Managed network services (MNSs) refer to vendor-delivered operational support for a new environment where the hardware assets, financial obligations, and personnel remain on the customer’s books. Simply put, while a vendor provides operational support for managing a customer’s hardware, software, and other services, the customer still needs to purchase the actual assets.
The vendors who provide MNSs are known as “managed service providers (MSPs).” Think of it this way. People who rent apartments in a building buy their own furniture, fixtures, and appliances but they can rely on a building handyman for help when they have a plumbing emergency, for instance. In the given scenario, the apartment renters are the customers and the handyman is the MSP.
Read More about Managed Network Services
Learn almost everything there is to know about MNSs in this post.
How Did Managed Network Services Come About?
While you may not be aware, MNSs have been around for decades now. One of the earliest examples are those provided by Centrex, a managed private branch exchange (PBX) service provider, which has been around since the 1960s. It provides remote enterprise telephony services using communications equipment and software telephone companies own but are located in its central office, not on the customers’ premises.
Over time, though, MNSs evolved with networks. While providers started out with telephony services in the 1980s, the industry branched out in the 1990s. Application service providers (ASPs) emerged to offer remote application hosting services. They paved the way for other service providers to offer remote IT infrastructure support. Today, these companies are known as “MSPs.”
How Do Managed Network Services Work?
When you hire an MSP, it takes over the responsibility for your network. The provider’s business model typically comes in the form of subscription services. You pay a monthly fee to the provider in exchange for its handling of your network’s day-to-day operations.
That means, the provider handles all the management and maintenance tasks to keep your network running securely and efficiently. In this case, you can take out the headache brought on by hiring and managing an in-house IT team.
Watch this video for more information.
What Is a Managed Service Provider?
An MSP primarily hosts MNSs in their data centers and facilities, where they host virtual network functions. They can range from small, niche service providers to large, traditional national and global telecommunications providers. They offer various types of MNSs with corresponding SLAs to customers of all sizes.
What Factors Should You Consider When Hiring a Managed Service Provider?
Not all providers of MNSs are created equal. You want to find one that fits your specific needs and goals. Finding the right provider may come down to knowing what to look for, so we named the factors you should consider below.
Expertise and Experience
One of the benefits of hiring an MNS provider is access to highly skilled IT staff who may be difficult to hire on your own.
Strict Service-Level Agreements
Reputable MNS providers have stringent SLAs that they adhere to.
State-of-the-Art Security Measures
Given the threat cyber attacks pose, you will need an MNS provider that can handle any situation should one occur.
Cost
Most MNS providers charge a monthly or annual fee. Know what exactly you are paying for.
What Questions Should You Ask Potential Managed Service Providers?
To properly evaluate the factors above, you need to know where each MNS provider you are considering stands. Here are some questions you may ask candidates.
1. What specific services do you offer?
Understand the full range of services a provider offers to ensure it can meet your current and future needs. Apart from basic network monitoring, ask if it offers cloud integration, cybersecurity, disaster recovery, and strategic IT consulting services.
2. Do you have experience working with businesses in my industry?
Industry-specific experience matters because different sectors have unique compliance requirements, security needs, and operational demands. An MNS provider that is familiar with your industry will understand these nuances and can implement solutions aligned with industry best practices.
3. What is your average response time for resolving issues?
Response time directly affects business continuity. Ask the provider how quickly it responds to critical issues versus minor ones. Get specific metrics about its mean time to resolution (MTTR) for different problems.
4. What service-level agreements do you offer?
The provider’s SLAs should clearly define its performance metrics, uptime guarantees, and remediation processes. Be on the lookout for specific commitments regarding network availability, problem resolution timeframes, and compensation terms if the SLAs are not met.
5. What is your pricing structure?
Understanding the provider’s pricing model helps you avoid surprises. Ask about base fees, additional service costs, scalability options, and if prices adjust based on usage or user count. Ask if there are potential hidden costs or fees for emergency services.
