The cloud computing revolution is in full swing, and businesses are rapidly migrating their operations to this dynamic environment. Managing a secure and efficient cloud infrastructure can be a complex challenge which is solved by Managed Cloud Services (MCS).
The market speaks volumes: The global managed services market is projected to reach a staggering $207.8 billion by 2025, reflecting a phenomenal growth rate. This surge signifies the increasing demand for businesses to leverage expert support for their cloud journeys.
- Optimizing costs and efficiency: The benefits of managed services for cloud go beyond mere market trends. Studies reveal that businesses utilizing Managed Services for Cloud can experience cost reductions of up to 30% through optimized resource allocation and proactive management by service providers.
- Security expertise: Security remains a top concern in the cloud. 40% of IT decision-makers acknowledge that cloud security expertise is a significant factor when considering Managed Cloud Services, underscoring the growing importance of robust security measures in today’s cloud landscape.
Managed services for cloud offer a powerful combination of cost optimization, security expertise, and efficiency, empowering businesses to truly unlock the full potential of the cloud.
What are Managed Cloud Services?
MCS refers to outsourcing the management and maintenance of your cloud infrastructure to a service provider. These providers take care of tasks like:
- Setting up and configuring cloud resources like servers, storage, and networking.
- Continuously monitoring infrastructure performance, identifying bottlenecks, and optimizing resource allocation.
- Implementing and maintaining security controls to safeguard your cloud environment from threats.
- Installing critical security updates and patches to keep your systems secure.
- Backing up your data regularly and ensuring a robust disaster recovery plan is in place.
- Providing ongoing technical support to address any issues that arise.
Choose Your Cloud Building Blocks
Managed Services for Cloud offer a range of options to tailor your cloud environment to your specific needs. Here are some of the key service models:
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
The Advantages of Managed Cloud Services
MCS offers a compelling value proposition for businesses looking to optimize their cloud usage. Here are some key benefits to consider:
- Cost Savings: MCS providers can help you extract the most value from your cloud investment. They optimize resource allocation, utilize cost-saving features like reserved instances, and offer pay-as-you-go models, leading to significant cost reductions.
- Increased Flexibility and Scalability: The cloud thrives on flexibility. With MCS, you can easily scale your infrastructure up or down based on changing workloads. This agility allows you to adapt to business fluctuations and seize new opportunities without infrastructure limitations.
- Improved Security: MCSPs employ experienced security professionals who stay current on evolving threats. They implement advanced security measures, intrusion detection systems, and ongoing monitoring to safeguard your cloud environment.
- Reduced IT Strain: Managing a cloud infrastructure internally can strain IT resources. MCS allows you to offload these tasks to a dedicated team of experts. This frees your IT staff to focus on strategic initiatives and core business objectives.
Considerations when choosing an MCS Provider
Choosing a Managed Services Provider (MSP) for Cloud requires careful consideration. Evaluate their ability to scale with your needs, service offerings (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, security), and global reach for performance. Reliability factors include guaranteed uptime (SLAs), robust backup/disaster recovery, and strong network performance. Security is paramount, so confirm data encryption, relevant compliance certifications, and Identity and Access Management (IAM) features. Understand their pricing structure (pay-as-you-go, hidden fees, billing transparency), support options (24/7, response times), and data transfer/backup/recovery capabilities to ensure flexibility and future-proof your cloud journey.
Top trends shaping the future of Managed Cloud Services
The future of Managed Cloud Services (MCS) is bright and brimming with innovation. Businesses are increasingly seeking expert guidance from MSPs, leveraging their cloud expertise and acting as trusted advisors. AI integration is another key trend, with high-performing organizations utilizing cloud environments to utilize the power of AI for tasks like natural language processing.
Furthermore, the XaaS model (Everything-as-a-Service) is gaining traction, offering a flexible and scalable approach to cloud services. This on-demand model allows businesses to pay only for what they use, eliminating upfront costs and streamlining service deployment. The IT talent gap is also being addressed by MSPs, who provide staffing solutions and bridge the skills gap for organizations struggling to find qualified IT professionals. Finally, the rise of cloud-native strategies, driven by the need for agility and cost optimization, is shaping the future of application development within the cloud landscape. These strategies involve building applications specifically designed to take advantage of the cloud’s scalability, elasticity, and pay-as-you-go model.
Security & Compliance
Cloud security compliance refers to adhering to a set of regulations, standards, and best practices designed to safeguard data and applications in the cloud. Failure to comply can lead to legal ramifications, financial penalties, and reputational damage. With the evolving threat landscape, robust cloud security and compliance practices are critical for any organization leveraging cloud services.
Shared Responsibility in the Cloud
Cloud service providers (CSPs) invest heavily in securing their environments, but ultimately, shared responsibility underpins cloud security. Organizations must understand their role in securing their cloud deployments, especially when handling sensitive data. The level of responsibility varies depending on the cloud service model (public, private, or hybrid) and the security controls offered.
