support for applications including troubleshooting, bug fixing and making configuration changes. This ensures applications are available and functional at all times.
- Preventive maintenance - MSPs perform scheduled tasks such as backups, software updates, patching and security checks to prevent issues. Their experts can also optimize applications for better performance.
- Reporting and analytics - Clients receive detailed reports on application performance, usage metrics and support cases. This helps them make data-driven decisions for continuous improvement.
Benefits of Outsourcing Application Management
There are numerous advantages that organizations accrue by outsourcing application management to experts:
Cost savings: Handling complex application management in-house requires technical expertise that most companies may not have. By outsourcing to MSPs, CAPEX on hardware and software licenses can be converted to predictable OPEX.
Scalability: Demand on applications fluctuates throughout the year. MSPs have access to flexible resources that can be scaled up or down based on requirements, eliminating over-provisioning.
Focus on core business: In-house teams no longer need to spend time on routine application maintenance and support. This frees them to work on strategic initiatives delivering more value to business.
Access to skilled workforce: MSPs employ certified professionals with extensive hands-on experience in different applications. Their expertise helps resolve even complex issues more quickly.
Improved service levels: Well-defined SLAs ensure a consistent and high level of support. Automation further enhances response times and greatly improves overall end-user experience.
Continuous innovation: MSPs stay up-to-date with latest application versions, patches and security practices. Clients get early access to new features without additional investments.
Risk mitigation: MSPs assume responsibility and liability for application uptime. Their redundancy standards and disaster recovery plans provide Business Continuity benefits.
Key Application Services Managed Remotely
Given below are some examples of how MSPs can remotely manage the most common business applications:
ERP/Financial applications (SAP, Oracle, Workday etc.): They perform updates, system monitoring, user account management, bug fixes and ensure seamless integration of these vital systems.
CRM apps (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics etc.): In addition to troubleshooting issues, experts optimize CRM usage, configure customized workflows and generate actionable reports.
Cloud applications (Office 365, G-Suite, Dropbox etc.): MSPs centrally manage user provisioning across these suites, configure advanced security controls and drive adoption through training.
Collaboration tools (Slack, Zoom, WebEx etc.): Tools are integrated with other line of business systems. Usage is analyzed to enhance employee productivity through best practices.
Custom/legacy applications: For in-house or niche applications, MSPs take complete ownership of infrastructure hosting, code refactoring and application modernization programs.
Emerging Trends in Managed Application Space
As businesses depend more on applications, MSPs are expanding service offerings around emerging technologies:
AI/ML models: MSP experts assist in building and deploying intelligent solutions for predictive analytics and automated tasks.
Cloud migration: They offer end-to-end cloud migration services securing workloads, maintaining performance and optimizing costs in public/hybrid clouds.
Cybersecurity: Advanced security services include managing firewalls/antivirus, identity management, vulnerability assessment, backups & disaster recovery.
RPA/automation: Robotic process automation and workflow tools are implemented to eliminate repetitive manual tasks across various applications.
Containerization: Containers are deployed and managed at scale for isolate application environments and DevOps best practices.
IoT solutions: Expertise is developed around integrating operational technologies with existing systems for real-time analytics and control.
Application services outsourcing enables organizations to stay agile, optimize costs and focus more on innovation. As technologies become ubiquitous, managed application services will continue evolving to address diverse requirements of digital enterprises.
Explore more related trending articles: https://www.trendingwebwire.com/managed-application-services-demand-share-analysis/
