Businesses are increasingly partnering with managed service providers (MSPs) to enhance network decisions and operations, aiming for benefits such as cost savings, 24/7 support, and improved performance. An IDC survey highlights that companies expect MSPs to reduce network operation costs, enhance application availability, and allow IT staff to focus on strategic initiatives. Overall, MSPs provide expert support, improved security, and help in managing complex network infrastructures, thereby delivering significant value to businesses.

1. Voice | Internet | Television | Network Services | Cloud Services
Making Smart Telecom & Network Choices:
8 Reasons Business Customers Partner
with a Managed Service Provider

2. Businesses increasingly are utilizing managed services providers to
assist them in making smart network decisions and streamline their
operations.
In addition to cost savings, what do companies hope to
gain with this expert assistance?

3. Here’s what an IDC survey said:
53% 50% 39% 35%
Expect to gain
24/7 support
Expect to see
reduced network
operations costs
Want improved
network, application
availability, &
performance
Want improved
internal process and
procedures
33% 29% 29% 23%
Expect to be able
to refocus IT staff
on strategic
initiatives
Want to access
external skills and
expertise
Want a single point
of contact for all
telecom and IT
needs
Expect to see more
upgrades, migrations,
or new app
deployments

4. Are they realizing these benefits?
Let’s take a closer look
at the outcomes.

5. 1
Cost Savings

6. Businesses that used a managed services provider instead of internally
staffed services catalogued:
79% lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for a managed
WAN service deployed at a midsize multi-location sales office
84% lower TCO for a managed Internet and security
service deployed at a single health care clinic

7. Why do businesses realize cost savings through an MSP?
 Predictable monthly fees aid budgeting.
 Companies pay only for the networking services used.
 Consolidating voice and data services onto a single network can cut costs in half.
 Companies can access innovative network technologies without high capital
expenditures or ongoing investments in upgrades and maintenance resources.
 Their extensive knowledge of the market results in efficient and strategic decisions
regarding the best choice of carrier.

8. 2
Expert, 24/7 support

9. MSPs offer comprehensive, high-quality service. They have
a large, experienced staff that specializes in router and
security technology, and their staff has a broader and
deeper access to technical expertise than most businesses’
IT staff.
IT staff can then focus on strategic internal initiatives.

10. 3
MSPs relieve the pressure
put on a business’s IT staff

11. Staff must have multiple technology certifications in these areas:
• Routers
• Ethernet switches
• Firewalls
• Intrusion detection
systems
• Content filtering
• VPN devices
• Wi-Fi
• Mobile devices
• Server, desktop, & mobile
operating systems
Each member of the business’s IT staff requires continuous technical
training to maintain skills in these rapidly changing fields.

12. 4
Improved performance of
communications services

13. MSPs streamline the management of communications services like these:
 Broadband Internet access links—including T1, bonded T1, business
Ethernet, DS3, DSL, cable, satellite, and wireless broadband
 Virtual private networks (VPNs)
 Carrying voice and data traffic on the same circuits
 Comprehensive management of security elements to mitigate network
intrusions, attacks, viruses, spam, and other threats

14. 5
Single point of contact

15. MSPs offer objective advice based on their extensive knowledge of multiple
carriers, carriers’ product lines, and a business’s needs and goals.
Questions—among many—that MSPs can answer about carriers:
 Do they have an MPLS network to support VoIP?
 Do they do SIP trunking?
 Can they offer an IP-VPN solution for remote office sites?

16. 6
Improved network
performance

17. 75% of midsize businesses are network dependent. Network reliability is critical
because a network outage essentially shuts down business. MSPs guarantee
improved network performance because of these factors:
 They have robust, reliable, and resilient networks
 Industry-average SLAs promise 99.95% network availability
 Networks are proactively monitored 24 hours a day
 SLAs guarantee response and resolution times for network problems to
minimize impact on users

18. 7
MSPs ensure high-quality
network operation

19.  They manage, maintain, and upgrade network infrastructure and management
systems more often than individual businesses do
 They must meet 24-hour demand
 They define and monitor Quality of Service (QoS) and Class of Service (CoS)
parameters to prioritize voice traffic and ensure call quality
 They secure data, transactions, and communications to keep up with the latest
security threats, as well as meeting privacy and security regulations
 They deliver services to more remote offices and employees than individual
business networks do

20. 8
Improved network security

21. 31% of targeted cyber attacks are aimed at businesses with fewer
than 250 employees, according to Symantec.
MSPs help businesses realize improved network security through:
 Firewall management
 Intrusion protection service
 Advanced security solutions

22. For more information on
Time Warner Cable Business Class,
see
business.twc.com/partner.