Managed Services is a model of IT service delivery in which an external service provider takes ongoing responsibility for managing, monitoring, and maintaining a defined part of a customer’s IT infrastructure or specific systems. A company that provides such services is known as a Managed Service Provider (MSP).
Unlike one-off technical work, Managed Services involve ongoing support within a predefined scope of responsibility. The provider may manage servers, network equipment, storage systems, backups, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity solutions, and other components.
How Managed Services Work
The customer and provider determine which systems will be managed and which tasks are included in the service. The terms are typically defined in a contract and may be supplemented by an SLA (Service Level Agreement) specifying availability targets, response times, and other service parameters.
The provider’s specialists then regularly monitor the infrastructure and perform the work covered by the agreement. Depending on the service, this may include monitoring, installing updates, troubleshooting, backup, operating system administration, network management, or cybersecurity.
For example, a company may own servers hosted in a data center but not maintain a dedicated team to support them around the clock. An MSP can monitor the equipment, respond to incidents, and perform the necessary technical work under the service agreement.
Using Managed Services does not necessarily mean giving the provider full control over IT. Responsibilities can be divided: for example, the MSP may maintain the physical servers and network, while the customer manages the operating systems and applications.
What Services Are Included in Managed Services
The scope of managed services depends on the provider’s specialization. Managed Services may include:
- Management of servers, storage systems, and network infrastructure.
- Monitoring of equipment and services.
- Administration of operating systems and virtual machines.
- Management of private and public cloud infrastructure.
- Data backup and recovery.
- Management of firewalls and other security solutions.
- Installation of updates and patches.
- Technical support and incident resolution.
- Maintenance of equipment after the manufacturer’s warranty expires.
A provider may offer comprehensive infrastructure management or an individual service such as Managed Backup, Managed Firewall, or Managed S3 Storage.
Managed Services and Traditional Technical Support
The main difference lies in the nature of the work. Traditional technical support often involves responding to a problem after it has occurred: the customer reports an issue, and specialists then begin troubleshooting it.
Managed Services typically involve the ongoing management of a specific system or infrastructure. The provider can proactively monitor its condition, detect issues, and perform actions covered by the agreement without requiring a separate service request for every operation.
However, the exact distinction between technical support and Managed Services depends on the terms of the service. The term itself does not automatically imply 24/7 monitoring or a specific response time — these parameters must be defined in the contract or SLA.
Where Managed Infrastructure Can Be Located
Managed Services are not tied to a specific infrastructure deployment model. A provider can manage infrastructure located:
- On the customer’s premises (on-premises).
- In the service provider’s or a third-party operator’s data center.
- In a private cloud.
- In public clouds.
- Across multiple environments as part of a hybrid infrastructure.
For example, an MSP can maintain a customer’s physical servers in a data center while also managing its virtual machines in a public cloud.
Managed Services and Outsourcing
Managed Services are a form of IT outsourcing, but the terms are not completely interchangeable. IT outsourcing is a broader concept that may include software development, end-user support, individual projects, and the transfer of entire IT functions to an external contractor.
Managed Services typically refer to the ongoing management of specific IT systems or functions based on an agreed set of services and areas of responsibility.
This model allows a company to delegate specialized technical tasks to an external team while retaining its own IT infrastructure and control over the layers that remain outside the provider’s scope of responsibility.