Managed Services: An Irish take
July 9th 2013
Excerpts from an article by Leslie Faughnan published in the Sunday Business Post on 07/07/2013
The growth of managed services in Ireland in recent years has been remarkable. One aspect, not always recognised because the market is Irish and in Ireland, is that we have quietly developed an indigenous style of service and MSP.
According to Joe Molloy, managed services director of IT Force there is a distinctive culture in ICT managed services here.
'I would say that generally the managed service relationships have got deeper and there is a well-established trust level. That is not just our clients, but across the sector. At the same time, there are now savvy clients, and not just those who have seen several contract renewals, who are very clear on what they want and what they should be able to expect.
'The point is that you are always to some degree your client's virtual IT department. The SLAs count, but you are expected to behave like a colleague. Our oldest client hired us 13 years ago, when they had a small business server and a 56k modem and not much else.
'We have led them through at least two generations of ICT, they are much bigger and we look after the London office as well. And the relationship is, I'd say, exactly the same to this day.
'I think what all clients are looking for today is stability. They want uptime and availability, minimal change although they are receptive to new ICT advances if it is clear they will contribute to efficiency - or reduce costs.'