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Managed IT Services Glossary: Top 10 essential jargon-free terms

Jul. 28, 2022 IT Support for Business

Avoid being bamboozled by confusing tech terms with the meaning behind the words

 

Many managed IT services companies make a big mistake when explaining what they do to prospective clients by over-using off-putting technical jargon.

When your managed IT services provider uses a lot of confusing tech terms, it can feel like you’re being bombarded with (or even bamboozled by) too much information.

To help you demystify the confusion, we’ve put together a simple glossary of the 10 essential managed IT services terms you need to know. We guarantee it to be jargon-free!

 

Back to basics: What are managed IT services?

Simply put, managed IT services encompass the “management” of all aspects of your business technology by an external company with the goal of helping you improve your operations and reducing your expenses.

 

Managed IT services glossary: 10 essential terms, explained


  • IT managed service provider (IT MSP)

An IT MSP is the company that provides the managed IT services to your business. Many of these companies specialize in supporting specific industries like banks, credit unions, law firms, manufacturing businesses, educational institutions, and professional services in general.

 

  • Break/fix IT services

Break/fix IT services are basically a pay-as-you-go alternative to having continuous IT service from an MSP. A break/fix IT provider will come in to deal with problems as and when they occur. They charge per job, often by the hour.


  • Service level agreement (SLA) 

SLAs are an important part of the contract with your IT MSP that sets expectations for services delivered, main points of contact, and metrics to assess success.


  • Cost\benefit analysis

Many IT providers have the skill and expertise to review a product area and provide an analysis that will determine the total cost of ownership to help you save money by uncovering any hidden costs.


  • Strategic business review (SBR)

A SBR will be conducted on a regular basis by your IT MSP to identify innovative business opportunities and room for growth through technology to provide guidelines for future technology investments and applications. 


  • Remote monitoring and management (RMM)

Utilized by most IT MSPs who offer remote services, RMM is a type of software that allows your IT partner to remotely maintain your servers and endpoint systems without visiting your office or employees onsite. 


  • Professional services automation (PSA)

Often integrated with RMM technology, PSA is a type of software suite that provides automation and management of daily business processes like help desks, billing, project management, and reporting. 


  • Business continuity 

Business continuity is the ability for your company to continue functioning during and after a disaster (natural disaster, power outage, etc.). Your IT MSP can help you craft a business continuity plan that details all the necessary preparations to ensure your success in this area. 


  • Backup and disaster recovery 

The combined power of data backup and disaster recovery solutions ensure your business functions and systems are back up and running as quickly as possible during a disaster. 


  • –As A Service (–aaS)

–aaS is any type of IT service delivered remotely to your business through the cloud such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), or Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS).

 

Looking for IT support for your business?

If you’re still unsure how managed IT services can help your business, our local, highly trained technicians at NeverBlue IT can offer the clarity you need. With a fixed monthly price, our onsite, proactive IT support will allow you to maximize your full business potential by knowing your technology needs are taken care of.

With our people-first approach to IT, we’re proud to specialize in providing managed IT services to businesses in industries such as legal, banking, manufacturing, accounting, and more across Central Florida and Southeast Michigan. 

 

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