Wide awake to the challenge of managing complexity

Managed service is a fast growing area of the information technology sector, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2 per cent between today and 2028. This poses a question: why are more and more businesses turning to managed service providers (MSPs) to handle aspects of their operational IT?

The reason is simple, said Gillian Moody, general manager, Sleepless: businesses turn to managed service providers like hers because IT has become inordinately difficult, not to mention more important, to manage as time has gone on.

“IT has become so much more complex. When I started in my career IT was simpler: someone wanted to upgrade the RAM in their PC or maybe restore something from a back-up,” she said.

Today, things could not be more different: not only has IT reached into every aspect of business, but the IT infrastructure itself has become more complex, from on-premise servers to cloud computing, and from virtual desktops to security.

More than that, though, managing and administering IT is not just about desktop computers anymore.

“IT is not just the physical devices that people are working on, it’s virtual environments, and that makes it more complex,” she said.

“It’s very difficult, particularly for smaller companies, to get the skills they need.”

One particularly fraught area for businesses is information security. Not only is there a massive, and global, skills shortage, but the regulatory landscape around data compliance is complex.

“There is legislation now around security and compliance in particular, and it is complex and companies do need to adhere to it, though they may not fully understand it,” Moody said.

This is where MSPs like Sleepless step in, taking over aspects of IT security by deploying specialists, including in specific niches.

“You can’t be an expert in everything. We have people on our security team who are specialists in specific areas and specific technologies. For example, we have a Microsoft security solutions specialist on our team,” she said.

Even large enterprises are increasingly turning to MSPs to provide assistance.

“We would have a lot of customers that have their own internal IT departments, but they can’t keep sending people on courses, upgrading their knowledge,” she said.

“Typically, the larger enterprise customers would look after the internal working of the business and we would come in and help them with projects like network reviews and security reviews, or help them go for their ISO 27001 certification, where it’s not only getting them to do it but to keeping up to date,” she said.

Smaller companies can even take advantage of chief information security officers (CISO) as a service, bringing expertise and strategy to senior management.

“It’s hard to employ one in Ireland: CISOs are thin on the ground here,” Moody said.

“Where we see ourselves as a little different is that we are not just an MSP, we are an MSP that is security-first. In other words, we don’t just recommend a solution, we always consider security.

This was part of a wider philosophy, Moody said, that saw Sleepless work with customers to figure out what they wanted and needed from IT.

“We’re genuinely customer-focused: we really want to add value to their business,” she said.