Going live with a new IT application and business processes can be exciting, but to keep processes running smoothly, maintenance and future enhancements to your applications are vital. This is where a Managed Services Provider steps in, acting as a safety net to provide your IT departments with more stability and efficiency.
What is a Managed Services Provider?
A Managed Services Provider (MSP) works to maintain the daily operations of your specialized applications. Managed Services aim to increase the capability of your organization’s end-users while allowing your teams to focus on more important, strategic tasks. In doing so, organizations with an MSP see better cost control, improved risk management, and an overall increase in efficiency and productivity.
Every organization has diverse needs, so there is no standardized, “one size fits all” solution in Managed Services. These services are on demand and scalable for each client. For example, if you have recently implemented an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Solution, an MSP would assist in a vast array of ERP related tasks including production support, development, and additional module or functionality implementation offerings.
An MSP that effectively tailors to its clients’ needs allows organizations to use specific consulting and IT services depending on the IT department’s areas of needs. An organization could seek out Accounts Payable (AP) production support, a combination of production support and development services, production support, development, and implementation services.
Here are 4 key areas that an MSP can help your organization with:
Application Development: Application development services focus on interfaces, workflows, enhancements, & bolt-ons, reports, and queries. For example, if a company’s objective is to move to Concur for travel and expense management, a Managed Service Provider works to seamlessly integrate the Concur feed into your ERP system, all the way to the General Ledger.
Incident Management: Incident Management services focus on break-fix, data issue resolutions, root cause & resolution, and end-user support. For example, your HCM team may not have the updated chart fields needed to complete the accounting integration into your ERP system. A Managed Services Provider will track down the transactions that are in error, update them, and make sure they are properly posted to your General Ledger.
Release Management: Release Management focuses on patches, upgrades, bug fixes, regulatory updates, and PUM Image Application. An MSP can help answer questions like, “What is new in the latest PeopleSoft PUM, and should we update our system or selectively adopt a new feature?” “When is your next refresh scheduled for your Cloud HCM environment?” and “What is coming in the next Cloud ERP release and how will that affect our current environment?” An MSP will have immediate answers to these questions, streamlining the process of applying application patches and enhancements.
Release Management services can also help organizations adapt to changing environments due to COVID-19, and mitigate the impacts of the Great Resignation. COVID-19 has forever changed the landscape of how professional services are delivered and how consulting firms fulfill their clients’ needs. Organizations now have an increased emphasis on preparation, and an MSP can help meet this need.
An MSP can shield you from unexpected user absences or staffing changes while ensuring your organization complies with the uncertain regulatory requirements of tracking vaccinations, outbreaks, and shutdowns. MSP’s will implement the tracking systems most companies are required to sustain while teams concentrate on their core business objectives. With the high number of employees migrating within the workforce, system maintenance and security issues may arise. An MSP will quickly respond to these problems, mitigating risks and optimizing your systems so your organization can continue with efficient work processes.
Not only is keeping up to speed and preparing for COVID-19 regulatory requirements essential, but it can also provide enhanced flexibility and efficiency for business processes. After an MSP effectively implements COVID-19 tracking systems, your organization can use data visualizations from these systems to understand and monitor the health and safety of employees. Using this data can help your organization understand how COVID-19 has impacted your workplace and better prepare for changes in workflows.
Special Projects: An MSP can help with Special Projects for your organization, including but not limited to security, data archiving, functional support, end-user training and change management, and new feature implementation. Does your company need a new Oracle Planning and Budgeting Cloud (PBCS) feed? Are you going international and need VAT best practices and configuration? Do you need to automatically translate your General Ledger for multi-currency?
An MSP works to help design and plan for these changes, easing the burden and cost of your ever-changing organizational needs.
Business processes are always changing, but an MSP can act as an insurance policy against the unknown, creating more stability and productivity for your organization. Here at Elire, our Managed Services allow you to leverage flexibility and cost savings to enjoy your application’s full potential with a team you can trust.
Elire’s Managed Services is a suite of IT consulting products tailored to our client’s needs which can be as simple as on-demand staff augmentation, to full-time production engagement. These services are on demand and scalable as we understand not everyone needs 40 hours per week for consulting services.
Backed by over 20 years of PeopleSoft, Oracle EBS, Oracle Cloud, and Kyriba experience, Elire’s Managed Services Practice offers a comprehensive suite to address your end-to-end application management and maintenance needs.
Specific services include PeopleSoft ERP and HCM, Oracle EBS, Oracle Cloud ERP and HCM, Kyriba Treasury Workstation, Oracle PaaS and IaaS, Oracle EPM, and various database administration applications.
Visit Elire’s Managed Services page to learn more about our expertise in application management.