Positive business outcomes will be a key differentiator for MSPs moving forward, according to findings from NTT's new 2020 Global Managed Services Report. The company queried 1,250 global business and IT leaders and found that most enterprises are expected to be in recovery and restoration mode for the next year and a half thanks to COVID-19.
As a result, companies are seeking deeper relationships and expertise from their MSPs, as well as quick delivery of platform-enabled services across the entire technology stack. NTT found that the depth of MSP capabilities is viewed as essential to effective recovery and restoration operations.
“Business and IT leaders are now looking for service providers who invest in both building long-lasting relationships, and have the ability to deliver new business needs and outcomes aligned to the goals of the organization,” said Damien Skendrovic, executive VP of managed services, go-to-market, at NTT. “It is these challenges that the service provider has to overcome and understand, finding ways to establish connections into the client organization that allows them to react to the evolving client outcome.”
Skendrovic said that the trend of MSPs performing reliably in delivering tactical IT solutions is a shift to "smart sourcing" that will be pervasive across the industry. NTT also found that reducing security risks is the top reason businesses choose MSPs, as well as the biggest global challenge for IT teams. Technical expertise is the leading driver for selecting an MSP, as well as cloud infrastructure and security capabilities.
“The smart-sourcing service model points to greater demand in how service providers can play a larger, more intelligent role in the development of the enterprise landscape,” said Skendrovic. “Large global providers with centralized, standardized and automated systems and processes are now fundamental to continued business operations.”
NTT also found that nearly half of the business leaders queried acknowledge a need to optimize their workplace environments. Full-time workers and least-cost service providers are at a disadvantage, as companies seek expertise and strong relationships with their providers. NTT found that MSPs are expected to be specialists across critical areas and should also function to help client IT teams communicate and integrate with their own business functions to achieve optimal outcomes.
Additionally, MSPS are expected to demonstrate presence, personal attention and trust in their client relationships. The end goal should be to drive change and integration. And after the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses will want assurance that their MSP will continue to support them while also shifting focus to business continuity, processes and tools to keep employees both safe and productive.
“The need to clearly articulate, ‘what can you do for me tomorrow, and how will you help me transform’ is as important as ‘what can you do for me today,’ [while] aligning cost with value and capability in an agile manner that is secure by design,” said Skendrovic.
Edited by
Maurice Nagle
