Managed Services
MANAGED SERVICES – a guide
• Level of Service
• Quality of Service
• Conditions
• Benefits & Features
LEVELS OF SERVICE
Differing levels of service are available and configurable. The following are indicators of different levels of service:
1) Entry Level – monitoring of DSL link and call escalation upstream of CLARKSON MCLAREN
2) Intermediate Level – as per Entry Level, plus monitoring & call escalation of firewall & server issues including CPU usage, disk space and memory, alerts via SMS or email.
3) Comprehensive Level – All of the above plus help desk service.
PRICING
All monitoring services require the installation of a firewall with secure connection to our monitoring service. It is envisaged that such a unit can be supplied to a site as part of a fixed-term managed services agreement for only the cost of installation – under $250 – with the purchase price amortised over the period of the managed services agreement as part of the management fees.
QUALITY OF SERVICE
The parameters of quality of service are covered by a service level agreement
contained within the managed services agreement. These parameters include
details of the method of escalation, timeframes for responses, and other outcomes as agreed.
CONDITIONS
As part of the managed services agreement, the conditions of such managed services are clearly defined by all parties.
These conditions usually include; Methods of escalation, level of support, speed and method of response to defined events, reporting paths and responsibilities for different events.
BENEFITS & FEATURES
The primary benefit from a managed services contract for any organisation is
a huge efficiency gain in the area of IT support.
A simple question…..how many users should a network have before you NEED an IT specialist to maintain the network?
Common perceived wisdom says maybe 25-30 users……government departments tend to only employ one network specialist per 300 users….but the REAL answer is ……
IF YOU HAVE A SERVER, YOU NEED A SPECIALIST!
Of course, not every organisation has the resources to pay a network guru the going rate of $50-$80k p.a.
Even for a small network, there are maintenance tasks requiring the presence of a network guru. Add to this the number of terminals attached, and this comprises the workload of an IT expert.
In a managed services scenario, a number of essential network tasks can be defined, quantified and costed, so that the end user only pays for PART of an IT expert, not the whole $70k version. The result – high quality network functionality, minimum downtime, minimum cost. Potential disasters are identified and corrected before they become too expensive.
Managed services are usually costed as an agreed number of hours per month to perform an agreed list of tasks to ensure network performance.
Professional Services
Professional Services
From planning and design to implementation and support, Clarkson McLaren can augment your staff or provide a complete turn-key solution for data and security networks. Whether you’re looking for the most up-to-date and expert advice or require a complete solution, the Clarkson McLaren approach is designed to be flexible.
Clarkson McLaren understands that network requirements are unique for each customer, and are dynamic. The growth in the complexity of networks and the importance they have in supporting business needs increasingly challenges network support staff. Clarkson McLaren assists by complementing your resources with the required network integration support.
By partnering with Clarkson McLaren, you maintain control of the technology. When you take advantage of our service capabilities, your organisation can concentrate its time in the areas that add the most value to your company: supporting end-users, adding and enhancing applications, extending operating systems and planning for future network expansion. Our goal is to provide best-in-class services that exceed your expectations. Our network service offerings are designed around a total IT support lifecycle.