piątek, 17 września 2010

Managed Service Provider Software: Its Features And Characteristics

To choose or not to choose has always been a dilemma since ages for mankind. The great bard had mentioned it in his classics albeit in a different fashion. Yet, the same holds true when we have to select between objects that offer similar facilities. With the information technology throwing up varieties in abundance on every conceivable issue, how to choose the best managed service provider software also has its share of selection dilemma. The straight forward response or answer to that question no doubt would be that it is dependent on the benefits that one desires to achieve from this selection. There are however certain basic features that all MSP claims to be inherent with their product. Every MSP provides information about the network as a complete entity. They also are capable of percolating the solution to a problem of the network from one single access point. Customisable to the ever changing business process which is directly linked to the changing market scenario is also one more feature that every MSP claims.

If these so claimed features were to be changed to reality how then would it effect the real enterprise functioning or the network managers job would be the guiding factor for choosing the best managed service provider.

MSP's are third party vendors who carry out the job of managing the client's network against payment by the client. Any and every managed service system works on this basic business principle. It is therefore imperative that the MSP be of such calibre that it can sense the defect of the network even before its actual occurrence. In short a good MSP should be proactive.

With all preventive measures in place given Murphy and his laws on probability, there is bound to be a breakdown in the network. Quick response by the MSP to rescue and restore the network is another measureable criterion for selection of the MSP. A network without the data and the application programs running on it is of no use. In case of a crash or break in the network there would be need to restore the complete system to a point where everything was clean. For this reason the MSP should have been taking regular backups which would be used during the restore process.

One other factor to be considered for choosing the best managed service provider is the knowledge base of the MSP about the current IT field. Being an ever changing one, frequent new upgrades and newer technology arrive into the market. MSP which can advise the management on this new technology as well as provide methods for implementing the same are a guiding factor for selecting an MSP. Security of the network, more so the data which is critical and could be misused if available to wrong people is an important factor for consideration while selecting an MSP. MSP that implements a strict and secure system is the best choice. Last but not the least, how efficient is the service provider itself and specially if referred by other sites where the provider has implemented some MSP would be a factor in favour of selecting a particular MSP.

These guidelines are sure to help in answering the question of how to choose the best managed service provider.

Brak komentarzy:

Prześlij komentarz