How To Choose The Right Provider Of Managed Network Services?

By Author: Ryan Justin
Total Articles: 109
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When you are searching for a provider of managed network services, you are certain to find a number of companies offering them. As such, it can become difficult to choose between them. You will have to evaluate each of the managed network support providers. However, first, you should understand what such you can get from these services.

What are Managed Network Services?

These services are generally offered by a provider in the form of subscriptions such as in a monthly or annual fee. The fee will include all that you are going to get from the provider such as the bandwidth, network services, user count and equipment. The service level agreement can affect the fee that you pay as well.

It will be the responsibility of the provider to monitor the health of the network equipment that you have hired so as to ensure that they remain available and operate in a smooth and secure manner. The same applies to the services that you have hired them for.

Now that you know what managed network services are, you can use the following points to help you find the right provider.

The Service Offerings ...
... of the Provider

The provider should understand the unique needs of your company. They should be able to offer them with a solution that is more than just a basic package. Instead, you should get a unique solution that has been customized based on your needs.

You should be getting different access speeds in your network connectivity so that you can choose what speed to assign to each location or user. Moreover, the network access service should give you a connection that has high speed and is always on. Of course, the solution should be easy in terms of deployment, management and support. The provider should be capable of offering a range of packages of features and equipment so that you can get one that suits your budget.

Security and Network Operations

The managed network support providers should be monitoring the services on a proactive basis throughout the day, week and year from different operation centers. A good support infrastructure is necessary to make sure that the network services are performing to the maximum potential possible. You should also be getting the technical support in a timely and responsive manner.

Good providers will also offer complete visibility into the performance and status of the network by means of a portal. This allows you to enjoy self-service capabilities.

The Service Level Agreements

In a partnership with a managed network services provider, the service level agreement is one of the most important documents. These agreements will define the level of network availability and performance that you can expect from the provider. In fact, the agreement will guarantee that you will receive a certain level of support at all times.

These are just some of the most important points that need to be considered when hiring a managed network services provider. A provider who scores well in these criteria will be one worth doing business with.