Reap The Benefits Of Managed Service Packaging

By Andrew Burton, Carbonite

Developing a go-to-market strategy can be challenging for IT providers. Many start out as break-fix shops, delivering IT support on a project basis. However, working from project to project makes revenue unpredictable. That’s why some providers make the move to managed services. In the managed service model, IT providers deliver services on an ongoing basis and charge customers on a subscription basis. Customers outsource all, or part, of their IT needs to the provider.

Some providers offer packages or groups of services. This gives providers an opportunity to present service options in a straightforward way. For example, a provider might offer tiers of services at different price points. Others create packages geared to meet the needs of a specific vertical, say healthcare providers, for example. Targeting specific IT disciplines is the most common approach. In this model, a provider might offer a security service package that includes firewall and antivirus, threat detection, and patch management.

There’s no single way to package services. The needs of customers in your region will dictate the exact makeup of the packages you offer.