In recent years, cloud computing has made the journey from IT industry buzzword and tech journal article theme to a central plank of many business’ IT solutions. The easiest way to measure that trend is in numbers like these: in 2011, businesses spent $78.2bn on cloud. 
In 2013, they spent $145bn. In 2014, the industry spend on cloud solutions jumped 20% to $174.2bn. By 2017, the business spend on cloud is expected to reach $235bn, tripling in just six years. And the majority of cloud implementation comes as a service, as part of the new trend toward supplying software, infrastructure and platforms as services.
Managed cloud is here to stay as part of the standard business approach to IT. But that doesn't necessarily mean it’s a good fit for your business. What can a managed services provider offer you?
1: More data availability? More productivity
Cloud MSP means your data is more easily available. When a document has to be stored on a device, but several people need to access it and work on it, two things happen: each person becomes a bottleneck to the accessibility of the latest version, and it gets hard to keep track of which version is the final one. Different versions, different OSs and choked-off access to data: all gone with cloud MSP. A good MSP will know how to supply you with reliable secure services even when employees bring their own devices (and they will).
2: Insight and business data and analytics? Better decisions
When you know what’s going on, you make better decisions. Managed services providers offer reporting and monitoring tools that take advantage of all that data flowing through their servers, allowing you to segment and analyze it, panning for the golden nuggets of business insight that let you make profitable decisions. At the very least you should expect metrics offering insight into IT usage so you can make informed predictions and decisions concerning future use.
3: Flexibility, agility and scalability? Low-cost and growth-ready!
Every business suffers from the sad reality that you have to invest to grow. New infrastructure is one of the biggest strategic headaches for business owners and managers whatever the size of their operations. But you mostly don't have to worry about buying new electricity. When you need more, you just use more and the power company charges you more. Need less? Use less and watch your bills fall. Managed cloud is just the same. You're using a service. When you need more, your MSP will be glad to sell you more, so when you're ready to grow they're ready to accommodate you. If you don't need so much, just choose a lower plan. You can often switch month by month, giving you the best mix of agility and efficiency.
MSPs deliver cloud services, normally on subscription, to enterprises in all kinds of niches and all over the country. The chances are their servers are more secure and reliable than yours and the solutions they provide are tailored to the customer. Buying a monthly service usually works out cheaper and it’s headache-free too.