Key Cloud Security Compliance Frameworks
A multitude of frameworks exist to guide organizations in achieving cloud security compliance. These include:
- the CSA Controls Matrix for enhanced security posture
- FedRAMP for stringent US government requirements
- NIST frameworks offering various cloud security standards
- ISO standards for building IT security management systems
Well-architected frameworks from leading cloud providers that focus on security alongside other key aspects.
Cloud Security Compliance Best Practices
Organizations go beyond frameworks and implement these best practices to further bolster cloud security:
- Assess risks before migration
- Develop secure information sharing policies (including provider due diligence)
- Evaluate the provider’s security posture (certifications, access controls)
- Prioritize robust data backup and encryption (potentially with self-managed keys)
Cloud Cost Optimization
Transitioning from on-premises data centers to cloud infrastructure can lead to significant cost savings by fostering innovation, maintaining competitiveness, and enhancing interactions with customers and employees. However, cloud costs can exceed expectations, making it crucial to monitor and optimize your cloud expenditure.
Cloud cost optimization employs strategies, techniques, and tools to achieve the following:
- Minimize cloud costs
- Ensure cost-effective application operation in the cloud
- Maximize business value
It can be challenging to monitor metrics and compare data across multiple cloud vendors, making it easy to overspend. Regardless of the platform you choose—Amazon AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, or a combination—understanding and optimizing your cloud operations expenditure is vital.
The High Cost of Doing Nothing
Organizations waste approximately 32% of their cloud services spending. Cloud optimization helps reduce this waste by identifying:
- Unused resources
- Overlooked tools
Cloud cost optimization isn’t just about reducing costs; it’s about aligning them with your business goals. Paying more might be justified if it leads to increased revenue or productivity from a specific cloud service.
Taking Control of Your Cloud Costs
Cloud cost optimization involves understanding your cloud operations cost and making smart adjustments to control costs without compromising performance. Here are some key questions your IT team should consider before, during, and after your cloud implementation to manage costs and prevent unexpected overspending:
- What are our current cloud expenditures?
- Are we using the most appropriate cloud resources for our workloads?
- Can we leverage any cost-saving features offered by our cloud providers?
- Are there opportunities to right-size our cloud resources?
Cloud Cost Management Tools
Various cloud cost management tools are available to help you:
- Track bills
- Analyze features and configurations
- Enable cost optimization
These tools can work across multiple clouds and generate reports showing combined, multi-cloud data. Some even compare your cloud costs with the cost of building your own server room.
Optimizing Spend with Different Pricing Models
Cloud providers offer different pricing models and service levels to match resources and costs with your:
- Application needs
- Availability requirements
- Business value
Here are some strategies to leverage these models for cost optimization:
- Use reserved instances (RIs) for significant discounts
- Use savings plan pricing based on one- or three-year commitments
- Use Spot Instances for last-minute purchases when possible
- Limit data transfer fees by avoiding unnecessary data transfers.
FinOps—The Science behind Cloud Financial Management
FinOps, a blend of finance and DevOps, is a cloud financial management practice that helps organizations maximize business value in their hybrid and multi-cloud environments. FinOps practices rely on reporting and automation to increase ROI by continuously identifying efficiency opportunities and taking real-time cloud optimization actions.
Companies may be in multiple phases of the FinOps journey—inform, optimize, and operate—at the same time because different units, teams, or applications will have varying needs. The FinOps Foundation describes maturity levels as “crawl, walk, run,” representing organizations that take action on a small scale up to those at a much higher level.
Cloud Migration Considerations
When considering a move to the cloud, it is crucial to evaluate potential cost savings, the ability to foster innovation, maintain competitiveness, and enhance customer and employee interactions. It is important to understand that while cloud infrastructure can offer a pay-as-you-go operational expense model, costs can exceed expectations if not responsibly managed. Therefore, implementing strategies for cloud cost optimization is essential. This includes understanding your cloud operations cost, making intelligent adjustments, and using tools to track and optimize costs. Additionally, navigating different pricing models and service levels offered by cloud providers can help match resources and costs with application needs and business value. Lastly, consider employing a cross-functional FinOps team to bring financial accountability to the cloud, maximizing business value in hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
Here are some additional considerations for cloud migration:
- Application Assessment: Evaluate your existing applications to determine if they are cloud-ready or require modifications for optimal performance in the cloud environment.
- Data Migration Strategy: Develop a comprehensive plan for securely migrating your data to the cloud, ensuring data integrity and minimal downtime.
- Network Connectivity: Establish a secure and reliable network connection between your on-premises infrastructure and the cloud environment.
- Change Management: Prepare your users and IT staff for the transition to the cloud by providing training and support throughout the migration process.
The future of cloud is managed
The cloud revolution is here to stay, and businesses that leverage its potential will thrive. Managed Cloud Services empower organizations to unlock the full potential of the cloud by providing expert guidance, cost optimization, and robust security. With the increasing complexity of cloud environments, MCS is no longer a luxury, but a strategic necessity.
Scale up, stay agile
Schedule a call with InterVision today to discuss your Managed Cloud needs and discover how we can help you achieve on-demand scalability and agility. Effortlessly adapt to changing market conditions and seize new opportunities without infrastructure limitations. Take control of your cloud journey and see how fast you can go.
