An Introduction To Managed Services In The Cloud

Have you implemented a cloud-based application for your business lately? We are sure, by now you have understood that this deployment is not an end in itself – it's really just the beginning. The changes that come along with such investments – induction of new vendors, new productivity target, new usage patterns and above all a sudden surge in the demand for resources to manage these newly acquired applications – often compel many companies to deploy their limited numbers of IT guys across roles in which they may have little experience. And the result? Mistakes and slowing down of operations. If you don't want your IT team to get bogged down with the burden of managing a host of applications, cloud management may be an ideal solution for you. Wondering whom to turn to for help? Firms that provide managed IT services – you can find them in any big US cities such as Tampa. However, before tying up with a managed service provider (MSP) partner, first get a better understanding of the term cloud management. That will give you a fair idea about the scope of these services. 

What is Cloud Management?

To begin with, you will need this service if you have your applications running on public cloud. Your managed service provider (MSP) will manage your mission-critical applications, so that your team can carry on with their projects in an uninterrupted manner.  

These services are generally delivered under an annual contract. With your MSP taking care of the cloud environment and applications residing therein, you don’t have to worry about their day-to-day maintenance. Simply keep on building new apps, and hand them over to the MSP when they are ready to go live. Going forward, when you need to add some critical features or enhancements to the application, your cloud partner would help you with that process as well. This is an important progress over traditional premise-based system.

How much value you can reap from your newly implemented cloud applications depends on how well you maintain and enhance them over time. If you are a mid-sized business that cannot afford a highly skilled IT team, opt for cloud management services. It is not difficult to find a competent managed IT service provider in emerging IT hubs like Tampa. However, before hiring just about any company, research the market to learn about the important role that MSPs can play in a public cloud dominated IT landscape.

How Can MSPs in Tampa Help You Overcome DDoS Attacks?

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are becoming increasingly rampant in the United States. Rapidly advancing cities such as Tampa are more prone to be attacked by DDoS perpetrators, who use more than one – often thousand – unique IP addresses to break even the tightest of web security systems. Unfortunately, you are in the line of attack, too, if your business depends on earning revenue from Internet-based apps and websites. Is the thought making you nervous? If you want to stay protected with professional IT solutions, Tampa based managed service providers (MSPs) can offer you the support you’re looking for.

Wondering how hiring a local MSP can help your business? Well, the best part about hiring one in Tampa is that they will be able to visit your office immediately in case there is a need of physical presence in times of an emergency. While each MSP has its own unique way of preparing for the crisis, most of them follow some basic practices to handle DDoS attacks. Here are three IT solutions with which they can help you, too:

1. Authenticating Traffic Flow: If you’re trying to monitor the network patterns, such as the number of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) per second, you may end up cutting down legitimate traffic by launching counter-protective measures. Expert MSPs have smart and sophisticated tools to analyze and filter out potential aberrations from an authentic traffic flow.

2. Using Multiple Hardware:  Expert MSPs focus on integrating numerous layers of filtering to keep DDoS threats at arm’s length. Along with commercial off the shelf (COTS) hardware technology, they use their Cloud support system to create filters of unique and individual proprietary mechanisms.

3. Adopting a Bandwidth Strategy: By utilizing numerous firewalls, these MSPs distribute rollouts in order to segment the bandwidth of a client. Once the bandwidth is broken up into multiple portions, it becomes harder for DDoS attackers to figure out how to break in and damage the system.

Don’t waste anymore time! By providing well-rounded IT solutions, Tampa basedMSPs can help you overcome any DDoS attack, so go ahead, hire one, and save your business from harmful downtime and devastating losses.

Achieve Business Goals through Remote Monitoring and Management

Why waste precious time in day-to-day management of your IT infrastructure, when you can let experts handle it for you? When looking for professional IT support, Tampa based Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) service providers can be your guardian angel. With an advanced array of management tools, RMM service providers can increase productivity and better leverage your IT staff. However, before we delve any further, let’s take a look at what RMM is all about.

What is Remote Monitoring and Management?

IT service providers employ RMM tools, such as remote desktop monitoring and trouble ticket tracking, to client servers and workstations, which gather information about the hardware and applications running on the client’s location. These tools supply the reports to the service providers, thus enabling them to resolve any issue even before the client starts experiencing it. RMM solutions can also help in automating scheduled maintenance tasks.

Benefits of Choosing RMM

The IT support from a RMM service provider will help your business achieve the following three goals:

1. Increase in efficiency

RMM service providers use IT asset tracking software to receive data in a single central console and relay the information to clients in real-time. This saves a lot of time and results in enhanced efficiency.

2. Early detection via proactive maintenance

Without remote monitoring, an issue may go unnoticed, and result in costly repairs. The RMM tools alert the IT support staff instantly whenever any irregularity in the network takes place so that the team can address the issue immediately.

