Cloud Managed Services (or Managed Cloud Services) are services that help businesses manage and optimize their cloud environments, resources, and IT infrastructure. Typically, this includes managing and monitoring cloud-based applications, networks, security, data storage, backups, disaster recovery, and centralized services for computing resources.

The services are created to complement all forms of cloud computing operations, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), on-premise, and hybrid cloud environments.

By leveraging cloud managed services, organizations can lower their IT costs, enhance their flexibility, and strengthen their security and compliance posture while ensuring their cloud infrastructure is optimized, secured, and running smoothly. Businesses can use cloud resources to keep up with new technology advancements and promote cost optimization.

In this article, we will explore why Cloud Services are so popular, what they can offer your business, and discover how you can reap the benefits of cloud computing.

Why Are Cloud Managed Services Important?

Cloud computing has transformed business operations by offering global businesses increased agility, scalability, and cost savings. However, managing and maintaining cloud environments can be complex and challenging. This is where cloud-managed services come in.

Managed Cloud Services are a range of technical solutions that help organizations to optimize and manage their cloud-based IT. From infrastructure to software management, digital transformation initiatives, and business continuity, managed cloud services can empower businesses to realize their potential, reduce costs, increase security, and improve customer performance.

Benefits of Managed Cloud Services

Managed cloud service providers offer several managed cloud solution benefits to organizations, including:

Reduced IT Costs

Cloud Services help businesses improve their operations and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving industry. One of the most significant advantages is the reduction in IT costs that businesses can enjoy by saving on hardware, software, and maintenance costs, as well as on the salaries of in-house IT staff.

This can be especially beneficial for smaller organizations that may not have the resources to invest in expensive future-proofed technology and expensive cloud computing equipment.

Improved Security and Compliance

In addition to budget optimizations, Cloud Services provide options for improved security and compliance. A managed cloud service provider like Atlantic.Net has robust security measures in place that are designed to protect business data from all manner of cybersecurity threats.

Key service offerings help businesses comply with the relevant regulations and laws such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and ISO.

Look for a managed cloud service provider that includes:

Physical and virtual security measures:

Including firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention, and data encryption.

Industry regulations

Such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and SOC 2 Type II.

Data protection

Features such as backup and disaster recovery services, so that data is backed up and restored quickly in case of any data loss or disaster situation.

Access control measures

To ensure that only authorized users have access to your data and applications, including two-factor authentication, role-based access control, and identity and access management.

Real-time monitoring and response

Services that can quickly detect and respond to any security incidents. This includes 24/7 security monitoring, threat detection, and incident response services.

IT Security and compliance are incredibly important, and managed services can give your business the advantage of staying one step ahead of cybercriminals. This can be particularly important for businesses in industries that handle sensitive data, such as healthcare, legal, or finance.

Increased agility and scalability

Cloud services offer increased flexibility, cloud security, and scalability that cater to high-demand workloads. Businesses can easily scale up as needed, allowing them to respond to changing market conditions or customer demands.

Look for a provider that comprises of:

Flexible and Scalable Infrastructure

Adapts to your changing business needs. You can easily scale up or down your cloud resources as needed without the need for additional hardware or infrastructure.

Automation Toolsets

It reduces the time and effort required to manage your infrastructure and allows you to quickly deploy new applications or services.

API integration

With several third-party applications and services. This can help you easily integrate your infrastructure with other tools and services, such as monitoring and logging tools.

High Availability

HA options ensure that your applications and services are always available, even in the event of a hardware or network failure.

Global Footprint

Choose a provider with a global footprint of data centers and services in different regions worldwide, allowing you to easily expand your business.

Access to Specialized Expertise

Partner with a cloud managed services provider with the knowledge and expertise required to optimize cloud infrastructure services, ensuring that businesses maximize their investment. Skilled engineers can fix critical issues, manage day-to-day IT operations, and provide on-demand technical support.

Experts at cloud-managed service providers can also provide advice and guidance on improving business operations, keeping to pre-arranged service levels, and helping businesses gain a competitive advantage in their industry.

Cloud Migration Services

Despite the cloud’s popularity, we know that not all businesses have started their public cloud journey. Choosing cloud services that easily and securely migrate your infrastructure and applications to the public cloud while minimizing disruption to your business is essential.

Look for a cloud partner that can:

• Assess your current infrastructure and application development to create a migration plan that understands your business needs and cloud vision whilst identifying potential issues to create a viable road map that evidences which servers are contenders for public cloud or hybrid/private cloud.
• Prepare your infrastructure and applications for migration by targeting the existing environment, configuring core network and security settings, and preparing the data for transfer to the public cloud.
• Migrate applications and data to the target environment using a phased approach or all at once, depending on your business needs and the cloud service provider’s capabilities.
• Performs testing and validation after the migration to ensure everything works correctly, including functional, load, and security testing. All self-service capabilities must be tested and, if chosen, enable managed service options.
• Optimize your new cloud environment to ensure it performs at its best. This stage streamlines cloud operations and optimizes business continuity capabilities to ensure all services are active and working as required.
• Ongoing management and support for your cloud environment. The managed cloud services provider should monitor, provide cloud security updates, and troubleshoot any issues that may arise.

