01732 759725 34 COLLABORATION Ian Anderson, Senior Director of Partner Sales, EMEA at Park Place Technologies, outlines the role of third-party IT providers in MSP service delivery well as knowledge of the latest security technologies, threats and trends, making them great partners for MSPs. Cybersecurity encompasses many disciplines – network security, endpoint protection, data encryption, threat intelligence and compliance management, to name just a few. Partnering with a third-party cybersecurity specialist allows MSPs to offer their clients premium cybersecurity solutions alongside their own managed services, helping them to build trust with clients, reduce cybersecurity risks and potentially produce cost savings in the long term. w Emerging Technology: Filling Skills & Knowledge Gaps Before implementing any new service offering or specialty area, an MSP will have to undertake extensive research and evaluation, training and skills development and testing. Given factors such as complexity, client demand and time constraints, an MSP may opt to subcontract a third-party specialist for specific projects or services. Artificial Intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT) and blockchain are all examples of emerging technologies that might warrant a partnership between an MSP lacking expertise in those areas and a third-party specialist that can fill any skills gaps immediately and offer comprehensive AI/IoT/blockchain products, services and support to the MSP’s clients. In addition to client-specific work, specialist firms can work directly with the MSP to design innovative solutions that better address clients' evolving needs and drive business transformation. e Operations: Enhancing Scalability and Flexibility An MSP can bring in a third-party IT service provider to quickly scale services it already offers. This makes sense when confronted with a sudden surge in demand for IT support services due to client growth, a major project rollout or a natural disaster. In such instances, a third-party IT provider can offer scalable help desk support or project management services so that the MSP can quickly scale up its operations without overburdening its internal resources. Once the project is complete and the additional support is no longer needed, the MSP can resume normal operations without the headache of changes to internal staffing. r Ensuring Compliance and Regulatory Requirements An MSP serves clients across many industries, some of which might be highly regulated and require strict compliance with industry standards and regulations, such as healthcare or finance. A third-party IT specialist in compliance management can add value for MSPs by ensuring that their clients meet regulatory obligations and maintain compliance with industry standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS and others. Maximising Impact Third-party IT providers play a crucial role in supporting MSPs in service delivery by providing complementary expertise, filling skills and knowledge gaps, enhancing scalability and flexibility, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, and driving innovation and best practices. Collaboration allows MSPs and third-party providers to achieve much more together, driving success for both parties and ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction. Park Place Technologies is a global data centre and networking optimisation firm with a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for IT lifecycle management. These include data centre hardware maintenance (Park Place Hardware Maintenance), professional services for server, storage and network infrastructure (Park Place Professional Services), managed support for IT infrastructure (ParkView Managed Services), network monitoring software (Entuity) and network and data centre hardware sales (Curvature). Through its partner programme, Park Place Technologies enables VARs and MSPs to expand their product offering, service capabilities and geographical reach with world-class solutions. www.parkplacetechnologies.com ‘Great discoveries and improvements invariably involve the cooperation of many minds.’ Attributed to Alexander Graham Bell, this observation is highly applicable to the managed services industry where, at a time of great change, collaboration is a practical way for managed service providers (MSPs) to maximise profits and attract and retain customers as demand for specialised IT services grows. Third-party IT providers enable MSPs to enhance their services offering and services delivery capability by giving them access to specialist expertise, resources and talent. Customers enjoy a more seamless, endto-end IT service experience and MSPs are able to forge stronger relationships with new and long-standing clients. The big difference between MSPs and third-party IT providers such as consultants, contractors and companies offering specific IT products and services on a project basis is that MSPs provide comprehensive managed services to clients 24/7. These include infrastructure managed services (PaaS or IaaS), professional services, sustainability services and network monitoring services. Third-party IT providers are typically less involved in businesses’ day-to-day operations. Park Place Technologies bridges the gap between the two, offering core third-party services (e.g. hardware maintenance) and professional services (e.g. IMACD services), as well as managed services that can complement an MSP’s own capabilities. Service delivery Collaboration with third-party IT providers gives MSPs numerous opportunities to enhance service delivery to meet the diverse needs of clients, as the following examples show: q Cybersecurity: The Value of Specialised Services The cybersecurity landscape is complex and constantly evolving, with new vulnerabilities emerging daily. Thirdparty cybersecurity providers possess deep expertise in threat detection, prevention and mitigation strategies, as Unlocking success through collaboration Ian Anderson
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