What Are Managed Services?

With more and more people working remotely on their own networks during the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are relying on their IT workforce more than ever to ensure a smooth transition to teleworking. At the same time, there are a variety of other responsibilities for IT teams, not the least of which is keeping your business’ documents and sensitive data secure.

In such demanding circumstances, identity management might be one task too many to ask of your IT team. At the same time, keeping your technology safe and secure while providing your employees access to important services is still just as important as it’s ever been. That’s why looking at a managed service providers directory might be in your best interest. Here are just a few ways that managed services can help your company’s remote workforce during the pandemic and well into the future.

Managed services give your IT team breathing room.

One of the best reasons to utilize a managed services company is the fact that it lets your IT team focus on bigger picture solutions rather than needing to get bogged down in the minutia of day-to-day operations. This can also have budgetary benefits, as you don’t need to think about the costs and overhead associated with adding another member to your team just to increase your functionality in a meaningful way.

Particularly when it comes to critical components of your IT infrastructure—such as user security—being able to know that you have 24/7 support can be a lifesaver. Using a managed services platform like OneLogin is thus one of the best technology solutions you can integrate into your business strategy. As a managed service provider, they’re perfect for small businesses as well as larger companies, letting you scale your security without having to sacrifice extra time, money, or resources.

Managed services can provide secure access.

If you work with a variety of third-party developers or agencies, you may be concerned about your IT team juggling their access to your assets and other data. That being said, your IT team probably doesn’t have the time or energy to handle all of your web development and web hosting needs, so it’s understandable to outsource this sort of task to another contractor. The question then becomes, “What is the best way to give secure access to my developers without bogging down our current IT services team?”

Thankfully, a managed service provider like OneLogin has experience handling remote desktop access that doesn’t sacrifice your business’ control over what files a third-party contractor has access to. Rather than forcing your users to have to manage a VPN on their own (which, in addition to being a major headache for them, can open you up to other risks if they don’t regularly perform appropriate updates), an MSP can help take the guesswork out of remote access without relying on your smaller IT services employees.

Managed services offer seamless productivity for at-home employees.

One of the biggest threats to businesses with tens or hundreds of workers now suddenly working from home has to do with security. Personal WiFi networks are far less secure than the network you may have set up in your business. At the same time, it’s unrealistic to expect workers to not use their own internet service in order to perform their work.

Thankfully, a managed service such as OneLogin has the perfect solution with its remote desktop tools. All employees experience is a single user login prompt, and everything is encrypted in SSL. Best of all, you can save on licensing fees without sacrificing productivity, meaning that users have a simple and efficient way to access what they need to while they work from home.