Global IT surveys suggest that 2020 would be a breakthrough year for managed IT services. This spike in the popularity of managed services can be attributed to the growing number of businesses realizing that in-house IT expertise isn’t sufficient to run operations smoothly. With the fast-evolving market dynamics and growing business complexities, the expertise of an experienced third-party IT vendor is imperative to complement the efforts of the other teams in the organization.

Here, we list 5 most popular managed IT service trends in 2020

Leveraging the true potential of cloud

The cloud technology is here to stay and thrive. The rate at which it’s dominating all segments of IT operations is impressive. The platform is being used to build solutions to transform the functioning of businesses. In 2020, more businesses would team up with managed IT service providers to harness the cloud to allow employees to do their jobs using mobile-friendly cloud computing applications. Cloud would also be used to secure critical business information and lower the cost and dependency of businesses on on-premises infrastructure.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Businesses would invest heavily in developing IoT-based solutions to offer greater convenience to users. For instance, using IoT, businesses can understand user behavior by gathering and analyzing user data to anticipate future trends. IT service providers can assist businesses in storing, integrating and synchronizing the data and draw actionable conclusions from it. It’s hardly surprising that the number of IoT devices is estimated to rise from 31 billion in 2020 to over 75 billion by 2025.

Robust cybersecurity

With the rising number of cyber-attacks this volatile, unpredictable macroeconomic environment, organizations would look for enhanced security through the use of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to protect information from malicious attacks from hackers. Another aspect where managed IT services would come to the rescue of businesses is regulatory compliance. With a plethora of diverse complex global regulations to be met, it’s a tall order for the internal team to manage them efficiently.

Development in AI and ML

AI, ML, and intelligent automation of processes would help organizations to attain higher efficiency. There would be greater interaction between man and machines to drive business growth and sustainability. IT service providers would have to help their clients with innovations such as AI chatbots, digital assistants, user behavior prediction, predictive maintenance of critical assets, and many more.

Selling solutions

To ensure sustained growth, IT service providers will focus more on solution-selling of ‘X-as-a-Services’, where ‘X’ can be software, platform, or infrastructure. Businesses would be benefitted from these technologies as they are offered on a monthly subscription model and are easily scalable as the business grows. Also, the recurring costs are significantly low and data security is quite reliable. Managed service providers will have to assist their clients to switch to these services and maintain them for smooth performance.

By assessing the size, potential, and opportunities of the IT services market, it can be concluded that 2020 would be an exciting and rewarding year for managed IT service providers of all sizes. To cash in on the trends, the management has to adopt a forward-thinking approach and be proactive in including the latest and upcoming technologies in their range of services.