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Managed IT services (MITS) has been a growth area for the better part of a decade, with bandwidth-strapped IT directors looking to managed services providers (MSPs) to supplement their strained internal IT staffs. In fact, the worldwide MITS market is expected to top $750 billion by 2030—an annual growth rate of better than 12%—according to Precedence Research.
Broadly, the MITS arena can be divided into four categories:
- Managed IT Services (MITS): Service that combines IT support (usually remote) for a fee—including setup/deployment/configuration of assets; the proactive monitoring of IT workstations; as well as other infrastructure, help desk support, and remediation of problems as they arise.
- Managed Security Services (MSS): The outsourced monitoring and management of security solutions, systems, and devices to support agreed upon types and levels of security.
- Managed Print Services (MPS): Outsourcing of the print ecosystem for a set fee.
- Managed Document Services (MDS): Services that optimize and then manage the document infrastructure workflow of an organization.
To determine the buying trends we can expect to see in the coming months and years, Keypoint Intelligence’s analysts conducted in-depth interviews with key IT decision makers (IT director level or above) across several industries in the US, UK, and Germany. The wide-ranging interviews explored:
- What areas of their IT infrastructure have outsourced to MSPs and why
- Which areas they have opted to keep in-house and why
- What IT areas they intended to outsource in the future
- Why they chose the MSPs currently providing MITS
- Their use of, and general attitudes toward, cloud solutions and services
- How the pandemic and resultant remote-working trend impacted their IT infrastructure
- Their awareness of, and attitudes toward, traditional print OEMs expanding into the MITS space
The findings were interesting. Cybersecurity is the top area for outsourcing, being mentioned by every one of the respondents. The main reasons for seeking outside help for IT security and other areas include cost, lack of in-house expertise, the inability to hire enough staff, as well as the desire to free up staff for other projects. These IT directors are also continuing their migration of IT systems to the cloud with a vengeance.
Be sure to check out the study to see more findings, and see what the respondents had to say in their own words.
This study’s full results are compiled in our newly published deliverable and available to Keypoint’s Office CompleteView subscribers. Not a subscriber? Send us an email at sales@keypointintelligence.com.