“Managed services” is a general term referring to the outsourcing of day-to-day management of a function, often in the IT arena. But like ice cream, managed services come in many flavors. Here are some common managed services offerings.

Managed Connectivity – A managed connectivity provider will ensure that your organization’s multiple sites are connected with sufficient bandwidth and availability. This entails selecting the right solutions, tying them together, monitoring them, detecting problems and immediately initiating remediation actions.

Managed WiFi – Wireless access can make employees more productive and offer added value for customers and partners. But setting up a well designed, secure network and keeping it up and running requires specific knowledge. The managed WiFi provider delivers this expertise and manages software and firmware updates on an ongoing basis.

Managed Network/Router – Network and router services can be complex installations. A managed network/router provider will configure deployments to meet your organization’s specific requirements and will be able to monitor performance and troubleshoot problems.

Managed Voice – A managed voice provider will manage your communications systems including installing the equipment, training users, managing updates, and monitoring and supporting the system on an ongoing basis.

Managed Security – It is critical to ensure the security of your organization’s network and data. A managed security provider will deploy and manage the full range of security solutions – including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, vulnerability assessment tools, antivirus solutions, etc. – needed to safeguard your business. And the provider will be able to stay on top of the latest vulnerabilities so your IT staff doesn’t have to.

Managed Business Continuity – Having a business continuity/disaster recovery plan in place is critical, but many resource-strapped IT organizations move it to the bottom of the priority list because, unlike many other activities, it doesn’t have a “right now” impact. A managed business continuity provider performs business impact analyses and risk assessments, builds and manages the plans, and executes the plan in the event of a business disruption.

Like ice cream, there’s a managed services offering for just about any taste or need. And like ice cream, you don’t have to pick just one flavor – you can combine as many as you want based on what makes the most sense for your business.