Experts at OS33 Offer 5 Tips for MSPs Looking to Understand What Cloud Services are in Demand by SMBs

NEW YORK, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With end-user demand for cloud-based resources on the rise, thousands of small to medium-sized businesses are turning to Managed Service Providers to help them adopt cloud computing services.  Experts at OS33, a cloud-based IT-as-a-Service platform for MSPs, offer these five tips to help Managed Service Providers demonstrate the value of cloud-based IT offerings to SMBs.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100810/NY47221LOGO )

1.  Emphasize the Cost Savings of a Move to the Cloud:

SMB customers won't buy your cloud-based IT offerings unless you can clearly demonstrate both immediate and ongoing cost savings.  While a move to the cloud is generally expected to bring significant cost savings, the real challenge is to demonstrate the specific savings to the customer.  Providing a detailed quote that clearly demonstrates the savings in hardware, management and operations costs realized by moving IT assets to the cloud is critical.

2.  Offer SMBs a Solution That Features an Integrated Platform:

Merely promising to help control recurring IT costs alone won't close a sale.  Even less tech-savvy SMB customers are becoming well aware that scattered cloud-based assets have somewhat limited benefits. A cloud offering based on products from multiple vendors simply won't work. End users need a solution that brings all of their IT resources, such as infrastructure, applications, management and delivery together, accessed and supported on the same platform.  

3.  Simplify Things for the End User with a Single Interface:

The cloud is not a major competitive plus unless everything is centralized and organized through a simple-to-use and easy-to-access interface.  To get all of the benefits inherent to cloud computing, SMBs need an interface that provides them with unified access to all of their IT assets -- applications, data and service -- on one screen, on any connected device, anywhere.

4.  Ensure that Application Performance and SLAs Will Be Met:

Business customers of all sizes are demanding nothing less than enterprise-level performance and availability for their applications running in the cloud.  From what we have seen, most end users are willing to give up any and all benefits associated with cloud computing if their LOB applications do not meet their SLA or performance expectations.

5.  Provide Exceptional Service and Support at All Times:

The sale doesn't end when an SMB signs a contract.  What's also in demand is great support.  And this means support with immediate response time.  A lack of adequate support results in a major loss of productivity and some very unhappy end users.  It's critical for your MSP practice to support any cloud-based service that you offer as if it's your own product.  Too many deployments fail due to lack of prompt, knowledgeable support.

"SMBs range from having their most technology-literate employee overseeing their computing needs to having a full-blown IT department," said Jacob Kazakevich, OS33 President. "But regardless of size, all organizations are looking to leverage the economic benefits, simplicity, and accessibility of cloud-based IT. MSPs who understand what cloud services are in demand by SMBs and can tailor their offerings to satisfy these demands will ultimately be the most successful."

OS33's easy-to-use, yet powerful managed services software platform, allows providers to provision and deliver hosted IT solutions to thousands of end users, transforming raw computing resources from the OS33 cloud or the MSP's own private infrastructure into business-ready Web and Windows applications and desktop hosting for their customers. MSPs can add new clients in five minutes or less and provision them with hosted business applications from a catalog of software and third-party SaaS offerings, along with integrated Citrix hosting and collaboration tools.  Utilization of OS33 tracking, billing and chargeback, ticketing and reporting ensures that the OS33 MSP partnership is profitable and makes good business sense.

Follow OS33:  Twitter  Facebook  YouTube

About OS33

OS33, the leading full-featured cloud computing IT delivery automation platform, has been tested and proven by thousands of end users. OS33 spun off from External IT, an MSP that provides turnkey cloud computing solutions that made OS33 the backbone of its business beginning in 2006. OS33 is based in New York City. For more information please visit http://www.os33.com.

Companies and products mentioned herein may be trademarks or trade names of their respective owners.

SOURCE OS33