3. Gain important insights

As RMM tools keep the service providers updated 24/7, clients can gain essential insights about the overall network health, and easily locate the areas that require improvements. This can avoid costly downtime in future.

No network is perfect, even those in Tampa, one of the growing technology hubs of the US. Offering expert IT support, Tampa based RMM service providers can analyze your system in advance, carry out frequent maintenance works, keep your network up-to-date and thereby, help you achieve your business goals. While you focus on reaching newer heights, let the professionals carry out the monitoring process and keep your business safe.

How IT Companies in Tampa Can Recover Data in Case of a Disaster

According to a survey by Info-Tech Research Group, a London-based IT research and advisory firm, almost 40 percent of IT companies in the US don’t have an efficient disaster recovery plan (DRP) to help them quickly resume work after a crisis such as a storm, a fire, a break-in, or a sabotage. The survey further goes on to reveal that nearly half of all companies without a DRP go out of business within a year. This is alarming news for the IT department of Tampa, as it is one of the fastest growing regions in IT among all the Southern States. However, with the support of managed IT services, Tampa based companies can rest easy because disaster recovery of their business resources can become super fast and extremely safe. Wondering how these IT companies can save your business during disasters? Here is a brief outline of the way managed service provides (MSPs) function:

#1. Devising the DRP: MSPs design a DRP by analyzing the business components and taking backups of the important features that can keep the company running post a disaster. They also devise a plan to keep the reputation of the affected company intact among clients, in spite of a calamity.

#2. Monitoring the implementation: Once a DRP has been established, MSPs keep the data updated and regularly monitor the DRP with remediation of processes. This helps maintain a lower downtime if a crisis occurs.

#3. Testing the DRP: An under-tested plan is as bad as having no plan at all. Using important verification activities, MSPs frequently test the effectiveness of the recovery plan by simulating situations that would be applicable during an actual crisis.

Every IT firm in Tampa runs the risk of meeting a disaster at any time. With expert assistance from managed IT services, Tampa based companies can rely on a coherent and well-structured DRP, which can significantly lower the risk of business loss and interruption when a disaster strikes.

Innovative IT Solutions Helping Tampa’s Finance Companies to Stay Competitive

The financial technology sector is expected to become an 8 billion dollars market globally this year. In fact, one out of every four people are likely to turn to mobile banking by the end of 2015, and by 2017, half of the world’s population will own a smartphone. South Florida, which already is an important financial hub in the US, is capitalizing on the trend. Tampa, a city located in the state’s tech-corridor is significantly contributing to the region’s fin-tech boom. IT solutions are being developed in Tampa to exclusively serve the region’s financial institutions. These innovative solutions, which include business process management (BPM), loan processing, investor services and low-latency trading tools, among others, are enabling the region’s financial institutions achieve operational efficiency and cut costs.

Drivers for the City’s Fin-Tech Boom:Be it banks, credit societies, lenders or trading companies, all the businesses in this sector are looking for ways to become more agile, as the majority of today’s customers prefer online and mobile over traditional transactions.

Keen on delivering personalized, diversified services to their clients, these institutions are looking for technology that would offer a consolidated view of their clients’ accounts.

 In the age of social media, protection of brand image has become a top concern for banks and other financial service providers. Regulatory compliances are also becoming more and more stringent for the financial sector. Subsequently, firms look for solutions that would allow them to adhere to stringent regulatory compliances, and help them avoid the risks of reputation damage and thereby build up a loyal clientele.

Segments Addressed by the Solutions:

Based on new-age analytics, mobile and cloud technologies, a wide variety of fin-tech solutions are available across the financial services spectrum. The areas include:

Retail banking
Investment banking
Governance and risk compliance
Housing, auto and student loan segments
Credit card management and payment processing
Wealth management

Specially designed for today’s demanding clientele, Financesector-focused IT solutions in Tampaare driving innovations and enhancing efficiencies. From giving a 360 degree view of the customers’ personal finance to enabling them to overcome data challenges, and gaining an edge over their competitors, these solutions are redefining the way financial institutions are doing business today.

IT Support For Small Businesses

The revenue of the global outsourced services industry rose from 45.6 billion US dollars in 2000 to 104.6 billion US dollars in 2014. Thanks to a host of private and public assistance programs and special initiatives to aid small ventures, Tampa's small and medium business (SMB) sector is thriving. Most of these businesses that have 20 or fewer employees lack budget to employ an in-house team to look after their information technology (IT) issues. These companies find it more practical to hire a third party vendor in the city to handle their IT support issues.  Here are some of the major types of support services that can be outsourced to a qualified vendor in order to save cost and get rid of untimely hassles:

Network Setup and Administration: A qualified IT service provider can help address this important aspect of your business at the fraction of the cost of hiring a full time employee.

Network Security Management: With cyber crimes becoming increasingly rampant and sophisticated, businesses need to monitor their network round the clock. This is not only time consuming, but also extremely complicated. A third party provider, whose business focus is to set up and secure network systems, has the expertise to use the latest intrusion detection systems to keep threats at bay.  The arrangement gives you peace of mind that your critical data is safe and sound.