Cloud Consulting and Professional Services

Businesses looking for expertise, guidance, and support for optimizing new or existing cloud infrastructure can consider purchasing extra consulting services and transformation services. Cloud consulting and transformation services can vary between managed service providers.

Managed cloud services typically involve a comprehensive assessment of an organization’s current IT infrastructure and business needs, followed by creating a customized migration or optimization plan.

The managed service provider works with clients to understand their business objectives and will recommend the appropriate cloud offerings for their individual needs.

Professional services offer a more hands-on and involved approach to implementing and managing cloud-native applications and infrastructure. Expert engineers help businesses deploy, configure, and operate cloud native resources such as servers, storage, and databases. They also provide ongoing support and maintenance to ensure the cloud or hybrid cloud deployments are optimized and up-to-date.

Cloud consulting and professional services benefit business strategy by offering organizations additional resources to make informed decisions about their chosen cloud strategy and vision. Empowering leaders to decide upon an integrated approach using private clouds or public cloud platforms and the best cloud transformation strategy for migration services.

Managed Cloud Services Provider

Atlantic.Net’s complete offering of managed services underpins your business’s cloud operations. Our robust infrastructure cloud solutions, business processes, operational support, and incident management services remove the complexity of managing IT systems, allowing you to focus on your customers and people.

Here are some key considerations:

Cloud Infrastructure Management:

Our teams of experts manage the core cloud infrastructure environment, including compute, storage, and network infrastructure, to ensure optimal performance, security, and availability.

Application Management:

All managed service offerings are completely managed in-house, with applications such as Trend Micro, Veeam Backup and Restore, Antivirus, and Vulnerability scanning. Managed services include installation, configuration, and updates to ensure they run smoothly and securely.

Data Management:

Data security is paramount, and our systems are built from the ground up to protect your data, including backups, disaster recovery, and data protection, such as encryption, to ensure the safety and availability of your critical data.

Security Management:

Atlantic.Net can manage your cloud security, including firewall configuration, intrusion detection and prevention, and vulnerability scanning, to ensure your environment is secure from threats.

Compliance Management:

We offer a range of compliance services to secure your IT systems to industry standards, including HIPAA, PCI, and GDPR, and by providing security controls and documentation.

Atlantic.Net’s Cloud Managed Services deliver operational excellence and ensure businesses can focus on their core competencies, offering cost-effective pricing models with various options to suit different needs and budgets.

Key Distinctions Among Leading Managed Cloud Service Providers

At Atlantic.Net, we pride ourselves on our exceptional reliability and performance as a managed cloud services provider, which is backed by our 100% uptime guarantee. This key factor differentiates us from competitors like Google Cloud Platform, Oracle Cloud, IBM Cloud, VMware Cloud, AWS Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

In addition to our uptime guarantee, we offer a range of cloud services, including Virtual Private Servers (VPS), cloud hosting, and dedicated servers, which are designed to be flexible, scalable, and customizable to meet the unique needs of each of our customers.

As a leading managed service provider, we also prioritize the security of our customers’ data by providing comprehensive security features such as multi-factor authentication, DDoS protection, and regular backups. Our customer support team provides excellent service through various channels, including phone, email, and live chat, with fast response times and knowledgeable staff.

Challenges of Cloud-Managed Services

Cloud-managed services come with several challenges, such as integrating with existing systems, managing complex environments, maintaining security and compliance, keeping up with technological advancements, and ensuring cost optimization.

Companies face difficulties seamlessly integrating legacy systems with cloud services, managing multiple providers, monitoring security controls, evaluating new technologies, and optimizing cloud resource usage to reduce costs.

Addressing these challenges requires ongoing efforts and investments in upgrading infrastructure, training IT staff, and continuously monitoring and managing cloud resources.

Choose Atlantic.Net as your Managed Cloud Service Provider

Looking for a cloud provider that can help you overcome these challenges? Look no further than Atlantic.Net. Our cloud services are designed to seamlessly integrate with your existing systems, minimizing downtime and reducing the need for costly upgrades.

We offer various managed services to help you manage complex cloud environments, from cloud hosting to Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and dedicated servers. At Atlantic.Net, we understand the importance of maintaining security and compliance.

Our team of experts is dedicated to providing you with the highest level of expertise, and with our ongoing training programs, you can be sure that you’re always working with the best and brightest.

With Atlantic.Net, you can overcome the challenges of cloud-managed services and achieve your business goals. Contact us today to learn more about our cloud services and how we can help you take your business to the next level.

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