6. What security measures do you have in place to protect my data?
The MNS provider should employ a multilayered security approach, including encryption methods, access controls, security certifications, compliance standards, and incident response procedures. Ask how they approach emerging threats.
7. Can you provide references from current or past clients?
Speaking with existing clients, particularly those in the same industry or with comparable network complexity, can provide valuable insights into the provider’s reliability, communication style, and problem-solving capabilities.
8. How do you handle backups and disaster recovery?
A robust disaster recovery plan should include regular backup procedures, multiple backup locations, recovery time objectives (RTOs), recovery point objectives (RPOs), and regular testing of recovery procedures.
9. Do you offer 24 x 7 support?
Round-the-clock support is critical to maintaining business continuity. Know the provider’s support structure, including how it handles after-hours support, what communication channels are available, and if support is outsourced or handled by internal teams.
10. What is your process for onboarding new clients?
The MNS provider’s onboarding process will reveal how organized and thorough it is. Look for a structured approach that includes network assessment, documentation, knowledge transfer, and minimal disruption to your operations during the transition.
What Are the Features of Managed Network Services ?
Most providers enable company access to several critical network management and maintenance features. We named them below.
Network Monitoring
At any point in time, important data may be flowing through a company network. Some of this data, such as a business-critical email can seriously impede processes if it does not arrive. But networks are not infallible. They sometimes go down. To minimize the impact of data loss, therefore, networks must be monitored constantly.
Today’s networks require sophisticated management and monitoring tools and dedicated expertise to ensure continuous uptime and performance optimization. While many advanced tools can automate the process, they can be quite costly. And those costs can add up even more when you hire experts to fix problems.
Providers use a wide range of tools and technologies to manage and monitor networks. These software and hardware enables providers to get a real-time view of all the networks under their care. They also have highly skilled professionals capable of spotting potential problems early on and stopping them before they become issues.
Network Management
Managing a network includes day-to-day tasks like configuration, optimization, monitoring, and troubleshooting. Apart from these required daily tasks, network management addresses what happens after a problem is detected and one-off tasks like configuring new devices or software.
Like identifying problems, addressing them also requires great skill. MNS staff spend all day working with various customers’ networks. As such, they gain insights and experience that even the best employees cannot gain from working on a single network. Their experience ensures they can more efficiently manage networks for smooth day-to-day operations.
Network Maintenance
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, they say. The same is true for MNS. Daily monitoring keeps a network healthy. That is, however, not to say that regular maintenance is also a must. Since software companies release patches that must be promptly installed, personnel must ensure this is done. Also, hardware fails and needs to be replaced sometimes. All this ongoing upkeep requires people to stay on top of necessary changes and implement them when needed. Otherwise, once secure and reliable networks will become a liability.
Companies without dedicated teams can rely on MNS providers since maintenance is a standard feature of MSN. Their team of experts will handle all the hardware and software upgrades systems need. They will also perform routine maintenance tasks.
Network Security
Inadequately applying software patches can cause much more than network unreliability. Many of them fix security holes that cyber attackers often know about even before the patches are released. And should these holes get exploited, your sensitive data or that of your customers can get compromised.
MNS providers do much more than apply patches. They also stay abreast of the latest cybersecurity news and threats. This allows them to proactively take steps to keep networks more secure and keep customers’ data safe from prying eyes that should not have access to it.
How Do Managed Network Services Differ from Traditional Network Services?
Companies that hire MNS providers not only save money on IT costs but also gain access to specialized expertise. The providers allow businesses to achieve digital transformation and focus on strategic initiatives. They free companies from the worries brought on by day-to-day tasks.
