Friday, September 17, 2010

Characteristics And Features Of Managed Service Provider Software

In a different manner and context the bard of English literature had mentioned about the dilemma mankind faces when up for making a selection. Is this the right choice or not is the question that plagues the mind long even after having finalised the decision. How to choose the best managed service provider software for the network of an establishment is also one such issue that keeps everyone in a 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. How to choose the best managed service would be best replied if one measured how these basic features are transformed into reality, thereby providing ease of work load on the network manager as well as to meet the requirements of the business house.

It has to be remembered that managed service is a system where a third party is maintaining and motoring a clients resources. In turn the client pays money to the Managed service provider for the service. It is therefore essential that the chosen MSP is a proactive one. Meaning, the service provider should not wait for a defect to occur for fixing it, rather be able to sense the defect before hand, indicate and initiate corrective or preventive measures.

If Murphy's Law is to be accepted, then it is a well established probability factor that a breakdown of the network is inevitable even with all proactive agents at work. The MSP in such a case should be able to respond quickly to the situation and restore the network back to its normal function swiftly. 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. The MSP must also be able to advise the client on the various changes that are occurring in the volatile IT field and the possibility or feasibility of implementing the same in the existing network for higher efficiency.

Data in the correct hands is wealth and when it lands into wrong hands is the primary reason for the company or organisation's ill health. The MSP therefore should have a robust security tier in place, sniffing and guarding the system from any malicious threats. 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 could be taken as the guidelines on how to choose the best managed service provider amongst the many that would be offering their services.

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