There can be no denying the impact that Cloud services has had – and continues to have on the ICT managed services space. The evolution of this concept has rendered the old model virtually obsolete and today more companies are attracted to hosted services. Experts in IT solution services and support believe the Managed Services Provider  is now dealing with a very different and dynamic market.

Warwick Ward-Cox is MD of Network Platforms, a national supplier of IT solutions and internet service provider. He refers to the increased uptake of the Cloud and cost-effective connectivity as two drivers behind the push towards hosted services.

“For example a Microsoft Exchange server would require a MSP to implement and manage the server. With the move to Cloud, deployments are much quicker and there is no capital investment in terms of hardware onsite. Additional resources can be added quickly without an impact on business from a financial and disruptionperspective,” he explains.

MSPs have to consider how to bill for end-user support because more services are removed from the client’s infrastructure. The Cloud has affected billing and the question of the level of control over a client’s infrastructure.

According to Ward-Cox, users will still require support to connect to Cloud services, as well as support to manage end-points. “The market is now moving towards a per-user cost rather than the traditional per-device cost of the past.”

Network Platforms has aligned its service to the Cloud-based service requirements of the market. The Company offers MSP Cloud based solutions on a reseller program so it is possible to create an annuity income from these services.

Looking ahead at 2014, Ward-Cox predicts that as connectivity prices decrease and improve, the uptake will increase and supply will meet demand because ISPs have worked hard to get the hosted platforms in place.

“There is no doubt this is one of the most active and exciting areas of technology tooperate in… there is a great deal to look forward to and the Cloud is not going to disappear anytime soon!,” he adds.