What Value Do Managed Services Offer? Fourth, Data Services

Data is of key importance to many modern businesses, and with the help of a managed service provider, it can become even more useful. Here, as we continue our series on the value that a managed service provider can offer you, we’ll focus on the ways that data can be harnessed to your business’ advantage.

Storing Data in the Cloud

There is a truly astronomical amount of data produced by today’s businesses, each and every day. A business that can harness it can utilize it for many purposes. However, before the data can be harnessed, it must be stored.

A very popular option for some time was to simply store it in the office, which worked, but did present various disadvantages as well:

• Office space wasn’t used efficiently, and there wasn’t much room to expand storage
• Intense power requirements, adding to the office’s temperature
• High costs of equipment and laborious setup times
• Warranties were questionable, and setup could cause problems
• Serious oversight and intensive maintenance were needed

Furthermore, on-site storage didn’t make redundancy a very easy goal when trying to mitigate data loss, and most businesses simply didn’t have the requisite experience to implement and leverage this kind of storage. With a managed service provider on their side, however, a business has access to industry professionals and the various resources they have relationships with, including cloud storage providers.

Backing Up and Recovering Data

Data is one of the most important assets that a business has nowadays, which is what makes the various data disasters that can strike such a serious concern. This makes it all the more important that every business maintains an up-to-date, reliable data backup, as well as devises a comprehensive business continuity plan that enables them to actually use this data.

It is important to take note of the word “reliable” there. A backup that is under just as much risk from a disaster can hardly be relied upon - something that a good managed service provider will be sure to keep in mind as they help their clients prepare for a worst-case scenario.

As a result of this awareness and forethought, a managed service provider will want to make sure that there are multiple backup copies of your data securely accessible to you if you ever need them. By keeping duplicates of your data in different places, your service provider can ensure that, should you ever need your backup, you have one… along with a plan to help you make the most of it.

Making Your Data Work for You Via a Data Warehouse

Take a moment and consider the amount of data you have collected in your time doing business. Now, take a moment and consider the insights and patterns that you may have missed by not having it all in one place. This is exactly what the data warehouse is meant to provide - a bird’s eye view at data that provides a new perspective. Using this perspective, you could improve your business’ operations and thereby increase your success.

Data warehousing, as it may be expected, requires considerable computing power. A managed service provider can help you to procure the required resources and put them to use.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Installment!

On the topic of procurement, that’s what the next edition of this series will touch upon. Subscribe to our blog to make sure you don’t miss it and reach out to Network Solutions Unlimited for any additional questions to be answered. Give us a call at (217) 428-6449.