In simple terms, it is the remote monitoring and management of your IT systems carried out by an IT service provider for a fixed monthly fee.
The intention is to ensure that your systems are kept in an optimal operating state, and any issues are detected early and addressed, or you are notified of these issues and the requirements and costs to fix them.
So, what is the difference?
Remote Monitoring is checking on devices, services, and systems to make sure they are working (switched on) and operating correctly, often this service does not include remediation if there is a fault but will include notifications being sent to an appointed person either by phone or email. If it is required to carry out work to resolve an issue it will normally be chargeable. This will be a cheaper service and is not ideal for any mission-critical equipment or services.
Managed Service Agreements are normally formal agreements that are made between the parties involved, the services provider (IT Company) and the client (end-user).
Within a managed service agreement, the exact work to be carried out will be outlined, it should define what is included and what is not, the equipment that is covered, what will be carried out on that equipment, and any other checks that are required to be carried out.
There could also be some form of service level in the agreement that would outline any reporting periods and the time scales for the remediation of faults.
Among these are the operating hours that the agreement will cover and if there are any out-of-hours charges and what other charges for service are not covered in the agreement, there will also be an indication of what would be considered out of scope for the agreement.
There is generally some form of a report provided at the end of the month outlining details of any checks that have been carried out during the month and if updates have been carried out, and any other works that are included in the support.
Ok so that may all seem a bit heavy,
This is designed to keep your business up and running and should there be any downtime keep it to an absolute minimum, it will be a more expensive option but is the way to go for systems and resources that need to be working or are mission critical.
As you can see both Managed Services and Remote Monitoring are similar but have very different use cases.
Here at The Computer Workshop Group, we can help you with both Systems Monitoring and Managed Service Agreements, please call for assistance 1300 775 442