Hardware Support: Ongoing hardware and desktop support is an essential part of running a business, as it helps to make the most of your limited man power. With a dedicated technical team always at your service to solve your hardware related issues, your team is always at its productive best.

Data Backup and Recovery: Data back-up and disaster recovery solutions allow you to obtain your business-critical data and carry on with your operations even in the event of a disaster. In Tampa, there are several IT vendors that offer cloud-based solutions to help you save cost.

Email Services: In an era, when emails have become the primary means of business communication, companies need to have an effective email-management system in place. An outsourced service provider will help you manage your emails at a much lower cost than hiring an in-house staff for the same purpose. While an in-house employee will only focus on a certain job area, an IT support firm gives you a complete bouquet of services that turn out to be much more cost-effective in the long run

While you can avail different types of IT support services in Tampa to speed up the revenue generation process of your business, it is important to make sure that you are outsourcing the work to a trustworthy partner.

Tampa Vendors! Take Cues from These Three IT Managed Services Trends

IT vendors across the globe are focused on delivering superior services at an affordable cost.  This is where the concept of managed services has entered the scenario. This booming sector has breathed fresh oxygen to Tampa’s IT industry that has been staggering due to the worldwide economic recession. Given the high growth potential of the sector, it is crucial for the city’s managed service providers (MSPs) to keep an eye on industry trends that are currently dominating the managed IT services sector in Tampa. Below are the three hottest trends to watch out for:

Rapid Adoption of Cloud:

Cloud technologies that allow companies to use remotely located Internet servers to store, manage, and process data, have been utilized by large enterprises for quite some time now.  However, medium-sized businesses are steadily marching toward a virtualized environment. Against this backdrop, Tampa MSPs are enabling large enterprises to optimize their cloud infrastructure, while facilitating a smooth transition from on-premise to cloud for the mid-size entities. To be successful, MSPs need to understand the complexities of integrating cloud into their clients’ exiting IT infrastructure.

Focus On a Backup Plan:

A disaster can destroy your business if you haven’t invested in the right services to back up your data assets. Majority of small and medium businesses (SMBs) in Tampa that lack the resources to run business continuity plans on their own, are turning to MSPs for end-to-end solution to back up and manage their critical data. A thorough assessment of clients’ business is necessary for success in this area.

Uptake of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy:

BOYD policy that allows employees to use personal devices to access enterprise data and applications on the go, has found favor with both enterprise and SMB sectors. In a bid to enhance productivity, all sizes and types of businesses in Tampa are implementing BYOD strategy. The city’s MSP are hugely cashing in on the trend by helping them roll out a suitable program, while ensuring mobility security for their clients. Vendors should consider two factors – fluidity and affordability – to stand out in this space.

Today’s smart entrepreneurs prefer to partner with those managed IT services providers in Tampa that are aware of key industry trends and accordingly capable of customizing the solutions according to their clients’ needs. Stay updated and be ahead of your competitors.

Cloud Computing Services and Tampa

For organizations that are new to cloud services, the abundance of cloud companies in the market can be overwhelming. Hiring consultants who offer specialized service in this sector can bring in fresh set of ideas to enhance a company’s infrastructure and greater flexibility in delivering quality service to customers. Tampa, a bustling commercial city in Florida, is home to an array of IT companies that are specialized in offering cloud computing service to businesses.

Companies in Tampa, offering cloud computing service do not own the physical infrastructure of hosting the software platform. Instead, they rent usage from a third party provider, thus saving big capital expenditure. Here are the models that are currently used to offer effective cloud computing solutions to companies.

• Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS is a cloud model that delivers on-demand applications hosted and managed by the service provider. SaaS solution offers a number of advantages over on-premises deployments including minimal administration, maintenance, improved communication and collaboration. In fact, some cloud-based tools have proven to be more cost-effective than their traditional in-house counterparts.

• Platform as a Service (PaaS)

The PaaS model delivers applications over the internet. In this model, a cloud service provider delivers hardware and software tools — usually those needed for application development. This cloud module hosts both software and hardware on its own infrastructure. As a result, users get relief from installing in-house hardware and software to develop or run a new application.

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

IaaS is a form of cloud computing that provides virtualized computing resources over the internet. It is one of the three main categories of cloud computing services along with SaaS and PaaS. In this particular model, a third party provider hosts hardware, software, servers, storage and other infrastructure components on behalf of its users.

As you can see, these three types of cloud computing models are integrated in IT solution services of Tampa. The best thing is that these services help companies to be more responsive to market conditions. Not just the biggies, with cloud computing services in place, even small businesses of Tampa can have access to high-end technology without hiring any specialized tech worker on their payroll. All they need to do is reach out to an expert IT solution provider in Tampa that has the infrastructure to manage cloud computing.