Businesses that opt for traditional network services must hire IT staff and manage its entire infrastructure in-house. Apart from the extra strain on management to create a new team they must oversee, the model strains finances, too. The team needs to be paid for full-time work. MNSs solve this problem by providing companies with only the labor they need without the responsibility for them.
| MNSs | TRADITIONAL NETWORK SERVICES |
| Cost less since there is no need for in-house IT personnel | Cost more due to dedicated team of IT experts |
| More time for strategic business initiatives | More time spent on repetitive than strategic tasks |
| Less effort on management to build and oversee an in-house team | More management effort to build and oversee an in-house team |
What Are Examples of Managed Network Services ?
MNS offerings can range from basic network access and transport services to newer software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) connections and virtual network services. Companies can mix and match the services below, depending on their needs.
- Local area network (LAN) and WAN optimization
- Unified messaging
- Network administration, monitoring, management, security, and troubleshooting
- Network maintenance and installation
- Managed security firewall
- Virtual private network (VPN)
- Identity and access control
What Are the Benefits of Managed Network Services ?
Did you know that small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can benefit from MNSs most? In fact, they contract MNS providers because they have limited in-house IT capabilities and staff. MNSs offer organizations IT and networking expertise without hiring more staff. That way, what little existing IT staff they have can focus on other tasks, increasing their operational efficiency.
MNSs are, however, also a viable option for bigger companies interested in trying out new technologies but remain unsure due to their associated risks and complexity. In such cases, MNS providers can handle enterprise networking issues like integration, troubleshooting, technical support, and policy setting.
For organizations regardless of size, MNS providers take a proactive approach to network management. As such, they can ensure IT problems will not disrupt business operations. They also offer cost savings for larger organizations facing budget constraints and hiring limitations.
What Are the Challenges Associated with Managed Network Services ?
Despite the benefits MNSs offer, many businesses still consider it risky to outsource their network and service management. If you are in the same seat, you can maintain control by clearly defining your expectations and requirements in service-level agreements (SLAs) to mitigate risks. Once contracted, you should monitor your providers’ performance to ensure it is consistent with their contract terms.
In some cases, customer support can also be an issue. Depending on an MSP’s response times, you may face longer wait times for technical issues.
What Are the Kinds of Managed Network Services ?
Organizations usually sign an annual or multiyear contract with an MNS provider. The price will depend on how simple or complex your requirements are. Companies with limited budgets can opt to subscribe to different plans that may offer monitoring only, service per device, service per user, a la carte, tiered, or all-in-one service.
| TYPE | DESCRIPTION |
| Monitoring only | This does not come with management, technical support, and maintenance services. |
| Per device | This is ideal for companies with a limited number of devices. |
| Per user | This is ideal for organizations with a limited number of users. |
| A la carte | This model allows companies to easily scale up or down, depending on their current needs. |
| All-in-one | This allows organizations to enjoy all the MNS features an MSP offers for a fixed monthly or annual fee. |
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Robust network management is crucial for business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR)—a must for technology-driven businesses. That said, all companies need highly skilled IT staff who are not only networking experts but also cybersecurity-savvy. But if they do not have huge budgets, that may be a problem. Thankfully, they can turn to MNSs.
Key Takeaways
- MNSs refer to vendor-delivered operational support for a new environment where the hardware assets, financial obligations, and personnel remain on the customer’s books.
- They are typically offered by vendors known as “MSPs.”
- An MNS provider primarily hosts MNSs in their data centers and facilities, where they host virtual network functions.
- When hiring an MNS provider, consider factors like expertise and experience, SLAs, state-of-the-art security measures, and cost.
- Ask potential MNS providers questions about their specific services, industry-specific experience, and response times, among others.
- MNSs typically offer network monitoring, management, maintenance, and security.
- MNSs differ from traditional network services in terms of cost, staff effort, and management.
Sources
- https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/glossary/mns-managed-network-services
- https://www.checkpoint.com/services/managed-security/managed-network/
- https://www.verizon.com/business/products/networks/managed-network-services/
- https://www.ericsson.com/en/managed-services
- https://www.fujitsu.com/global/services/infrastructure/network/managed-network/
