TechBeat: Managed services in Ireland

Insights

14 September 2016

Respondents were asked if this manner of IT operation compromises their ability to add value to the organisation. More than a quarter of respondents (27%) agreed that it did so regularly, with nearly half (49%) saying occasionally. A quarter felt that it did not impact at all.

03_fire-fighting_reduction

What steps are being taken by your organisation to reduce fire-fighting by your IT department? (Choose all that apply)

“Three-quarters want to be spending more of their time adding value, but this depends on having the available time and skills to move up the value chain,” said O’Connor. “For those that are outsourcing, it can also be related to the mix of services they are outsourcing and the approach to outsourcing taken by the managed services partner. Again it comes down to identifying those tangible business outcomes the organisation wants to realise from the relationship with the managed services provider.”

When asked what steps were being taken to reduce IT ‘firefighting’, nearly half (47%) of respondents said outsourcing to an MSP, followed by triaging issues (42%) and further IT staff training (36%). Only 16% said hiring more IT staff was their method to combat firefighting. Other strategies mentioned were increased systems monitoring and infrastructural investment.

Respondents were asked to specify which services or functions were outsourced to an MSP, and two emerged as leaders (51% each): back-up and continuity and infrastructure management. These were followed closely (41%) by managed print, with application management and IT security services grouped closely behind (35% and 33% respectively).

O’Connor said it was interesting to see the shared lead of back-up and business continuity and infrastructure management outsourcing.

“This directly follows our advice in this area. These areas are fundamentally linked, and so it’s natural that they should both score similarly. We encourage customers to take a holistic approach to their storage, servers and business continuity, and turn to an MSP to provide a comprehensive service that they can trust and rely on in this area,” she said.

“A large number are also outsourcing manged print, often because it is considered to be a low-risk, low-level, reactive part of business operations—ideal from an outsourcing perspective.

04_most-important-msp-services

What are the most important services that your MSP can provide for your organisation? (Choose three)

“However, on the flipside,” O’Connor pointed out, “print security is a large part of managed print, and if almost 60% are still not seeking managed expertise then they could be vulnerable to security breaches through connected printers on their network. Many people are not even aware that this vulnerability exists, but some of the most sensitive information that businesses possess often runs right through printers, without any concern for whether the printer is secure.”

When asked about budget spend on MSPs per year, nearly a quarter of respondents indicated up to 10% of their IT budget, while a further one in five indicated 11-20%. One in 10 indicated a budget of 21-30%, with slightly more (12%) indicating a spend of 31 – 40% of their IT budget. The proportions broke into single digits at areas upward of 50% of IT budget spend, but a collective 10% indicated 75 -100% of IT budget being spent on MSPs yearly.

O’Connor noted something of a disconnect between spend and other key figures.

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