Cloud management outsourcing: an introductory guide

Software outsourcing is now quite the norm, when it comes to building high-quality software and mobile applications. As IT outsourcing companies expand their range of services to include offerings such as cybersecurity, business analysis and even SEO, cloud management joins this list in order to deliver everything that businesses need from an IT standpoint – from under one roof.

Whether it’s for routine cloud monitoring or for configuring cloud resources when building custom models with generative AI companies, managed cloud services can address most (if not all) of your business’s IT needs.

In this article, we introduce cloud management outsourcing – what it is, its benefits, as well as how to build the right strategy to manage cloud resources for your business.

Looking for a managed cloud service provider you can trust? As a leading IT outsourcing company in Sri Lanka, EFutures delivers managed cloud expertise and services that are comprehensive, cost-effective, and meticulously attuned to the needs and objectives of your business – no matter how niche.

Contact us today for a business assessment, and to know how we can help leverage your existing cloud resources, or to strategise a brand new architecture.

What are managed cloud services?

Managed cloud services entail services provided by an external organisation (typically an IT outsourcing company), to help businesses architect, configure, run, manage and secure their cloud infrastructure. Some key cloud management capabilities include:

• Configuring and managing cloud compute, networking and storage systems,
• Cloud migration, which includes moving from one cloud service provider to another, or from an on-site to cloud model,
• Tracking cloud resource usage and costs, to reduce wastage,
• Access management, for provisioning and deprovisioning access to various cloud resources depending on user role and seniority, as well as managing granular access policies,
• Data backup and recovery, to ensure failovers and business continuity,
• Cloud security, complete with security sub-components such as Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) to protect cloud resources, as well as provision organisation-wide access.

As many IT outsourcing companies also perform a dual role as cloud outsourcing companies, businesses are able to avail a wider range of services. Cyber security is a key offering, which enables comprehensive protection of applications that are already being built, complete with DevSecOps being infused to an ongoing software development workflow.

Software and IT outsourcing companies that are more established can go much further in terms of their offerings to also deliver AI-powered implementations such as workflow automation and chatbots, along with business analysis, marketing and even SEO.

What are the benefits of managed cloud services?

An all-in-one offering

Through a managed cloud services provider or your existing IT outsourcing partner that provides managed cloud services, your business has the leverage and convenience of obtaining all allied services. From core application development to managing the hosted resources that are needed to successfully implement, run and patch it, and all the way to protecting your data in the cloud – managed cloud service providers can cater to it all.

This way, businesses have one go-to partner that they can always rely on when it comes to all their IT and cloud service needs, thereby saving time as well as the effort needed to coordinate with multiple different partners.

Cost savings – both in the long and short term

Saving significantly on overhead and equipment costs has long since been the biggest driver for businesses to embrace outsourcing services, and managed cloud services are no exception. While your outsourcing service provider still resides as a middleman between the cloud computing vendor and your business, cost savings and overall cost efficiency is still maintained, as your outsourcing partner is undertaking not just cloud resource management, but also a whole variety of IT-related services that your business needs.

Having a single reliable partner handle all of this for you can be a worthwhile investment, as it can free your business teams to focus on executive tasks pertaining to strategy and decision making.

The ability to scale as and when needed

Through their partnerships with leading cloud computing vendors, managed cloud services outsourcing companies have the capability to add and remove resources as needed, following close correspondence directly with the vendor. Combined with the competency delivered by high-level domain experts from the outsourcing company (such as software architects), you can rest assured that your business’s cloud infrastructure is being managed by the best, at all times.

Access to top expertise as new technologies are released

With many leading IT outsourcing companies being hubs for attracting and working with top-tier talent, businesses can gain access to this talent without having to worry about geographical constraints, or most of the administrative burdens associated with hiring and managing a new employee.

This is particularly beneficial for implementing the vast array of new technologies that are pioneered and released by leading cloud computing vendors; businesses now simply need to consult their IT outsourcing companies to assess, build and implement innovative solutions – as soon as relevant technologies are released.

AI, machine learning and especially generative AI, are all good examples. Through consulting your existing software outsourcing provider, custom models can be built and trained by hiring offshore AI developers for your outsourced development team, even if it’s at short notice.

How to establish the right managed cloud services strategy for your business

Whether you are looking to partner with a brand new managed cloud services outsourcing provider or are considering an IT outsourcing company you already work with, the below tips shall come in handy.

1. Always conduct a thorough business assessment and cloud resource audit: Knowing what your business already has and what it is lacking can help both business and outsourcing teams understand the current infrastructure environment. Relevant strategies can then be created to complement what is already available, while also considering relevant workflows and resources for security and compliance.
2. Establish the right analytics tools to monitor important cloud management KPIs: Objectives pertaining to your cloud management strategy also need to be decided during the assessment/audit stage. Based on what these are, your teams can determine which analytics tools are needed to monitor cloud resource usage, performance and costs effectively. Inbuilt analytics tools from your cloud service provider may suffice, but for niche requirements, an external reporting tool (or two) may need to be integrated in order to gain clearer insights.
3. Fix issues that arise, as soon as possible: Successfully establishing and utilising cloud monitoring tools should enable your managed cloud service provider to detect problems and fix them as soon as possible. This way, any obstacles pertaining to network performance, resource usage, costs and security do not impede application performance and overall business operations.

To wrap up…

Managed cloud service providers are now a popular go-to option for businesses of all sizes and industries, thanks to their holistic expertise in all things IT outsourcing. Add to this the ability to enlist some of the best domain expertise, and businesses gain a competitive advantage as they can comfortably delegate all IT and cloud resource management duties to free themselves up for executive duties that really demand their attention.

By conducting a preliminary assessment and audit of existing cloud resources, teams can ascertain where gaps need to be filled, while also determining which KPIs shall help offer insight on how successful your cloud management strategy eventually is. Ultimately, cloud management, whether it is done in-house or via a managed cloud service provider, needs to be a process that is perpetually undergoing changes and upgrades, in order to ensure all your cloud infrastructure is accounted for and put to optimum use – at all times.