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MSPs know that the demand for cloud services is at an all-time high — as we all predicted. What many providers struggle with at this point is meeting customer expectations. The typical IT client now expect a one-stop-shop service offering that covers any and all possible cloud needs, as well as their ERP requirements.

This presents a challenge for MSPs who may already be fighting to keep up with changing tech demands, while at the same time doing everything in their power to stand apart from competitors.

How does an MSP compete when it comes to cloud in 2022?

We’re going to look at cloud services we consider essential for managed service providers to offer so that you can better understand what it takes to build a great MSP cloud offering.

Cloud Solutions MSPs Must Offer Their Clients

The majority — around 85% — of decision-makers and IT professionals realize that outsourcing a cloud service from your MSP offers considerable benefits. Some of the most cited examples include:

• Securing company assets and data.
• Give more time back to the internal IT team.
• Handle cloud migrations that might be to difficult for the in-house team to manage
• Improve workplace happiness and increase employee retention within the IT staff.

Demand is no question these days. The real puzzle for IT providers is how to build their solution stack and offer the diverse assortment of cloud solutions that their clients are really looking for.

Here is our guide to essential cloud-focused MSP offerings:

1. Cloud Monitoring

Cloud monitoring should be included for every client so that both your team and the end-user can stay on top of infrastructure health, availability/utilization, performance, and security.

Different types of monitoring are often needed to keep track of a cloud system’s many interworking components. Some examples include:

• Cloud Storage: To measure cloud storage capacity and volume configurations.
• Databases: Track database queries, user activity, and data integrity to prevent issues stemming from the database (which are the most common source of trouble).
• Virtual Machines and Virtual Networks: Virtualization monitoring to watch user activity, performance, and capacities, as well as network components such as firewall and switches.
• Website Performance: When applicable, this tracking gives insight into traffic and resource usage to keep you proactive regarding site performance and loading times.
• App Performance Management (APM): Monitor cloud-based apps and ensure maximum usability and uptime.

2. Secure Data Storage

Every MSP is expected to provide clients with a safe way to store applications, data, and workflows in the cloud. Safety means turning an eye toward cloud cybersecurity, using a variety of measures and best-practices to give your clients peace-of-mind:

• Vulnerability scanning
• Adherence to a zero-trust and a least-privilege access policy
• Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
• Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR)
• Encryption

These are difficult for in-house IT teams to provide in full, giving you strong selling points when it comes to outsourcing. More importantly, these measures will help keep your clients’ data secure and their organizations compliant with any applicable regulations.

3. Hybrid Cloud

The hybrid cloud model is in high demand among certain clients because it allows a company to combine cloud resources with on-premises systems. This has been a boon to small business clients because it can often be the most cost-effective option that fits their needs.

As an MSP, you’ll be helping your clients overcome common hybrid cloud challenges like:

• Security risks that come from multiple platforms and increased threat surfaces.
• Compliance with regulations and data privacy laws.
• Compatibility and integration with multiple systems.
• Assuring data portability and mobility.

4. Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS)

Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) is a means of providing a “backup plan” for clients in the event of a natural disaster, data breach, ransomware attack, or other catastrophic IT issue.

MSPs are expected to be disaster planning specialists, as their typical clients often lack the necessary budget or expertise to devise and run an effective recovery plan of their own.

DRaaS is typically offered in a number of different ways, with pricing based on storage, bandwidth, or resource usage. They can be offered through a contract or month-to-month, with most MSPs offering one or more of the following options:

• Fully-Managed DRaaS: The MSP takes full responsibility for data backup and recovery.
• Assisted DRaaS: The MSP only manages certain aspects of the recovery process, i.e. infrastructure only. The client is responsible for the rest.
• Self-Service DRaaS: This is the most affordable option MSPs can offer as the client is responsible for devising, testing, and executing the entire recovery plan.

5. Edge Computing

Edge computing involves moving data processing from the cloud to local locations, such as a user’s desktop or an edge server. This offers numerous benefits in reduced latency, easier security, lower costs, and reduced bandwidth usage.

Because 5g and other advancements are making edge computing more popular, MSPs will soon need to consider it an essential cloud offering.

6. Cloud Routers

Multi-cloud models are still one of the standing challenges with cloud computing as moving data between different vendors is often slow and poses security risks.

Cloud routers are virtual routing services that help with these challenges by creating low-latency connections between multiple networks or providers. They’re often used to connect cloud workloads at different CSPs because the connection is fast, secure, and adaptable/scalable.

7. Cloud Automation

Some of the most noteworthy benefits of cloud come from its potential for automation. MSPs should be able to help their clients automate many common tasks that are normally time-consuming and prone to human error.

Examples of automated cloud tasks include:

• Asset Tagging and Asset Management: Automation is immensely helpful in this important but tedious task.
• Cybersecurity: Automating your security controls can help you restrict access to an app or data, perform threat scanning, and more.
• Resource Allocation: MSPs who offer pay-as-you-go cloud especially need automatic scaling of resources to match demand.
• Infrastructure Configurations: Templates can be used to define and deploy infrastructure configurations at scale.
• Logging: Automatically log all activity within the cloud system(s).
• Access Control: Automation and scripts make it easy to perform critical access management tasks across entire systems.

8. Data Encryption

Encryption is demanded more often by clients thanks to rising cybercrime rates. There’s even a possibility that encryption will become a requirement in sectors where it currently isn’t mandated by regulations.

Your MSP should fill this need by offering encryption in varying degrees:

• Key management is vital for most clients, but especially for those with numerous systems.
• Encryption should be included into cyber audits and reporting.
• You will likely need to provide for one-off services like key recovery and special access.
• Encryption of in-use data for higher security situations that require private computing.

A Purpose-Built Cloud Service for MSPs

Without a doubt, MSPs in 2022 need to be well-versed in the cloud and offer a wide range of solutions to stay competitive. If you’re looking for a way to ease your workload, reduce costs vs. AWS, or incorporate ERP/Sage into your offering, get in touch with Technolify today.