Skip to the main content.

5 min read

Cloud Managed Services: What’s The Deal?

Featured Image
 

Life’s Too Short To Worry About Managing Your Own Server

Have you ever tried to fix your own plumbing, but somehow made the leak worse? Did you end up having to call a plumber and declare those hours spent “repairing” your pipes a complete waste?

Next time you’re wondering whether it’s worth it to find a managed cloud service provider versus just doing it yourself, remember those scenarios.

Why spend your precious time upgrading and patching software when we can do it for you? Even more importantly, why try to handle your server’s cybersecurity on your own and risk leaving security gaps everywhere?

Your server isn’t a set of pipes, so you may not even notice a catastrophic “leak” until it’s too late and some hacker sitting in his basement owns all your company data.

If a task is time-consuming, a huge pain, or simply too critical to risk handling yourself,  you always have the option of calling in an expert to do the job for you. When it comes to cloud server management, BEMO is your expert.

When you hire us for cloud managed services, you can rest easy knowing we will handle the tedious, annoying, and tricky parts.  It’s like calling a plumber to check your pipes regularly and make sure your basement never floods. BEMO takes care of your software upgrades and general maintenance, giving you the time and peace of mind to focus on other important tasks. (And as a bonus, we can promise that you won’t glimpse any plumber cracks when you’re working with our technicians.)

Give us a shout using the form below.

 

What are cloud managed services, and why do you need them?

In the olden days, most companies housed their own physical servers, usually under the desks of IT employees or in their own home in a larger data center facility. Regardless, the company was in charge of all aspects of server management (security patches, software updates, equipment upgrades, swapping out frayed cables, and even drying out components whenever Bob spilled coffee all over his desk).

Some companies probably enjoyed having everything under their own roof, but most agreed that managing a physical server was time consuming and frankly kind of tedious. So when the cloud came along, it was an easy choice to move operations online and ditch the physical hardware sitting in the company’s offices.

This brings us to today. Gone are the days of swapping out old hardware for new upgrades and blowing dust out of clogged fans! Now, all companies have to worry about is… everything else. As it turns out, managing cloud-based servers is still kind of a pain—which is perhaps why cloud managed services are so highly sought by huge enterprise companies.

But chances are, your company is not an enormous multinational corporation. Does that mean you’re stuck searching for software updates and dealing with glitchy patches for the rest of your days? Or is there a solution for those small and medium-size companies wanting a hands-off way to use cloud servers without having to stay on top of upkeep?

Why yes, yes there is, and thank you for asking.

Here’s What Cloud Managed IT Services For Small To Medium-size Businesses Look Like

If you’re familiar with the limitations of traditional managed service providers (MSPs) and cloud solutions providers (CSPs), it’s easy to see the appeal of broader, more robust cloud managed services. But if you’ve never had the pleasure of trying to find a managed solution as a small business, let us enlighten you.

An MSP handles all the maintenance and ongoing monthly upkeep of a server in a nearby physical location (not in the cloud). You would think a CSP would handle all those same things for cloud-based servers, but they typically don’t. Traditionally, CSPs only manage a handful of cloud-based services such as SalesForce or Microsoft 365. This is, of course, annoying if you plan on using any other software (and what company doesn’t?)

Noticing a gap in service, here? There seems to be a glaring lack of solutions for non-enterprise businesses that want fully managed servers in the cloud.

We noticed it, too. BEMO handles all your cloud-based server concerns, because we understand that small and medium-size businesses don’t have the IT teams and the budgets to come up with their own solutions.

Let’s say, for example, that you still house your company’s servers in-house. As much as you enjoy having that handy foot rest sitting under your desk, you understand the convenience (and security) benefits of moving to the cloud. How do you get started with cloud and managed services?

Honestly? Give us a call and let us handle it, so you don’t have to.

We’ll start by moving your company’s data and operations to a cloud-based server. We typically use Azure, because we find it suits the needs of our clients well. Setup is free; just consider us your personal IT team.

After that, we set up your antivirus programs and other security measures, make sure all patches are up-to-date, and then rinse and repeat forever because we take maintenance and preventive upkeep very seriously.

Because you’ve moved to a cloud-based server, you have the option to scale your business up or down as you see fit. Having a busy month? Crank that dial and let the power flow. And don’t worry – we’ll make sure your setup handles the increase in demand smoothly.

Or let’s say there’s a critical security vulnerability that one of your software providers just noticed. You don’t need to stay late after work to apply an emergency patch that just popped up at 6 p.m. on a Friday. Go ahead and get ready for date night; that security patch will be up and running without you lifting a finger.

BEMO monitors and performs upkeep on everything, so you can spend your time doing literally anything else.

Not quite ready to let us make the cloud provider decision for you? That’s okay!

We strongly believe in Microsoft’s solutions, but that preference comes from years of managing IT solutions for businesses like yours. We can hardly blame you for wanting to do the background research yourself. After all, you know your business needs best, and we haven’t had the pleasure of forming a relationship with you yet.

Just keep the following things in mind as you look for a potential cloud service provider:

  • Provider: You can choose from one of the main three cloud providers (Google, Microsoft’s Azure, and Amazon’s AWS).

  • Price: Prices will vary, but we like Azure because most people already run software such as Office and Microsoft 365. Staying in the same ecosystem means you don’t have to purchase a bunch of programs separately.

  • Compatibility: Again, if you want to run Microsoft products, it makes the most sense to choose Microsoft's servers. Otherwise, you’d be purchasing Office or 365, installing it on an AWS or Google server, and then finding a way to adequately protect both of these things while getting them to play nicely together.

After you get everything set up, you can still call us and ask us to manage everything if you find yourself in over your head (or just get annoyed with the tedium).

You Don’t Have To Give Up The Reins If You Don’t Want To

If you (for some reason) get a kick out of watching progress bars fill up, you can buy the license for your new Azure cloud server from us and still remain in charge of the maintenance and upkeep aspects. Just let us know you’d prefer unmanaged services, and we’ll make sure to hand over the reins after we get you set up.

Either way, we look forward to hearing from you! Don’t forget to fill out the form above to get in touch.

Leave us a comment!