Still, you must consider how managing a Cloud infrastructure requires expertise and time, which many organizations may not have on hand. But that’s no reason to delay your move to the Cloud – even with limited resources, and you can turn to Managed Cloud services to make progress on your Cloud journey.

What is Managed Cloud

Managed Cloud is a service engagement model wherein a company outsources the management of its Cloud infrastructure to a third-party service provider. The service partner manages, monitors, and optimizes the Cloud to ensure its performance, security, and regulatory compliance. They also handle day-to-day tasks such as provisioning, deployment, maintenance, and support.

Some specific tasks that a Managed Cloud service partner handles are as follows:

• Provisioning and deployment. Setting up and configuring the cloud environment, migrating data and applications to the Cloud, and deploying new applications.
• Monitoring and management. Monitoring performance, detecting and resolving issues, and operating the infrastructure — keeping the lights on.
• Security and compliance. Ensuring that the infrastructure is built and operated in a way that adheres to regulatory standards. Implementing security best practices, managing access controls, and monitoring potential threats.
• Technical support. Providing support and customer service to the end users.
• Cost optimization. Analyzing costs based on usage, determining cost-saving opportunities, and implementing cost optimization strategies.
• Technical support. Periodically assessing and implementing ways to ensure that the Cloud runs according to industry best practices, such as AWS’s Well-Architected Framework.

Why engage in a Managed Cloud service

• Gain instant access to expertise and experience. On Day 1 of a Managed Cloud service engagement, a good service partner provides a deep understanding of the ins and outs of Cloud architecture, a knowledge that may take your team years of training and experience to build. You can access this expertise today to reap Cloud benefits sooner.
• Improve Cloud performance and reliability. With a dedicated team managing your Cloud, you are assured that your infrastructure is being monitored diligently; tissues are detected and resolved quickly; and your system operates according to industry best practices.
• Save on resource costs. Building a Cloud team involves time and budget for talent recruitment, onboarding, training, and retention. Keep in mind that the talent market is very competitive these days, so despite investing a significant amount in building your Cloud headcount, it is still possible to lose them, and you’ll have to start the hiring process all over again. Outsourcing, hiring, and management to a service partner save you the cost and headache of maintaining an in-house team.
• Scale up or down as needed. Increase or decrease the size of your Cloud team according to your business needs without the hassle of onboarding or offboarding specific resources.
• Focus on your core business. Let your Cloud service partner do what they do best: building, managing, and optimizing a robust Cloud platform. This frees up your time and bandwidth to focus on strategic initiatives and core business functions.

Engaging a Managed Cloud service partner instantly opens you up to expertise and knowledge. Source

How to work with a Managed Cloud service partner

While outsourcing Cloud management to a service partner delivers numerous benefits, it is understandable for a company to have concerns. You may feel that you have no control over your environment. You may have stringent data and security requirements; or you may not want to be overly dependent on a third-party provider. The benefits of an outsourced team outweigh these challenges, and besides, these challenges may be addressed by following some best practices when working with a Managed Cloud service partner.

• Set a service level agreement (SLA). Put up a feedback mechanism so you and your service partner can continuously improve your engagement.
• Establish a clear set of rules for communication and collaboration. Document plans, activities, and reports to keep yourself and your stakeholders informed. Maintain transparency with your partner as regards the goings on in your Cloud environment.
• Review your service partner’s data privacy and security practices at the start of the engagement, and ensure they align with your own.
• Have a fair and mutually agreed upon exit strategy and contingency plan in place in case there is a need to switch to a new service provider or to transition Cloud management back in-house.
• Before the engagement starts, thoroughly assess your potential Cloud service partner. Ensure they have the track record and the right people to run your Cloud platform according to your business goals.

Let the experts care for your Cloud

As an early Cloud adopter, Stratpoint has been building, managing, and optimizing Cloud platforms for more than a decade. The experience and expertise we have gained over the years are unparalleled. To make sure we are always ready to scale with our customers, we continuously train Cloud engineers under our Cloud Center of Excellence.

If you’d like to explore how Stratpoint can help you manage your Cloud more effectively, send us a message through the form below.