Managed vs Unmanaged IT Services: What's the Difference?

Learn about the differences between managed and unmanaged IT services. Understand how managed services can help increase efficiency while unmanaged services give customers more control over their data.

When it comes to IT services, there are two main options: managed and unmanaged. Managed services refer to the IT services that a technology company provides, while unmanaged services are more like buying an empty room from an intermediary. With managed services, customers outsource daily functions to a particular vendor to increase efficiency, while unmanaged services give customers more control over their data. The range of control is one of the most important differences between managed and unmanaged cloud services.

With an unmanaged cloud service, the type of furniture and accessories you want to add to the room is left to the purchaser himself. On the other hand, managed services provide the management and support of experts and specialists in the cloud, as well as specific assistance and monitoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year with alerts and reports. Managed services are ideal for companies that have turned their online businesses into their main source of income. They offer a modular approach and levels of assistance that are highly scalable and adaptable in terms of support and SLA.

Unmanaged cloud hosting offers more control over your data, but it's also difficult to manage. When it comes to money, the discrepancy between managed and unmanaged services is significant. Contrary to what you might believe, the “unmanaged” standalone operating mode, with its initial investment of hardware and specialized personnel, is by far the most expensive. Managed cloud services help you to focus more on the purpose of your organization, since the provider takes care of all your technical needs.

In managed cloud services, the hosting provider is responsible for managing all your data backup needs. A managed network allows the IT team to transfer many tedious and cumbersome tasks to an external provider, as well as critical tasks that require special expertise. With an unmanaged network, the IT team is responsible for everything, whether they have the necessary skills to manage it or not.

Verna Glaza
Verna Glaza

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